Lately, I've noticed a recurring question from clients: "Is staging expensive?" It seems folks are grappling with whether the effort and expense are truly worthwhile.

The short answer is yes – staging is almost always worthwhile. 

But you do have to view the expense of staging as an investment – with figures usually starting from $1500 and going up from there for a whole home stage.

So, what exactly factors into home staging costs, you ask? Here's our take on how those fees come together:

1. Consultation and Planning: It all kicks off with an initial consultation, where we, along with our stager dive into assessing the property, determining who our likely client will be, hashing out goals, and crafting a tailored staging plan. This stage requires a blend of design expertise, knowledge of market trends, and an intuitive grasp of buyer psychology.  For every listing, we pay a consultation fee to our stager to come and do a walk through of the property. In all honesty, this is likely one of the most value-adding parts of the process (especially when combined with professional photography and videography).
2. Furniture and Accessories: A significant chunk of staging expenses goes into curating the right furniture and accessories to elevate the property's visual appeal. Think sofas, chairs, tables, rugs, artwork, lighting fixtures – you name it. Every piece is carefully selected to compliment the home's style and resonate with the target audience.  This furniture comes at a cost.  Sometimes stagers will actually rent the furniture from other outfits, if it means getting the right piece for your home.
3. Vacant Home Considerations: Vacant properties often require a larger quantity of furnishings and accessories compared to occupied ones. Costs here can vary depending on factors like quantity, style, and size of the items tailored to each property's needs.
4. Transportation and Logistics: Moving furniture and accessories to and from the property involves logistical coordination and transportation costs. Stagers have to factor in expenses like labour, delivery, setup, and removal, along with the need for suitable vehicles to transport the staging inventory.
5. Staging Execution: On staging day, the team works its magic, arranging furniture and accessories to showcase the property's best features and create a cohesive aesthetic. This process demands skill, creativity, and meticulous attention to detail to ensure every room exudes visual appeal and charm.
6. Professional Expertise: Behind the scenes, stagers invest in ongoing training, education, and certification to stay ahead of industry trends. Their expertise in design, marketing, and psychology enables them to stage properties effectively for maximum impact.
7. Overhead: Like any business, staging companies shoulder overhead expenses such as insurance, warehousing, transportation, labour, utilities, marketing, and administrative costs. These overheads are factored into the overall cost of staging services.

Now, with all that being said, we understand that taking on the expense and effort of staging can be daunting. The numbers can seem quite steep, and there's always the lingering question: will your home even sell? That's why we offer our clients the option of rolling staging fees into the commissions.

It's worth noting that our base fee already covers what we feel are the essentials like consultation and planning, accessory staging (items sourced from our own inventory), and professional execution.

Adjustments to the fee structure typically only come into play when larger-scale projects require bringing in movers or ordering additional furniture to be installed.  But in general, we have tchotchkes, dining tables, chairs, bar stools, sofas, rugs, coffee tables, pillows, towels, throws, etc.  And those are available at no additional charge!

#AgentJen

Jennifer Queen

Phone: (204) 797-7945
Email: Jennifer@JenniferQueen.com

Let me save you the hassle of scrolling through this entire blog post – my response is a resounding YES!

In the current real estate landscape of Winnipeg, we're still riding the wave of a robust seller's market – homes are flying off the shelves, often fetching close to or even exceeding their list price, and bidding wars have become the norm. So, will your house likely fetch a handsome sum regardless? Most likely, yes.

However, here's the crucial question: could you potentially be leaving money on the table by skipping the staging process? My answer to that is also most likely, yes.

According to the 2023 Profile of Home Staging report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a staggering 81 percent of buyers' agents affirmed that staging significantly aids buyers in envisioning the property as their future home. Additionally, 20 percent of buyers' agents noted a price increase of 1-5 percent for staged homes compared to similar unstaged ones.

It's imperative to grasp the value staging adds to the selling journey. Staging is, essentially, marketing. By investing in professional home staging services, sellers can amplify the market appeal of their properties, attract a broader pool of buyers, and ultimately clinch a quicker and more lucrative sale. Moreover, it helps preemptively address potential objections buyers might raise.

Now, who should ultimately bear the cost of staging? One common concern we encounter is the expense associated with staging, and indeed, it can add up. However, on our team, we often shoulder the burden of staging costs. Nevertheless, there's no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

We always cover the expense of the staging consultation, which involves a comprehensive room-by-room discussion and plan, not just a walkthrough with the Realtor, but also with our stager. We strive to work with your existing furniture whenever feasible, as long as it effectively showcases the space. In cases where additional items are needed – what we term an accessory stage – there's usually no extra charge if they're sourced from our staging inventory, which includes a plethora of items ranging from couches, chairs, bar stools, beds, and dining tables to artwork and rugs. We quite literally, have it all.

Of course, there are instances where more extensive staging is warranted. For example, in the case of a vacant home where our existing inventory wouldn't quite fill-out the space, and professional movers are required to transport items, additional fees may come into play. However, such scenarios are relatively rare, and we always engage in thorough consultations with our clients to devise a tailored plan. In some cases, alternative solutions like virtual staging or targeted staging for specific problematic areas of the home may also be explored (also services that we cover). Regardless of any fees involved, we ensure that the investment in staging yields significant returns.

We afford our clients the flexibility to either cover the staging costs upfront or roll them into the commissions. While some Realtors staunchly advocate for sellers to foot the staging bill upfront, given that they stand to reap the greatest financial rewards, I also recognize the substantial benefits of presenting a properly staged home. We take immense pride in the meticulous attention we devote to presenting our listings in the best possible light.

But yes, staging is 100% worth the expense. I have yet to encounter a situation in which the staging did not pay for itself in the sale proceeds

#AgentJen

Jennifer Queen

Phone: (204) 797-7945
Email: Jennifer@JenniferQueen.com