Staging Costs in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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