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Is Staging Your NW Arkansas Home Worth It?

If you want to sell your Arkansas home, you’ll have a lot of little tasks to take care of.

If you hire a real estate agent, you’ll have professional support throughout this process; your agent can help you with everything from setting the right price to listing your house for sale on various platforms.

In the course of preparing your home to be listed, you might consider staging it.

But what exactly is home staging, and is it worth the money to stage your NW Arkansas home?

What Is Home Staging in Arkansas?

home staging

Let’s start with the basics.

Staging a home in Arkansas is a collection of strategies designed to make your house look as appealing as possible to prospective buyers. Sometimes, that means correcting flaws and defects, but just as importantly, it means presenting the home in a neutral, aesthetically pleasing way.

These are just some of the strategies often included in home staging:

  •         Decluttering and depersonalization. It’s often beneficial to make your home appear as open and neutral as possible. This is because a neutral home will be appealing to more prospective buyers, and will be much less likely to turn people off when they walk in the door. This is also why neutral colors are recommended when you’re selling a home. Regardless of whether you work with a pro or not, home staging typically includes efforts related to decluttering and depersonalization. It’s important to make sure all of your personal possessions are tucked away, and that you present a home environment that could be compatible with the greatest number of people. Home staging is also an opportunity to remove family photos, any signs of pets, and other obvious signs that this home has been owned by someone else. You may have a personal attachment to this property, but prospective buyers may be turned off if it feels too much like someone else’s.
  •         Minor repairs. Home staging is also a great opportunity to scout for minor flaws and defects, which you can repair before showcasing the home. This is your chance to fix holes in the drywall, patch up the paint, and oil any squeaking doors. Most of these repairs are cheap, painless, and straightforward, so there’s no reason not to do them.
  •         Furniture rearrangement. Home staging experts know their way around furniture, and they’ll help you rearrange your furniture so that it makes the biggest possible impact on prospective buyers. This often means creating more open space in specific rooms, as well as making the environment seem cozier and more welcoming. It may seem like a minor change, and in some ways it is, but it can also make a profound impact on how people see your home for the first time.
  •         Deep cleaning. Everyone selling a home should give it a deep cleaning before showing it to prospective buyers. If the environment appears dirty, dusty, or otherwise improperly cared for, it’s going to make a negative impression. That’s why home staging often includes a round of deep cleaning, so you can make the best possible impression.
  •         Rentals. If your home is sparsely decorated after the depersonalization stage, or if you’re lacking ample furniture to make the home seem inviting, a home staging professional might recommend renting objects to flesh things out. You can rent furniture, pieces of art, neutral photos, and other pieces of décor to improve the environment.
  •         Redecoration. And of course, home staging often includes rounds of redecoration. It’s unlikely that someone will buy a house just because a floral centerpiece is interestingly presented, but cumulatively, these little touches add up to have significant influence.

If you choose to work with a home staging professional, you can use some or all of these services. You can also choose to work with them in merely a consulting capacity, so that you can make these changes on your own, or you can work with them to take care of all of these services on your behalf.

The Benefits of Home Staging in NW Arkansas

What are the most significant benefits of staging a home in NW Arkansas?

  •         A higher sale price. One of the primary benefits of home staging is the potential to increase the sale price of your home. People will likely be willing to make higher bids if they’re truly impressed with the property, and they’re more likely to be impressed with the property if it’s staged properly. A price increase isn’t guaranteed, but is very likely, though the exact amount of the increase is going to depend on a multitude of different factors.
  •         More offers (and a faster sale). As you might imagine, staging a home will maximize its appeal to various buyers, ultimately attracting more offers and leading to a faster sale. If you’re interested in selling your home as quickly as possible, staging it is typically a good idea.
  •         Better first impressions. Many prospective real estate deals are made or broken when a prospective buyer enters a property for the first time. Staging the home is one of the best ways to ensure a good first impression for everyone who walks through the front door. With that first impression in place, you’ll be much more likely to close the deal.
  •         Potential for an emotional connection. Most people will find it challenging to emotionally connect with a property that is already personalized for someone else, or one that suffers from various defects and dirtiness. However, if you work to stage the home, you’ll have a much more significant potential for emotional connection.
  •         A competitive edge. If there are many properties like yours listed for sale, staging yours could give you a significant competitive edge. If torn between multiple similar properties, homebuyers will likely gravitate toward whichever one looks most favorable. This is especially important in a competitive selling environment.

The Costs of Home Staging in NW Arkansas

So what about the costs?

Unfortunately, it’s hard to universally estimate the costs of home staging, because the costs vary so much. For example, if you’re only interested in an initial consultation, you can expect to pay a few hundred dollars. If you’re enlisting the full services of a home staging professional, however, you’ll likely pay at least a few hundred dollars per room per month – and many home stagers require a 3-month minimum. That means it will likely cost you a few thousand dollars to utilize the full services of a home staging pro.

What you pay will vary, depending on the following factors:

  •         Home size. Most home staging professionals charge based on square footage and the number of rooms they’re responsible for. The bigger your home is, the more you can expect to pay.
  •         Scope of services. You can greatly reduce your home staging bill if you only use a home staging professional for consulting, or if you only use them for the most important rooms of your house. Your bill will depend on the scope of services you employ.
  •         Property condition. You should also consider your property condition. If the property is in dire need of a deep cleaning and major repairs, you can expect to pay more for home staging.

Is It Worth It?

So is staging your Arkansas home really worth it?

That depends on many variables, but for many home sellers, the answer is yes. At the very least, getting a consultation from a home staging professional is relatively inexpensive, and could lead you to make changes that can increase the selling price of your home by several thousand dollars. In some cases, you may also be able to expedite the sale of your home – which may be a high priority for you.

Of course, if your home is already in great condition, and if you feel you have a talent for arranging furniture in a way that appeals to the general masses, you may not need a home staging consultant to tell you what to do. And you can always get more perspective and guidance from your real estate agent directly.

Are you interested in getting as much money as possible for your NW Arkansas home?

Or are you looking for a seasoned real estate agent who can help you make the best decisions as you approach your next major real estate transaction?

You’re in the right place. At Estate.co, we have access to some of the best real estate experts in NW Arkansas (including Bentonville, Rogers, Bella Vista & Fayetteville). If you’re ready for a free consultation, contact us today!

 

Derek Bryan
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