You may have heard that staging your home properly can make a big difference when you sell your house, but what exactly is home staging, and is it really worth your time and effort? Let’s explore everything you need to know, including how virtual staging and services can help elevate your sale.
What Is Home Staging?
Staging is the process of arranging and decorating your house to highlight its best features and make it as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Whether you live in a charming Vineyard cottage or a grand waterfront estate, staging helps ensure your property stands out in a competitive market. In Martha's Vineyard, where the market can fluctuate between seasonal peaks and lulls, staging becomes even more essential to making sure your property appeals to the right buyers.
How Does It Help Me Sell My House?
Studies show that staging your home can have a significant impact on your sale. A well-staged home is more likely to attract attention from buyers, help it sell faster, and possibly for a higher price than an unstaged home. Here's an article from the New York Times on how home staging increases the home value for buyers.
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Faster Sale: Staged homes sell 73% faster than unstaged homes, according to research. This is crucial in a seasonal market like Martha’s Vineyard, where the best offers tend to come during specific months. Homes that are staged well are more likely to attract offers early in the selling season, ensuring that you don’t miss out on peak buyer interest.
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Higher Sale Price: Homes that are staged well may sell for a higher price compared to similar homes that are not staged. According to some studies, staged homes can sell for up to 17% more than their unstaged counterparts. To learn more about how staging can help you sell for a higher price, check out this article from the National Association of REALTORS® on why home staging drives the best prices in any market.
What Are My Staging Options?
Once you see the value of staging, let’s look at the different options available to you. The most common choices are basic staging with your agent’s help or full-service staging from a professional staging company. This option is cost-effective and may be sufficient for homes that are in relatively good condition and need only minor tweaks.
- Basic Staging with Your Agent: Your real estate agent offers expert advice to help you prepare your home for sale. This could include decluttering, removing personal items, rearranging furniture for better flow, and adding simple decor like plants or art.
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Full-Service Staging: This option involves hiring a professional staging company to transform your home with rented furniture, décor, and accessories. It’s ideal for homes that are vacant, have awkward layouts, or need a more dramatic makeover to truly showcase their potential. While this option tends to be more expensive, it can be well worth the investment in a high-end market like Martha’s Vineyard.
For luxury homes, full-service staging can significantly elevate the property’s appeal. Professional stagers, such as Martha's Vineyard Home Staging, can plan and execute your staging project from start to finish, providing you with detailed recommendations that ensure every space is optimized to attract buyers. They help create a cohesive design that reflects the unique coastal charm of Martha’s Vineyard, offering services from decluttering and furniture rental to full interior design makeovers.
Another great option on the island is ByDesignMV, which offers both staging and interior design services. ByDesignMV provides a thorough evaluation of your home, including both interior and exterior spaces, to help elevate your home’s style and functionality. Their services include staging consultations to help you make the most out of your property’s layout and curb appeal.
With their expertise in the Vineyard market, these local staging companies know exactly how to highlight your property’s best features, creating an inviting atmosphere that makes it easier for potential buyers to imagine themselves living in the space.
How Do I Know Which Staging Option to Pick?
If you’re unsure which level of staging to choose, your real estate agent can help you make that decision. Agents are experienced in evaluating homes and understanding what buyers are looking for. Here are some factors that will influence your decision:
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Market Conditions: If the market is slower, staging your home fully can help it stand out and seem more desirable to potential buyers. In a more active market, you might get by with lighter staging or just following your agent’s advice. Check out the current market conditions in our latest blog post for the past year's market. For the latest insights on market conditions and trends for Martha’s Vineyard buyers and sellers, check out our latest blog post on 2024 Buyer and Seller Trends: What They Mean for Martha’s Vineyard, here.
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Your Home’s Condition: If your home is vacant or has a non-traditional layout, professional staging might be necessary to show its full potential. Professional stagers can help buyers imagine how the space will work, even if it's hard for them to visualize on their own.
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Your Budget: Staging can be an investment, but it often results in a higher sale price. Your agent can guide you through the costs of staging in your local market and help you determine if a full-service stager is worth the investment, or if simple DIY solutions will suffice.
Virtual Staging: A Cost-Effective Alternative
In today’s digital age, virtual staging has become a popular option for many sellers. Virtual staging uses computer-generated images to enhance the photos of your home, making it look fully furnished and professionally designed without the need to physically stage it.
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What is Virtual Staging?
Virtual staging involves digitally inserting furniture and decor into photos of your empty or under-furnished home. This process allows buyers to visualize how the space would look when fully furnished, without the expense and effort of physically bringing in furniture. -
Why Choose Virtual Staging?
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Quick Turnaround: Virtual staging is an excellent option if you’re working with tight deadlines—especially in Martha’s Vineyard, where selling quickly can be critical to capitalizing on high-season buyer interest.
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Cost-Effective: Virtual staging is typically much cheaper than hiring a full-service staging company. You save on furniture rental, delivery, and setup fees while still achieving professional-quality results.
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Goes the Extra Mile for Buyers: Virtual staging helps buyers imagine themselves living in the home, which is essential in the decision-making process. The digital transformation makes it easier for potential buyers to visualize how they could personalize the space. This emotional connection can be key to closing the deal.
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Perfect for Tight Budgets: If you're working with a tighter budget, virtual staging is an excellent alternative to traditional staging. You can make your listing stand out without breaking the bank.
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Compass Concierge: Helping You Maximize Your Home’s Value
If you’re considering staging but feel concerned about the upfront costs, Compass Concierge may be the solution for you. Compass Concierge is a service that fronts the cost of home improvement and staging services with zero due until closing, making it easier for you to enhance your home’s appeal without worrying about immediate financial outlay.
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Staging, flooring, and painting
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Cosmetic renovations, cleaning, and decluttering
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Landscaping, roofing, and more
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Professional services like HVAC repair, plumbing, and electrical work
This allows you to make crucial improvements without worrying about paying out of pocket before the home is sold.
- No Upfront Costs: You don’t need to pay for the services until closing, which alleviates any financial strain.
- Fast and Easy: The process is streamlined to ensure that work gets done quickly so that your home is market-ready as soon as possible.
- Tailored to You: Your Compass agent helps determine which services will have the greatest impact on your home’s sale.
Bottom Line
Staging your home properly can significantly increase its appeal to buyers, but it’s important to choose the right staging method based on your property’s needs, its location in Martha’s Vineyard, and your budget. Whether you opt for basic staging with your agent’s guidance, invest in full-service staging, or go the more cost-effective route with virtual staging, making your home look its best can help it sell faster and for a higher price. Additionally, Compass Concierge can assist you in making necessary home improvements and staging your property, without requiring you to pay upfront. This service makes it easier than ever to maximize your home’s potential and achieve the best possible sale price.
Let’s connect to discuss how we can work together to make your home stand out and sell for top dollar!
