Despite the increasing popularity of professional home staging services in many areas today, you will still likely come across real estate agents and brokers who simply do not use home staging for their listings. Even within the industry itself, you will meet real estate agents who are either sceptical of the home staging process and how it can help the property sell faster, or those who are dead set with their own marketing techniques and are unwilling to try any new system such as staging.
The hesitation by some real estate agents to use the services of home staging professionals sometimes comes from less-than-stellar experiences they may have had in the past with other staging firms or specialists. There are home stagers who tend to overstage, doing too much with a property and end up distracting from the real purpose of the technique altogether. Staging cliches can sometimes come off as too bland or fake, and prospective home buyers might end up even thinking that something is being hidden if there is an excess of staging techniques utilized in a property.
However, the entire staging profession should not be generalized based on the errors of some practitioners. As a whole, home staging is still a very effective tool in adding to the marketability of a property for sale and translating it to a quick sale in the process. The shorter average time in which staged properties are sold compared to the longer average time for non-staged houses is proof enough that this method does work, and it will work if used appropriately.
Some real estate agents are hesitant to bring up the subject of home staging to their clients because of the perceived cost. With many homeowners becoming more conservative about their expenditures and wanting to keep costs down, staging updates are often perceived as unnecessary or even too expensive. However, the average investment in home staging is easily affordable, if the home seller is willing to put in some time and sweat equity in getting their property into market ready shape.
In fact, home staging that is planned carefully and executed correctly can add value to the home listing and speed up the time that it sits on the market. It is a good investment return, and the homeowner would avoid losing money as the house sits longer in the market and loses its value. A well-presented house can command a good price and is easily marketable.
