Skip to main content

Let me save you thousands (and lots of time) with these staging hacks

Just wrapped up a crazy month with 3 closings and wanted to share what's been working for me lately with staging. We all know how crucial staging is, but let's be real - it's expensive and time-consuming. I used to spend $2500-3500 per listing on traditional staging, and the hassle of coordinating movers, designers, etc... don't get me started. So I've been experimenting with different approaches that give the same "wow factor" without breaking the bank or consuming my entire week.

For partially furnished homes: I'm doing what I call "hybrid staging" - using what the seller already has as a base, then adding just a few key pieces to elevate the space. Throw pillows, statement art, and plants do wonders. Most sellers are happy to invest $300-400 in accessories that they can take with them.

For empty properties: This is where I've seen the biggest change in my approach. I used to panic at empty listings, but now I'm using a mix of:

  1. Strategic minimal staging (just enough to give scale to rooms)

  2. Professional photography with wide angle lens + lighting techniques

  3. Virtual staging for online listings

The photography lighting trick is something I learned from a colleague - scheduling shoots in the morning for east-facing rooms and afternoon for west-facing spaces makes SUCH a difference. And having your photographer bring portable lighting for dark interior rooms.

I was skeptical about virtual staging at first (those early attempts looked SO fake), but the technology has improved dramatically. I've been testing different services, and the results are getting impressive. No more purple couches that look like they're floating!

Just remember - if you go the virtual route, you need to disclose this to potential buyers. I put a little "virtually staged" watermark in the corner of those photos and make sure to have printed copies of both the staged and empty room photos at showings. Transparency is key.

What's working for you all these days? Any other budget-friendly staging hacks I should know about?

submitted by /u/Worth_Cheesecake_771
[link] [comments]

source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1k5vox6/let_me_save_you_thousands_and_lots_of_time_with/

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

North Carolina – “One to Buy; Two to Sell”

I realize I will likely have to contact a real estate attorney but also hoping to hear insights and experiences from others! I have a house in NC that I bought by myself in 2009, and paid off, in full, in 2022. I got married in 2023. My spouse and I have not lived in the house as our "marital residence". We have maintained separate residences even after we got married. (That a separate topic!). I am now selling this house. Realtors have told us that my husband has to sign the deed at time of transfer but I am not convinced since the house has not been our marital residence. The realtors like to use the phrase "one to buy; two to sell", which seems like a broad-stroke statement which is not applicable under all circumstances. And of course, the realtors don’t realize the details of my specific circumstances: I purchased and paid for the house in full prior to marriage Only my name is on the deed And most importantly, we have never lived in the house as a marit...

Question With Tricon "Pending ID".....

My wife and i, along with 2 other peopl applied to rent a house, and our application says "Approved, Pending ID". Anyone else know what that means? Do we pretty much have the place or are we missing something? submitted by /u/Itskrueger [link] [comments] source https://www.reddit.com/r/RealEstate/comments/1orixqj/question_with_tricon_pending_id/

Aren't comps/CMAs useless with buyer credits at close happening now?

I'm looking into buying a new construction townhouse in my HCOL US city. I'm seeing builders offering interest rate buydowns worth $20k-$60k on $800k homes (rather than just lowering prices) in order to keep their comps high for their other units, now that buyer demand has been declining. I asked my agent about these, and he said these buydowns aren't even the full story: buyers can write all kinds of other credits into an offer, like their closing costs, prepaid sewer fees, etc. Apparently cash buyers can just write in a "buyer credit at close" for any amount in their offer. So a new townhouse that appeared to sell for $800k in the MLS might have actually been a cash offer with a $100k+ buyer credit at close, meaning the buyer only spent $700k or less in total, but to the rest of the world they can only see the $800k! So that made me realize I can't trust comps/CMAs for other new construction townhouses. The sales prices could be way lower than they appear...