How much does it cost to stage a house?

Answer 1

The answer is not the same for every staging gig, and that is why it seems like stagers do not like to give a straight answer on this. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But no two staging jobs are alike. One might take 6 hours from start to finish. Another one on the same street might take a total of six 14-hour days. A real estate stager carefully evaluates your home for obvious drawbacks, and also has the ability to identify and rectify some of the subtler messages houses "whisper" to buyers. One house may say to a buyer, "I don't have much storage". It's practically free and very quick to streamline a room of clutter. That is an easy, cheap, and quick remedy. Another house may say "I need $40,000's worth of kitchen renovations." A stager can often shoosh that deal-killing whisper with only a few hundred dollars worth of materials, but a full 15 hours of labor. And stager's service levels vary.... Some stager's consultations offer only advice (Expect a fee of around $200-400, depending on depth of the consultation, and ask what exactly to expect for your money). Some stagers pitch-in and work with what you have right on the spot, and that is usually a flat rate per day, typically around $400-800. Some consult with you first, then rent out to you necessary suggested items, and come arrange them properly. One thing you should not do is expect real-life Stagers to perform all the thrills and frills of an HGTV-esque nature for a grand total of $2000. Those prices on the T.V shows are "material only", and stagers do require payment for their consultation-time, creative-time, and labor-time , all working on behalf of your equity. Virtual Staging is another option, and an excellent one for the seller who actually has time and determination, but maybe not much in the way of liquid assets. You email a virtual stager pictures of your entire house, and they access each room, and make specific recommendations for the seller to do on their own. Following the plan is essential for success. Virtual staging runs around $500-800 for an entire house, and usually includes access to the stager for ongoing advice throughout the staging process. Not many stagers offer this virtual service yet, so you need to shop around. But since it is all done over the internet, you can choose a stager you'd like to work with, 2000 miles away. This type of arrangement requires lots of communication time, but not nearly as much money. Also, it can be quite exciting, like having a little stager on your shoulder, so to speak, to make sure your floorplan, accessory choices & placement, and color decisions are working in the best interest of your equity. The key isn't to pick and choose which advice to follow with a virtual stager, but to follow the advice to the letter, and be stunned with your own handiwork. This type of staging scenario costs more than a consultation, but far else than actually physically hiring the stager to come into your home and stage every room. So the answer to the question is... IT DEPENDS. It depends on what the stager has to work with, how much work the seller is willing to perform on their own, and what the stager will need to obtain/rent/create to insure a pleasurable experience for buyers, so pleasurable, in fact, that an offer is placed much higher and sooner than if you had not staged at all. Michelle Molinari Certified Professional Stager, Feature This... Real Estate Staging, www.FeatureThisDotDotDot.com

Lead Virtual Designer, www.CurbAppealForDummies.com

President, Acadiana Real Estate Staging Association, www.AcadianaRESA.com