Have you heard of this new thing called “staging” your home so it will sell faster and for more money? If you watch any of those “sell my house” type shows on TV, I’m sure you have. It’s where a design professional comes in and tells you to lose your “stuff” and sets your home up so it looks most attractive to most buyers. It’s a good idea, if you ask me. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone through open houses totally sidetracked by someone’s crazy decor or stinky odor.
In a recent TimesLeader article “Dress to Impress”, the importance of “home staging” is explained:
“Home sellers have little to no say on the number of potential buyers who walk through. Even the selling price only has so much elasticity. The most control comes with another major selling point – the condition of the home, from the front yard to the house’s interior, including its decor.”
Karen Keating (as pictured in the TimesLeader article) of the local Coast Home Staging is one of these professional home stagers. She’s even on the board of the International Association of Home Staging Professional (IAHSP), Orange County Chapter (wow… my eyes have opened to a whole new world I never new existed). Coast Home Staging claims, “The way you live in your home and the way you market your are two different things.” They help sellers make their home a “certified staged home” (whatever that means).
According to the Home Staging Resource, a survey of agents showed that home staging typically costs between $212 and $1,089, but with an increase in sales price of $2,275 to $2,841 (making an average return of 169%). Of the agents surveyed, 76% of them recommended home staging. Aside from increasing your sales price, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reports that a staged home sells on average 17% higher than a non-staged home.
From the Gallery of Divine Design (founder Leonor Barroso, professional stager)
If you’re like me, you probably think/thought this home staging business is (how should I put it…) a bunch of “fluff”… just another way for someone to make a dollar. However, the more I look into it, the more I’m persuaded that it’s actually a pretty good idea. See more discussion and success stories on the Home Staging Blog (yes, there is blog about all of this).
In an attempt to see just how it works (and to see that people actually pay for someone to come in and “stage” their home), here are “staged” homes I found that are either for sale or have sold, as well as some homes I found that could use the services of those above:
Currently listed
2319 East Altura Ave, Orange 92867; 4 bed/4 bath; 3,570 sq ft; currently listed at $1,299,900 (Staged by Dan and Karen Keating)
14594 Holt Ave #C, Tustin 92780; 3 bed/2.5 bath; 1,500 sq ft; currently listed at $545,880 (Stager unknown)
1341 North Catalina St, Orange 92869; 4 bed/2.5 bath; 2,448 sq ft; currently listed at $777,000 (Stager unknown)
Sold
13352 Portal, Tustin 9782; 4 bed/2.5 bath; 2,476 sq ft; sold for $830,000 on 5/8/07 (Staged by Monica Soberman; pictures here)
802 E Pine St, Santa Ana 92701; multiple units of either 2 bed/2 bath or 3 bed/2 bath; sold between $300,000 and $350,000 (Staged by Dan and Karen Keating). Since these are part of the Pine Vista condo conversion (apartments into condos) and the county assessor hasn’t split up the property into individual units yet, data is not available on RedFin (or anywhere else for that matter).
Homes that could use some staging
1111 Regis Way, Tustin 92780; 2 bed/2 bath; 1,498 sq ft; currently listed at $550,000
1119 Pine St, Santa Ana 92703; 3 bed/1 bath; 1,062 sq ft; currently listed at $489,900
1017 West Bishop St #203j, Santa Ana 92703; 3 bed/3 bath; 1,248 sq ft; currently listed at $350,000
United States
Canada