What is staging?
Staging is not simply interior decorating. It's specific to the real estate market and a tool for helping sell homes.
It's the process of either removing and rearranging furnishings in an occupied home, or placing furnishings in a vacant home, with the goal of preparing the house for sale. Knowledge of real estate, home renovations and creative design principles are applied with the goal of attracting prospective buyers. Preparing property involves cleaning, de-cluttering, updating and repairing. Showcasing is the process of arranging furniture, accessories, art and lighting.
What do stagers do?
Stagers begin with a walk-through to see the home. Then, they select furniture, accessories, artwork and lighting, which often includes shopping for necessary items, that will help show the home in the best possible way. Once the selections are made, on the day of staging installation, they pack and load staging items, and coordinate the delivery. Time is spent placing all of the staging elements in the home to prep for photos, listing and showings. When the home has sold, stagers remove everything by coordinating with movers, packing, loading, and putting away the inventory. Throughout this process stagers keep in contact with homeowners and agents as needed.
What is the staging process?
1. Consultation. Michelle will visit your home, gather information and the home and the neighborhood, and home areas to be staged.
2. Quote. After the consultation, Michelle will provide you with a cost quote.
3. Contract. Upon acceptance of the quote, Michelle will provide a contract that must be agreed upon and signed.
4. Deposit. With the signed contract, a deposit of 50% will be due prior to staging.
5. Schedule. Michelle will coordinate with you and/or your real estate agent to make an installation schedule and plan.
6. Furnishing selection. Michelle will select furniture, artwork, lighting and accessories that suit your home. This is all included in your staging fee.
7. Installation. Typically, installation will take place primarily in one day. In larger homes, or if there are any unforeseen delays, two days may be required to complete the installation. Michelle will always communicate with you and/or your real estate agent regarding the progress and if any additional time may be required.
8. Photos. Once staging is complete your agent will arrange for photos to be taken. In general, Michelle prefers that a photographer not be scheduled the same day as installation unless there's a few hours' window of time.
9. Payment. The remainder of the fee is due on the day of installation, and the 30-day term begins that day.
10. De-staging. Once your home sells, notify Michelle Faith Staging and Michelle will coordinate a schedule for picking up the staging items.
How much will staging cost?
We offer a free initial in-home consultation if we're previewing the home to stage.
The cost for partial and full staging ranges depending on the size of the home and how many and which rooms need to be staged and how many pieces are needed to fill those rooms. Specifically, if the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and bathrooms are staged, the cost for 30 days will begin at $1,000, depending on the home's square footage.
For furnished/occupied homes, we'll provide a consultation for a flat rate of $300. We'll assess the furnishings currently in the home and create a plan to bring it to its best show and sale condition using what you already have.
What am I paying for?
You're paying for the temporary use of furniture and decor as well as for the expertise of an interior design professional who also knows the real estate industry. Stagers typically charge in two parts: furnishing rental and design fee. Michelle Faith Design and Staging factors the cost of furniture, accessories, artwork and lighting, an estimate of time, and an estimate of travel into a flat rate fee. This way you can easily know the total cost of the staging without having add-on fees.
Does staging really help sell homes?
In our experience homes that are staged receive offers within the first week, significantly quicker than those that haven't been staged. They also tend to sell for more money than homes that aren't staged.
How far will Michelle Faith Staging travel?
Generally, we'll travel approximately 60 miles, or within an hour one way. We're happy to discuss exceptions, however.