What is stager? What does it really do? When to hire a stager? How much will it cost? All these questions rise in our mind when we are planning to sell a house and the word stager is mentioned. Stager can be described as an artist who portrays our house in the most livable, loving, cozy and comfortable way possible.
He/she works his vision by using furniture and fixtures and some greens to amp up the look.
You should hire a stager like Houston Home Stagers in the beginning of the planning to sell the house.
The cost of hiring a stager will depend on the area of the property, the market and the location of the property.
Hiring a stager can be crucial for the sale of the property, you should think about the following aspects while looking for a stager.
Figuring which parts to stage?
You should decide which rooms you want to be staged.
The rooms which generally people look for at the first are
- Living room
- Kitchen
- Master bedroom
- Bathroom
Not all the rooms need to be staged in a house if you are on a tight budget you should just go for the rooms which are most likely to be of main preference. Rooms such as guest room can be left out of the staging.
Figuring out the budget
How much profit will you get if you hire a stager? You should ask this question then decide the budget of the staging.
Staging increases the profit around 6 percent.
It also depends n how much your property is worth.
If you are trying to sell a luxury property you will need to invest more in the staging.
- Finding the best stager for you
- Taking suggestions and look for recommendations
While looking for a stager you can ask a realtor to share some of their recommendations and experiences with the stagers.
You can also look up the internet for the recommendations. There is a no. of sites all over the internet to help you.
- Research
After you have found the stagers suitable for you, do the research yourselves. Look up for the stager’s site, their social media and ask them for more pictures of their staging work. Check how many days did it take them to sell the projects they were earlier related to. As it is recommended the property should have been sold within 30days since, it has been in the market, with time the value will only decrease.
- Stager’s experience
Check if the stager has experience dealing in the properties related to your properties. If you are looking for a stager to sell a condo do not go for the one whose specialty is luxury houses. See if the stager has experience dealing with properties in similar neighborhoods and budgets.
- Stager’s style
Every stager has one’s own staging style. Some like to go basic with pastels, while some like go with vibrant styles. It is completely your own choice to decide which style you want to go with. The stager’s style should be according to the feel of your property. A stager’s style should not change the property to something it is not rather it should enhance its beauty.
Interviewing and selecting the stager
After you have looked thoroughly through the profiles of the stagers you must have shortlisted the ones you want to interview. There are some questions you can ask a stager to finalize them for your work, such as
- How long have you been staging homes?
2. Can you send me recommendations from other listing agents?
3. Do you have insurance?
4. Are you comfortable working in other styles than what’s on your website?
5. What are your terms for rentals?
6. What accreditation do you have?
7. Do you offer free consultations or pricing quotes?
8. Is your team available on the dates I need?
By asking these questions you will surely get an idea of the stagers you would to do the work.
There are some other questions that you should also ask
- How long will take for the staging?
The duration depends on the property and no. of areas that have to be staged. Generally it can take from 2-3 days to 7-8 days for the whole process to be completed.
Insurance of the stager
Always ask this question and I mean always. Never go for a stager who does not have insurance. This must be a mandatory requirement to hire a stager. It reduces the risks of any expense at the time of any accident during the staging. As stagers work with a lot of items such as mirrors which are really fragile, there is always a chance of something breaking.
