It is true that staged homes usually sell faster. According to the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), a staged home is usually on the market for an average of four months while a nonstaged home takes an average of six months to sell. As a result, a seller of a staged house, on average, has two fewer months dealing with mortgage payments and other home related expenses. However, professional staging costs money. As a general rule of thumb, the average cost for a stager is $300 to $600 for an initial consultation, and $500 to $600 per month per staged room. Therefore, staging a modest eight room house (3 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen, dining room, and living/family room) will cost about $4,000 to $5,000 per month. Moreover, most professional home stagers require a three-month minimum staging contract, that must be paid in full even if a home sells in the first 24 hours. What this means is, to stage an eight-room house, expect to pay, in total, a minimum of $12,000 to $15,000 (if your house is sold in less than four months), $16,000 to $20,000 (if it takes the average time to sell), and much more, if it takes longer than four months. Consequently, depending on your particular mortgage and home expenses, it may or may not make sense to spend money on staging. For the average seller, it probably does not. However, be aware that staging of luxury homes is usually a necessity since buyers in the upper price range are accustomed to viewing homes that are professionally staged. Also, the cost of staging is proportionately less relative to the price of a top-of-the- market luxury home.
EMOTIONAL CUES AL CUES
Learn to strike a balance between staging and living in your
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