Do I really need to stage my home to sell it? This is a question we get from Sellers a lot, and the very simple answer is no… not if you don’t care about your selling price! Now I’m being facetious, and I know what you’re thinking; who wouldn’t care about selling for the best possible price?! But there are tons of people… and agents that don’t stage their listings before taking them to market, either because they don’t know how to, understand the value, or don’t want to.
We’ve talked about this issue since the very inception of Toronto Realty Group and written about The Importance of Staging many times on Toronto Realty Blog.
Does Staging Result in a Higher Purchase Price?
Although it’s true that in our Toronto market, pretty much all properties will sell due to ever-growing buyer demand. Case study after case study will show that properly staged and well-presented listings see a 10-15% premium on their sale price. And when you consider that the average price of a home in Toronto is just over $1.1 million dollars, that 10-15% adds up to some serious money, and for most people selling their primary residence; it’s also tax-free.
Want to learn more about staging? Download our staging guide here.
Why Would Someone Say No to Staging?
So, it clearly pays to put in the effort and stage a property, so why doesn’t everyone do it? I think a lot of it comes down to consumer knowledge… There are just a lot of sellers out there who don’t understand the value and probably a lot of agents who don’t want to undertake the effort required. If more homeowners asked their agent about staging, perhaps they might see some more value from their agent and more importantly, from their property. I can’t even imagine how an agent would respond in a way that tried to convince a homeowner that staging just isn’t worthwhile… What would they even say? I don’t want to, it’s not worth it, it’s too expensive… I’m not sure. And I can’t imagine how someone would entrust their largest asset to an agent without a good answer to this question… Unless of course, they don’t care about the price they get.
Have more questions about selling your home? Read these posts next:
So, Do I Really Need Staging to Sell?
It’s a crucially important question to ask if you’re thinking about selling, and if you do find an agent that offers staging as a part of their service, your follow-up questions should be about how and who. As I mentioned above, not all staging efforts are created equally, and good staging is as much an art as a science.
If you want to read a little more about The Psychology Behind Staging, we’ve been doing it for a long time.
But staging is not just decorating, and it’s certainly not just about putting up some pretty pictures on the wall or a bowl of green apples on the kitchen counter. It’s about creating a canvas for potential buyers to see themselves in the space and capture the lifestyle that comes with the property.
How We Approach Staging
At Toronto Realty Group, we pride ourselves on staging every listing we take on and do everything possible to make sure our clients sell for the absolute best possible price. If you would like to know more about how exactly we do it, you can take a look through our Home Staging Guide or even get to know our stager Lucie Brand as she and David walk through some tips and tricks from our previous listings.
Ready to get started? Give us a call at 416.642.2660 or email us directly at admin@torontorealtygroup.com.
Want More Insights From TRG Experts?
Sign up here to receive Insights Magazine delivered to you. This resource is full of market advice and industry intuition from our team and colleagues to keep you up-to-speed on the ever-changing Toronto real estate market.
