Putting your best foot forward is the foundation of every good sale. If you’re planning to move houses and want to sell your home, you may wonder, “how much does it cost to stage a house?” The simple answer is that it varies.
There are many factors to consider, including the land area, furniture, a new paint job, repairs, landscaping, etc. These all cost money which not all homeowners are willing to pay upfront for a quick sale. However, one essential truth is that there is no such thing as a free home staging. Let’s streamline the cost and other critical factors to know when staging a house you want to sell.
Booking a quick consultation can cost you a minimum of $150
Whether you’re a serious seller or just curious, asking for professional advice on how to stage your house can cost you quite a bit up front.
Many home staging businesses like Show Homes offer services and consults on how to market your home visually and functionally. A home staging professional will help you narrow down your timeline, capabilities, budget, and short-term or long-term goals when it comes to selling your home.
Consults and additional inquiries will always have a fee; it can range from $150 to a whopping $600 depending on the zip code you live in and the type of property you own. Essentially, you’re paying for their expert opinion on how to make your house worth every buck in a fluctuating real estate market.
Keep in mind that a professional home stager will provide a strategic plan and a layout of steps to stage your home with appeal and value in mind. They will highlight the top three most crucial factors to showcase a house appropriately, and that includes making a house look bigger than it is, making it look brighter and more updated than possible.
Furniture Rental Rates in Empty Houses
As mentioned, depending on the zip code you live in, renting furniture and staging a home will vary. For a 2,000 sq. ft. home, the initial cost is estimated at $2,000 for those in private neighborhoods in the suburbs.
Some DIY sellers choose to stage only the crucial parts of the house that potential buyers will see themselves comfortably with people. This mainly includes the living room, master bedroom, kitchen, and dining room.
Furniture Rental Rates in Occupied Houses
Staging an occupied home or houses with bare rooms to showcase usually starts at $800 for a one-time fee. This includes the initial consultation, decluttering, and rearranging the furniture that already comes with the house. Apart from rental furniture, the rental decor also costs a little extra if you’re subscribing to a professional home stager agency.
Those who prefer to showcase only a couple of rooms in the house will have to prepare a minimum of $400 to a maximum of $700 every month to stage extra decor with furniture. For smaller homes like condos or apartments, the rates are usually the same, but adjustments can be made depending on the number of rooms you prefer to revamp, regardless of vacancy.
Main Bulk of a Costly Showcase
When it comes to the nitty-gritty of staging a home, the devil lies in the details. From getting a proper paint job to landscaping, minor tweaks can be paramount to the property’s sales potential.
Painting
Whether you’re getting your neighbor’s kid to help you paint certain parts of your house or hiring a professional to get a new coat, the price is only right if the paint job is done correctly. Some staging companies will recommend painters from the area you reside but incur an additional estimated fee of $1,750.
Exteriors could reach up to a whopping $2,800! DIY painters will still have to consider the price of a gallon of paint, which can cost $10 to a maximum of $35, covering up to 400 sq. ft. of your chosen area.
Wood Work
If you’re keen on getting suitable refinished flooring and cabinets, the central estimate is $1700. However, DIY sellers could save you a couple of hundred bucks. Cosmetic repairs to enhance the appeal of the room would require refinishing surfaces of hardwood floors or cabinets.
Consider getting a few materials from the hardware store. Some of which include a thick and thin stripper to remove old coats of paint, a power sander, and sandpaper to smoothen the surfaces evenly. Lastly, a wipe-on stain or finish gives a glossy gel top coat to make your floors and hardwood look brand new; all of this will cost you less than $100.
Professional Cleaning
When it comes to cleaning dirty spots and decluttering the non-essentials in a house you want to sell, you and a bunch of friends and family could easily do it for free.
However, if you prefer certain spots in the house professionally cleaned with the right supplies, a cleaning service or agency is an excellent option. This could cost you at least $170 for a professional to straighten up your home with a tight deadline in mind.
Go DIY or Go Pro?
Selling your house means showing potential buyers a possible home for a new life. When showing a house for sale, the decision will always be the sellers’ at the end of the day. However, it’s best to weigh the pros and cons of a DIY home staging or refer to a professional home stager or decorator for a sure sale.
But if you don’t want to deal with how much it cost to stage a house, you can always sell your home for cash. SEEB Homes buy houses in any condition at a fair price, and we will assume all obligations attached to the ownership of the property like repairs and paperwork.
Keep in mind that whatever service you prefer should bring value for every penny. Playing it smart than safe can also give you a foot ahead, so ensure that you crunch the numbers, read up on the real estate market trends, and find the right people to help get the most accurate answer to the question, “how much does it cost to stage a house?”