This month, Nick discusses home staging and what sellers should take into account when considering it. He gives tips for those considering staging their home and shares a success story from a recent sale.

What are some things a seller needs to consider when debating whether to have their home staged or not?

With the market shifting, sellers and their agents need to really focus on positioning their properties correctly to receive solid offers. Part of this includes doing repairs and potentially decluttering and/or staging.

The idea behind staging and/or decluttering is to eliminate potential distractions for buyers. It is hard for potential buyers to see themselves living in a property if all they remember is that hot pink bedroom or the shrine to grandma in the living room. No matter how stylish you think you are, it almost always makes sense for a stager to refresh things and provide a more neutral tone to the home, so it appeals to the broadest audience.

How can an agent help with the home staging process?

I recommend an agent walk through the home with the seller, point out things that might be distracting to a buyer, and discuss decluttering at the very least. I always try to prep sellers by getting them to put themselves in a buyer's shoes.

At Berkshire Hathaway Warren Residential, we have partnered with moving companies that will come in and store some of the seller's items while the property is on the market, which makes decluttering way easier! If necessary, an agent should also be able to refer a few staging companies to work with.

What is a “staging success story” you can share?

A few years ago, we had a beautiful loft-style condo for sale in South Boston that wasn’t getting the action we thought it would. The owner had already moved out, so the condo was vacant when we first listed it.

Given the condos' open-style layout, some potential buyers said they had difficulty picturing where their furniture would go. After reviewing this feedback with the seller, we suggested having the property staged. The day after we re-launched the now staged listing, we received a full-price offer.