Home staging need not be expensive. It is not possible to say how much you should spend on staging a home for sale, because that depends on your property and its condition. However, here are some general guidelines on how to stage a home and the general costs involved.

Home Staging: First Steps
Stand back to the curb, shut your eyes then open them again. What are your first impressions?
Does your home look fresh and vibrant or old and dated?
Does the garden or yard look cluttered and untidy?
Is the exterior of your home dirty?
Is your paintwork fresh or peeling - or somewhere in between?
These factors will have a significant impact of whether a prospective buyer walks through your gate! Forget inspecting your home - if it looks bad from the curb, many people will walk away. That is a bad decision for them, because rather than spend money on staging your home, you could reduce the asking price to cover their renovation costs.

Who Does the Staging Work?
The above possibility aside, who will be doing the staging work - you or a contractor? There are home staging professionals who will do the work for you and know exactly what is needed. However they charge, and if you can do the work yourself you can save a few thousand dollars.

Some will advise you without actually doing the work. They visit each room, including the external areas, and advise on what work is required. They will give you a list to work through. This could cost in the region of $300 to around $700. They will also give you a quote for them to do the work themselves.

If you have a budget for staging, you can let the home staging company know what that is, and they will carry out the work that they believe will bring best results for what you have to spend. This can be further fine-tuned if you tell them what work you will be doing yourself. Between you the work will be carried out at a lower cost to you.

The Cost of Staging a Home for Sale
A full home staging, inside and out, will cost up to around $5,000 including materials - less for smaller homes. This includes cleaning, tidying, accessories such as mirrors and other accents, minor repairs and window cleaning - all professionally carried out. It may cost extra if your external woodwork needs repainting.

The return for staging a home can be significant. One benefit is a quick sale, rather than you waiting for months or even years to sell your home. Home staging will likely save you several times the cost. It not only saves you having to reduce the cost to sell it, but an attractive-looking home will sell quickly. Not just that, but your asking price can be higher than if the home staging work had not been done.