Is home staging really worth it? Forbes certainly thinks so, and recent data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) backs up what thousands of studies before have found. For instance, 49 percent of buyers’ agents report that home staging has a positive effect on a typical buyer’s view of a property, while approximately 33 percent stated that staging actually increased the dollar value offered, compared to other similar homes on the same market that have not been staged.
With that out of the way, we can now move on to a more pressing matter – where you, a Realtor/agent or home stager, can find the furniture and decor necessary to make even the most troublesome property “pop” in the eyes of prospective buyers. In order to make this decision, you need to run through the key qualifiers, which is what we’ve laid out below. Keep reading.
What You Need to Look for When Choosing a Furniture and Decor Resource to Stage Residential Properties
Depth of Home Furniture Inventory
This is the primary qualifier for many. You need a large pool of home furniture to choose from so that you cover staging for practically the entire square footage of the property, not just the living room. Is this excessive? The same NAR data referenced above finds that while the living room was most important (55% weight) for buyers, staging the master bedroom was also a priority (51%), followed by the kitchen (41%), with the remaining rooms (guest rooms, dining room, etc.) following suit. The studies are clear – all rooms in a listed home should be presented in the best light possible, and that means ensuring that they are outfitted with appropriate furnishing. Only a furniture rental company with a very deep inventory will do.
Depth of Home Accessories and Decor Inventory
With furniture in place you need to tap into a deep inventory of accessories and decor or you may find yourself stuck in a minimalistic and/or monochromatic nightmare. Small accents and statement pieces alike complete the canvas and truly make prospective buyers feel at home when walking from room to room.
Access to a wide inventory is not only necessary to enhancing the interior design of a given space, it can be used to customize the buyer experience. For example, a home interior may look and feel significantly different as the natural light changes with passing seasons. You can swap accessories and decor to manipulate this and mitigate the risk of a space being seen in a literal and figurative negative light. Alternatively, you may be charged with a multimillion dollar listing and prefer to customize the home interior after doing some homework on prospective buyers. Having a wide selection of accents, art, artificial greenery, space dividers, textiles, themed decor and more can help you accomplish exactly that. Again, only a furniture rental company with an equally deep inventory of accessories and decor can make it happen.
Diverse Client Base
No single detached home, townhouse, or condominium is the same, and this is nary more true than here in the Greater Vancouver area. Therefore no cookie-cutter rental solution will do. While you may find candidate rentals companies with a deep inventory of furniture and decor, they may not have a diverse enough client base to instill confidence that they are the right service provider for you. After all, you will want to review their portfolio to identify past projects that in some way mirror what you’re trying to accomplish for your own properties.
You need a partner with years if not decades of experience in furnishing events and spaces, complete with a portfolio and showroom that will show you that you’re in more than capable, but expert hands.
Full Service Solution
Home stagers simply need efficient access to furniture and decor. From there, they will make the magic happen. However, some of you need more. Realtors and agents for example, are experts in selling homes, but not-so-much when it comes to interior design. Does that mean you should have to hunt down two different resources to complete the picture on your home staging needs? You could, but why not streamline your efforts by finding a full service solution, one that provides not only for rentals, but design too, as needed? It just makes good sense.
Positive Reviews = Proven Results
Let’s say you’ve applied all of the above and found more than one candidate for your home staging needs. What now? Look for previous client feedback. While any service provider can throw a Testimonials page up on their website, they will certainly manipulate which reviews go up, displaying those that show the business in a glowing light. Fair enough. So how are you to properly vet them? Look to the candidates’ Google Reviews and Facebook reviews, which cannot be so easily manipulated. Find 4.5 stars and up and you’ll further your confidence that you’ve found the right partner.
Admittedly, we may have been leading the witness with the key qualifiers addressed above. But alas, Loungeworks covers all bases when it comes to your home staging needs. If you want to move that stubborn residential property off the market or find an ongoing solution for your entire real estate inventory or client base, contact Loungeworks today at 604.687.2774.