Staging 101 – Do You Really Need to Stage Every Room?

When we feature one of our house flips on Flip or Flop, you’re almost always going to see at least partial staging. We might not stage all of the bedrooms, but you can bet that we’ll stage the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms. We do this for the show for a couple of reasons, whether or not it’s really necessary in the market we’re selling in. First of all, good staging always makes people feel more at home as they come in and get to know a house. Second, it’s just nice to show our TV audience how our fix and flip houses look when they’re decorated after so much work and so many messes.

When to Stage and When Not to Stage

But you’re probably wondering what we do about staging when we’re not on camera, right? Well, first of all, you need to understand when you should or shouldn’t stage a house. Remember, staging costs money, and the less money you spend on your rehab, the more you’ll take home when you sell.

But, just like cheaping out on rehabs, failing to stage your flip could mean that your house sits on the market longer and/or that you have to accept a lower offer for it. So, if you’re wondering whether or not you should stage your house flips, answer these questions for yourself.

• Does the house look kind of bland and boring without any furniture or décor? Stage it.

• Is there a lot of competition with comparable properties in the area? Stage it.

• Do you have an undivided, open floor plan? Is it hard to imagine what it would look like with furniture? Stage it.

• Will staging the house get you enough of a bump in price to make up for the cost of staging and then some? Stage it (of course).

Always Get Professional Staging Help

Next, if we’re going to stage a house, we always hire the professionals. It doesn’t make any sense to waste a bunch of time and money renting furniture and décor and moving it around ourselves when we can get experts to do it for us and make the space look amazing.

Focus on Curb Appeal and First Impressions

Now, here’s where you can save some money on staging a lot of your flip houses. Think of staging as a great way to boost first impressions. You want people to really be impressed when they first see the house, so add some potted plants and outdoor furniture to the porch. Then, when they walk in the front door, they’ll see beautifully furnished living areas where they can imagine themselves lounging, relaxing, and enjoying time with their families.

Kitchens and bathrooms are the most important rooms in the house, but they don’t always need to be staged. If you’ve done really impressive upgrades, like all new counters, fixtures, and appliances, you don’t necessarily need to stage these areas.

Once people get to the bedrooms, they’ll have a good idea of the house and how their lives will fit into it. That’s why bedroom staging isn’t quite as important. That said, minimal things like a little bit of window dressing instead of bare windows or boring Venetian blinds can help a lot here, too.

The more expensive the property, the more staging is important to your house flips, but you don’t necessarily have to furnish the whole house to show its potential. Each fix and flip is different, and you want people to picture themselves living happily in your house. With these tips, you can get the most bang for your buck with your home stagers.