When you decide to sell your home, one of the first pieces of advice you’ll likely receive is to “stage” it. But what does that really mean, and is it always necessary?
For sellers across the Metro Vancouver and BC real estate market, it’s important to understand the when, why, and how of home staging for being a key to a faster sale and a better price.
If you’re thinking about selling your home, this comprehensive guide will help you understand when home staging is a powerful tool, when virtual staging might be a better fit, and when you can confidently skip it altogether. Let’s jump in.
When It’s Important to Stage Your Home When Selling
In short, home staging is the art of preparing a property for sale through interior design, furniture selection, wall decor, art, and other living accessories. The goal is to make a home appealing to the right buyer persona, to ultimately help them resonate with the property on a deeper level and move the transaction forward.
However, not every home needs to be staged when selling, so here are the certain property types we recommend that you stage when selling.
Inheriting a Property
Inheriting a property can be an emotional and challenging process. Often, these homes are filled with the personal belongings and memories of a loved one, reflecting a style from a different era. When selling an inherited property, staging is vital here for a few reasons:
- Depersonalization: Don’t take it personally, as it helps potential buyers envision themselves living in the space rather than feeling like they are intruding in someone else’s home. Removing family photos, personal items, and specific decor allows buyers to create their own emotional connection to the property.
- Modernization: Staging can update a home’s look. By modernizing the property for potential buyers, it showcases the potential and helps it compete with newer homes on the market.
- Highlighting Features: An inherited home might have great architectural features that are obscured by clutter or outdated furnishings. A professional stager can arrange the space to highlight its best assets, like large windows, beautiful flooring, or a great layout.
Downsizing
When you’re downsizing, you’re often selling a large family home where you’ve lived for many years. You might be wondering if staging is still necessary for this larger property, especially if you plan to move your furniture out to your new, smaller space. The answer is generally yes, staging is very beneficial.
Your existing furniture might be dated or from a different time that’s not relatable for new buyers coming into the market, making it difficult for new buyers to envision the home’s potential. And if you move everything out, a vacant large home can feel cold and uninviting.
Stagers can bring in modern furniture and decor that complements the size and style of your home to fit that upcoming family or ideal buyer you’re Realtor is targeting.
Luxury Property & High Price Points
When you’re selling a luxury property, buyers have high expectations. They aren’t just buying a house; they’re buying a lifestyle. Professional staging is non-negotiable in this market segment. Here’s why.
- Evoking Emotion: High-end staging creates an aspirational atmosphere. It tells a story of elegance, comfort, and sophistication that resonates with luxury buyers.
- Justifying the Price: For a multi-million dollar listing, a vacant or poorly furnished home can make the price tag feel too high. Beautiful staging turns this around and helps validate the home’s value and premium price.
- Competitive Edge: In markets like West Vancouver or Shaughnessy, luxury properties compete with other stunning homes in the lower mainland. Great staging helps a property stand out in photos and in person.
Vacant Property that’s Been Sitting
A vacant home can be hard to sell if you’re looking for top price. Without furniture, it can be difficult for buyers to gauge the size of rooms. Small rooms can feel tiny and large rooms can seem overly huge. You may even notice that it’s hard to visualize how furniture will fill the space in a vacant home if you haven’t seen it before, which can lead to hesitation for any buyer.
If a property has been sitting on the market vacant for some time, buyers might assume something is wrong with it. Staging can completely refresh a listing, making it feel like a new, exciting opportunity.
Slow Buyers Market Conditions
In a buyer’s market, inventory is high and buyers can afford to be picky. Your property needs to shine brighter than the competition. When homes are taking longer to sell, staging becomes a smart marketing tool.
Data from NAR supports this narrative that staged homes tend to sell faster and for a higher price compared to an unstaged property of similar type. In a slow market, every advantage counts.
Recommended Resource: Selling Your Home Within a Year in BC: 7 Tips & Considerations
When to Consider Virtual Staging
Virtual staging is a powerful and cost-effective alternative to physical staging. It basically uses photo editing software to digitally add furniture, decor, and accessories to photos of an empty home. While it doesn’t replace the in-person experience, it’s an excellent option in several scenarios we’ll review.
Pricing for a Quick Sale
If your primary goal is to sell the property as quickly as possible and you’ve priced it aggressively, you may not want to invest the time and money required for physical staging. Virtual staging can be a perfect compromise. It enhances your online listing photos, attracting more interest and showing the property’s potential without the upfront cost and logistics of traditional staging.
Pre-sales
If you bought a pre-sale unit or a unit on assignment, virtual staging is a great compliment. These images help potential buyers visualize the final product, understand the layout and finishes, and feel confident making a purchase before the building is complete.
Vacant Properties with Recent Updates
Imagine you have a vacant property that you’ve just renovated. The floors are new, the walls are freshly painted, and the kitchen is sparkling. In this case, the home is already in great shape, but it lacks warmth and personality. Virtual staging can bridge that gap in your online marketing. It shows buyers how the beautiful, updated spaces can be furnished, making your listing far more appealing than without.
Other Virtual Staging Considerations
It’s important to be transparent when using virtual staging. In BC, there are clear rules. Any virtually staged photos used in a listing must be clearly labelled as “virtually staged.” This ensures that potential buyers are not misled and understand that the furniture and decor they see in the photos will not be present during a viewing.
If you’re working with a trusted Realtor, then they’ll have this all covered for you. No need to worry.
Recommended Resource: The Modern Guide to Upsizing Your Home in BC
When Staging Isn’t Needed
While often beneficial, staging isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There are specific situations where the time and expense of staging won’t provide a worthwhile return.
Brand New Construction
Newly built homes from a developer, often called “spec homes,” are usually presented to the market as a blank canvas. Buyers in this category expect to see pristine and empty spaces. They are often more focused on the quality of the build, the finishes, and the layout.
While a developer might stage one “show home” in a new development to showcase layouts, it’s generally not necessary to stage every single new-build property.
Investment Properties
If you’re selling a property that is primarily attractive to investors, for example, a tenanted property with a reliable income stream or a multi-unit building—the focus is on the numbers.
Investors are more concerned with the capitalization rate, rental income, and operating expenses than they are with decor. As long as the property is well-maintained, staging is unlikely to significantly impact the sale price in a way that justifies the cost.
Teardowns
In many parts of Metro Vancouver, the value of a property is almost entirely in the land itself. If you’re selling a property marketed as a “teardown” or for its “land value only,” staging the existing house is a waste of money. Buyers are planning to demolish the structure and build something new, so the condition or appearance of the current home is irrelevant.
Hot Seller’s Markets
When the market trends are hot and it’s a sellers market, bidding wars are common with final closing prices often for well over the asking price. In these conditions, the urgency to buy is so high that even unstaged or cluttered homes can sell quickly.
While a well-presented home will always have an edge, the return on investment for staging diminishes significantly in a strong seller’s market. Your realtor will be able to provide the best guidance based on local market activity and what you should expect in terms of a buyers or sellers market, or a mix!
Choosing an Option When Selling Your Property
So, how do you decide? The best approach is to weigh the cost of staging against the potential return in your specific situation.
Physical Staging: The top-tier option for maximizing your sale price, especially for luxury, vacant, or dated homes in a balanced or slow market.
Virtual Staging: A budget-friendly choice to enhance online marketing, ideal for new builds, updated vacant homes, or when a quick sale is the priority.
No Staging: A practical decision for teardowns, investment properties, or in a red-hot seller’s market where homes are selling regardless of their presentation.
Getting Expert Support
Deciding on the best staging option can definitely feel like a big decision. That’s precisely where having an experienced real estate agent by your side becomes incredibly valuable. A great realtor truly understands the ins and outs of your local Metro Vancouver market, knowing what buyers are looking for in your specific neighbourhood.
On top of that, seasoned realtors have a fantastic network of professional stagers they trust and regularly work with. They can connect you with these experts and even help you manage the entire staging process.
Regardless, there is a ton of value you’ll get from working with a trusted and long-standing Realtor in the lower mainland.
Final Thoughts
Staging your home is a strategic business decision, not just a design choice. By evaluating your property type, the current market conditions, and your personal selling goals, you can determine the right approach.
Whether you opt for a full physical stage, enhance your listing with virtual staging, or decide to sell as-is, the key is to make a deliberate choice that aligns with your strategy for a successful sale in the competitive British Columbia real estate market.
