Frequently Asked Questions About Staging

Is my small home worth being staged?

Absolutely! Staged homes sell an average of 50% faster and for 6-10% more than homes that are not staged, regardless of their size.

Should I try listing my house now, and if it doesn’t sell, then stage it?

Listing your house “as is” can have costly consequences. You only get one chance to make a first impression. The cost of staging will likely be much less than your first sale price reduction of the house. Don’t wait, staging prior to putting your house on the market can literally save you thousands of dollars.

My home is already decorated, why do I need a stager?

Typically homeowners are emotionally attached to the items in their home and are unable to view it objectively. The way you ‘live’ in your home, and the way you ‘market’ your home are two different things. We will minimize the distractions for potential homebuyers and create a space where they can see themselves living there.

Could staging help my house that is stuck on the market?

A cluttered or vacant home is not appealing ‘in person’ but it is even worse in pictures. Real estate agents looking for properties or clients browsing the Internet, click past cluttered and vacant homes because it's hard to tell how big the space actually is. It is never too late to stage. Staging will make your home look better on the Internet, MLS and in advertising materials, which will increase your number of showings and get your house sold.

Won’t homebuyers use their imagination to overlook my décor?

Very few homebuyers can visualize a home’s potential, finding it impossible to picture color changes or a different use of space. We will enhance your home’s assets and minimize its flaws to appeal to the largest percentage of potential buyers.

HomeGain's National Survey

Project	Typical Cost	Price Increase	Return on Investment*
Lighten & brighten	$233 - 370	$1,178 - 1,566	355%
Clean and de-clutter	$190 - 318	$1,505 - 1,937	578%
Landscape front/back yards	$378 - 546	$1,718 - 2,158	319%
Stage home for sale	$403 - 584	$1,938 - 2,431	343%
Repair electrical or plumbing	$436 - 621	$1,205 - 1,590	164%
Repair damaged flooring	$628 - 878	$1,633 - 2,061	145%
Update kitchen & bathrooms	$1404 -1828	$3,216 - 3,934	121%
Replace or shampoo carpeting	$562 - 808	$1,532 - 1,950	154%
Paint exterior walls	$663 - 938	$1,757 - 2,205	147%
Paint interior walls	$651 - 920	$1,741 - 2,179	150%

HomeGain surveyed over 2,000 real estate agents in each of the U.S. regions in 2007. All agents might not necessarily agree on the same pre-sale strategy.
Differences of opinions about the 10 areas of home improvement may vary based on the climate of the market, region of the country, or condition of the home in question.

Kat’s Design Services can help you in all sorts of ways...

• We can help decorate the home you just moved into – with expert advice on room layout and color combinations, we can ease the tension of being overwhelmed in a new space.
• We can help you shop – with a solid understanding of the different design style options, we can get you in and out of the store faster than you can say ‘Does this couch go with the rest of our stuff?’
• We can help you via photo consultation. If you're outside of the Raleigh area, simply email us a photograph of your room, and we'll send you back honest feedback about how to improve your space.
• We can help you decide on a new color that you’ve been pondering – with a keen eye on the latest trends we can develop an expert color scheme for paint, fabric, furniture or flooring.
• We can help you get organized – with comprehensive space planning for closets and shelving, we can turn chaos into calm.
• We can help you fix a room that doesn’t flow – with creative solutions, we can change an odd space into your favorite place in the house.