Do you stage your flip

[Carlton B.]

I'm sure most of the flippers on this forum stage there properties but... 

What is your cost?

Do you think it's worth the cost?

Would you consider staging yourself?

If you stage yourself why?

[Mike Hern]

Quote from @Carlton B.:

I'm sure most of the flippers on this forum stage there properties but... 

What is your cost?

Do you think it's worth the cost?

Would you consider staging yourself?

If you stage yourself why?

That's actually a very good question to ask.
Most people first see your property on-line. Redfin, Zillow, Realtor then they contact an agent.

We stage ourselves. If you can make it look inviting, not cluttered and use color without it being distracting, a little furniture, not too much, it gives buyers a perspective on whether their things will fit. That's useful to them.

If it's stark, empty and colorless, it's harder to imagine living there. Some people can visualize around that but a lot of people need visual cues. But don't use pictures that offend (like rock bands) or colors that are unique Like painting a wall "hot red".

Use good lighting when you take the shots and frame the picture.

We usually use existing staging items & spend less that $1,000 & it's stuff we use for each new house. We don't use beds or kitchen tables, too expensive and storage is a problem between flips. We always include a stainless steel refrigerator, (which sometimes can be rented), or we just include a decent used one. People seem to like those better than white, black or avocado green. :-)

[Doug Smith]

Yes, I'm a lender, but we also do a ton of flips. We stage our own as we normally have multiple going at once and it gets really expensive. You don't need to do a ton, but it does have to look nice and uncluttered. The drawback is I can't get a car in my garage (lol)...

[Russell Brazil]

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Every situation is different.

[Andy Sabisch]

It depends on the pool of buyers you are looking to market to.  For first time buyers at a lower list price, the benefit is often negated by the cost of the staging.  We have sold our flips without staging but again, the pool we market to are often first time buyers that want a quality home and staging is not a factor in what they are looking for.  We ensure that we have quality photos taken and in a few cases, have used the virtual staging option for the online photos that can help people visualize what they can have when they move in.

[Marcus Auerbach]

Depends on the property, middle segement more than entry level. Staging is powerful and we use a professional service. Cost depends on how many items, usually between 2k and 5k. 

Staging can literally make a property look 10% more expensive, I am not sure we always get that much extra, but definitly very positive ROI.

[Carlton B.]

Quote from @Doug Smith:

Yes, I'm a lender, but we also do a ton of flips. We stage our own as we normally have multiple going at once and it gets really expensive. You don't need to do a ton, but it does have to look nice and uncluttered. The drawback is I can't get a car in my garage (lol)...

First let me say that property looks great,  and my garage is always out of control between my tools and left overs from flips our cars bearly fit.

[Carlton B.]

Quote from @Marcus Auerbach:

Depends on the property, middle segement more than entry level. Staging is powerful and we use a professional service. Cost depends on how many items, usually between 2k and 5k. 

Staging can literally make a property look 10% more expensive, I am not sure we always get that much extra, but definitly very positive ROI.

Thanks for replying and I know you are local and that helps a lot. I think most of the properties we do are in that middle segment, but more importantly there is a lot of competition and they are all staging. I may reach out for recommendations for stager.

[Carlton B.]

Quote from @Andy Sabisch:

It depends on the pool of buyers you are looking to market to.  For first time buyers at a lower list price, the benefit is often negated by the cost of the staging.  We have sold our flips without staging but again, the pool we market to are often first time buyers that want a quality home and staging is not a factor in what they are looking for.  We ensure that we have quality photos taken and in a few cases, have used the virtual staging option for the online photos that can help people visualize what they can have when they move in.

 I have been looking into some virtual tools like reimaginehome https://photos.app.goo.gl/iNuQLkpSUSsz26Pz7 I think with AI these tools are great for online but we still need that in person touch when people walk through the door.

[Carlton B.]

Quote from @Carlton B.:

Quote from @Andy Sabisch:

It depends on the pool of buyers you are looking to market to.  For first time buyers at a lower list price, the benefit is often negated by the cost of the staging.  We have sold our flips without staging but again, the pool we market to are often first time buyers that want a quality home and staging is not a factor in what they are looking for.  We ensure that we have quality photos taken and in a few cases, have used the virtual staging option for the online photos that can help people visualize what they can have when they move in.

 I have been looking into some virtual tools like reimaginehome https://photos.app.goo.gl/iNuQLkpSUSsz26Pz7 I think with AI these tools are great for online but we still need that in person touch when people walk through the door.

 wrong link that's some family photos here is the to a AI generated Pic of one of my properties https://preview.reimaginehome.ai/aff029cb-dd6b-4434-b4b2-34b...

[Ali Nichols]

I've found that staging can make the difference in the right market / property type (i.e. SFR). One item I also keep in mind during my flips is to have at least one characteristic that gives a 'wow' or 'unique' factor. (i.e. a porch swing, a wood paneled entertainment area, a wine fridge).

[Bill J Fay]

Definitely depends on the property. If the property doesn't warrant a full stage, we will do a accessory stage (towels in the bathroom, hang some photos on the wall, kitchen items). We will also do a virtual stage. These were very common in COVID times, but still do them on lower price point homes. 

[Evan Polaski]

Yes.  

I treat it like marketing 101: your buyer is not buying your house.  They are buying a dream, a life they envision for themselves.

Our stager does furniture, wall art, throw pillows and blankets, even baskets with towels in the bathrooms.  She stages the kitchen and front porch and/or back deck.

Look at the marketing of any product you use.  Sunglasses: always people with friends on a beach.  Cars: getting out at a theater or nice restaurant.  Laundry detergent: clean clothes and time back with family.  

Not all stagers are good.  And bad ones are not worth the money. The good ones should have a portfolio of magazine quality properties.  They are tasteful and with the time.  AND, worth every penny at ANY price point.  First time homebuyers want to live the dream, probably, even more than experienced buyers.

[Carlton B.]

Quote from @Evan Polaski:

Yes.  

I treat it like marketing 101: your buyer is not buying your house.  They are buying a dream, a life they envision for themselves.

Our stager does furniture, wall art, throw pillows and blankets, even baskets with towels in the bathrooms.  She stages the kitchen and front porch and/or back deck.

Look at the marketing of any product you use.  Sunglasses: always people with friends on a beach.  Cars: getting out at a theater or nice restaurant.  Laundry detergent: clean clothes and time back with family.  

Not all stagers are good.  And bad ones are not worth the money. The good ones should have a portfolio of magazine quality properties.  They are tasteful and with the time.  AND, worth every penny at ANY price point.  First time homebuyers want to live the dream, probably, even more than experienced buyers.

 Thanks @Evan Polaski I think our stager has become a little complacent, so I'm thinking of doing our own staging going forward. This is our latest property

[Jeremiah Rowe]

You very likely Googled this for yourself already,  but a quick search gave me this

"85% of staged homes sold for 5 to 23% over their listing price. 22% of sellers' agents reported a 1% to 5% increase in selling price for homes that had been staged versus homes that were not. Home staging brings in an 8-10% return on investment. A staged home spends 73% less time on the market than a non-staged home."

I looked a little beyond that and didn't see anything to the contrary, really. Given the feedback that I'm seeing I would. I know you also have the ability to stage with AI now, which may be something to look into for you as well.

[Scott E.]

Staging your flips is a mandatory part of the process. You must do it 100% of the time, no exceptions to this rule. To answer your questions...

-What is your cost? - Between $5,000 - $20,000 depending on the size of the home and how many rooms need staged.

-Do you think it's worth the cost? - I don't think, I know it's worth the cost. The data backs this up.

-Would you consider staging yourself? - In the beginning I did do some staging of my own. It worked out ok. But the pros do it better.

-If you stage yourself why? - Just did it to save money in the beginning. And also to learn more about that phase of the process.

[Evan Polaski]

@Carlton B., for comparison points, here is a property I had as a rental and when tenants broke lease, I ended up selling.  Staging is almost identical between rental listing and then restaged for sale when on market.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6715-Kennedy-Ave-Cincinna...

Or another flip we sold back in May (same stager):

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6142-Hedge-Ave-Cincinnati...

And to address some of Scott's questions, staging takes a lot of furniture, accessories, monitoring current trends and styles, etc.  Good stagers have tens of thousands of furniture and accessories to choose from to match color pallets, home styles, scale of rooms, etc.  If your stager is not thinking about these things, you need to find another one.  If you are not thinking about the scale of your room versus the furniture you are putting in it, you should not stage yourself and leave it to real professionals.

Back to sales 101: you are selling a dream.  A house, even a well designed, fully remodeled house, only goes so far to that end.  The stager is responsible for putting the cherry on top of that dream:

When your stager is done:
Are you able to picture hosting holiday dinners at your house?
Cuddling with your dog or kids on the couch for a movie night?
Hosting friends for drinks and dinner?
Having your friends ask you "where did you get those cute salt and pepper shakers?"

Lastly, and this goes with finish selection and staging: are you designing with a females point of view? It has been reported, and even posted on these forums years ago, that women make 91% of home buying decisions.  So when I mention "where did you get those cute salt and pepper shakers" above, that is not a joking comment.  This is legitimately a way to make your house worth MORE money.

[Carlton B.]

Thanks @Evan Polaski I appreciate the pics and its a nice looking property.