Frequently Asked Questions

What is Home Staging?

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property swiftly and for more money. Wikipedia.

You can also break home staging down into two major categories:

1. Vacant Home Staging – As its name implies, vacant home staging is where a Home Staging Company will bring in furniture, rugs, art work, and decor to an unoccupied and vacant home in order to showcase the flow, function, and focal point of each living space. Creating a model home appeal.

2. Occupied Home Staging – Occupied home staging typically begins with a Home Staging Consultation. This is where a Certified Home Staging Professional will come to a home that is currently occupied and furnished and will spend time discussing how to best prepare the home for resale. Recommendations may include (but are not limited to), specific decluttering, paint color selection, curb appeal, lighting, and furniture placement.

Does Home Staging work?

Yes! Home staging has quickly become one of the most effective real estate marketing strategies in the industry. According to the National Association of Realtors, 83% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. And according to an HSR Survey of over 4,200 homes, 85% of the staged homes sold for 6-25% more than their “un-staged neighbor’s” homes. And of those staged homes, 68% sold for at least 9% more than their “un-staged neighbor’s” home.

How much does Home Staging cost in the Houston area?

Home staging costs can vary greatly, but may be loosely estimated based on the luxury level of the home, the size of the home (overall square footage), and the areas staged. When comparing estimates from different Home Staging Companies, be sure to view photos of as many previously staged homes as you can and pay very close attention to the quality of their furnishings. The Staging Team has over 100 projects uploaded to Houzz to help potential clients see a clear picture of our design style and the quality of the furnishings we use. We carefully curate only on-trend, neutral furniture and decor from the wholesale market (no yard sale or dated items). We are always updating our inventory and keeping things fresh. The Staging Team typically charges $2,000 to $4,000 for 60 days of vacant staging for an average sized home.

Is Sales Tax charged on Home Staging in Texas?

The short answer is Yes. Most home staging companies in Texas purchase inventory at wholesale pricing and therefore are required to submit quarterly sales & use reports to the Texas Comptroller’s office. Texas considers “rental” to be a taxable service. The sales tax is based on the location of the home that is being staged and can range from 6.25% to 8.25% depending on the taxing jurisdiction. Some home staging companies break out the tax and some include it in their overall staging fee. We have recently started including it in our overall staging fee.

What should I do before the home is staged?

Whether you are staging a vacant or occupied home, it is a good idea to have both the outside and the inside of the home cleaned. We always recommend sellers consider power washing the outside, cleaning the windows, and having a professional cleaning team clean everything from the oven to the baseboards. It is also a good idea to take care of any touch-up painting needed, and any small repairs (including burnt out light bulbs).

What is the best type of lighting when staging a home?

We always recommend sellers update their lighting to LED before they put the home on the market. LED is more cost effective and will allow you to bring in more light. When choosing LED you will need to look at both Lumens (light output (aka watts) and Kelvin (color). We recommend you keep Kelvin (K value) between 3000 and 4000. This will ensure that you have white light that is not too yellow or too blue. The lumens should vary based on usage. Most ceiling bulbs should be between 800 and 1200 lumens, but is you are replacing bulbs in a bathroom vanity where there are 4 to 6 bulbs, you will want to go much lower (400 to 600 lumens).

What is your process for Vacant Home Staging?

Our typical process is as follows:

1. Quote the project.
2. Once our quote has been accepted we work with the client to select a staging date.
3. We email our Staging Agreement via DocuSign, along with a link to pay the required deposit by credit card.
4. Staging Day – we utilize a Supra key to gain access to the property. Staging takes one full day.
5. Once staging has been completed, we send a link to pay the remaining balance by credit card.
6. When an extension to the original term is needed, we reach out via email to collect payment and extend the term of the staging on a month-to-month basis.
7. Once a home is under contract and past all contingencies, we work with the client to choose a destaging (move-out) date that works best.

Do I need to stage all the rooms?

No. You don’t need to stage every room. We recommend you stage what we call the “key areas”. This includes the entryway, living room, dining room, kitchen, and master bed & bath. And depending on the floor plan and the size of the rooms, we sometimes recommend staging the home office, patio, and/or secondary bedroom.