Home staging: what does it deliver and what does it cost?

Home staging (verkoopstyling) is worth the investment in most cases. A nicely furnished home stands out on funda, attracts more viewers, and more viewers almost always means a better sale price. In Amsterdam, expect to pay €2,000 to €2,500 for an average apartment, including two months of furniture rental.

Sellers almost always ask me whether staging is worth it. That makes sense, because you spend money before your home is sold. I also asked Marjolein of Kalter & Kalter, an Amsterdam staging company we work with, for her view.

What is home staging?

With home staging, a stylist temporarily furnishes your home with rented furniture and accessories, specifically for the photos and the viewings. In an empty home that means furnishing the whole place. In a home you still live in, it is often a few rooms or some targeted changes.

“Good home staging shows not only how beautiful a home can be, but above all how you could live there,” says Marjolein.

What does home staging deliver?

It starts on funda. A nicely furnished home stands out between the empty rooms and the packed living rooms, gets more attention and therefore more viewing requests. Simply put: more viewers almost always means a better sale price.

At the viewing it works a second time. According to Marjolein, staging helps buyers imagine what it would be like to live there themselves, “and that feeling is incredibly important”.

Then there are the first three weeks. That is when interest in a new listing on funda is at its peak. If there is still no buyer after three weeks, you lose the sales momentum. You can read more about this in my blog on the best time to sell your home.

An example: the bedroom under the sloping roof

A while ago we sold a home on Vrolikstraat in Amsterdam-Oost. The seller wasn’t convinced that staging would help, so the home went on funda empty.

Quite a few viewers came. But most of them couldn’t see past the bedroom. It was under a sloping roof, and empty it looked small. If you doubt whether a bed will even fit, you don’t make an offer. And indeed no offers came in, and after three weeks the momentum was gone.

The seller then followed our advice after all and we had the home staged. At the viewings, people could now see how much space was left with a bed in the bedroom, and that a wardrobe would fit too. Within three weeks there was a buyer, at a top price.

Staged, empty or lived-in: what is the difference?

An empty home lacks atmosphere. According to Marjolein, buyers then find it harder to judge the proportions and possibilities of a room, which is exactly what I saw happen on Vrolikstraat.

With a lived-in home, the opposite is often true. A very personal interior distracts: buyers look at your belongings instead of at the space. Staging brings out the strengths of the home.

Which room benefits most from staging?

Usually the living room. That is where people spend most of their time, and where buyers picture their life in their new home.

Still, Marjolein always looks at the bigger picture. “Sometimes it is actually a tricky bedroom, a small study or a room whose purpose isn’t immediately clear.” You often come across those in older Amsterdam homes.

What does home staging cost in Amsterdam?

For an average Amsterdam apartment we count on €2,000 to €2,500, including two months of furniture rental. The price mainly depends on:

• the size of the home;
• how much furniture and how many accessories are needed;
• the floor, accessibility and logistics: with narrow Amsterdam staircases, a furniture lift is often needed.

You are the stylist’s client yourself and pay them directly. So it is separate from our fee, just like the funda package. What we charge ourselves is on our costs page.

How do you plan home staging well?

Because the furniture is rented for two months, you don’t want to lose a single day. This is how we do it: the stylist furnishes the home, a day later Hadewij, our own photographer, takes the photos (weather permitting), and within a few days the home is online. That way you make the most of those two months on the market.

What can you do yourself if full staging isn’t needed?

If you still live there and the interior is calm, a few targeted changes already go a long way. Marjolein’s advice: look at your own home through the eyes of a buyer.

• Remove personal items and surplus furniture.
• Create calm and unity, and let in as much daylight as possible.
• Arrange the furniture logically, so it is clear what each room is for.
• Pay attention to the details: neat window coverings, made beds, fresh flowers and a well-kept outdoor space.

“It’s not about making a home look like a showroom,” she says.

That said, I often see that staging your own home is harder than it looks. People don’t really know where to start, and what they find cosy can quickly look cluttered in a photo. If in doubt, have a stylist or your estate agent take a look before the photographer comes.

Not sure whether staging would pay off for your home? Feel free to call or email, and I’ll take a look with you. How I guide sellers is explained on the selling agent page.