Set the Selling Scene with Pop-Up Staging.
There are a couple of recent trends in home staging. one is virtual staging, where photos are edited to include nearly realistic furniture when the home has none. The other recent movement is toward pop-up staging, explained in more detail below. As you can see in the photos, this is basic furniture ‘shapes’ assembled on site, and arranged in the home so that it’s easier to visualize size and placement for your own furniture. I feel like virtual staging can work, though only with prominent disclaimers. But I haven’t become a fan of pop-up staging yet. I sort of feel like it’s distracting and maybe a great way to hide something. What do you think?
By Suzanne De Vita
Staging is a sizable expense for home sellers, who spend hundreds—even thousands— appointing their homes to web- and show-ready state. The National Association of REALTORS® reports the median spend on staging is $675, and according to StagedHomes.com, professional staging services average $3,000 to $5,000. Add remodeling expenditures to the tally, and the cost is considerable.
Enter pop-up staging, a new, inexpensive method that can eliminate the cost of not only hiring a stager, but also renting, transporting and storing décor and furniture. Flat-pack pieces made of lightweight materials like cardboard and corrugated plastic “pop up” in each room, effectively setting the scene as real housewares (and stage productions!) would.
One pop-up sets provider, Dandy Pack, purveys slip-covered cardboard furniture sturdy enough to withstand 1,000-plus pounds without collapsing. The company’s starter kit, which includes a full/queen bed, a sofa, an oversized chair and an ottoman, costs $1,031. The pieces, which ship in as few as two business days, can be assembled by the listing agent or the seller, further controlling costs.
Credit: Dandy Pack
inFormed Space, another pop-up staging vendor currently operating in New York City, supplies similar products made of plastic (assembled with hidden magnets), as well as set-up and break-down services. Two months of staging by the company starts at $1,899, and set-up can take just one afternoon.
Credit: The New York Times
Both products’ neutral finishes achieve the goal of conventional staging: de-personalization, minus the sparseness of a vacant space. Both render superbly in online listing images, drawing interest as traditionally staged homes do, and their clean lines read contemporary, but accessible.
Will pop-up staging become the new norm? With savings to be had, we won’t close the curtain on these prop pieces any time soon.
