After looking at multiple houses and trying to picture yourself in each one, most first-time homebuyers ask themselves “can I buy the staging furniture in this house?”. Choosing the furniture for your new house is extremely important and you need to figure out if staged furniture is right for you!
Staging companies rent staging furniture from furniture stores, use their own inventory to stage homes, or use the homeowners existing furniture. You can negotiate with the owner of the item and purchase it from them on the spot.
There are multiple questions that you want to ask yourself when you are trying to decide if buying staging furniture is right for you.
What Items Do Staging Companies Use?
Staging companies will use a variety of items to make a home more appeal to perspective buyers. This includes:
- Couches/Sofas
- Chairs
- Tables
- TVs/Computers
- Office Desks/Chairs
- Lamps
- Rugs
- Mirrors
- Pillows & Throws
- Beds
- Dressers
- Artwork
How Much Does Staged Furniture Cost?
The average cost of home staging in the United States is $1,150. This is broken down into an initial consultation, rearranging fee, service fee, staging fee, and possibly a furniture rental fee, which depends on if the stager has the items that they need in their inventory.
The furniture rental fee for the seller will usually cost around $600-2,000 by the time the house is sold. The price depends on the number of rooms, necessary furniture, and staging markup. At this point, the furniture is either returned to the store that it was rented from or returns to the storage area of the staging company. The cost of this furniture will range from a few dollars to a few thousand dollars, depending on what store that is renting it out and what type of furniture it is. We will usually see stagers supplying the cheaper items, such as lamps, dining sets for the kitchen table, electronics, and small rugs. They will rent large furniture, such as coaches, dressers, dining room tables, and beds.
Where Do Stagers Get Their Furniture?
Most stagers will have relationships built with a handful of furniture stores that they frequently rent from. This includes local stores, national furniture providers, and rental companies that are affiliated with a home staging association. This allows you to get the exact product brand, color, dimensions, and SKU number so you can order the item brand new from the store.
They may also have a storage space that allows them to keep their smaller items on hand, which is extremely valuable to them if they can reuse pieces multiple times. These items will usually be slightly worn and will need to be inspected further to decide how much you would pay for it.
The third option that comes up is that a stager will use the homeowner’s current furniture and will rearrange it in a way that improves the appeal of the space. The home buyer will usually have the advantage here because the seller is trying to avoid bringing all of their items into their new home and you can save them money on moving costs and time on packing up all of the items properly. It will also be great for you because you will not need to worry about any deliveries or set up that comes with brand new items.
Can You Ask a Stager to Help with Furniture Selection?
Most stagers will offer a separate service that allows them to act as an interior designer and will help the home buyer pick out furniture that fits the space well. This is a great option because the stager has already worked in the house and has an idea of how it should flow. They can usually be negotiated with and ultimately will save you time and money.
You should also get at least 2-3 other quotes from interior designers or other stagers before committing to the original stager to make sure you are getting the right rate and achieve the vision that you are looking for.
Is It Smart to Buy Staged Furniture?
You are going to need to thoroughly inspect the item(s) that you are looking to buy from the staging company. Most rented furniture has been used in other homes and will not be as fresh as a brand new item from the furniture store. You will want to look for any damage that happened during the shipping that occurs between staging sites and also see if the item is being rented out because it was not fit for sale due to damage that occurred in the furniture store warehouse.
A second issue that you may run into is that the furniture might look great in the space now, but does not meet all of the needs that you have. If you have a family, a two-person couch will not be sufficient in the living room. You are going to need to make sure that the furniture that you end up buying functions well in the space. Most stagers will use slightly smaller furniture to make the rooms appear larger, which will cause you future headaches.
Alternatives to Buying Staged Furniture
If buying staged furniture isn’t right for you there are multiple alternatives that will allow you to save money and find the items that will make your house a home. You can get cheap furniture on:
- Facebook Marketplace
- Craigslist
- Letgo
- Family and Friends that are relocating/updating their furniture
- Thrift Stores
- Display furniture at furniture stores – negotiate with the manager to get it for much cheaper than the listed price
