Home staging refers to the practice of setting up/furnishing a property for sale in the most appealing way to attract more and better offers from potential buyers — essentially "dressing up" the house. 

After thorough cleaning, decluttering, and renovation touch-ups (like a paint job),  a home can be staged with furniture, carpets, curtains, art, and other decorative items. Home staging gives the buyer a better idea of what the place will look like when lived in and at the same time showcases a property’s full potential.

Who can benefit from home staging

In Tokyo, home staging has mainly been used by sellers targeting foreign investors, as the practice is almost unknown here. In Tokyo, it is mainly limited to the showrooms of real estate developers that let you walk through mock units of brand new developments still under construction. Occasionally, real estate agents specialising in luxury units or flipping homes have used the practice to boost sales prices.

But home staging is not limited to real estate developers and agents. It is something private sellers and landlords of condos and homes should consider. It can offer an edge over your competition, shorten vacancy and selling time, and attract a higher sales price or higher monthly rent.

Costs & benefits of home staging

Basic home staging services start from around JPY 30,000 per month, while high-end providers charge anywhere in the realm of JPY 150,000 to JPY 300,000 per month, or 1–2% of the property sales price. Industry studies suggest that your home will sell faster if staged. An American study on Investopedia saw homes selling five-to-seven times faster when staged, depending on the state. More than half of realtors polled in another study from the US — where home staging is more popular than in Japan — also reported that they saw selling price increases of up to 15%.

Home staging providers in Tokyo

Home Staging Japan is one company recommended for foreign sellers or landlords in Tokyo. The service was established in 2013 by Lukas Kucharski and offers packages ranging from basic to full service.

The Japan Home Staging Association offers services in multiple languages besides English and Japanese, including Mandarin Chinese, Korean, German, and Italian.

By Mareike Dornhege

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