Should i stage an empty house

The reason why there is not necessarily a clear answer here is that there are benefits and drawbacks that come with each option. Which one you ultimately choose will need to be based on your own preferences.

You have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages and go from there. Selling a home empty vs. Read the information below and talk with your Realtor to determine which choice is right for you. But is it worth it?

Before you can even start to make a decision, it will be helpful to know what a staged home is in the first place. If you have ever walked through an open house or a home for sale and seen a perfectly designed interior, with everything placed just so, you may have witnessed a staged home.

A real giveaway is when you pick up something, a decoration, for instance, and discover that it is not real — like books with no words in them. A staged home is one that is filled with things to make it more appealing to potential buyers. There are professionals who specialize in staging homes for sale. They may bring in furniture, appliances, paintings, curtains—everything needed to create a particular look.

Once they are finished, the home appears to be lived in. Many sellers feel this look is preferable to a big empty house. Staging a home has become quite popular with builders across the country. Staging puts the frosting on the cake by making the house feel like a home. For some buyers, staging can help them conceptualize better how they will plan out their own furniture. If you live in a gorgeous home to start with staging will make a negligible difference.

The prior reference has some simple staging tips to help your place looking acceptable. Selling a staged home may be easier because you can set the stage for what buyers see.

Buyers walk in and see the comfortable furniture, pretty decorations, and general hominess, and feel like they could sit down and relax in the home. The more they can see themselves in the house, the more likely they are to buy it. Another significant benefit of staging is that it can make listing pictures look more appealing.

The listing photos you use are usually the first glimpse potential buyers get of your home, so you naturally want to make sure they look as great as they can. If staging the house can make the pictures better, the advantages are apparent. Remember, nothing makes up for bad real estate photos. One of the most important things you can do as a seller is make sure the photos of your house are professional. They sell your home more than anything else you do.

There are some companies now that offer virtual staging where they will add furniture electronically to your photos. The jury is still out on that.

While the photos may look great online, the buyer could get to the house and feel disappointed seeing an empty home. The last significant benefit of staging is that it lets you show the usefulness of strangely shaped rooms.

If you have a room that is small or oddly shaped, staging lets you demonstrate that it is still a room that has value. Houzz has some great tips to follow. Just make sure that the furniture pieces that you pick are of high quality, unique, stylish, and not dated.

Many real estate associations as well as the Real Estate Standards Organization , have classified the term "Master Bedroom" as discriminatory. As with any property up for sale, a fresh coat of paint throughout the home's walls is a great idea. It is the best budget-fix to instantly bring life to your home and costs less than any other decorating tip.

Choose paint colors wisely such as off-whites, grays, beiges as neutrals and consider adding accent walls that have a stronger hue to create visual interest. It will also make picking up the furniture and accessories much easier. Consider adding paint to any woodwork, cabinets, or trim that require a makeover.

Stretch your budget a bit and paint any woodwork, cabinets, or trim that require a makeover. Make your home painting easier and cleaner with these tips.

While many agree that staging an empty house is much more difficult than staging a fully furnished one, it really does not have to cost you a fortune. Use the above budget-friendly tips and gather ideas from model homes, retail stores, and online magazines. Also, make sure to update yourself with what potential buyers expect in that neighborhood and in that price range.

Home shoppers like to drive by prospective properties and many will simply pass by if the curb appeal is lacking. When selling a vacant home, make sure to have the grass cut, landscaping maintained, and driveway snowplowed in the winter season. A house with a great curb appeal is a sign that the property is visited often and is well-maintained. This involves making sure that the exterior paint is in good condition and the front door is painted or cleaned with a fresh welcome mat at its feet.

If you aren't able to keep up the maintenance of your outdoor home while your home is vacant consider hiring a property management service or your own lawn service.

Then everything changes and the left side of the brain takes over. Seller Resources. But not everyone has the imagination to see them that way. Here are some easy, low-cost soft staging items to add to an empty room: Fresh, new towels in the bathroom Decorative soap in a simple dish Flower vase on the kitchen counter A simple piece of artwork above the fireplace A clean rug to define the space in an empty room Focus on the money rooms to cut costs According to top real estate agents, the top 3 rooms worth staging are the living room , the master bedroom , and the kitchen.

We recommend one of these verified furniture rental companies: CORT Home Staging is a nationwide staging rental company that allows you to rent individual pieces or entire rooms. The cost depends on how many pieces you rent and how long you rent them for.

Brook Furniture Rental provides full flexibility with your furniture rental. The delivery, set up, and pick up is included in the cost. AFR Furniture Rental tells you the cost of the room sets up-front.