Staged Houses vs. Leaving Them Vacant
Are staged houses better than leaving them empty when selling?
Over my thirty-seven years in the real estate industry, many sellers have asked me this question.
There are so many decisions that need to be made when selling your home.
You must decide when to sell it, who to hire, what price to set, and on and on.
Part of what makes selling inherently stressful is the ongoing decision-making required.
Another question that might need to be answered is: “Should you stage your house or sell it empty?”
Like many real estate questions, the answer to this one is, “It depends.” Comforting, right?
There is not necessarily a clear answer here because there are benefits and drawbacks that come with each option.
Which one you ultimately choose will need to be based on your preferences.
You have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages and go from there. A vacant home for sale has its positives and negatives as well.
Read the information below and talk with your Realtor to determine which choice is right for you. Some real estate markets are so hot it won’t matter what you do.
In a severe buyer’s market, staging a house may be just the trick to put you over the top. But is it worth it?
What is Staging a House?
Before you can even start to make a decision, it will be helpful to know what staging a home means. The most straightforward explanation is making your house look exceptional.
It encompasses removing clutter from the home, adjusting the decor, and organizing furniture properly to present it optimally.
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.
Staged Houses By Professionals
A staged home is filled with things to make it more appealing to potential buyers. Some professionals specialize in staging houses for sale.
They may bring 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. They will have a “model home,” which is used to showcase their options and craftsmanship. 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 furniture. For the average homeowner, professional staging, more often than not, isn’t necessary.
If you live in a gorgeous home to start with, staging will make a negligible difference.
What’s important is that your home is prepared for the sale. An effort should be made to look its best before the for sale sign hits the lawn. The prior reference has some simple staging tips to help your place look acceptable.
When people walk through your door, they should have a look of excitement, not disbelief!
Selling Staged Houses
Let’s comprehensively look at the pros and cons of selling staged houses.
Advantages Of Staged Houses
Selling a staged home may be easier because you can set the stage for what buyers see.
Staged houses usually sell quickly for more money because they are turnkey, which buyers love.
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 see themselves in the house, the more likely they will 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 want to ensure they look as great as possible.
The advantages are apparent if staging the house can improve the pictures.
(Remember, nothing makes up for bad real estate photos.
One of the most important things you can do as a seller is to ensure your house photos are professional. They sell your home more than anything else you do.)
Some companies now 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 small or oddly shaped room, staging enables you to demonstrate that it is still a room with value.
Houzz has some great tips to follow.
While you may not have enough money for full-fledged staging, there are always things you can do on your own to make your house more appealing to buyers. Most real estate agents would agree these are fundamental tips that will make for a faster sale.
Disadvantages of Staged Houses
The two disadvantages of staging a home are time and money. A staged house takes time to get right. It may take days for the home stager to bring in everything necessary to stage the home, and still more time to organize it correctly.
The removal of the staging materials also takes time, sometimes longer than you want to wait.
Staging a house also costs money. Depending on what is involved, it can cost several thousand dollars to stage a large home with lovely and appealing décor.
You may not want to spend so much to stage, or you may not have that much lying around. Of course, home stagers will try to use what you have available, but often that is not enough to do the job right.
Do you want to pay thousands a month to have your home staged? Is it necessary? Could that money be put elsewhere that would have a much more significant impact? These are the kind of questions to ask your local real estate agent.
Selling an Empty Home
Let’s examine the pros and cons of selling a vacant house.
Advantages of Selling a Vacant Home
The most prominent advantage of selling an empty home is, strangely enough, the same as selling a staged home.
Some buyers will approach a vacant home and find it easier to see themselves living there.
When the home is staged, these buyers may have a more challenging time visualizing how they will fit their own lives into the picture.
The issue with a staged home is that it is designed to appeal to the most substantial number of buyers, which can mean it comes across as either too generic or too specific to a specific subset of people.
Some people will just be turned off by staging, especially if it is not well done and subtle enough.
If it is too apparent, the buyers may feel put off and annoyed. In other words, they may think their belongings will look like crap in the house.
Another advantage of selling an empty house is that it demonstrates that you are moved out and the home is ready for someone else to move in.
Some buyers are in a hurry and do not want to wait for the owner to vacate the premises.
Moving takes time, as you probably know. Showing that you are already moved out can be a good thing.
An empty home is also clutter-free, which is always great in home sales.
Disadvantages of Selling an Empty House
Emptying a house takes time. You may have asked yourself if you should empty your house before selling.
An empty home can often come across as cold and unwelcoming. Since you want to create a welcoming vibe, having a vacant home can work against you.
Another thing that can be an issue is the way that defects tend to shine through in an empty home. The crack in the wall, the tilt of the ceiling, the stains on the carpet—many little things can be hidden or distracted from when you have a house full of furniture and décor.
But without anything to cover them up or draw attention from them, you are left with all the little dings and things that buyers will probably take issue with.
Vandalism Increases With Empty Homes
Taking photos of an empty home and posting them online may increase the risk of a break-in. Vandals and squatters are always looking for the perfect empty home to visit.
The last disadvantage that an empty home brings is one of image and perception. By listing the house in its empty state, you may create the impression that you are desperate to make a sale.
Sometimes people buy and sell a home at the same time.
Buyers may try to submit lowball offers because they think you are in a weak position. True or not, it is never to your advantage to be perceived as hungry for a sale.
Without a doubt, when a home is vacant, there is a perception among buyers that a seller is more eager to make a deal.
Staged Houses Are Not Necessary to Sell
Staging your home can have advantages and disadvantages, but it is essential to understand that staging does not sell your home.
To be clear, I am referring to professional home staging. Getting your home ready for sale by sprucing it up is always vital.
Some real estate agents, especially those with a staging business or friends with a home stager, may try to push staging on you.
That does not mean staging is terrible—it can be great. But you should know that the most critical tools for selling your home have nothing to do with the décor.
A reputable real estate agent can sell a home staged or unstaged without issue.
Selling is a matter of having the necessary connections to get the word out and the marketing skills to ensure that the right people see the listing.
If the right buyers are found, the home sells itself.
Do not trust an agent who insists that staging is the answer.
Staging is the cherry on top, not the sundae. Real estate agents will try to convince you that staging is vital. Most of the time, it’s not!
When selling your home, some essential ingredients are a must. They are as follows:
Pick The Best Real Estate Agent
You probably have noticed numerous sold signs from the same agents over and over. They have a track record of success.
No, it doesn’t mean they will be too busy for you. It means they have systems in place that all them to be successful over and over again.
When selling your house, make sure you ask the right interview questions. They will help you make the selection process easier. The agent you choose will significantly impact whether you sell fast for top dollar.
Pricing Your Home Correctly
Few things will stop your home from selling other than house pricing issues.
Not pricing correctly is the #1 mistake most sellers make. Pricing your home right relates to picking the best agent. Exceptional agents rarely overprice a home.
All the house staging in the world won’t sell a property priced wrong.
Exceptional Real Estate Marketing
The best agents have a real estate market plan to get a home sold in a timely fashion. Professional photography will be a staple of getting plenty of showings on the house.
Buyers will look at popular property listing sites and be impressed by what they see.
The agent will have spent ample time crafting creative property descriptions for the home. Don’t pick an agent that half-asses describing your home’s best attributes.
Lastly, you want a real estate agent that works for YOU and only YOU! Never settle for a real estate agent who practices dual agency. You want a Realtor who puts your best interests first always!
Should We Stage Our House or Sell it Empty – A Recap
Whether to stage a house or leave it empty comes down to a lot of factors, including:
- The current real estate market conditions. Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market?
- The norm for your area.
- The price involved with staging.
- How much of a difference will it make – (where are you starting from).
- Are the better options for the money?
Consult with a local real estate agent, but only you can decide if it is worth it or even necessary.
Selling a Staged or Empty House in Massachusetts
Do you have a home to sell in the Metrowest, Massachusetts area? If so, I would welcome the chance to interview. I’ve sold many stages houses and ones that have been vacated. It makes no difference.
Reach out for home selling assistance.
Helpful Resources if You Decide to Stage Your Home
- Gardening tips when selling a home – Eileen Anderson shares her expertise on how to impress home buyers with your gardens.
- Guide to getting your home ready to sell – Luke Skar counsels home sellers on what it takes to prepare to sell a house.
- Do luxury homes need to be staged? – Paul Sian offers guidance on whether high-end homes need staging.
- How to stage your kitchen when selling – Kevin Vitali provides excellent tips for staging your kitchen.
- Avoid ugly staging – learn some of the awful house staging mistakes to avoid via Michelle Gibson.
Use these home staging resources to make sound decisions when selling your home. The advice comes from real estate agents with years of experience.
About the author: Bill Gassett, a nationally recognized leader in his field, provided the above Real Estate information on staged houses vs. leaving them empty. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-625-0191. Bill has helped people move in and out of many Metrowest towns for the last 37+ Years.
Are you thinking of selling your home? I am passionate about real estate and love sharing my marketing expertise!
I service Real Estate sales in the following Metrowest MA towns: Ashland, Bellingham, Douglas, Framingham, Franklin, Grafton, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hopedale, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millbury, Millville, Northborough, Northbridge, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sutton, Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville, Worcester, Upton and Uxbridge MA.
