-Dave Lenhardt, April 2024
One of the often misunderstood aspects of selling your home is that the buyers aren’t buying the home itself as much as the feeling that they get from your home. As such, the furnishings in a home (or lack thereof) can play a much larger role than expected.
When properly arranged, your existing furniture & other items can often do a great job of creating a cheerful, stress-free environment while saving you from paying for staging. I often recommend that sellers temporarily leave certain pieces of furniture at the property rather than move it all out if they’ll be moving to a new home before the old one hits the market. In fact, having to pay two sets of movers can sometimes net a seller more money in the end if a home feels significantly better to buyers when furnished rather than empty.
The National Association of Realtors surveyed agents about the effect of staging and produced a report of their findings in 2023. Here are some of the more notable statistics:
- 89% of surveyed buyer agents reported that staging had an effect on some buyers’ view of a home, with more than half (58%) reporting that staging affected most buyers’ view. Less than 10% of agents believed that staging didn’t affect buyers.
- Almost a quarter of agents surveyed (23%) got the impression that buyers tend to overlook property faults when a home is staged as compared to one that isn’t.
- Almost half of agents (44%) reported that staging increased the amount that buyers were willing to offer for a home, which was greater than the amount of agents who thought it didn’t have an impact on offer price (34%).
You can see the full report here: https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2023-profile-of-home-staging-03-30-2023.pdf
While using actual furnishings is usually the best way to create a positive feeling for buyers touring your home, virtual staging is also an option in cases where that isn’t possible. Here are some examples from one of my listings where virtual staging was used:
(Move the slider bar left and right to see each picture with and without virtual staging.)
When it comes to creating that staged look, one size doesn’t fit all. Reach out anytime and we’ll discuss your situation and goals!