To Stage or Not To Stage: The Million Dollar Question

If you've ever done anything with real estate, chances are you've heard the term "staging". If you haven't, here are the bullet points: staging means you are positioning/decorating/creating things to make a home look more appealing. The home doesn't necessarily need to look "lived in", but buyers like the idea of just having to bring a suitcase for their move-in-ready home. Let's go over the pros and cons of staging.

Pros

Staging really helps buyers understand the uses for the entire floor plan. That spare bedroom that has slowly become your catch-all room may be realistic, but buyers don't want realistic, they want perfection, they want fantasy! They want to think that they too will live in a neat as a pin home where everything is organized and in perfect order. Another, somewhat backwards, advantage is a properly staged home will make it seem as large and spacious as possible. This may seem strange, but in vacant homes, it's hard to envision how much space you'll actually have. A staged bedroom or living room can help buyers to see the possibilities they might have. As the saying goes, "you only have one shot at a first impression". A vacant home may not be as memorable as the staged home with the gorgeous mahogany table or amazing curb appeal.

Cons

Some buyers prefer to see vacant homes because it helps them better visualize putting their personality in it. Living in a staged home can also be hard on families with pets or small children. Having that extra pressure to have your home be perfect at a minutes' notice is quite stressful. One of the biggest cons of staging is the cost. Depending on if you hire a professional stager or do a few small renovations (or touch ups) then stage it yourself, it can quickly add up to a significant amount of money. In some instances, it may be worth the cost, but a lot of time it is not. 

Example

Here we have an example of a home vacant and staged..

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Living Room

Dining Room

Bedroom

Particularly in the bedroom, the vacant space just doesn't look as large, but it was a blank slate, so it was easy to imagine my own touch on things. The staged areas also make it appear well-cared for, comfortable, and homey.

What do you think? Would you prefer to see a staged home or a vacant home?? Tell us what you think!