In the past several months I have marketed and sold several vacant properties. Some clients were selling their investment property, their 2nd home, or had already moved and taken their furnishings with them.
The question each of those clients asked was: “Should I stage my home, or sell it empty?”
My answer is always, “STAGE IT”. I’ve written before about my support of staging, but today I want to talk about how vacant spaces, in particular, absolutely need to be staged!
Empty Houses Look Smaller
Since COVID one of the main things today’s buyers are looking for is space. Empty rooms almost always appear smaller than they really are because without furniture … it has no frame of reference. How could buyers intuitively even know if furniture will fit into a space? This is true especially in listing photos, and it could put your vacant home at a disadvantage. If there isn’t any furniture to help buyers gauge the size of each room, they may write off your house as too small and not even bother to see it in person.
Buyers Will See Every Flaw in an Empty House
Listen, to each their own, but I’m not a fan of strutting around in daisy dukes and crop tops…why? Because with very little on, you can see every flaw on my body. Well guess what? Empty rooms are no different!
In fact, no room is perfect and empty rooms are more likely to show the signs of wear and tear leaving the potential buyer to see only the flaws rather than the lifestyle they could be living at that home. Buyers are left walking around with nothing to look at but dents in the walls and chips in the tiles. In fact, it often leaves them with a negative perception of the overall condition of your home, which may cause them to offer less money or walk away entirely.
Empty rooms are cold and lifeless (not an emotion you want buyers to feel!)
Staging is merchandising and marketing in its purest form. Home stagers learn who the buyer demographic is and what they envision for a home. Every room then has an opportunity to add “emotional connections” to the space, so that buyers fall in love, aspire to live there, and can actually imagine themselves in that home.
Vacant properties have historically signaled a high probability of a distress sale.
When selling a home that is empty, it’s possible that buyers will perceive they can buy the home for less than market value because the seller is desperate to get rid of the home. For example, many owners have already moved, and buyers believe the financial strain of two payments may help them get a discount on the final closing price. This is a common thought process from buyers that often leads to low ball offers in real estate. And it’s not just a “thought” – research has shown that vacant properties historically sell at lower-than-average prices, all else equal.
Bottom line – I full heartedly believe staging makes a difference. Even if it’s only the major rooms (living room, main bedroom, and a bathroom), it’s worth the cost. There are plenty of different approaches and costs associated with staging a home. Call me today and let’s start talking about them!
-Arynne
PS: Not sure if you’re quite ready to move to your next home just yet? No problem. The sooner you start learning the ins and outs of this process, the better. Click here to book a real estate possibility call with me today.
