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[Flatbush]

Have you ever sold your home using someone who comes and stages it? And, if you were to sell your home in the future, would you have it staged?

[Tyak]

We've never staged a home when selling but I suppose if that's what it took to sell, I'd do it in the future.  Our houses sold within 2 weeks of listing in the past and hopefully we'd be able to sell our present home that quickly if we decided to move.

[Carmie]

From a Realtor's point of view, I think staging sells a house faster and for more money if done correctly.

Of course, there are some homes that do not need staged.  They are already magazine ready. And in some markets, a house will sell right away no matter what because the homes in that neighborhood are in great demand.

Other homes are not worth staging.  They need many repairs and updated and should be sold "as is."  

If I were to put my house on the market tomorrow, I would have it professionally staged.

[onlyshopsonline]

When we've sold our previous homes, people liked the way they were decorated.  We just decluttered and the houses were clean and spotless.

When we bought the house we currently live in, we had our other house on the market, and we were going back and forth while we did some renovations on this one.  Half of the house was full of packing boxes, and it sold during the first open house.

Around here, people buy because of the neighborhood and schools.  The house next door to us needed work, and it just sold for top dollar because of the area and the wooded lot. 

So, no, I wouldn't stage this house if we were to ever sell it.

[Desertdi]

I prefer to see an empty property.    I have my own decorating style...(which is a little outré)

[ID2]

When we sold our old house (4 years ago) I staged it. I completely got rid of all excess "stuff". Clean and lean. The selling photos taken of our house, by me staging, looked pretty darn good. We sold in 2 weeks. 

[haddon9]

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@Carmie wrote:

From a Realtor's point of view, I think staging sells a house faster and for more money if done correctly.

Of course, there are some homes that do not need staged.  They are already magazine ready. And in some markets, a house will sell right away no matter what because the homes in that neighborhood are in great demand.

Other homes are not worth staging.  They need many repairs and updated and should be sold "as is."  

If I were to put my house on the market tomorrow, I would have it professionally staged.

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I happen to live in one of these neighborhoods that are in high demand.  It's a great family oriented neighborhood in a wonderful school district but not many homes are for sale.  Houses here sell very quickly.  I've gotten letters from families in the past placed in our mailbox wondering if we were interested in selling to them.

One of my friends in the neighborhood was told my a local realtor that even homes not in the best of shape will get snapped up here....they might not get top dollar but will definitely get offers.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

I haven't needed to, but I would, if it increased my selling chances.

As a buyer it's not terribly important to me.  I've bought a house "as is" because I loved the lot, the views, the size of the house, and the location.  Besides some infrastructure and the now lush gardens, I've not strayed too far from the original use.

The previous owner lived here.  So do I.

[godi]

My SIL does this for a living. She says most people call her when they need to sell fast or the home has been on the market real long. She keeps a barn full of different furnishings and art etc.  When we sold our home she told us a few things to do, clean the windows inside and out. Leave them open for the most light. Only leave a few family photos around. Remove any collections you have. Clean off all end tables counter tops and dressers, then put out bare minimum tchotchkes like candles or an art piece. Shine up everything. Organize the closets if still stuff in them. She said this makes maximum impact when they can see the possibility of storage. Honestly I could listen to her all day. She is amazing and very sought after in this field. 

We took her advice and sold our home in one open house!  

And to answer your question I would have it staged.

[Oznell]

Wow, @godi, your sister-in-law knows her stuff.  Like you, I could listen to that all day-- fascinating!  And then, if I'm remembering right, you have expertise in paints and paint colors, so for your own house you probably knew exactly what "sells". 

Staging--  what a fun field to be in, although a lot of hard work.