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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,457
Registered: ‎03-02-2016

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

Having bought and sold 4 homes, a stager really isn't necessary. Declutter and clean, clean, clean your home. Fix any minor problems. I myself prefer an empty house when viewing, but I know that is not the norm. I would put the money you would use for a stager into your home sprucing it up for the sale.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,347
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

Neighbors did it after their house didn't sell, and it worked! As for me, I look at the guts/layout of the house so staging is a charade to me.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,329
Registered: ‎02-07-2011

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

Selling -- only if I were desperate.  I would probably lower the price before paying for staging.

 

Buying -- as others have said, I prefer to see a place empty.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,733
Registered: ‎06-25-2014

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

i think it's a really good idea if you are in a hurry to sell and/or have a property that is not in an area of high demand.   if your house needs a lot of work and does not show well, i agree that pricing and selling it 'as is' is a better strategy.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,010
Registered: ‎08-29-2010

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

RE:   ". . .  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."  --Digo, repeating her SIL's advice

 

 

Not to be contrary, maybe I am the oddball in the group, but this is standard housekeeping to me.

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,047
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

[ Edited ]

@onlyshopsonline wrote:

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.

 

 


This is how I feel about it, and my experience is similar to yours.

 

No, I would never bother to have my home "staged".  I wouldn't go to the trouble, or expense (I assume there would be an expense).  But especially the trouble.

 

I can see how it could very well help in the selling of your home, but I still wouldn't bother.

 

What we did when we put our home for sale some years ago was make it as clean and neat as possible, everything including insides of closets. I just assumed anyone looking at my decor would either like it or hate it, and realize they were going to make that house their own, if they bought it.

 

I didn't even bother to hide away "personal" things like pictures, etc. 

 

The house sold pretty quickly, the fourth couple that came to look at it.  One of the couples said they were looking for something different, but the wife said I had decorated it "beautifully".  I guess we had similar tastes.

 

The couple who bought our house ended up tearing it down entirely.

 

I really don't think staging a home has that much of an impact.  People are usually smart enough to know it's only surface decoration, and they have their own ideas of what they will do when they move in.

 

I agree with others who prefer to see an empty house.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,233
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

I've done all my own buying and selling as well as some years as a RE sales person all before staging as we see it today.   Thus, I've never staged.

 

I do know, however, that owners who clean, who clear clutter and make even relatively inexpemsive updates like replacing kids' bespreads when the kids are already out of college helps sell. 

 

For more expensive updates and staging, I'd want to know my market very specifically and see comparison pictures.   You need to know what's pushing sales prices up in your area as well as what's important in your own price range if you need a fast sale.  That's can be a very local thing.

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,918
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

I think it depends on the value of the home,  how marketable the house and the neighborhood are and how quickly you want to sell.  I would think any seller would want the home to be attractive and have eye appeal.  We did not stage our former home but the realtor did suggest tactfully make some suggestions.  We had a lovely big colonial in a town that became "hot".  Let's just say oir home had that "lived in" look after 20 years of kids, dogs, cats, etc.  We did indeed  "spiffy it up".  It was on the market for a week before it was sold and the first couple who saw it bought it.  I don't know if the time and expense we put into it made any difference.    

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Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,258
Registered: ‎06-08-2011

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

My niece phototgraphs houses ready for sale.  The stories she's told.  The best houses ARE staged even if it's with the seller's items.  That does mean clearing clutter and making things as simple as possible.  Believe me the pictures taken are MUCH better when the photographer can take shots from different angles.  It's very difficult to take a shot from an angle just because you don't want to show something in the picture.  Some things can be edited out, but buyers will see those things when they come to look.  Many realtors now post videos, so again it's important for the house to be as clear (and clean) as possible.

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 75
Registered: ‎03-30-2011

Re: STAGING...WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT

I would not have my house staged. I would de clutter and make sure my house is spotlessly clean. As stated by others, I would not have a lot of stuff on tables and counter tops. I would light my wax scent diffusers and put a vase of fresh flowers on my kitchen counter and not leave a lot of appliances out. I was told by a real estate person not to replace carpet as she has seen people who did that and saw the new carpet out in the trash after the new owners moved in. People have their own ideas on how they want to decorate and colors they want to paint.

I hope this is helpful .