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[CANDLEQUEEN]

I was just reading on Realtor dot come, that the average price for staging a home average size 2000 sq feet for 3 months is 7200.00 

You usually pay for 3 months whether the home sells in 48 hours or not. Could be more money if the home doesn't sell quickly...They claim that even though it sounds expensive, most homes sell for at least 20% more staged than not....There also was an article on a couple who hated their staged home, and actually moved out while their home was on the market.  

The homes usually sell 88% faster when staged! Very very interesting article. You can find it on Realtor.Com. What do you think about staging?

I think it can be a good thing, especially in vacant homes for sure. But I don't think I would ever pay for it.

A lot of people prefer to see homes empty, while others say they need to see furniture in the rooms to get a feel of what it looks like. I can see negative and positves both ways! I think it is just your own personal preference!

[kaydee50]

I prefer to see a house when it's empty.  Personally, I would never pay for staging.

[on the bay]

I guess it will look very staged.

I don't know. I would like to see how another business besides realtor.com evaluates this as its in their favor to make such impressive precentages.

I only ever saw one staged home that made me want to live there and it was a showcase of new homes. So it was more like someone furnishing and accessorizing a model home.

I think a lot of staging can look formulaic and stiff and too formal or modern.

All the homes I ever fell in love with were not staged. I like to see what a lived in home looks like I guess and to have a lot of character and charm.

That can be hard to recreate without making it look staged.

[Marsha2003]

I think it partly depends on the expectations of buyers in your market if staging is helpful or not.  Price for value, location and available inventory are more important factors on how quickly a house sells, I think.  In my area, back before the current strong seller's market, staging was expected by buyers. 

[Shop Till you Drop]

My last realator all but insisted we empty our home and have it staged.  We didnt go that route.  We packed up all knick knacks and packed our closets, but the furniture stayed in place.  It was a 20 year old home we built.  It had 14 offers the first day.  and this was before the housing boom about 6 years ago.  I think the biggest factor is how well your home is kept and taken card of over the years. Sometimes, they just sell themselves.  Boy I miss  that house, it was a special, it just became too big for empty nesters.

[cookie16]

I would not pay for staging nor do I like seeing a home staged.  I think it is harder to visualize my furniture in a home with furniture sized to fit that exact home.  My couch may be longer or wider, having a bedroom set (50 yrs old that I love) that may not fit into that space etc.  It is easier for me to visualize my furnishings in the space if it is empty.  I don't want to walk into a magazine perfect house, I want to see a blank canvas that we can see "us" living in.  

[proudlyfromNJ]

I also prefer to see a home not staged. You can see everything from floor to ceiling, etc. I don't need to see anyone else's furniture or staged furniture. I want to see the bones of the home.

[spiderw]

I prefer an empty home.  I want to see all the space available to know how I can furnish it.  I let my imagination do the work and trust my taste.  Seeing a staged room would be distracting .

[Kachina624]

Kind of a waste of time and money in my area where homes often go under contract the day they're listed.  The inventory of homes for sale is so low and the demand is so great, nobody cares if the house is empty or furnished.

[wagirl]

When I sold my house last January, the Realtor and the photographer staged it using my stuff. and then---I went after and tweaked it a bit. got the photos taken for the sale/open house and have to say, it all looked darn good. I packed up a ton of stuff before tho, so it wasn't as full. If there was a fee, which I doubt there was for that, it was so low, I don't remember even seeing an amount. The house was on the market Friday afternoon and sold Sunday a.m.---sold for $140K over asking and had 10 offers----the craziest thing I ever went thru!!!! Paid $100K to buy the land and build the house 1986. Amazing!!!