How much does staging a home matter to buyers?

Realtors will tell you that it’s imperative to show potential buyers how great your house can look. Personally, I prefer to see it empty so I can visualize how great it’s going to look with MY stuff in it!!! I feel insulted by the realtors that they feel I’m too stupid to be able to see what I “need” in my MAJOR purchase!!!

My money should NOT be reduced to you dumping your home on me when it’s not exactly what I need nor should it be both of us making sure the realtor gets their commission!!!

I have bought three houses in my time, and it has helped me to see how a standard set up of the house works. Your bathroom situation is a bit odd, to be sure. Personally, I would have the dining room be a dining room again, and yes, the idea of having the existing master be an office or den so the bathroom seems more accessible is a good idea.

@LadyMarissa: more often than not, people have to live in a home while it’s selling, “empty” is rarely an option.

@LadyMarissa As @canidmajor said, empty is not an option. We must sell first in order to move. And sometimes I actually think it helps to have things staged rather than it be completely empty. When I go into an empty house, it takes me awhile to really figure out what room is supposed to be what. Maybe I lack imagination but I prefer to take the guess work out of whether a room makes a better living room, dining room, bedroom, or office.

A have also found that in some cases (like arranging of a bedroom, for example) the owners know the quirks. Where there is morning glare, say, or drafts, and they have compensated for it. My first house was an “empty” and I went through three bedroom arrangements before I found the best one.

Do not try to sell it empty. It’s much better for it to be furnished. Rooms tend to look smaller unfurnished, and they can look small with too much furniture, it’s a delicate balance. Many buyers can not picture how furniture can be set up when a room is empty.

Also, an empty house makes a buyer feel like they have more negotiating power. The seller is already out, so the assumption is the seller is paying for two places, and possibly more desperate.

Take out clutter, even if you need to spend $50 in a small storage unit.

Definitely arrange the rooms in a more typical fashion. People suck at picturing how the house could be used.

I think it’s ok to use the first floor bedroom as a study or work area, but you could show it as a bedroom also. Some people might like the idea of guess bedroom down or master down. Very young families care about this less though, it’s more of an older family thing when children are teens, and parents who are visiting are getting older with more trouble walking up the stairs. You could make it a kids playroom too.

Forget about staging if you must live in the house while it is selling. And no one is going to be fooled if you convert the master bedroom to an office. Personally, I would much prefer to look at an empty house. And failing that, would prefer the occupants’ furnishings to staging schlock.

If you don’t have a dining table your realtor should have in the write-up that the dining is currently being used as a study, or however it is being used. Make sure the listing has the dining room dimensions in the area for dining room on the mls listing.

Also, have the dimmensions for the largest bedroom as the master, and you can put a note if it isn’t being used as a master. These are ways to make the listing sheet look better.

Decluttering and staging are very important. I don’t think some people can envision how a room could be used. I agree with @JLeslie to get a storage rental and put as much stuff as you really are not using in it to be able to show case your home better.
It’s a shame you can’t rely on your realtor to give you tips and suggestions.

There are two types of people, those who can visualize what a room would look like with their own furniture in it, and those who cannot.

Although I am one of those who can visualize (and would prefer an empty house) it is better if you cleanly stage each room for what it actually is.

The “visualizers” can look past your traditional ideas of what the rooms are “meant” to be, and the “non-visualizers” will get an idea of what the house was designed to be and feel confident that there are designated rooms for each purpose.

You can, and should, completely pare down your furniture to “stage” each room, and remove any clutter, knicknacka, personal photos, art that is your own taste, or anything that is specifically personal to your own life. The more nuetral the better.

My cousin is a real estate agent. She uses the “less is more” approach to home staging.

My mom and I helped my relatives buy a home. They needed to have some staging to have a sense of what rooms they were in. Otherwise they felt lost and bewildered. On the other hand, the homes that were still full of the owners own possesions seemed creepy, and dirty, and not something they could see as their own, even though my mom and I are “visualizers” and tried to explain how these types of places would be perfect with their own furniture, and paint colors, and art on the walls. They could not see it.

My cousin often uses furniture from a staging warehouse, after clearing out the entire contents of the current owner’s possesions, to make a better impression.

A cute, inexpensive, nuetral dining table from Ikea makes a better impression, than someone’s dinged up orange laminate table from the 1970’s, or a dark, over sized ornate carved Victorian table with mismatched chairs. Or someone’s table that was inherited by a grandma and is covered in a stained lacey tablecloth.

Clean house, clutter free encironment, simple staging.

Make sure you leave all lights on and blinds open when someone is coming to see it, unless there is a particular view that is a negative then keep that window treatment closed.

Are your walls in the main living areas painted a neutral and light color?

The 2 aspects in selling a house that I think are underempasized are skill of the individual agent (not his/her agency) and the owner’s personal knowledge of the property. For example, do you know what the water pressure is in your house? How about the capacity and age of your water heater? What’s the history of your roof?

I would definitely declutter as much as possible and try to keep the place bright and neat. I’m not sure that changing the master bedroom to an office will fool anyone – you still have to go through to get to the bathroom.

@janbb The room we use as a master is actually pretty small so it probably shouldn’t be the master. I don’t think it was intended to be a master. We just used it because we have 3 kids and wanted them to each have a room upstairs and not have anyone downstairs alone. The largest room is actually one my son uses right now. That’s why I figure make it into an office or sitting room. It really is an awkward bedroom.

If I am the buyer, have the house empty and clean. Someone said rooms look smaller empty but the opposite is true for people with vision and a little skill in the spacial department.

@JLeslie Yes everything is very neutral (expcept my one daughter’s room that has 1 pink wall). Everything has been freshly painted in a nice neutral color and all the flooring is as well. I’ve already decluttered and put all extra pieces of furniture in storage so it shows much larger now. I can take my mother’s extra dining table and make a real dining room for now. I think that would help.

@MollyMcGuire As I said, empty is just not an option. We live in the house. And I’d have to disagree about empty always being better. I believe this house shows better staged. People pay good money to have homes staged for that reason. Many buyers can’t envision rooms to their full potential without a little help.

@ItalianPrincess1217 I agree. I’ve looked at listings both ways and while I’m happy to visualize an empty house, a well staged one can be very attractive. In any case, as you’ve said, it’s not an option.

Based on your further description of your bedroom, switching things around may make sense.

@ItalianPrincess1217 As I said, “If I’m the buyer.” Did you even read the answer?

@MollyMcGuire Yes, I did. Did you read my earlier response when I stated that empty wasn’t an option? Repeating that empty is best is redundant at this point. I think you’re in a smaller majority that prefer empty homes. No matter, luckily for me you’re not the buyer, so I don’t have to empty it and move out in order to make it appealing enough to sell.

It being an option doesn’t change my opinion about staging. Your question is generic….not specifically about you. Disappointing as that is, that is how you worded it. I also have the opinion that when anyone bothers to answer a question and offer an opinion, a thank you is in order rather than an argument.

@MollyMcGuire The question is actually very much about my home. I specifically explained my home in detail and asked if it’s important to change it around, not whether I should empty it out. You seem combative in most responses and I’m not sure why. I’m not here to argue about silly things or pick everything apart. There are so many other things we could be doing in life :)

Your question is generic; “How much does staging a home matter to buyers?” A home. Buyers. Not a specific home; not a specific buyer. I never read long narratives. I answer questions.

@MollyMcGuire The important details often can’t be fit into just a single question. Now I see why your response doesn’t fit my specific situation. You didn’t bother to read it.

@MollyMcGuire The original question did ask whether we like empty or staged houses, but this whole thread is an ongoing discussion, specifically about @ItalianPrincess1217 ‘s home. We are weighing the pros and cons, and taking into consideration what is actually possible. Why are you getting so upset with the OP? We’re just trying to help her sell her house.

One more thing. The first minute is the most important. Approaching the house and the initial steps into the house. The sightline for the initial steps in set the tone. If one of the rooms that needs fixing is right off the foyer, like maybe the “dining room” then that is a priority. It does not have to be a dining room, but it has to be a show piece just like the main living room and kitchen.

@JLeslie Good to know! The first thing they enter into is the foyer and then the dining room. The room is nice but they might be thinking, hmm, what the heck is this room for?

And make sure the plants are trimmed. Even if your grass is dead (like so many people out here in CA where we have a drought) make sure the plants that are there, are not blocking the walkway, or the the windows or doors to the house. You need to have a “neat” sight line from the street, even if it isn’t perfect. Curb appeal, or rather lack of it, can turn off some buyers before they even get inside your house.

@Kardamom Thank you! I think we’ve been slacking on the yard a bit. We definitely will start keeping up with trimming things and pulling weeds.

It’s really important. The fact is that people tend not to be very imaginative. If the house is arranged one way, people won’t be able to imagine it any other way. And you could miss out on a sale for that reason. Minimalist staging (or leaving it empty) allows people to imagine it their way (and even worse if the house is cluttered; people just see a cluttered house in someone else’s taste and that’s the end of that in their mind). People will reject a house just because they don’t like a paint color in a bedroom, one of the easiest things to remedy!

Yes to the curb appeal. Trimmed shrubs, etc. as you said. What about the front door? Is it eye catching or appealing? My door was maple wood and really not noticeable against the brick house. I painted it dark red and it really pops now. If you have siding, power wash it if needed and same with any outside shutters.

@chyna Hubby was outside trimming things up yesterday and it looks much better. We also rearranged the bedrooms. We’re fixing the dining room too as soon as I pick up the table for it. Just in time because we have another showing tonight!

As far as the siding etc, it was actually just freshly painted and had new shutters put on. So that’s all set!

^^ Good luck to you. I hope you get it sold soon : )

@Kardamom Thank you! :)