The Importance of Staging a Vacant Home* 

•  People don’t buy houses, they buy homes.  The number one reason a buyer purchases a home is because it “felt like home.”  It was warm, inviting and the buyer made an emotional connection with the home.  When have you ever heard of an empty room described as warm and inviting?  Sterile, cold and uninviting are the three most popular words to describe an empty room.

• Without furniture, there is not frame of reference.  How big is the room?  Without furniture it’s incredibly difficult to tell the scale and size of a room.  When the buyer does not have answers to their questions, they walk away.  What is this room for?  Many times a buyer can’t even tell if it’s the living room or dining room in an unfurnished home.  Don’t keep them guessing, because it only distracts them from considering the home as a purchase.

• When a room is empty, buyers focus on negative details.  Can you imagine a brand new Mercedes without a paint job?  Do you think people would notice the beautiful car or the missing paint?  It’s so much easier to notice that crack in the wall, or the chip in the tile when there is nothing else to look at.  Home Staging capitalizes on the positive aspects of a home, while de-emphasizing negative aspects in order to position a home that will make an emotional connection with buyers. 

• Only 10 percent of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home.  Nine out of every ten people walking in your home have no imagination of the wonderful possibilities your home has to offer them.  They just can’t picture it.  Don’t let a simple thing like no furniture or limited furniture ruin your sale.  Don’t take those odds; they will hurt you in the price significantly!

• The vacancy rate is at an all-time high.  According to the Census Bureau, the vacancy rate of homes is at the highest level they have ever seen since they started tracking it 40 years ago!  Your home needs to differentiate from all the empty homes on the market that will continue to stay there without considerable price decreases.

 * Source:  Home Staging Resource