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Boca Raton Home Staging FAQ's-Do I Have to Stage My Vacant Home?

By Kathy Streib

Home Stager

January 21, 2013 07:58 PM

Boca Raton Home Staging FAQ’s- Do I Have to Stage My Vacant Home?

This is a question that all Realtors and Stagers get asked. And, if you’re selling your house in Boca Raton or anywhere else the short answer is this.....no!

The way I see it is this.... it’s your house... your property.... your investment. And it’s your choice to make once your Realtor or Stager offers their professional opinion. (an opinion I might add for which you are paying.)

However if you choose not to invest in some amount of staging of your vacant property here are 4 tips to follow:

1. Make sure your property is absolutely perfect. Without any furniture or accessories to “distract” them, buyers will be “forced” to focus on the structure. If you have cracks, chips, worn carpeting, etc. then guess what your buyer will be looking at as they tour your house.

dark room 2. Hope for a sunny day. Even South Florida has cloudy days. If you’re relying solely on a sunny day and your overhead lights, then you’ll have to hope that your buyer has a flashlight or a lot of imagination.

3. Place a tape measure in your master bedroom so the buyer can check to make sure their Queen or King sized bed will fit.

4. If you have an unusually shaped room, tape a rendering of how they could use the room and where they could place their furniture.

NO..... of course I don’t want you to do

items #2,3 or 4!

Before you decide what to do, call for our

Home Staging Consultation.

We can make suggestions that will be budget friendly

and help you get your property sold.

Comments(20)

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Dorie Dillard Austin TX

Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX

NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Kathy,

I agree with Roger..there has to be a certain amount of staging to show off the property. Sunday I just removed vignette staging items..pictures, towels, plants etc. from a house and it made a difference in the showings. We had 5 offers and came to terms with a cash buyer. Another listing that was completely staged after my sellers moved out by my favorite Austin stager looked so good we had an offer the first day! Keep in mind this was a plain vanilla house and the staging showed what it could look like!!

Jan 21, 2013 08:09 PM

Karen Otto

Home Star Staging - Plano, TX

Plano Home Staging, Dallas Home Staging, www.homes

Kathy when budgets don't allow for staging with furnishings and decor, and I have turned down many a client who thought that staging would help overcome serious objections to updates and perceived structural flaws, then what you suggest is so important. Unique tips for those who can only show the house empty and the first one is vital -making sure it's perfect but we know most homes, no matter how perfect, when empty show a variety of things to buyers that sellers may not want them to see or feel.

Jan 21, 2013 09:10 PM

Dianne Goode

Raleigh Cary Realty - Raleigh, NC

Realtor/Broker

Hi Kathy. I always tell clients that builders spend tens of thousands of dollars to show off their model homes for a reason!

Jan 21, 2013 09:12 PM

Barbara Todaro

Keller Williams Elite - Franklin, MA

"connecting land with builders"

Good morning, Kathy.... it's always more difficult to sell a vacant home than one with furniture and staged properly....but in a sellers' market, everything sells.

Jan 21, 2013 09:18 PM

Bobbie Smith

Stroudsburg, PA

570-242-1891

Great advice Kathy. Some homes show better vacant than they do with the owners furniture in them depending upon the style of the owners furniture and the size of the furniture but any home sure shows better when it has been professionally staged. Sound advice as usual from you. Thanks!

Jan 21, 2013 09:39 PM

Joanna Cohlan

Fresh Eyes For Your Home - Chappaqua, NY

Designing, Decorating & Staging Westchester Homes

Love the post-and so agree since my rant about renting!!! Leaving a tapemeasure in every room is a great idea!

Jan 21, 2013 09:58 PM

Sharon Tara

Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH

Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Well done....you almost had me with that "hope it's sunny" and "leave a tape measure" advice. Brilliant!

Jan 21, 2013 10:31 PM

Michael Jacobs

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Kathy -- a staged home can actually save a seller money -- a vacant home is not so forgiving.

Jan 21, 2013 10:41 PM

Kristin Johnston - REALTOR®

RE/MAX Platinum - Waukesha, WI

Giving Back With Each Home Sold!

Kathy, I am not used to your posts without the feature star next to them! I am sure someone just didnt get to it yet :-) Great info!

Jan 21, 2013 10:52 PM

Scott Godzyk

Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH

One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

Very nice tips Kathy, If you have any of those extra sunny days, i will take a few. The coldest weather in 4 years is invading this week.

Jan 21, 2013 10:54 PM

Sheila Anderson

Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ

The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Kathy. I really like you title and found myself saying out loud, "only if I want it to sell." Nicely done and suggested.

Jan 21, 2013 11:42 PM

Belinda Spillman

Aurora, CO

Colorado Living!

Kathy, Vacant homes are the most difficult for us to sell. Most buyers just don't have the gift or vision of figuring what will go where. I always suggest at least some staging in vacant homes. The common areas especially - like the living, dining and family rooms. Great idea about the tape measure.

Jan 22, 2013 12:20 AM

John McCormack, CRS

Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM

There have been times Debbie and I have staged a vacant home ourselves just to get it sold. We don't go all out like you pro's do but we add the smaller, simpler, eye catching touches. It works. Something is better than nothing.

Jan 22, 2013 12:30 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Retired Home Stager/Redesign

BARFF- agreed. I don’t care for people telling me what to do so I never like to tell a seller that they “have” to do anything. But I do manage to get my point across.

Conrad- I agree, if done correctly. I have seen a few that would have been better off vacant.

Dorie- can you clone yourself? All Stagers would love to work with a Realtor like yourself.

Karen- we’ve had many sellers here who just couldn’t put placing furniture etc in their budget but I worked with them via a consult as to what they could do. With nothing in the house, they must focus on the structure.

Dianne- My husband was a builder and they would spend quite a bit for their model homes. You don’t have to stage every room if you’re selling your own property.

BarbaraT- price will often win out. And, as Karen said, Stagers often suggest a seller get their property in tip top condition as a priority.

Bobbie-there’s no question that when professionally staged a vacant home will “show” better, but as you know price and location have to be there.

Joanna- oh how funny... I was actually being a little .. not sarcastic.. but tongue in cheek about the tape measure. But the master bedroom is of key importance because typically the one on the mortgage is also the one occupying the master suite.

Sharon- thank you for “getting it!”

Michael- I think buyers have become accustomed to seeing market-ready homes. Even with the housing market on the rise, buyers will have a memory of what we’ve just experienced in our economy. They will need to see value in their investment.

Kristin- this way it means a lot when you do get one! Still does no matter how many you get.

Scott- I’ve been listening to the weather. Hate to say it but we’ve had some partly cloudy days here.

Sheila- thank you for the suggest. I get asked that question all of the time!

Belinda- if you break down the investment in staging it is still much less than that price reduction!
(I was kidding about the tape measure)

John- it’s hard to get through to some sellers that in the long run the dollars spent will pale in comparison to the money lost in monthly payments and price reductions.

Jan 22, 2013 01:10 AM

Barbara-Jo Roberts Berberi, MA, PSA, TRC - Greater Clearwater Florida Residential Real Estate Professional

Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL

Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater, Safety Harbor

Short and simple fact is that staged homes sell quicker and for more money! Great post.

Jan 22, 2013 02:15 AM

Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®

Lewisburg, WV

Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Kathy, I so agree with this post and suggested. I have a vacant listing at this time and you are right...everything stands out...chips, cracks, tile that is cut, bad carpet, etc. Staging or having some of your own furniture in a house is so much better than vacant!

Jan 22, 2013 02:23 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Barbara Jo- I just returned from vacant home and the seller is considering staging it. It's in excellent condition and is just off A1A. Hope he'll find it in his budget to stage the house.

Rebecca- thanks for the suggest. The house I saw today has been freshly renovated but the thing I noticed most was that without anything in the house every step we took and every word we spoke just echoed throughout the house.

Jan 22, 2013 04:06 AM

Beverly Carlson

Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX

Abilene's Staging Realtor

Staging communicates to buyers that the property is special, that the seller cares bout the property and helps the buyer envision lliving in the home.

Jan 22, 2013 12:34 PM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Beverly- it's hard to get a seller to invest any more money into their property that they're planning on leaving.

Jan 22, 2013 12:38 PM

Liz Lockhart

Riverbend Realty, Cape Girardeau, MO - Cape Girardeau, MO

GRI, Cape Girardeau Real Estate

Well, now I have SUGGESTED your blog! I just love the tongue in cheek suggestions, as well as the very real ones! Great post.

Jan 22, 2013 01:20 PM

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