Should I Stage or Style my Home for Sale. Does it Really Matter?

Are you planning on selling a property and are you concerned about the presentation?

If so, you may want to consider if you should sell your Perth property empty or staged/styled. Does it really matter and is it worth the effort?

There are pros and cons for both empty and staged homes when selling. This article will outline the pros and cons, helping you to make the right decision.

About home staging or styling

Have you ever viewed a home for sale in the past that was perfectly presented?

Did you feel positive about the property as a result?

That home may have been owned by somebody with a very good instinct for style and presentation or it may have been staged.
A well staged home will give you that “wow” experience

What are the pros?

One of the biggest advantages of selling a staged home is that you are allowing the potential buyers to visualize themselves in the home. It looks more attractive and appealing with beautiful decor on the walls, designer sofas, artificial plants and so on. The whole ambiance is warm and inviting.
A staged home can also help divert a prospective buyer’s attention from less appealing features of the property. For instance, a small bedroom will appear bigger and more appealing with the right type and of furniture and decor. When a prospective buyer views a stage home, they can visualise how they could decorate the home, whereas often buyers will struggle with this when viewing an empty property. This is particularly the case if you are appealing to buyers who really do not want to undertake major renovations.

This will make the property more appealing to more buyers and  it will increase your chance of receiving an offer sooner. Ideally, more buyers will be interested in writing an offer so you may have to decide which offer to accept.
Transforming a home to a staged home can vary in degrees. It doesn’t have to be a complete replacement of all the interior furnishings. Sometimes, it is merely a little fine tuning by decluttering or adding some minor decor.

What are the cons?

Staging a property is no easy task. Ideally you have the skills yourself or you know somebody with a flair for interior design. You may be able to borrow furniture that complements your property. However, if this is not the case you will have to find a professional interior designer and hire furniture which can sometimes be a costly exercise.

Staging a property is no guarantee that you will sell your property for more as other factors such as asking price, marketing campaign, competition and the right real estate agent will still always make a difference as well.
If you end up hiring furniture to stage your property, you need to be aware that most styling businesses will charge you for a minimum fixed period of time. If your property takes longer to sell than expected, you need to consider that additional investment.

Staging also takes time as it may involves a stylist, a moving company and the business where you are hiring the furniture from. However, with a bit of forward planning this is easy to overcome.

Depending upon the staging necessities and the types of furniture and other decorations required, it may cost you thousands of dollars. Therefore, you need to discuss with your Perth real estate agent if staging will actually give you a return on your investment when selling the property in the current market.

When to sell a home with no furniture.

If you want to sell your property immediately, selling it empty is the best possible option. Some buyers (though in my experience this is only a minority) are perfectly capable of visualising the potential of a property without any staging effects.
Selling the property empty is also the preferred option, if your selling strategy is to make the property appeal to a buyer who is looking for a complete renovation project as they will be visualising the potential already.

Conclusion

Given the current Perth market conditions where less buyers are willing to write an offer, it is vital that your property stands out from the competition. Often a property is listed for sale with no furniture or with the existing furniture in the property. However, the existing furniture may not present the property in the best possible way. This means that in a competitive market where there are not a lot of serious buyers, a styled property will have a competitive edge over the other properties.