A.D. Cantelmo Property Management
Our Business is Property Management in Orange County California
Does staging a home work?
Full disclosure, I have never staged a home and I really
have no plans to do so. I am reading article after article about Realtors who swear
by it, but I am not really sure if those recommendations are valid or paid for
by the staging companies.
Even the Realtor associations have
put out numbers that seem to show that staging a home works
In this last article put out
by the National Association of Realtors of which I am a member, here are 4 reasons
they list why empty homes are a negative for sales
#1. An empty home leaves an empty canvas to paint negative
thoughts on. Prospective buyers will find imperfections or they’ll not be
interested or overlook features. An empty home amplifies negative thoughts.
#2. Empty homes lack a vision of its layout. What is this
room? A staged home shows off how the home flows and how each space can be
used.
#3. An empty home is void of imagination and feeling. People
buy homes on emotion. An empty property is just a HOUSE; a staged property
becomes a HOME. Home staging creates the emotion that your prospective buyers
envisioned.
#4. The National Association of REALTORS 2015 Profile on
Home Staging found that 81 percent of buyers find it is easier to visualize a
property as a future home when it’s staged
Let’s take each of these points one by one. All of us who
have sold homes understand that it only takes one buyer to sell a home and it
may be true that an empty home for many may leave an empty canvas to paint
negative thoughts, but an empty canvas for others can leave room for
imagination to take hold.
Empty homes may show a lack of vision, but an empty home
could also leave room for people to use their own vision.
The emotion argument lacks validity, yes, people may put an
offer on a home if they let emotion guide them, but once that emotion wears off
will they make it through the escrow process. Emotion can only go so far, there
need to be more then emotion to get to the finish line.
As far as the 81% number,
When you ask people who have just walked through a
professionally staged home if it helped them visualize a property as a future
home, I’m not sure that percentage convinces me. The real question is what home
did these people buy, a staged home, or a home that fit their needs. I go with
the ladder.
I have nothing against staging a home if you can get the
home owner to pay for it, but if not then don’t worry; the market is the real
key to selling a home.
A.D. Cantelmo Property
Management Specializes in Property Management in Orange County
Ca.