Staging an empty property...

[HairyHiker]

...Has anyone done it?

Was it worth it, do you think it helped secure you a sale?

Did you do it yourself or get a professional company in?

Any thoughts and ideas greatly received.

People don't fall for staging. If the property is nice, it will sell or be let.

If you're talking about a very special property, something that's worth millions then it would possibly be worth getting a pro in because you're competing with the best.

Otherwise, just ensure it's clean and clutter-free.

Yes, I have, it is worth it, especially bedrooms as otherwise they feel small and ppl struggle to visualise space

There was a thread on here a while back where the poster took advice to stage a previously tenanted house rather than have photos of when the tenants were in and it wasn't very well presented or photos of it empty (they'd tried both). With a bit of sprucing up to give more kerb appeal and staging, it sold quite quickly when it was re-marketed. So it can be well worth doing.

If it’s completely empty I think it’d be worth it. Rooms often look smaller without any furniture and a small double bedroom might look like just a single.

Maybe worth trying it on the market empty and if you have no luck relist stage? It’d depend where you live, i believe London prices are dropping but other areas are still selling well.

Thank you all for your replies.

Ajas I get completely what you are saying as they were my initial thoughts when first marketing. It's clean, there's no clutter and people can see what they're getting. As a couple of other posters mentioned it's the whole visualisation thing I think and it's just easier for people to see how they might live there with some furniture in situ.

The property has been for sale since the beginning of the year. We've had some positive feedback from viewings (along with a few tyre kickers) but no offers.

It's encouraging to hear of other peoples positive experiences. I think we'll give it a go.

Thank you all again.

Houses look sad without furniture.

I think it’s worth staging.

I've done it before. It really helps, especially with larger homes as it can help to visualise layouts for buyers and they can plan where they'd put furniture.

Serbska and blaaake Thank you.

I agree about the looking sad. In fact I think you may have hit the nail on the head there.

I think it depends on how much it's worth "improving" the presentation.
Being empty looks odd unless it's a new build or refurb and all spanking new in neutrals, or if it's not been touched for 30 years but at least is clear and swept out so you can see what you have to deal with. Otherwise it's hard to compete against the lived-in homes even if they would look just as dull when the occupiers moved out!

A relative of mine recently sold an empty house (they never even moved in). It was clean enough, wonderful location, only 10 years old, although a bit last-decade in the feature wallpaper, themed kids bedrooms decor still there, so it looked a bit sad. I'm positive if they had spent say 2k staging and freshening it up they'd have got the asking price (high 200ks)in a few weeks rather than settling for £15-20k less after six months of paying the mortgage and insurance. But they would just see it as wasted money and hated the property anyway so weren't exactly going to give it any TLC.

If you've had no offer after all this time and it's mainly cosmetic/presentation I'd go for it Especially if you are up for getting stuck in and doing some work yourself. These days it's about selling a lifestyle to people, really hard to do that with an empty house.

OP, we bought and moved in to our new house before the old one was sold. The EA photos showed everything in place, so you could see furniture, beds etc in situ on Rightmove.

For viewings, the house was empty of furniture, but we played up on the idea that everything was clean, everything they saw was included in the sale (fixtures, curtains etc) and there were no hidden surprises (holes or damaged carpets / flooring covered up by furniture or rugs).

We sold quickly. Do you have any way of putting furniture back just long enough to get more photos done? Is that compromise worth considering?

These are a few pictures of furnished (by the previous vendor) vs empty of the house I was talking about. The empty rooms look much smaller and not obvious what they would be used for.

I think it's worth staging. It makes the place look bigger and buyers can picture themselves in it. Our EA said he had been trying to sell a house exactly like ours with no success because it was empty.

The 3 places I've bought have all been empty and I prefer that as I know there's no chain and people have moved out. Does make it obvious you maybe able to get a bigger discount.

What does your EA think? If a house is say very overpriced then I don't think any amount of staging would help but if its on at the right price and done well it could help.

I was wondering this!

What puts me off is the expense of staging...where do people get a full house of furniture from without spending thousands?

Yes, definitely worth doing in my opinion.

We bought our house at a bargain price because it had been on the market for about 18 months and had tenants living in it. In fact, we had to push the agent to show it to us initially as he didn't think we'd be interested!

It was slightly messy, needed some minor refurbishment of kitchen and bathroom, 2 acre garden very overgrown and overall was very poorly presented. However, for us it had massive potential as it was in the perfect location, room layout was perfect and the basic build quality was fantastic.
Having viewed a lot of properties over a 4 month period, I was shocked at just how clueless some vendors (and agents) are about how to present their property for maximum appeal and how many potential buyers have absolutely no imagination at all.

Beds and a sofa help most of all.

Wow, thanks for all the responses.

EA doesn't think it's worth doing but hasn't really given a reason as to why he thinks that. I'm inclined to disagree with him. Judging by what most posters have experienced it can only be a good thing

NotMeNoNo Looking at those pictures it's a no brainer isn't it.
I'm definitely up for getting stuck in and getting on with it.
I think its a case of trying to make something happen rather than sitting around just waiting for it to happen.

I have done a bit of staging.
I borrow stuff! From myself (curtains) from a landlady I know (beds)
Last house I did, agent valued at £475,000 and we staged (agent very pleased) got over £600,000
I don't know what to say to people who don't believe.
I can't be bothered arguing I just know it works but you have to be good at it!
Also eBay for fireplaces and light fittings
Top tips from me; no magnolia it screams rental and no paper lampshades. Student!

Thanks for the tips 7to25

When we sold my Dh house it had been a bit of a bachelor pad, I staged it using neutral throws, a rug, table cloth and curtains, a few ornaments about etc, we spent less than 100 quid and it made a big difference. You could buy cheaper furniture from Facebook, free cycle etc and use covers

I also read about people using boxes as beds for staging.