It is always appropriate even mandatory in my mind. Remember the 'eye buys' coined by a famous AR regular.

All people get the same advice & marketing at all price levels. 

My experience has been that the seller that mentions that the house isn't perfect is the place where you can eat off the kitchen floor. Really a strange people thing.

I never bothered staging in 2020 and 2021 due to homes selling in 48 hours. But returned to staging by Spring 2022.

Any vacant home, any poorly staged occupied home is worth a stager.

I had a seller decline staging last June. She was priced well, but vacant and vacant shows off the flaws. Many showings, no offers. Price improvements every 30 days. In October, she finally relented, staged and I had 3 offers in one week and got her price back up too! The SF Bay Area - you stage 90% or more of the homes, it's expected. SoCAL we stage about 50% of them, as sellers here seem to de-value it.

Yes Fred I've been staging homes (or having them staged) since almost my first days in the business as I came from an interior design background.  It makes a huge difference in selling a home in most markets.  Definitely in my area.

I do believe in it and just sold a home well over list that we staged. I am confident that home would not have sold for list price had it not been staged! It just looked 'sad' with no furnishings in it!

The main reason for staging is so that buyers can picture the rooms with furniture in it. Staging is why the model homes in a new development are the most popular floorplans sold - because buyers can visualize the space.

Staging never caught on here Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate but I wish it would have. If we could only recruit Kathy Streib to do some training here in Minot North Dakota.

It depends, Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate on the home, the seller, 

Most of the homes I list are vacant or distressed in terms of deferred maintenance.  When the seller opts for renovations it makes sense to stage or at least do some light staging. 

Sometimes less is more in smaller spaces. 

There are times when it makes no sense at all to stage. The best we can do is clean out and clean up. 

Like Lyn Sims I believe the "eyes buy" and so I think it is somewhat natural to know when to suggest it. Your eyes know!

Hello Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate it depends on the home and the market. But, it helps to stage a home.

I've dealt with more owner occupied or tenant occupied properties than vacant which makes it hard to stage. The best solution I found was to have them declutter and provide a handout of what needed to be done so it did not make the occupants feel defensive. Occupied properties have their own set of issues and are the hardest to deal with, as you know.

I think staging is great if it is necessary. I've sold many homes that didn't need anything. I've paid for consultations, done some light staging myself and had some clients pay for full house staging.

There's different types of staging. Several companies offer consultations where they'll go through the house with the client and make recommendations. Not all clients want to pay for full house staging but it definitely makes a difference. 

It depends on the house. I work with a stager who will "stage" with what the seller already has. I virtually stage vacant properties. I've fully staged the occasional property and offers quickly followed.

Occupied homes are challenging at best.  Sellers can slack on their responsibility to declutter and get ready for a sale.   Some live in appalling conditions which I may just cut the cord immediately because I see no hope.

A stager can see through the lens and is a neutral party that makes the home sparkle.😎

The concept of staging is beyond dispute. It's like putting a tuxedo on a house, a beautiful gown, if you will which is best foot forward.  Model homes help sell subdivisions as buyers get to see what it will be like in their unit. However, the staging need or application principal comes and goes. Today, 7% interest, lack of inventory etc., are holding people back not their inability to conceptualize the purchase.  When staging is necessary or appropriate, it is worth every penny.

In the last few years, when houses were flying off the shelves, the need for staging has certainly diminished.  But staging can be very helpful for properties when the market isn't "on fire".

Not every property needs staging, but most properties could benefit from some form of staging.  Vacant properties are prime candidates.  The average buyer has little imagination, and can't see how the property might look when filled with furnishings, artwork, etc.  A vacant property tends to highlight all its imperfections, and when staged, allows buyers, to overlooked dings and dents, and instead to focus on its liveability.

Hi Fred- staging isn't just about placing furniture in a vacant home. It's about making sure that the possibilities of the home shine when the viewer sees it. In an occupied home, it's amazing what a staging consultation can do. 

In my opinion, there are various levels of staging and i would always encourage my sellers to do everything they can to get top dollar for their property.  

Staging when a 30 yard dumpster roll off is needed is a different matter than the 1972 harvest gold colors have outworn their welcome. Priced right is your one stop staging directive. 

Yes to clean up, lights on, replace dead bulbs, toilet seat railroad spiked down. But where is the house, how will the proximity to schools, hospital, heck Walmart help draw in the potential buyers. An image of the park across street or lake a block away does not hurt to draw them in. Maps of the lot, a quick facts read down list of features.

Not just images of the kitchen, living room, bedrooms and dining room if there is one. Features, close ups of fireplace, butler's pantry, heck the halls and in-between rooms like front foyer entry all help the buyer size up the place and gain interest or heart burn.

Don't make them physically have to visit to learn all that. Your narrative, is it like all the rest? That's part of the staging too. Not just picking up the boxers in the middle of the master bedroom so they don't show up over and over in the video or image array.

Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate,

I have done minor staging on vacant homes from customers out of state. It was appropriate. On an occupied home, some sellers know what to do to stage it appropriately. Yes, I do recommend 🙂

Some of our sellers do a great job of staging while they live there, some keep it up after they vacate.  Some fancy themselves as staggers, so far none have hired professionals to do this.

I wouldn't suggest staging for any house listed below a million dollars.