Selling Empty

There’s a long-standing debate within the real estate community regarding whether it’s better to sell lived-in or staged homes rather than empty homes.

For many homeowners, the question of whether houses sell better empty is purely academic, as it’s not uncommon for people selling their homes to still be occupying their property when it’s listed and shown. For these homeowners, staging or emptying their house may simply not be a feasible option. 

While the presentation of your home’s interior may have a marginal impact on the offers you receive, the most important variable will be the marketing skills of your real estate agent. At 72SOLD, we have a proven track record of maximizing home sale prices regardless of whether the homes we sell are staged, empty or still lived in.

The Case for Selling an Empty House

Blank Canvas Appeal

An empty house can act as a blank canvas, allowing potential buyers to envision their own furnishings and decor in the space. This can be particularly appealing to buyers with a strong sense of personal style who want to imagine the house with their own belongings.

Highlighting the Appeal of the Space

Without furniture and personal items, buyers can focus on the home's inherent features, such as the floor plan, architectural details and room sizes.

Perception of Readiness

An empty house can give the impression (usually accurately) that the home is ready for immediate move-in, which can be attractive to buyers who are on a tight timeline.

Easier to Maintain

Empty homes are easier to keep clean and tidy for showings, eliminating the hassle of daily maintenance in a lived-in home.

The Case Against Selling an Empty House

Lack of Emotional Connection

Furnished homes often create a warm, inviting atmosphere that can emotionally appeal to buyers, helping them envision their family living and creating memories in the space.

Difficulty in Judging Size

Empty rooms can sometimes make it difficult for buyers to judge the scale and size of the space, leading to uncertainty about furniture placement and usability.

Flaws More Noticeable

In the absence of furnishings, minor flaws and imperfections in the home may become more noticeable and potentially off-putting to buyers.

The Benefits of Staging

Although there isn’t much data on the advantages or disadvantages of selling an empty home, there actually are quite a few studies related to staging. The International Association of Home Staging Professionals (yes – they have their own professional organization) claims homes that are staged sell three to 30 times faster than non-staged homes and that staging can increase the sale price by up to 20 percent.

The National Association of Realtors™ (NAR) annual Profile of Home Staging provides a more balanced assessment based in large part on the perception of buyer’s and seller’s agents. The median professional home staging investment in 2023 was $600 ($400 when the seller did the staging themselves). Agents estimated a one to five percent increase in sale price of staged homes compared to similar homes that weren’t staged.

How Staging Can Help

• Enhanced Aesthetic Appeal: Staging a home with furniture and decor can enhance its aesthetic appeal, making it more inviting and attractive to potential buyers.
• Defining Spaces: Proper staging can help define the purpose of each room, which can be especially beneficial for homes with unconventional layouts or multi-purpose areas.
• Emotional Impact: Well-staged homes can create an emotional impact, helping buyers visualize their life in the home and potentially leading to quicker sales and higher offers.

To Stage or Not to Stage

The best course of action may be dependent on the types of buyers interested in the property. For example, a starter home near a park and in a good school district might be particularly attractive to young families, in which case staging and showing a home as a lived-in family space could help prospective buyers envision their life in the space.

In a seller's market — where demand is high, but inventories are low — the presentation of the home typically becomes less important. Presentation often matters most in a buyer's market, where staging or presentation may be useful in setting your home apart from the many other homes available for sale in your area.

There are two practical considerations that could play into your decision as well: cost and logistics.

While the $600 median professional investment in staging cited in NAR’s report may not seem like an astronomical amount, it is another expense that could eat into your home sale proceeds on top of any other investments you made to prepare your home for sale. 

Leaving your home empty or having it professionally staged also requires you to move out, or at least relocate your belongings from rooms that you stage. This can be an added inconvenience if you have yet to find a new home or haven’t begun the moving process yet.

There are benefits to any of the three approaches, which means there are no definitively bad options for home sellers.

We’ll Help You Sell Your Home Quickly While Maximizing the Sale Price

Setting up professional staging, if it makes sense for your home, is one of the many things our real estate professionals at 72SOLD can do for clients. We have established a proven, effective system for getting our clients high bids in record time. If you want to find out how we can help you sell your home fast for top dollar, visit 72SOLD.com.