There are a number of challenges to selling a vacant home. Vacant homes often take longer to sell. When a home is vacant, the buyer will see every imperfection. One of the biggest challenges is having buyers imagine the space furnished. A majority of the population has a hard time seeing something that is not there. Staging a vacant space with the appropriate furniture and décor is just as important as staging itself. The wrong size, type or amount of furniture can leave a negative impression on buyers.
Staging vacant homes is very popular. Buyers simply have a hard time seeing their own furniture in a space if there is nothing there to compare it to. Some open concept spaces can be very challenging for furniture placement. If there is nothing in the space, buyers leave wondering where exactly they would place their furniture? Would their furniture fit in the space? When buyers leave your home uncertain, they are not excited about making an offer. This is not how you want buyers feeling.
Vacant homes show every imperfection. That tiny scratch in your floor in more noticeable. That scratch on the wall stands out when there is nothing else in the room. The human eye naturally stops at the first object in it’s field of view. When there is furniture and décor — they eye stops at these items. The scratch on the floor or wall can still be clearly visible when a room is staged but it is not as noticeable. The eye takes in everything in the room instead of simply focusing on the imperfections. Imperfections become the focus when there is nothing else to look at.
Staging a vacant home requires the appropriate placement and scale of furniture for the space. Too much furniture makes a space appear small and too little furniture simply looks unfinished and leaves a poor impression. Setting up a patio set in a dining area is not the best way to show the space. If it not logical and a typical furniture placement — then don’t do it. The brain will reject inappropriate furniture and will automatically be drawn to a well-decorated and impressive space. Anything that is seen as a negative does not help to sell your home.
Vacant homes take longer to sell for all of these reasons. We’ve seen homes that have been completely renovated top to bottom but are not receiving any offers. We stage the same property and it sells in a matter of days or in a few weeks — nothing else has changed, it has just been staged! We had one condo a few years ago that had sat on the market for a year with no offers. We staged it and it was sold in 12 days! That is a lot of mortgage, insurance, utility and property tax expenses that could have been saved by the owner.
When a home is staged with the appropriate furniture and décor, buyers walk in and say “Wow!” The right furniture and décor, in the right locations to showcase the space, with the right colour combinations to draw attention to the beautiful features of your home is what staging is all about! That is why 85% of our stages are in vacant properties. So if you have a vacant home that has not been selling, or plan on selling a home vacant, talk to your REALTOR® and home stager. For more information on home staging, feel free to check out our website at www.maximumimpactplus.com or email me at angie@maximumimpactplus.com. Let’s get those homes sold!