Mary Fasnacht, Feels Like Home Interiors

Hello Elizabeth,

Moving out before listing may work well in your circumstances and be a less stressful and ultimately more successful route to getting your home sold.

However, an empty unoccupied home is typically a tougher sale and often lingers on the market. Less than 10% of buyers can visualize how the space would look furnished, even with a traditional floor plan. Further, buyers start their shopping with logic and then buy based on emotion. They choose the home that feels like home for them--the one they can see themselves living in. An unoccupied home that is carefully staged to highlight its best features will help buyers see that "this is the one!"

You are definitely on the right track to stage the bathrooms, but I would also suggest you consider staging several other areas that will be critical in helping buyers make the emotional connection that will generate offers.The most important rooms to stage are typically the entryway/foyer, the kitchen, family room, dining room, master bedroom, as well as all the bathrooms.

Homes that have been professionally staged have been shown to sell for 6% to 11% more and 50% faster than homes that are not staged. A Professional Home Stager can offer you cost effective suggestions for any key improvements or updates that will help you get your home sold, coordinate the rental of furniture and accessories for your staging project, and then properly stage the home to provide the "wow" factor that buyers are looking for in today's competitive market.

And as Dolly wisely mentioned, first impressions are crucial to your selling success. Today close to 90% of buyers start their search online and make a decision about your home in a matter of seconds based on your online photos and virtual tours. It is much more difficult to entice a buyer to come and view your home when your MLS photos show empty rooms.

Further, the first few weeks your house is on the market are crucial to your selling success, so you are smart to be thinking through what you want to do now and getting everything ready before you hit the market. The key is to put your very best foot forward from the beginning and avoid becoming a stale listing and having to make costly price reductions.

If you have any specific questions about home staging, please feel free to contact me.

Best wishes for a quick and successful sale!

Mary Fasnacht, HSE
Feels Like Home Interiors
724.884.7148
mary@feelslikehomeinteriors.com - Mon Oct 26 2009, 05:47