Trying to Sell a Vacant Home? Stage It.

With thousands of new construction and vacant homes for sale in Las Vegas, buyers often have to use their imagination to see themselves actually living there. Staging is a common beautification method used in property sales that helps potential buyers visualize their own belongings in the space. Using neutral furniture and décor items, the stager arranges the pieces to help the room flow and accentuate the best features of the home.

What is Staging?

While there is something to be said for leaving something to the imagination, vacant homes might leave a little too much to the imagination. Empty homes are often uninviting and lacking in personality, leaving buyers uninspired and uninterested. Staging is the process of adding coordinated, stylish pieces to a space that make guests feel welcome. Staging also invokes an emotional response upon entering the space, meaning it will be top of mind when home buyers are considering their options for a potential new home. If you want to stage your vacant Las Vegas property, you have two options: physical staging, or virtual staging. Each has its own pros and cons, though either method will help you sell more quickly.

Physical Staging

Physical staging is the best way to stage homes for in-person showings. Physical staging means hiring an interior designer to choose furniture and décor to fill the space, usually for a 30- or 60-day period. This type of staging allows buyers who visit the home to see first-hand how furniture fits into a space, and how they can add their own touches to make it uniquely theirs. Physical staging also looks fantastic online when you hire a professional photographer to shoot the space. There’s really only one (albeit, significant) downside of physical staging: it’s EXPENSIVE. When you opt for physical staging, you’ll have to pay the designer and monthly furniture rental fees, which add up quickly.

Virtual Staging

Virtual staging is what it sounds like: virtual furniture and décor items are added to the space using a computer program after the professional photos have been taken. Home buyers who do their browsing online can visualize the flow and size of the space better than when viewing photos of a vacant property. Unsurprisingly, virtual staging costs far less than physical staging because the only actual cost is hiring a graphic designer. While potential buyers who visit the property won’t be able to see the space with furniture in person, you’ll capture more interest from online listings that have virtual staging than those without it. Virtual staging is also far less expensive than physical staging.

Here’s Why Staging Matters.

Home staging is super effective — but don’t take my word for it! According to the NAR (National Association of Realtors®,) over 50% of agents say that buyers were willing to offer 1% - 11% more for staged homes than similar unstaged homes. A survey by Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. found that staged homes spend half the time on the market than non-staged homes. I could spend all day listing similar statistics, but then again… is that really necessary? Less time + more money = stage those vacant homes immediately!

When you’re trying to sell a home fast, staging is seriously one of the best tools available. Whether you choose to opt for physical or virtual staging, you can bet it will be a good investment. Staging a home makes it look great, attracts more buyers, reduces DOM, and increases the selling price. And of course, when you stage a home, you’ll need some amazing photos to go with it!

Ask me about professional photos & virtual staging if you’d like to learn more.