To Stage or Not to Stage…

Earlier today I walked into one of my favorite apartments that our team sold from the past year. To say that the living room was huge for a Brooklyn home would be an understatement. The room was so grand that we were able to divide it into 4 spaces: an entry area with bookshelves, a living room with a full size sofa and tv, an office space with plenty of room, and a designated dining area. Since today was the walk through, all the furniture separating the space had been taken out and this big open living room felt...small. Or smaller, and not by a little.

I'm going on 7 years in this industry soon, which means I've been inside of a whole lot of homes by now and even to my eye, spaces look significantly larger with furniture in them. I'm really well accustomed to this fact and yet, it still hits me when I go inside of homes like the one I was in today. Had we tried to sell this space empty, I think it would have gone for less and taken longer because truly 90% of people have a hard time really imagining what furniture could look like in a space. Also, what happened to me will happen to them, the space won't feel as big as it truly is.

Because we had the apartment staged with the right furniture in the right setup, the home sold for $20,000 over ask in a matter of weeks, not months.

Another example that's a bit more personal. I moved into a new home for myself this past April and it was such a good deal that I came in swinging and barely even thought about what furniture could fit. As soon as I had the keys and I was standing in my empty apartment I thought to myself, "Oh no, I've made a huge mistake." I had a couple of friends come over and we were all unsure how my furniture would fit. And then, when all of my stuff started to arrive, the space felt like it was expanding like some kind of magic trick out of Harry Potter. Not only did all of my furniture fit but my home feels spacious with plenty of room to dance around (which I often utilize precisely for that purpose).

Truly, the difference between an unfurnished space and a properly furnished space is WILD. It's the difference between a home and a box. So If you're asking me whether to stage or not to stage, the answer is a really simple - YES. Always yes.