Home staging: when it pays off and when it doesn't

Home staging means preparing a property for sale so that buyers can see themselves living in it. It ranges from tidying and lighting through rented furniture to virtually furnishing empty rooms on a computer. The question is not whether staging works, but which form pays off for your property.

Empty is hard to sell

An empty room looks smaller than it is, and buyers struggle to judge it: does the sofa fit? Where does the bed go? At viewings of empty apartments we often hear "somehow cold", even when the apartment is objectively good. Furniture gives a room its scale.

Virtual staging

For empty properties, virtual staging is the cheapest option: the original photo is furnished on a computer. Cost per image in the double digits, effect in the brochure considerable. Important: the original photo belongs next to it, and the images must be marked as virtually furnished. Hiding that costs trust at the viewing.

Real staging

Rented furniture and decoration for the marketing period. Worth it for high-priced properties where viewings make the difference, and for properties that have stood empty for a long time. Costs in the four figures; with a purchase price above a million they are quickly recovered if they save two weeks of marketing time and a round of price negotiation.

Lived in: tidying is often enough

For occupied properties the biggest staging is leaving things out: personal photos, full shelves, furniture that blocks the way. A neutral, bright room with few pieces photographs better than a full one. That costs nothing but an afternoon.

When it is not worth it

For properties in need of major renovation that will go to buyers who redo everything anyway. Here staging misleads more than it helps. Honest photos and a realistic price are the better strategy.