Sellers who invest even just a few hundred dollars in getting their homes staged and prepared for the market typically get back at least 4-5 times that investment in a higher sales price. As in most areas of life, it takes money to make money! Of course, repairs, deferred maintenance, and cleaning and painting must be done for staging to make sense. If there’s truly not enough money in the budget to do both, repairs and cleaning take precedence.
That being said, staging is “visual merchandising” of your home and you must emotionally detach from your home in order to prepare it as a product for sale that will appeal to the most buyers. I’m happy to explain to homeowners about WHY I move or remove furniture, change out artwork and accessories, update bedding and pillows, etc. — it’s not about how you live when it’s time to sell, it’s about how your home should look to help grab buyers’ attention in a positive way. The better your house looks, the more interest it will generate from buyers and agents, and the more offers it will bring in — as long as the price is in line with comparable properties. Your agent will do that research and can guide you to set the right price — in this market, setting a high price almost always backfires to your home sitting months, even years, on the market. It’s better to set the price right at market price — or even slightly lower — right at the start of listing in order to stir up huge interest and possibly a bidding war.
Presentation and price always go hand-in-hand in a down market.