TO STAGE OR NOT TO STAGE; WHAT SELLS BEST IN NEW JERSEY?

The house hasn’t sold yet but you are ready to move – or you simply must move immediately.  In your situation, what will be the best scenario for selling your house?

Timing doesn’t always work out as perfectly as we need it to when life circumstances dictate a need to change our locations quickly.  A job change, family emergencies; any of these situations may impact the time we have to make plans and get moving.

Is it best to leave the house looking lived in, even if you aren’t there?  Better to stay until the house sells?  Best to empty the home before putting it on the market?

These are the kinds of questions I get asked all the time.  Research and statistics give us a piece of the picture.  For instance, in one study done it was discovered that missing occupants can actually increase the time on the market!

If you’re a homeowner getting ready to sell, you’re likely thinking about how to get the best price for your house. Naturally, getting a good offer is going to be top priority. The other big issue is timing. Homeowners who are using the sale of their home to fund the down payment on their next place have to time it right. But could the timing of your move affect the price your home gets?

According to new research that compared the sale price of occupied versus vacant homes, it might. In fact, the research showed that homes whose owners had already moved out sold for $11,000 less and spent six more days on the market than comparable homes that were still occupied. Why might this be?

One reason is that buyers looking at an empty house assume its owners aren’t as eager to sell. Or they assume the seller is over anxious and will accept far less than the market value of the home, since they’ve moved on.

Another reason is that furnished rooms are cozier and far more welcoming than empty rooms.  This is why staging can be so important to a sale, particularly when timing dictates the owners vacate before a sale.  You might think empty rooms appear larger, but research shows rooms that are attractively furnished actually seem larger!

There are so many subtle nuances at work in the psychology of selling, many of which differ from region to region.  Your local marketing specialist will help you decide what works best in your situation.