Sellers often ask me this question.

It’s a very understandable question to ask.   Does it really make a difference to buyers if a perfectly nice property is furnished? There is an old adage: “Buyers know what they see, not the way it’s going to be.”  If this is true then staging is recommended.

The idea behind furnishing for marketing purposes is that the furnishings are intended to evoke an emotional response to the property from both buyers and Realtors.  I want to believe that I, a professional who has seen thousands of homes in all kinds of conditions, can appreciate a space and its full potential  when it’s clean, freshly painted, and with nice flooring.   But even I react emotionally to a nicely furnished ‘home’ (staged) compared to a vacant ‘unit’ (unstaged).

My current listing at 500 Masonic #2 allowed me to compare both conditions: staged and unstaged. The unit itself has all the bells and whistles like 2 car parking, a view roof deck, a well laid out, spacious floor plan. It was recently painted, new lighting fixtures installed, new flooring installed, and cleaned from top to bottom.  If any property can look good unstaged, it’s this one.  And it does. It looks great unfurnished!

The sellers and I then had to decide whether  to stage or not.  We reviewed the pros and cons:
Staging takes time and money. Will the furniture make the space look smaller?  Is it necessary to spend thousands of dollars to furnish when it looks perfectly fine in its current condition? etc.

We decided to stage.  I would like to share with you the  before and afters for the living room, master bedroom, and dining area.  Which do you think looks better?  If you have an opinion I’d love to hear it.  Please email me at pperimenis@paragon-re.com