Homestyling by Cathy

Home Staging & Re-design

Why Won’t My Vacant House Sell?

www.homestylingbycathy.com

Buying a house is an emotional decision for the majority of people. They want to

buy a home, not a house. They cannot get that homey, inviting feeling if the house is vacant because there is no emotional connection.

This is a beautiful but lifeless room. With the addition of furniture and accessories, it becomes much more

homey and inviting.

Before After

Most buyers will have difficulty determining the actual size of a vacant room and what would fit in

it. A room looks smaller in a vacant house than in a furnished house. The first reaction of buyers is to

think….My sofa won’t fit here, my bed is too big for this master bedroom, etc. A properly

furnished/staged room will SHOW buyers that yes, indeed, there is plenty of room for my furniture.

This vacant house was on the market for months. The main complaint by potential buyers was that this family room was

just too small to fit their furniture. The house sold three weeks after staging to a buyer who previously said this room

was too small!

Before After

 A vacant house will emphasize all the shortcomings/flaws while a furnished house will

downplay those problem areas and emphasize all the positives. Yes, buyers may be able to clearly see the

architecture of a vacant house but they will also clearly see an oddly placed window/door, the not-so-neutral paint colors and the dated décor. How much better to emphasize the positives with appropriate furniture and furnishings using proven staging techniques and playing

down the problem areas by showing how to actually place furniture and accessories to make it work. Even

odd paint colors can work so much better when incorporated into the overall plan of the stager.

This is an oddly shaped room—it has a half wall jutting out plus a door to the bedroom. The placement of the

furniture allowed a division between the living area and bedroom and makes the half wall disappear.

Before After

Often buyers are confused about the function of a vacant room. They wonder ‘Is this room a dining

room or a study or a bedroom’? Furniture & accessories solve this problem.

This room could be a dining room or a study or an extension of the living room. After staging it is clearly

defined as a dining room.

Before After

People just cannot imagine themselves living in a vacant house because of the sheer

emptiness of it. They cannot visualize their family curled on the couch watching TV if there

is no couch and no TV, or their family sitting down to a family dinner at a non-existent table.

It definitely does not look warm and homey….and that goes back to the emotional

connection as mentioned in #1.

A large empty space furnished as dining and living spaces.

Before After

The first impression that 94% of buyers will get of any house is from the MLS/online

photos. If the photos simply show a vacant room, it sure won’t stand out against photos of

a similar home that is beautifully furnished/staged. Most often they will skip

over the listing that shows an empty box for a room. 

Which photo would entice YOU?

Before After

HOMESTYLING BY CATHYHome Staging & Redesign

(709) 341-7115www.homestylingbycathy.com

Serving St. John’s and metro areas in beautiful, historic St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.