Is it best to put my home on the market now and if we don't sell stage the house later?
Absolutely not. That is the biggest mistake most home sellers make. Statistically, staged homes sell faster and for more money. If you don't professionally stage your home, then you are leaving money on the table. Another reason you don't want to wait is because when first listed your home will have the highest amount of traffic. If you wait to stage, you will never get another chance to capitalize on the largest volume of potential buyers coming into your home. Why waste that opportunity? The longer a home is on the market, the more potential buyers wonder what is wrong with it. Staging your home will be less than the first price reduction you have to make in order to sell a home in a competitive market.

Do vacant homes need to be staged?
Vacant homes have a disadvantage when competing with occupied homes. Empty rooms appear smaller and 90% of buyers are not able to visualize how a room will look with furniture and if their furniture would even fit in a space. Empty rooms don't tell potential buyers how to use the space. Even if furnishing the house is not in the budget, adding a few key items in the kitchen, bathrooms, fireplace and built-ins will make the home show better.

Is it expensive to stage a house?
Staging pays for itself and will give you more money at closing. According to HomeGain, the average return of investment for a staged home is 244%. Plainly stated, if you invest about $600 staging your home, you can get about $1,464 more on your asking price. Knowing that a staged home sells faster and for more money, staging a home is a wise investment for a quick return.