Staging is done to show a home in its best light.
I love using the analogy of selling your car when trying to explain the importance of staging. If you want to sell your car for the most money possible (and in the quickest amount of time) you will detail it (wash it, wax it, vacuum it, etc). The same goes for your home just on a much larger (and more important) scale.
Here are some of the key reasons why home staging works:
It suggests to buyers that you take excellent care of your home.
90% of people can’t envision the potential of a home beyond what they see in front of them - hence the reason why showcasing a clean, neutral, attractive space is so important (along with showing the intended function of each room!)
Buyers want to do as little work as possible when buying a home. If if looks like it needs any amount of work, all they will see is the money, effort, and time that will be needed to get the home the way they want it (and will probably walk away at that point). By doing the work for buyers, they feel they can just move right in and relax and enjoy their new home.
Many buyers assume if you can’t bother making your home look good while selling it, then perhaps you’ve neglected routine maintenance or repairs. It’s both a red flag and a turn-off.
When you show buyers how to use each space, buyers are able to envision themselves moving right in. They won’t question which rooms work best for different purposes. When they have to think about how to use each room, they wonder whether there are enough rooms in the home. You don’t want any second guessing.
Finally, seeing the home in excellent condition justifies the price you’re asking and removes all reasons for them to offer you less than your asking price.
Here’s one of my recent stages showing the power of staging to help visualize a space:
