Sell a House Empty or Staged? What the Evidence Says
How buyers read an empty room, what it does to your photographs, and the few cases where empty is the right call
IN BRIEF
Is it better to sell a property empty or staged? Staged, in most cases. Most buyers cannot picture how an empty room works, empty rooms read as smaller, and the first two weeks on the portals are too valuable to spend on the weakest version of your listing. Empty is the right call in a few cases, set out below.
If you are selling a property that is empty, your agent will probably ask whether you want it dressed. You will probably ask whether that is worth paying for.
I am a stager, so you should treat my answer with some caution. That is why this article also covers the cases where I would tell you to leave it empty.
How do buyers read an empty room?
Most buyers cannot visualise an empty room, so they judge it on what they can see, and that is less than you think.
Empty rooms also look smaller. That sounds backwards, and it is consistent. Without a bed, a sofa or a table there is nothing to give the room a scale, and buyers cannot tell what will fit.
The clearest example is the box room. We stage a lot of flats in London, and there is almost always a smaller second bedroom. In a two bedroom flat it matters to show that a bed fits. A first time buyer or a couple may end up using that room as an office, but the buyer needs to see what is possible. Without a bed in it, the flat can look like a glorified one bed, and buyers offer less when they compare it with other two bedroom flats nearby.
Furniture does a second thing that has nothing to do with size. Buyers do their thinking before they arrive: is the location right, is the price right, is the size right. When they cross the threshold I want them to start feeling. Buyers who are saying “I love the sofa, I love the art” are falling in love with the property too. In an empty room there is less to fall in love with.
The evidence from agents points the same way. In the Home Staging Association 2018 survey, 100% of the agents and developers questioned said staging makes it easier for a buyer to picture the property as their future home. In the 2023 US Profile of Home Staging, 81% of buyers’ agents said the same.
What do empty rooms do to your listing photographs?
Photographs are the first viewing, and an empty room gives the camera nothing to measure the space against.
Empty rooms tend to photograph with hard light, bare surfaces and nothing for the eye to land on. In a market where buyers scroll past listing after listing, those are the rooms they scroll past. Photographs taken before staging also stay online for the life of the listing, so a weak first set is hard to undo.
In the Home Staging Association 2019 survey, 94% of estate agents said staging increased the number of viewings, and every respondent said properties with professional photographs get more viewings.
Timing matters too. In my experience the first two weeks on Rightmove and the other portals is when a listing gets most of its attention. Listing empty to see how it goes spends that window on the weakest version of your property. It is not a strategy that works.
When does empty genuinely win?
Empty wins when the buyer is paying for potential rather than for a finished home.
- The property needs a full renovation and is priced for it. Buyers will be working from the numbers, and furniture would suggest a finish the property does not have.
- The buyer is a developer or investor. They are buying the site or the yield, and a sofa changes neither.
- The rooms are exceptional on their own. A very large, light room with period features can carry itself. I would still look at staging one key room rather than none.
- You cannot stage it honestly. Staging shows how rooms work. It should never be used to disguise a defect, and if the only thing furniture would do is hide a problem, leave it empty and price it accordingly.
Empty does not win just because staging costs money. If the property is ready to live in and the buyer will live in it, empty is a risk, not a saving.
Do you have to stage every room?
No. If the budget is tight, stage the reception room first.
In Home Staging Association surveys, agents named the reception room as the most important room to stage by a wide margin: 67% in 2018 and 74% in 2019. The kitchen and the main bedroom were each named by around 10% to 14%.
Part staging is also the answer if the property is not empty. We work with the furniture you already have, take away what is fighting the space and add what is missing.
Quick guide: empty or staged?
| Your situation | What I would do |
|---|---|
| Vacant and ready to live in | Stage the whole property |
| Vacant with a tight budget | Stage the reception room first, then add rooms as the budget allows |
| Vacant, needs a full renovation, priced for the work | Leave it empty and describe the work honestly |
| Selling to a developer or investor | Leave it empty |
| Still lived in, but cluttered or mismatched | Part stage |
| Listed empty and no offer after eight to ten weeks | Stage it, take new photographs and relaunch |
What do my own before and after jobs show?
Two jobs, both empty for months, both moved quickly once they were staged and relaunched.
A two bedroom flat in North London had been on the market for nine months, empty. After staging, with a new agent and new photographs, it went under offer at the asking price within three weeks.
A property in East Dulwich had been empty and on the market for six months. After staging, with a new agent, it went under offer in the first week at £10,000 above the new asking price.
I cannot separate the staging from the new agent, the new photographs and the fresh listing. What I can say is that both properties had been empty for months, and both moved within weeks once they were furnished and relaunched.
Frequently asked questions
Do houses sell faster furnished or empty?
Agents say furnished. In a 2018 Home Staging Association survey, 95% of 400 UK property professionals said staged homes sell faster. There is no controlled test, and my own two jobs also changed agent and photographs, so treat it as strong opinion rather than proof.
Why do empty rooms look smaller?
Because there is nothing to give them scale. Buyers cannot tell whether a double bed or a sofa will fit, so they assume less. Furniture shows the size.
Is staging misleading?
It should not be. Staging shows how rooms can be used. It should never hide a defect, and the listing should describe the property accurately, including the floor plan and any known issues.
Can I stage just one room?
Yes. Agents surveyed by the Home Staging Association named the reception room as the most important room to stage, so start there and add rooms as the budget allows.
Should I leave my own furniture in when I move out?
Only the pieces that help. If you still live there, part staging keeps what works, removes what fights the space and adds what is missing. If you have already moved out, ask a stager which of your pieces are worth keeping.
Selling empty? Find out whether to stage it.
Send me the floor plan and a few photographs and I will tell you within 24 hours whether I would stage the whole property, one room, or leave it alone. If the answer is leave it alone, you will hear that from me for free.
Sonja Townsend, Director. T: +44 7572 880 266. sonja@londonpropertystaging.com
This article reflects the author’s professional experience and the London market at the time of writing. It is general guidance, not financial advice or advice on a specific property. Figures are from the sources listed below and will be updated as new data is published.
Sources used
- Estate Agent Today, “Dressing a home boosts sale price up to six per cent, say agents”, June 2018 (Home Staging Association survey of 400 UK property professionals, December 2017 to March 2018).
- Estate Agent Today, “Agents say ’staged’ homes sell three times faster”, August 2019 (Home Staging Association report).
- Neilsons Solicitors and Estate Agents, “’Staged’ properties sell three times faster”, summarising the Home Staging Association UK and Ireland 2019 report (94% of estate agents said staging increased viewings).
- National Association of Realtors, 2023 Profile of Home Staging, as summarised by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors.
- The points about empty rooms, the box room and the first two weeks on the portals are the author’s own professional experience.