To Stage or Not to Stage?

[Danielle R.]

Hi All,

New to BiggerPockets but I've found this community a great resource and so grateful to the many wonderful people offering their ideas and advice to someone new like me! 

Here is my situation: 

I'm in Bay Area (Berkeley) getting ready to sell a bad house (major foundation issues) in a good (A+) neighborhood during a hot market. I've decided to sell "as is" with full disclosures on all the structural issues. I am planning to do some minimal cosmetic work to goose it up for sale. This is my first time selling a house. 

I'm still shopping for agents, I've talked to three so far. Two out of the three agents want me to spend between 4-5k on staging. 

One agent says I don't need to stage and can use my own furniture. The other two are insistent that good staging is key to having people fall in love with the house (thus more willing to overlook the uglier aspects). 

My initial thoughts are that staging is expensive and a big hassle (what if I can't sell it in the timeframe I'm looking at and then need to move all my furniture back in?). I also was hoping the buyer might want to buy some of my furniture along with the sale. If it doesn't sell, I want to be ready to go right back to renting it short term. 

In your experience does hiring a professional stager work the wonders these agents are saying it does? Or, can I stage it myself by minimizing/moving my current furniture around, and/or buying a few new cheap pieces from IKEA? 

I'd love some feedback. I think my current furniture is good but of course that is subjective. The agents point out my house is small and it would work better to have smaller more modern furniture that makes the house feel bigger, improves the flow, and appeals to younger buyers.  They also say no one wants to see a TV in the living room...true??

Here is my airbnb profile to get a feel for how I have it set up now. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1772860

Any and all feedback welcome! 

Thank you!

Danielle