Is it Better to Furnish a Home to Sell It?

If you are currently living in your property while it is being marketed, then it is likely to be furnished. But what happens if you don’t live there, perhaps because you have already moved out or it was a rental? Do empty rooms with no furniture make it harder to sell a property? More often than not, it’s a good idea to furnish a home to sell and we’ll tell you why.

Photo of a well staged living room ready to list
A well-staged space will always garner a higher sales price than an empty space. | Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians

Generally speaking, a furnished property is better than one with no furniture. This is because it helps buyers picture themselves living in the property, whereas when rooms are empty, they are harder to envision as liveable.

It is much easier to tell how big a room is when it has a bed or a sofa in there. While property listings always have room measurements, knowing a room is 5 meters long by 3 meters wide doesn’t mean a lot to the average buyer. They can’t really tell if their sectional sofa will fit nicely or look cramped. Nor does it make it easy to tell if your California King bed will fit with all your other furniture.

Some sellers assume that empty rooms are better because they look larger. Yes, they do, but they can also look soulless.

A fully furnished property has more character. It feels like a home, which is easier to sell than a blank canvas. People tend to love homes with lots of personality. , where they feel at home and imagine how it would feel if they lived there.

Does a Home Need to Be Fully Furnished?

No, a property doesn’t need to be fully furnished. As long as it has the main items of furniture, such as beds, sofas, dining tables, chairs, etc., that’s usually enough. You can furnish a home to sell it by highlighting each room’s purpose. It’s also smart to design it with the minimum number of furniture pieces.

For example, a bedroom will look great with a stylish bed and a dressing table. A living room only needs a sofa, a coffee table, perhaps a bookcase, and some decorative pieces. The dining room needs a table and chairs, and maybe a sideboard too. Other rooms can be furnished in a similar way, with basic items and some additional decorative elements.

Hire Furniture

Look at furniture rentals for home staging if your current pieces don’t fit or the property is empty. It doesn’t make sense to buy items if you’re selling the property and renting lets you access high-end pieces for a lot less money. You can create a luxurious feel in the property and attract the right buyers.

Add the Wow Factor

There are lots of ways to add some additional pizzazz to a property you are trying to sell that don’t involve spending a lot of money on expensive furniture. Hanging some great paintings or adding a sculpture or two to rooms will make your property listing images stand out.

Carefully curate a few interesting pieces for your rooms. You can even hire artwork if you don’t have anything suitable.

Where possible, ensure a property is at least partly furnished if it is currently empty. You’ll achieve better results.

Tre Pryor, Realtor

Tre Pryor is the leading real estate expert in the city of Louisville. He is a multi-million dollar producer and consistently ranks in the top 1% of Louisville Realtors for homes sold. Tre Pryor has the highest possible rating—5.0 stars on Google—by his clients and is routinely interviewed by the local NBC news. Tre Pryor is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame.