It depends on the home and the seller.  Generally staged homes sell better.  

Unless someone has the world's ugliest furniture, it is always easier to sell a furnished home. People have no imaginations, empty rooms appear smaller than they are, and buyers get the idea that a seller is more desperate than he/she might be because the home is vacant.

If the seller doesn't want to fully stage the property, I like to do accessory staging.  It gives the property some interest and a pop of color, which is especially good for the listing photos. 

DEFINITELY stage a home - vacant homes take longer to sell and sell for less money in our market.

Most homes it's fine to leave empty.  A few, with tricky floor plans may be better marketed with some staging.

What Michael Jacobs said.

Michael Jacobs nailed this one!

Michael Jacobs covered this one!

If a buyer questions, "What will I use this space for?" the don't make an offer.

Staging should suggest a lifestyle just above what the buyers expects.

No, that does not mean a fully furnished house. It could mean strategically placed flat screens with a the appropriate MP4 playing.

I think having some furniture/items helps buyers to be able to envision their items in the room. Many people have a hard time judging how big/small an empty space is.

Even if vacant homes are selling fast, I believe staged homes sell for more money.  

I'd prefer to see some furniture in there. Furnished rooms photo a lot better. 

We generally leave them empty, a clean slate for folks to imagine their stuff in.

William Feela - sure enough - good idea to stage with some furniture.

There's typically not time to stage a home.

What does sellers want ?

It is very situational having furniture in key rooms that compliments the room is preferable in most circumstances. Many home buyers have an easier time seeing themselves in homes when they have some furniture

Our market is fast so I do not stage till the market slows

William - It is my opinion that a staged home always looks better than a vacant home. However, if homes are selling fast enough, they don't need staging.

I know the statistics and how most people visualize better with staging. But I personally prefer vacant homes. -Kasey

Not a problem in my area....

Depends - we're not as hot as other areas in this moment. Lower end homes, no I wouldn't put in furniture but higher end needs staging and priced right. We have a HUGE inventory of higher end homes that are way over priced.

It depends if it is movein ready. You can't put lipstick on a pig and expect it to be s silk purse.

Depends upon the square footage and the price range.

we use virtual staging for our high end listings.... it costs $750 for a company to do it.... and it would cost much more to stage a vacant home for months...

Staging, if there is enough time, seems to be more attractive for buyers.

Stage it...of course in this market you probably won't have time!

It really depends on the home and the location ... and price point. It could take a month to get a stager scheduled in my area.  The home could be sold and closed by then. 

Empy rooms actually tend to look smaller. Good staging is effective.

Either all or nuttin'

Better is not the word I would use since the sellers take everything and we don't stage here - I prefer the homes empty anyway

William,

Some homes remain vacant, and some get staged.  It depends on many factors. A

I have seen the pro & con for both and can appreciate it all

I personally have not seen any benefit nor detriment either way

We leave resales vacant

It depends on the situation.

Some houses are better off as a clean slate but most can be helped by staging. We almost always had a least one or two rooms fully staged if not the whole house.

Staged homes sell better everyone knows that so why ya asking?

Yes, we do vignette staging.

market is too quick for staging unless the floor-plan requires it. I staged one home last year and none so far this year with 3-5 DOM.

Either. It's case by case.

It depends on the home, the price range and the market conditions.