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You may have seen this in your neighborhood. A “for sale” sign goes up in a yard, and after a long period of time, you notice it’s gone. Thinking that the home sold, you are then surprised to see a new sign go up, “for rent”. As “days on market” figures continue to climb and our economy remains sluggish, this is becoming a very common occurrence. So, why does a seller decide to give up on selling, and rent, instead? Of course, it’s all about money.

I could fill up this blog with horror stories of tenants who skip out without paying, never clean, leave damaged walls and carpets, and turn lovely homes into something inhabitable. Sellers need to think about this when they are making that decision to open their home to strangers. If you can’t get a decent renter, it will cost you more money in the long run. And let’s say you are one of the fortunate ones who find good renters. Isn’t your ultimate goal to sell the home?

As a professional stager, I am starting to see a trend. I have had several sellers contact me to hire my staging services, with a deadline in mind. They tell me that they want the home staged for two or three months and if it doesn’t sell, they plan on renting it out. Fortunately, after the homes have been staged, they sell before that deadline. These are sellers who are making the right decision and having their properties staged, but my main concern is for those who give up and stick the “for rent” sign in the yard without exploring other alternatives. Those sellers need to keep in mind that there will be costs down the road, like repainting and/or re-carpeting, at the least, after the tenants have moved out. Having the home staged now is a less expensive choice, and gets them to their goal that much faster.

So, if your home isn’t selling and you are thinking about renting it, please consider hiring a professional stager, who’s committed to enhancing your home for a quicker and higher sale. Or, you can rent it and find that the tenants have moved out, but left a pot-bellied pig (I told you I had horror stories!)