How Staging Sold This Glen Burnie Home in 30 Minutes (An ROI Case Study)

We always preach it to our sellers: Staging a vacant house is the absolute #1 return on investment “update” you can make before listing. It’s one thing to hear us say it, but it’s another thing to see the math in action. It is rare that we get an opportunity to publicly market the same listing in both a staged and unstaged condition to truly gauge the difference... but last month in Glen Burnie, we did.

The Challenge: Great House, Zero Offers

We recently listed a beautifully remodeled home in the heart of Glen Burnie. It was priced perfectly for the market, but after 30 days and 15 showings, we had zero offers.

The feedback was always the same. Buyers and their agents thought the home was "nice," but they left saying things like:

• "It feels too small."

• "I don’t know where I would put my dining room table."

• "I can't visualize how the living room works."

Even with a fresh remodel, buyers were struggling to see how their lives would fit into the empty rooms.

The Strategy: Price Drop vs. Strategic Staging

At the 30-day mark, we sat down with the seller to discuss two very different paths forward:

1. The Traditional Route: A modest $10,000 price reduction.

2. The Shapiro Strategy: A smaller $5,000 reduction, but only if the seller agreed to invest a portion of those savings into professional staging.

The seller trusted our advice and chose the second option. We immediately called our trusted partners at Triple Crown Designs to transform the space. Our plan was to upload the new staged photos and then make the price adjustment so buyers would see the "new" home all at once.

The Result: Sold in 30 Minutes

Here is the part you truly cannot make up:

• 30 Days & 15 Showings (Unstaged): Zero offers.

• 30 Minutes After Staging Was Completed: We received a phone call.

As luck would have it, a showing was scheduled for the very day the furniture arrived. The buyer’s agent called us before the moving truck had even left the driveway to say their clients were writing a full-price offer.

We didn’t even have a chance to reduce the price.

The Bottom Line: Staging is an Investment, Not an Expense

By investing in staging, the seller saved $5,000 that would have otherwise been lost in a price cut. Staging completely changed the perception of the home’s size, function, and—most importantly—its value.

At the Josh Shapiro Team, we don't just "list" homes; we use our background in finance and investment to help you make the smartest moves possible. These before-and-after results prove that when you prepare a home correctly, the market responds instantly.

Thinking of selling a vacant home in Maryland? Don't leave money on the table. Let us show you how we get results like this. Get in touch with us, and we'll put together a custom marketing plan for your home to show you just how to get the most value out of selling!