Longer Window for Owner-Occupied Buyers

Here's some good news. Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac have extended the time period when a owner-occupied buyer can make an offer on a foreclosed property sold by them. Before, they only had 15 days between the time it was released on to the market and the closing day for buyers' bids. Now they have 20 days. (After the time period, investors can make offers for the property, competing with owner-occupied buyers. Investors have advantages over owner-occupied buyers who need loans, less-damaged housing, and more time to purchase the property.) With the extra days, the buyer has more time to see the property as well as get an inspection to see if the property is livable and can qualify for a loan. The extra days are definitely a positive sign that there is a push for more owner-occupied housing.

Here's the article about this I saw on REALTOR Mag: Buyers Get Extended Offer Period on REOs

To Stage or Not to Stage?

I have always wondered if staging a property was a good idea or not. Sometimes I have a house for sale and as the listing agent I want it to look good when buyers come see it. I try to take photos of the inside with furniture while the sellers are still living there. If there are good photos on the Internet, it increases the chance of a buyer wanting to see the inside of the house. However, sometimes the sellers have needed to move before the house is sold. Then I have wondered if it was better to keep the house vacant or to rent or borrow furniture to have it look "lived in." From this article, it sounds like the house won't sell for more money, but it didn't answer the question of whether the house would sell sooner. If I have some furniture or the seller has some furniture that can stay in the house, I like to have it there. However, I have yet to spend money to have someone professionally stage the house. I would rather spend my money on advertising!

Here's a REALTOR Mag article on this topic: Study: Staging Doesn't Influence Selling Price

What do you think?