If you have already moved out of the house you are selling, you generally have two choices. You can do home staging-either on your own or by hiring a professional-or you can let the house be shown empty. There are pros and cons to both, although many will lean toward the staging option. Consider the possible benefits of showing an empty home, however, before you spend money and time on staging.

• A Blank Slate

When a buyer comes into an empty home, it is easier to visualize their own items in the home. They can picture just where their couch will fit, where to wall mount the big screen TV, and which wall will best showcase their favorite painting. The blank slate that is provided by an empty home lets the imagination of the buyer take over, allowing them to see the house as they would make it and not as you have made it.

• A Cost Savings

Professional home staging can be expensive. So can renting furniture on your own. Leaving the home empty saves you all of those potential costs, and if it means the house takes a little longer to sell, you have still come out on top in the money department. Especially if you are on a tight budget, home staging might be a cost you just can't afford.

• Less To Worry About

There is nothing to steal or damage in an empty home, so you don't have to worry about anything being ruined during an open house or a showing. You can also rest easy knowing that there is no real reason for anyone to break into a home that is standing empty.

While many experts will recommend home staging as a method of making the home more attractive to buyers, it isn't always a necessity to get your home sold. Consider the possible benefits of an empty home, and then make a choice as to whether or not staging is right for you. Remember that you can always bring staging in if you are having no luck selling the home while it is empty.