"Your investment in Staging is always less than your first price reduction."   Barb Schwarz, creator of Home Staging

SELL FASTER Studies show staged homes sell quicker than non-staged homes.  Sometimes 30-50% faster.  This is important because the longer a home is on the market….the greater chance for a price reduction.  Most buyers and buyers agents believe that, if a home has been on the market for some time, there must be something wrong with it or that the seller will be anxious to sell and will take much less than the asking price. 

A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION is Crucial   People’s first impression of your listing is critical.  Staging gives you the best opportunity to make a positive first impression rather than a negative one.  The stronger the impression the less likely a potential buyer will be bothered if some things aren’t perfect. 

 You only have 60 Seconds to CREATE INTEREST Psychology experts have proven that people react based on emotion and then seek logic to back up the feeling.  A buyer will decide whether they like your listing in less than one minute.  As the buyer tours the property, he or she will either confirm that decision or rescind it in the next 6 to 20 minutes.  This is why proper staging is critical.     

 MOVE-IN READY Sells Faster  A properly staged listing not only appears to be in “Move-In Ready” condition, it really is.  Staging a house for sale means that every component of the house is as close as possible to model condition.  All buyers prefer to buy home  they can just move into and start enjoying life.  They will even pay a premium for this.  

 HELP BUYERS MENTALLY MOVE-IN  Only 5% of the population can  visualize how beautiful a home can be, or see past  clutter, grime and an unattractive appearance.  Staging helps potential buyers imagine themselves living in your house.   Buyers must mentally move in to your house before they will make you an offer. 

 OUTSHINE THE COMPETITION Staged homes have a competitive advantage over houses that are not staged.  Some areas have seen a 100-300% increase in available inventory and average time on market.  A staged home outshines other listings because it has been properly packaged to highlight its best qualities.

 MAXIMIZE ASSETS and MIMIMIZE SHORTCOMINGS  Staged homes project an image of being well maintained and well cared for.  The underlying psychological message that is sent to potential buyers is that it’s worth more.  More importantly, staging helps remove a certain degree of risk that a potential buyer might have about buying a house that is in poor condition. 

 CREATE INSTANT VALUE  One marketing advantage you might overlook is to create instant loan to value (LTV) by getting an appraisal after the house is staged.  If you can show a potential buyer how much the home is worth  (appraised value) and the sales price is less that, you show the buyer "instant value."   It will sell faster because it appears to be a better deal. 

 MORE SHOWINGS  Real estate professionals never like to show a house that’s not going to impress their buyer.  A well staged home could easily be described as “staged to sell” which means that it’s going to impress their buyer. Staged homes are always at the top of the list when it comes to which properties an agent will show. 

 The BEST Possible PRICE  The better a home shows - the higher it will sell for which means more dollars in your pocket. Non-staged homes are more likely to require price reductions in order to sell as opposed to staged homes, which are more likely to enjoy a number of offers, possibly a bidding war or a sale above the asking price.