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WHY STAGE?

  But, why can't buyers just look past the decor and envision themselves living here?

Only 10% of buyers can visualize the potential of a home. Most buyers cannot look past a cluttered or unappealing room. And while most of them start out looking for a home based upon logical criteria, for example, 4 bedrooms, family room with a fireplace, they end up purchasing based upon an emotional connection they feel when they're in the home. When a house feels like home, they will reprioritize their list. They may be willing to give up the fireplace because staging has transformed the property into a "dream" and they can envision themselves living there. It has to portray a lifestyle they aspire to.

But, why would I want to be spending money when I can't afford to? I just need to sell my house/apartment.

The softer the market, the more you must differentiate the property from others crowding the market. Wouldn't it be great to get a bidding war going because your property looks so much better than everyone else's? Remember, staging is an investment, not an expense. A study by the Real Estate Staging Association showed that homes that were staged after being on the market for a while, spent 78% less time on the market than before they were staged. Home staging can increase profit in two ways - by increasing value and by reducing expenses (mortgage, taxes, utilities) by decreasing the time the home is on the market. And according to the National Association of Realtors, the longer the home is on the market, the lower the selling price will be.

But, why can't the real estate agent or homeowner figure out what needs to be done to stage the home and make it look better?

The real estate agent should be spending his or her time doing what he or she does best - marketing and showing the home to potential buyers and renters. Wouldn't a homeowner rather know the real estate agent is doing this instead of spending hours rearranging furniture, shopping for accessories, and managing repairmen?

Owners can't stage their own homes because they've stopped seeing all of its flaws. Most homeowners don't have the "buyer's eyes" that a professional home stager will when walking through the home. The owners have gotten used to walking past the overgrown bushes in the front yard blocking all of the light from coming into the windows. The dated wallpaper and lighting fixtures have been in the bathroom so long that they seem to be part of the family. And homeowners may already be overwhelmed enough with the stress of finding a new home and moving that they won't have the time or energy to focus on making the home look appealing.