Professionals set the stage for quick home sales

Gayle B. Ronan

As the number of unsold homes on the market rises, prospective home sellers are trying to beat the days-on-market averages. But before they lower expectations along with their selling price, there is a far less costly option to consider — "staging" the home for sale.

Home staging is simply the merchandising of a house to capture the hearts and bids of potential buyers. The objective: making a good first impression.

“The way you live in a home and the way you sell your house are two different things,” said Barb Schwarz, who created the home staging concept in 1972. She has since developed an accreditation program for staging professionals — known as ASP — and is president and CEO of StagedHomes.com.

If the concept seems like just another fee layer guaranteed to inflate selling expenses, think again. A 2003 HomeGain Survey found that home staging paid for itself — and then some — by boosting the final selling price.

According to a 2006 StagedHomes.com survey, homes listed for sale without staging spent an average 4.5 months on the market; homes staged before listing spent less than 1.5 months on the market. The average time for a staged home to reach a ‘sales pending’ status was about a week. And staging boosts the estimated sales price by 3 percent, according to other industry surveys. On average, certified stagers charge $1,900 per listing, Schwarz estimates, although that varies widely depending on region.

While no independent national surveys have been conducted to substantiate these industry claims, anecdotal evidence suggests the ranks of staging adherents are growing.

Pat Vredevoogd Combs, president-elect of the National Association of Realtors and a Grand Rapids, Mich., Realtor, is among those who prefers that her listings be staged; she even pays for clients’ first hour of consultation with a stager. 

“Sellers are too used to their homes," said Vredevoogd Combs, who has personally used stagers to sell her own homes. "They just cannot see them through the eyes of a buyer.”

Lori Corken, a realtor with RE/MAX in Denver, not only uses stagers for all of her listings, she covers the cost.

“Once you decide to sell, you need to detach," she said. "The home is no longer about you, but a house that needs to appeal to its next owner.” 

The stager makes that leap for the homeowner by figuring out how to showcase the best features of each room, she said.

Staging should not be confused with decorating. 

“Decorating means personalizing your space — staging is about depersonalizing it,” explains Schwarz.  “Nor is staging about selling people stuff — people have too much stuff already.”

Staging is more about putting that stuff away, and literally getting it out of the way of prospective Realtors, buyers and appraisers. Ultimately staging is about helping prospective buyers see themselves occupying the space.

When that space involves a vacant home, buyers may need extra help with their vision. Even with rented furniture, a vacant home lacks the energy an occupied home radiates.  That is where Showhomes Franchise Corporation www.showhomes.com comes in.

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