Home Buying Guides: Dressed to Impress: Does Home Staging ...

Someone asked us recently if staging their home would help them get a faster sale. Although it is our experience and perception that staging makes a home look inviting, helps potential buyers connect with a property emotionally, and generates a faster sale, we did not really have any hard and fast data to support our view.?

Therefore, I decided to ?don? my investigative reporter?s hat and see what I could find. Here are my results:

Staged Homes: Staged Homes is Barb Schwarz? website. If you are not familiar with Barb, she is the creator of two popular home staging concepts: ?Staging to Sell? and ?Staging to Live.? With over 40 years of experience in the home staging industry as an educator, author, trainer and speaker, and with more awards and accolades than could be listed here, she has my vote as a voice of authority on the topic of home staging. According to her website, ?945 of ASP Staged Homes sell on average in 29 days or less.?

Biased or Unbiased?

Now, there are those that could argue that these stats are biased as they are based on the staging being done by those who are trained by Barb?s company. However, with no professional training at all, and using tips I gathered from the Internet, personal experience, and books on the topic, I staged a spec home of ours that had languished on the market for over a year. The home sold in 30 days; you can read the full story and see pictures of the staging by reading ?To Stage or Not to Stage? Tips for Home Staging.? If I can do that with no training, imagine what someone who has been trained by an expert like Barb could achieve for you!?

Disclaimer

Please understand that I have no affiliation with Barb Schwarz nor am I endorsing her company or service. I am merely stating that it is hard to ignore her record of accomplishment. As I continued to research the question of the value and/or return on investment for the topic of home staging, I found an interesting piece on Fox News, which is known for its unbiased, fair and balanced reporting. To my delight, guess whom they were quoting as their expert source ? that?s right, Barb! Here?s what she had to say during their interview: ?You want to make an investment on your investment. The buyer will want the best product for the best price with the best wrapper."

Should You Stage or Not??

To wrap this up, in our professional opinion and based on both our personal experience in selling real estate combined with the research I?ve done, it seems clear the benefits of staging can outweigh the cost aspects of the service for most sellers. Like most other considerations when selling a house such as making major repairs or renovations, it does depend on your situation and circumstances.?

Our rule of thumb has always been to advise sellers to make sure that they can recoup at least $2 for every $1 that they spend on anything to ?help? the home sell faster be it home staging, home improvements, or repairs. If you want more information on the pros and cons of home staging, ask your real estate professional. Because of their experience and knowledge of your local area, they are in the best possible position to advise you on whether or not to stage your home.

What Do You Say?

We are always looking for feedback from our readers to help us fine-tune the reading experience for all. Please leave us a note in the comments section and share your experiences - positive or negative - with the process of home staging.

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References:

Fox News

Staged Homes

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