Home staging prepares a home for sale by decluttering and depersonalizing it so buyers can see themselves living in the home. Staging takes the attention off your own “stuff” and highlights the innate features of the house.

Historically, staged homes sell faster and for more money.

Ninety three percent of homes staged by an Accredited Staging Professional sell in one month or less. The average days of an ASP staged home to sell? 32 days. An unstaged home? 161 days.

Even a professionally decorated home should be staged.

In fact, what a professional designer does is the exact opposite of what a professional stager does!

Designers create a home which reflects the owner’s personal preferences, collections, and tastes.

A professional stager de-personalizes your home so it will appeal to the broader audience of buyers.

Likewise, home improvement shows about staging often lead sellers to believe they can copy those techniques and achieve a staged home.

In fact, it is very difficult to stage your own home because we are all financially and emotionally invested in it. It is hard to turn an objective eye on our own things.

Is staging worth the cost? Staged homes sell more quickly and for more money, and the cost of staging is always less than your first price reduction.

Let’s say your house is on the market for $700,000. A $3000 investment to have your home professionally staged is significantly less than your first price reduction of $35,000 or 5%.

A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development states that staged homes net 17% more than unstaged homes.

The question is, can you afford NOT to stage?