Home Staging May Be the Next Best Way to Sell Your Home By Judith R Arkes

Twenty five years ago, most Interior Designers specialized either in redecorating or designing interiors for home and office. However, the real estate industry partnered with the Interior Designers to create a new decorating niche, Home Staging. This has become an integral part of selling homes.

Years ago, I was in a Home Goods store in suburban Chicago. I met three women looking to find green lamps for a young girl’s bedroom. They were on a budget since they were “home stagers” I watched how they searched out the store’s inventory to find the right lamp or picture to stage the home that they were working on. Years ago, I had my own business as an Interior Accessory Designer. My specialty was helping the client choose the pieces to finish a room. So I found it fascinating and informative watching these ladies work.

Home Staging is now a part of the real estate lingo. Although I have heard the term passing in years, I never heard of anyone who actually used this service. I was surprised to learn that according to reports from the department of US Housing and Developments, that on an average, a staged home will sell at a 17% higher price than an unstaged home. It is recommended that the home is staged BEFORE it is placed on the market. One designer commented that showing a home unstaged is like showing up for a job interview in pajamas. The idea being that the person was not “dressed” for the occasion. You have to be suited up properly for an interview, so does a home. Since people primarily use the internet to search for homes, pictures of “staged” homes always show better than”unstaged” homes and get better results, offers at higher prices.

One practice of the realtors is to advise the client to remove many personal items and bric and brac before the home’s first showing. Although these items may contribute to a home’s charm, they can sometimes take away from the viewing. Home Stagers can be called in just to reallocate the pieces in the room to show the house to its best advantage.

For homes that have been emptied of furniture, the home stagers will obtain deep discounted furniture and accessories to furnish the home to make it presentable to the potential buyers. When the Home Stagers have finished their work, the home is now properly dressed for the occasion and inviting to prospective buyers. And with the home staging done well, good offers will soon follow.