In today’s buyers market, home-selling clients are always asking me what they can do to help their homes stand apart from the competition. As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network^®, I have seen how effective home staging can make all the difference in not only a quicker sale but a more profitable sale, as well.

First, it’s important to realize that home staging does not refer to the usual steps taken when your home is placed on the market, like painting the front door, taking away personal photos, and baking something in the oven. Staging, rather, is the professional merchandising of your home. This helps create an instant connection with potential buyers as they walk through the door. Just as new homebuilders create a model home for buyers to envision themselves living in, home staging does the same for your existing home.

Here are some important facts to be aware of before embarking on the home-staging process:

1. Make sure your home stager is knowledgeable about real estate and, in particular, your local market. Knowing what other homes in your area sold quickly provides the stager with important clues as to what buyers are attracted to.
2. Real estate agents, especially Top 5 Members like me, are excellent sources for referrals on home stagers in your area. Be sure to ask your neighbors as well.
3. Staging seeks to minimize the furniture in any given room in order to create the right spacing, while displaying as much floor space as possible. Be prepared with a convenient storage solution before you begin the staging process.
4. According to the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSPR), there is a growing trend toward eco-friendly home staging, where stagers provide specific “green” materials to sellers. This creates unique appeal to today’s environmentally conscious consumers.
5. Home staging is also on the rise among short sale and foreclosure properties where homes might be in need of special care. If you are in a financially challenged situation and need to sell your home, talk to your real estate professional about staging. Certain lenders are working with stagers in order to expedite these types of sales.

In the current real estate climate, homes must be merchandised and marketed wisely.

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