Most buyers look for a home that they can picture themselves living in. That is very difficult to do for most buyers when the home is empty. Four bare walls in an empty room pretty much looks like every other empty room and on the opposite side of the coin, a cluttered lived in space feels like someone else's home and not the potential buyers.

I believe the secret formula to selling a home is part pricing, part presentation. You miss the boat on either and it will cost you!

I'm an architectural photographer and when a real estate agent calls me to photograph a listing the first thing I ask is if the home has been staged. If not, I give them a list of qualified stagers to call and then to call me back once the house is ready.

Staging and photography are really like Ant Jemima pancakes and syrup. They really need each other. It makes no sense to spend good money on exceptional photography if the place is a mess - no matter how expensive the home is and if you spend money or time and sweat making a house look great, firing off a bunch of snapshots will simply be a waste of effort.

Today's real estate market demands one thing above all else: A compelling online presentation of the home. Everything else is secondary because we are now in a "Curb Appeal 2.0" world. With a single click of the mouse, you are now in the house.

NAR reports that the average time a home buyer looks at a house on REALTOR.com is less than 35 seconds. That isn't even enough time to read the description. That can only mean one thing, people scan the page and look at the photos. If they're inspired, they click to the the Featured Tour or click away.

The Spring selling season is right around the corner - if you want your listing to get noticed, it MUST stand out from the crowd. Make sure the first thing people see when they click on the listing makes them WANT the house.

If you care to contact me offline, I'll be happy to share with you before/after staging examples.

Jay Groccia, Principal Photographer
OnSite Studios

II feel it is very important, and I stage my listings so that they show nicely online and in person. A home is a product, so it needs to be packaged nicely. Online adverising is so very important today, with over 80% of buyers beginning thier search online... a room that is staged vs. vacant, or staged vs. clutterred (or even everyday living) simply shows better, cleaner, and the best staging brings out the unique features of a home. this is not to say that staging is a cure-all. It is a marketing technique.. and an art form...

I will be redundant and say that I use staging as a tool to highlight a homes best use of space. Not to cover any defects. In Texas the use of Sellers Disclosures are required.

I think staging is a great marketing tool.

I agree that staging does not compensate for defects, however a good stager should be able to point out the defects in a home like a sticking door or water stains on a ceiling. Also, as Realtors, we should have our sellers fix any visible problems that might be a red flag for potential buyers.

Stagers are not decorators - their job is to make the home look its best so it sells quickly.
We’ve all heard that first impressions are lasting impressions, so it is our responsibility to insure that our listings are the ones remembered. Stagers make our job a bit easier.

I agree with Deborah that staging does not compensate defects. That's why I recommended that inspections be done in conjunction with staging. Staging should never be employed in an attempt to hide things. It's a means to accentuate and make visually more appealing, but property condition is still king.

Joy, I did not realize you were a Stager yourself until I read your profile. Since you were trained by Barb Schwartz herself, you know the values of staging. Are you also a real estate agent? If you are not a licensed real estate agent, you may want to check with Trulia to see if you are in the right category (i.e., real estate pro). May other members have the answer to this question.

One last comment...........
I am reluctant to call in a stager when the property needs other attention, unless I have confidence in the stagers objectivity. The stager who has one and only agenda, the staging., may not be helpful for the seller. I have the obligation and duty to look at the whole picture. If bringing in a stager will add confusion to the seller, I will avoid it. A stager who will remain objective and focused on the whole picture is more likely to gain my support.

We represented a seller who was attempting to flip a property. At first visual inspection, the property showed nicely and was staged. The flippers made some nice choices in their renovations.

After the renovation and staging were complete, a few items were noted that needed attention: a door didn't open and close properly, a banister was missing, water accumulated in the garage, and a water stain appeared on the ceiling. Staging could not compensate for the oversights.

Buyers toured the property and noted the items mentioned above. 2 sets of the same buyers toured the property a second time, at least 4 weeks later. Both sets of buyers were very concerned that the issues had been left unattended. The staging actually worked to a disadvantage here. It gave off the impression that cosmetic show was important, and property condition was less important. Despite repeated outreaches to the seller, the feedback was 'yes, we are going to get to that.'

Staging can help sell a property, but it can actually seem like a cover-up for flaws. In a perfect world, the property is in great condition, it is priced right, it is staged and sellers are flexible about showing appointments. From the 4 choices listed in the prior sentence, staging, although important would be ranked last on the list. Again, I am not discounting staging, only emphasizing that today's buyers are educated and look for the basics.

Staging might help bring in buyers from internet searches. If the property makes a postivie impression, the seller might achieve more showings.

If two properties are of equal condition and the same price, the staged property will move forward and stand out. It gains the advantage.

I agree w/ Ute - it's the icing on the cake. But if the cake isn't appetizing to begin with, icing won't help much. In other words, if you've got good location, the home is well maintained, it's got a desirable floorplan, and most importantly it's priced competitively, then staging can only help. If you're missing one of these fundamentals, staging can't hide that. In my town, sellers are struggling. I tell them, "Staging will help you sell faster. And since our prices are declining, fast is good. Extended time spent on the market equals money out the door."

It depends on how well the home is staged, Look at the new homes they are staged very just not selling right now, however the idea is that it helps. I am amazed at how someone can stage a home with IKEA furniture and people love it.

I personally believe that staging is the icing on the cake. It helps set a property apart from the crowd. With an increasing inventory of homes on the market, buyers can pick and choose and staged home makes it easier for a buyer to visualize their own belongings. I believe, however, that staging alone is not sufficient. If you really want to stand out, I would recommend that the seller get the whole house and termite inspections done and get things repaired. I know that's a lot to ask for, but in my experience, it pays off multifold. When you have the reports available and the house staged, you have the perfect package and the chances that the escrow will fall out because of something that's discovered during escrow are slim.