Professional staging sells homes faster.

It's no secret that sellers are taking a beating in the current real estate market. If you do not need to sell, now is not the time to try. If you do need to sell, because of a job transfer or family reasons, you want your house to stand out from the many other listings on the market. According to StagedHomes.com, staged homes sell on average around 31 days. The current average time on market is considerably higher than that. My observations of local sales confirm that staged homes do sell faster, and for close to the asking price.

Professional stagers try to create a pleasing, neutral first impression for buyers. Buyers need to picture themselves enjoying the home. All distractions need to be removed. Staging may be emotionally hard on sellers. They have decorated their home to their tastes and have added all these personal touches, such as family photos and items with sentimental value. Now they have to market their home for sale by removing most of the things that have made it their home.

Stagers have an eye for design and pleasant color combinations. They almost always start with cleaning and de-cluttering and rearranging furniture. Then they may suggest painting some rooms and adding some furnishings, to completely staging a vacant home.

Prices vary, but initial consultations start around $300.00 and go up from there, depending on how much work needs to be done and how much furniture needs to be rented. Staging certainly costs less than future price reductions.

Sellers need an edge in this market and with proper pricing and great staging, you can position your home sell your home faster than any other in your neighborhood.

Wayne B. Pruner is a Realtor® at Oregon First, who works in the Portland and Tigard, Oregon area. He is ready to help you with all your real estate needs. His phone number is 503-891-0795. Here are links to his real estate website and his real estate blog.