Home staging professionals face different challenges than interior decorators. Interior decorators focus on creating spaces for a specific client - the homeowner or business owner. Contractors and developers often hire interior designers during the creation of custom homes and corporate facilities. The final design is one that reflects the style of the homeowner or business owner, the antithesis of the goal for home staging.
The challenge for home stagers is to create a neutral, yet inviting, space that allows buyers to visualize with their personal belongings. Every room should appear tidy and organized to facilitate the buyer's visualization process.
With an organized interior and exterior, a real estate agent can lead a prospective buyer through each room and recommend ways that the new owner can personalize the space with their furniture and artwork, for example. Home staging is particularly important for newly listed homes. A staged home provides a positive first impression. Experienced real estate agents know that staging increases the chances of receiving offers on a home.
Many sellers are emotionally attached or otherwise unwilling or unable to make the necessary preparations for selling their home. A good real estate agent will often recommend professional home staging services in this case. The home stager will depersonalize and unclutter the home making it presentable for open houses and private showings. In a buyer's market, sellers need every advantage available putting certified home stagers in high demand.
Developers will often hire home staging companies to stage model homes. Home stagers can advise the developer on color choices, floor, furniture and appliances. A staged model home will attract more buyers than a model home that is completely bare. In addition, contractors who renovate and flip older homes will use home staging to sell their property more quickly and increase their profits.
In a slow housing market, home staging is a major advantage. Professional home staging can be the critical difference between homes that languish on the market and homes that sell in a few weeks.


