When you get ready to place your home on the market for sale, it becomes a product. Similar to a product on the shelf at your local store, the product has features and benefits as well as pluses and minuses, and competition. To compete in the marketplace you must be priced right and look better than the other products. Your home is no different, it is one of many homes for sale and you must present it to the potential buyers in the best possible light.

The History of Home Staging

In 1972 Barb Schwarz entered the world of residential real estate as an agent in Bellevue, WA. Prior to real estate she had owned her own interior design business. Barb immediately recognized the challenge that existed for all agents of how to help Sellers prepare their homes for sale without upsetting or offending the owner. Barb started educating her sellers on how to set the scene and how to set the Stage® to get their properties sold for top dollar. Barb Schwarz coined the phrase "Staging the home for sale." This was truly the first time the word Staging had been used in the real estate industry and at that time Barb had to explain the meaning of the word over and over to both agents and sellers everywhere. Now, after teaching over 700,000 agents and decorators about Staging all over the United States from 1985 to present time, Barb's term is accepted and understood nationwide and homes that are Staged have an immediate advantage in any market. Barb received the Stage® US Federally Registered Trademark with the United States government in 1990 and with the Canadian government in 2004. Now she's developed the "Accredited Staging Professional™ (ASP™) Course" and the “Master Accredited Staging Professional (ASPM™) Course" for professionals in the industry. NAR Regional Vice President John Veneris says home sellers should ask their REALTOR about staging to make a good first impression with  buyers.  According to Barb Schwarz, 94% of residences that are staged spend no more than 20 days on the market, while it takes 145 days or more to sell homes that have not been staged.. Source: www.stagedhomes.com.

How to Stage a Home!

Staging is the process of preparing any home for sale, regardless of price or location. Using a proven set of guidelines, your house is inspected for compliance with proven standards and any necessary modifications are made. Once this process is complete the home is designated a Staged Home. Kory Grayson, who is an Accredited Staging Professional, trained by Barb Schwarz, will bring a very detailed checklist to start the Staging process. Following is a link to tips to help you get started.  You can just click here Tips  Barb Schwarz, the creator of the Staged Home concept, has developed a training video entitled “How To Prepare Your Home For Sale... So It Sells” which won the "Consumer Education Product of the Year" award, given nationally by the Real Estate Educators of America. For more information contact Kory at 386-795-0860.

For REALTOR.COM's "Field Guide to Preparing and Staging a House For Sale" Click HERE  You will find a variety of articles on "General Tips", "Staging a Home", "Tips on Specific Areas of the House", eBooks and Other Resources and Books, Videos, Research Reports and More.