Is it really necessary to stage a house to get it sold? Aren’t the buyers coming to look regardless? Moving in furniture that has to be moved out again at closing, placing endless cosmetic items (from wall décor to fruit bowls to bath towels), just to impress lookers? Given the trouble and expense, it is no surprise that many flippers don’t stage their sale properties.

In my experience – yes, staging is worth doing because it works, and here’s why.Beautiful, professionally-done staging has high impact with home buyers. Staging connects a buyer with the idea of living in the home in a way that looking at empty rooms does not. Nothing feels colder or echoes quite like a vacant house. No matter how upgraded or beautiful, that’s what your sale house is until the living essentials make it feel like a home.

Statistics show that home staging significantly reduces time on the market – and that’s a flipper’s ultimate dream! Free up that cash! Move forward to that next project by doing what it takes to move this one to closing as quickly as you can.  Some statistics have shown that, on average, staged homes have sold in a third of the time compared with those that aren’t staged. Reducing the carrying costs by one to two months will usually more than pay for the staging. (Reference link http://bit.ly/NKVhAW )

The majority of buyers don’t have the vision or the experience to imagine living in an empty home they are wandering through. They are overwhelmed anyway – wandering through a hallway with empty bedrooms and baths feels much like all the others they’ve toured. But finding beds with warmly appealing bedspreads, cute curtains and dressers and shelves fixes in their minds the picture of living in this lovely home. The kitchen looks ready for a home-cooked meal; the living room is enjoyable for the family and beautiful to guests. Suddenly it seems more rational to just make an offer and close and end the endless home-shopping, knowing this can be a comfortable home for their family.

Development builders have made the “model home” (usually one for each floor plan) their marketing cornerstone – and there’s a reason why. You’ve seen the exquisitely decorated and furnished model homes and the inviting feel that makes you want to plop down on the couch, put your feet up and turn on the game. Why not bring the same power to your own marketing?

“This could be the way you live if you buy and move in!” That’s the message you want to send to the home buyers in your flip project market. Use the services of a professional stager who really knows the market – and help your project get onto the sales books, and you onto the next one!

Do you enjoy visiting a home with beautiful furnishings and décor? Does it appeal to you as a lifestyle you want for yourself?

I share my experience and advice FREE with new (and old) investors in my blog!  Visit and register for updates at  http://www.streetwisepropertyinvesting.com/blog/.