If you ever sold a house or are now in the process of it, I am sure you have heard about how important it is to stage your home. Let us take a look at some usual questions and concerns around staging your home.

"What is the big deal about home staging?"; "Does it really make that much of a difference when you are trying to sell your house?"; "How come no one ever used to do it?"; "And how to stage your home to sell quickly?" These are some of the questions we get most times around this particular subject.I clearly remember people selling homes way back before any little baby stagers were even born! What do we even need them for? Well, the truth is that staging a home really does help to sell it faster and at a higher selling price. Recent statistics gathered show that 29% of sellers’ agents reported an increase of one percent to five percent of the dollar value offered by buyers, in comparison to similar homes. 21% percent of respondents stated that staging a home increased the dollar value of the home between 6-10%. One-third of buyer’s agents said that staging a home increased the dollar value offered between 1-5% percent compared to other similar homes on the market that are not staged. Why? Apparently, it’s because most people are not good at visualizing the potential of a space: 77% of home buyers find it easier to visualize the property as a future home when staged. But, enough statistics! Bring on the tips! (And yes, we at The Betty Brigade stage homes, but it’s not always necessary to hire a professional home stager.) Keep these points in mind:

• Buyers respond to space. They want to walk in and feel like there’s more than enough space for their stuff. Declutter! Then declutter again! Have enough furniture there to define the purpose of each room, but not much more than that. Your mantra is, “When in doubt, leave it out.”

• Buyers want to envision themselves in this home. Therefore, take out personal items like photos, kids’ pictures on the fridge, etc. Imagine these possible buyers: an old lady, a young couple expecting a baby, or a nerdy guy. You get the idea!

• Appeal to the largest possible group. Although your home will be staged and attractive, it should seem somewhat “generic” for staging purposes. Keep it simple. Plainer is better, very few well-chosen accessories.

• Buyers want to know that the home has enough built-in storage. Any storage unit, such as a bookcase or shelving unit that isn’t selling with the house, should be sparsely “populated.” Buyers will interpret crammed shelves as meaning there’s not enough storage in the house. It’s best to remove bookcases, shelving units, etc., if they won’t be sold with the home. If you need to leave them while showing your home, try to keep them 50 percent empty.

And about that question up at the top about why no one ever used to stage their homes? We probably did, but instead of calling it staging, we called it, “Making the house look nice.” Life was so uncomplicated back then! Have you ever staged a house? What other tips do you have? Please feel free to share and comment. Until next time – Keep It Simple!