Whether it’s your home for sale or your client’s home for sale, not every seller is convinced right off the bat that staging the home is something as necessary as getting a home inspection or a pre-approved mortgage is for the buyer.

So if you find yourself or your clients asking these questions, carefully consider these answers before you make that final decision not to stage.

But, why would I want to be spending money when I can’t afford to? I just need to sell my house/apartment.

The softer the market, the more you must differentiate the property from others crowding the market. Wouldn’t it be great to get a bidding war going because your property looks so much better than everyone else’s? Remember, staging is an investment not an expense. A study by the Real Estate Staging Association showed that homes that were staged after being on the market for a while, spent 78% less time on the market than before they were staged. Home staging can increase profit in two ways – by increasing value and by reducing expenses (mortgage, taxes, utilities) by decreasing the time the home is on the market. And according to the National Association of Realtors, the longer the home is on the market, the lower the selling price will be.

But, why can’t buyers just look past the décor and envision themselves living here?

Only 10% of buyers can visualize the potential of a home. Most buyers cannot look past a cluttered or unappealing room. And while most of them start out looking for a home based upon logical criteria, for example, 4 bedrooms, family room with a fireplace, they end up purchasing based upon an emotional connection they feel when they’re in the home. When a house feels like home, they will reprioritize their list. They may be willing to give up the fireplace because staging has transformed the property into a “dream” and they can envision themselves living there. It has to portray a lifestyle they aspire to.

But, my home looks good. It doesn’t need to be staged.

Every home that’s for sale can benefit from the objective eye of a professional home stager. Most homeowners are so used to their home’s flaws they don’t see them anymore. Also, you cannot view your own home through a buyer’s eyes. Once your home is on the market, it’s a product that needs to be positioned just like any other product on the market. And it’s not about your taste anymore!