Sellers seek pros to stage homes
05/16/2009

The first time Neil and Megan Bloede peeked through the windows, the house was empty. When they came back for a tour, the 1924 Colonial Revival was dressed up with period furnishings and accessories. It had been staged -- a concept becoming more popular with homeowners and real estate agents.

"I joked with my wife that I liked the Revolutionary period portrait hanging over the fireplace so much that I wanted it put into the offer," said Neil Bloede, a lawyer. They didn't get the portrait, but they did buy their first home.

With the glut of houses on the market, a staged home will sell while others linger, said Nyla Clark-Kurtz of Enhancements by Design in Indianapolis.

While real estate agents can offer advice on how to de-clutter a home, professional stagers take the space to the next level, offering potential buyers a vision of how it can best be used.

"The first thing I do is ask the homeowners if they are willing to put their home into pristine condition to bring the highest amount of money or if they just want it to look good enough to sell," Clark-Kurtz said.

Next, she asks whether they will complete the work themselves or hire contractors. Julie Preston took one look at the living room of Daniel and Jennifer Huff's ranch home and knew where she wanted potential buyers to look first. "I rearranged the furniture and added an area rug so we had clean lines, neutral colors and an emphasis on the ornate tile fireplace," said Preston, of Design to Sell Enterprise.

"When you stage, you look for the 'wow' factor when you first walk in."

Steve Sterrett's home was ideal for staging after it remained on the market and unoccupied for nearly four months. Sterrett, his wife, Betty, and their two teens had lived in the home for seven years when they put it on the market. They took the 20-year-old home off the market long enough to update the floors and countertops, and add coats of neutral paint to the walls, but the house didn't show well empty.

"I had been reading a little bit about staging, and we opted to give it a try. Literally, within a week of staging, we had an offer," Sterrett said. The couple did what the experts suggest -- they concentrated on the entryway, master bedroom, kitchen and living room.  "When you walked in, there was a small table and pictures on the wall.

"It wasn't rocket science, but it was enough to help the potential buyer recognize the potential of the home with something in it," said Sterrett. He signed a 90-day agreement, averaging $700 to $800 a month, to rent and set up furniture and accessories for the staging. "I wasn't getting anything from a vacant home. I needed it to move, so I invested a little more to make it happen."

It doesn't take a lot to make a great first impression. When the Bloedes walked into the three-bedroom home that would become their own, Neil Bloede was taken in by the slate floor in the entryway, polished hardwood in the living and dining areas and the modest furnishings. They had toured about 20 empty and occupied homes.

"It kind of helped us see where furniture would go and what size would work in certain rooms," Bloede said.

"So many homes we went in looked like they had hurried to throw things under the beds and left their shoes sitting out. It felt like we were invading their space. This seemed more homey but not lived in. We could picture ourselves living there."