Home staging is one of the best marketing tools and many consider it their secret weapon against the competition. However, it is not a magic wand 
and it is not the be all, end all to getting your house sold.
If your house is over priced, staged or not, it will sit until someone comes along who is willing to pay the price. That could be a very long time. 
Time on the market is money out of your pocket.
It's funny how valuable something becomes, in our mind, when we decide to sell itl Price cannot be determined by your emotional attachment. Price cannot be determined by what you "have to get for it" or what you owe on it.
Price is determined by the market, and what buyers are willing to pay. Price is determined by what other houses comparable to yours have recently sold for.
Today, you need an advantage over your competition. You need to create a higher perceived value and something that sets your house apart, something that validates your asking price.
Imagine a buyer visits eight homes
and two of them are vacant,
five of them are dated,
have furniture placement issues
or need carpet replaced or painting done.
They visit house number eight
which has fresh paint,
furniture is arranged to show space and function,
postivie features of the home are highlighted,
and lighting fixtures and window treatments are current and stylish.
House number eight is move-in-ready.
All eight houses are in the same price range, but house number eight is perceived as more valuable, and therefore perceived as a better deal. House number eight will be remembered and all other things equal, will get the offer.
Your odds of selling before your competition and for closest to your asking price will increase using professional home staging in your marketing plan.
Decluttering and depersonalizing is only the beginning...professional staging together with a realistic price is the way to guarantee a deposit in the bank.
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603.661.8524
Great illustration of how critical it is in the current market to make a house stand out from the competition.
Great post, Sharon! Excellent pics!
~Michelle
Sharon - I agree. You stated it very well. Keep up the good work! :)
Linda Thanks, standing out and being remembered are important...emotionally appealing to the buyer even better!
Michelle Thanks for the kind words!
As my hubby has always said, "it's only worth as much as somone is willing to pay for it."
Hello Sharon! I like your phrase "realistic price". Great post!!
...and a picture IS worth a thousand words...in this case, perhaps thousands of $$$! Happy Staging, Julie
Sharon, Great comparison, you are so very right.. The staged home is much more memorable !! God bless,
Excellent post, and good illustration of touring eight homes. Liked how you explained the difference between price and perceived value.
Debi Thanks, I appreciate it. I state 'em as I see 'em.
Cindy Your husband is a wise man. You don't have to admit to him I said so if you don't want to.
Cathy "Realistic" can be hard to swallow sometimes. Thanks for the comment.
Julie A visit to the MLS shows how many people are underestimating the value of their photos. Thanks, and happy staging right back at ya!
Cheryl Thank you, nice to hear you are right every once in awhile!
Leah I appreciate the comment and the compliment. Perception is a tricky thing! It can mess us up sometimes. In staging we can use it to our advantage.