Shannon Thompson

Will home prices ever rise again?

No one knows for certain. But if you must sell your home in the current down market, one strategy to consider could be “home staging.”

Sometimes confused with redecorating, staging employs strategies such as decluttering, cleaning and design to help buyers see a home’s potential.

“You want it to look like a model home and to be neutral, so the buyer can visualize themselves in that home,” said Shannon Thompson, a Chattanooga home stager and owner of Treasure Box Staging and Redesign.

Home staging typically raises home sales prices as much as $5,645, according to a 2003 survey of agents by the online real estate marketing Web site www.HomeGain.com.

Staging services often cost from $1,938 to $2,431, the Web site also reports.

Buyers, though, should be cautious, recommends the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents.

Staging can play to the emotions or even distract from or disguise serious flaws, a 2007 association survey found.

“Staging does not add square footage to the home, improve the home’s location, improve the quality of the fixtures, improve the quality of the construction, increase the desirability of the floor plan or the views or the neighborhood,” the association report writers state.

But clutter can distract buyers, too, said Sherri Pratt, a real estate agent with Prudential RealtyCenter and a certified staging consultant.

“I’ve looked at homes where there’s so much stuff you don’t even see the features of the rooms,” Ms. Pratt said. “We say ‘depersonalize.’ Get rid of clutter, clean, clean, clean and curb appeal, curb appeal, curb appeal.”

All her clients receive free home staging recommendations, Ms. Pratt said.

Consultants such as Ms. Thompson make suggestions to strategically rearrange existing furniture, add small decorative touches or make modest improvements, for a small fee.

In larger cities, higher-end clients may hire professional stagers to completely redesign the whole home, Ms. Pratt said.

Dr. Lee Whitaker, co-owner with his wife, Cassandra, of Whitaker Women’s Care Clinic, hired Ms. Thompson to stage his Lookout Valley home last month.

“It’s a depressed economy. I thought it was wise to do some perks to make it stand out beyond the rest,” Dr. Whitaker said.

For less than $1,000, Ms. Thompson suggested the Whitakers add such touches as a new carpet, sofa pillows and artificial flowers to the living room.

“Typically I’m able to work with what the client has. I get creative in that area and make a real difference in the visual of the home,” she said.

A buyer’s first impression forms in just seven seconds, Ms. Pratt said.

“People love their homes, and they love their pictures of their kids — but the buyer’s got to be able to walk in and imagine their own pictures up there.”

“When buyers approach the house, you want them to be wowed,” agreed Ms. Thompson, who charges $200 for a five-hour consultation.

“Especially when a house down the road is similar, you really want your home to stick out.”

Staging Tips

Here are a few of the decorating tips professional home stagers typically give to clients:

Inside

1. Clear unnecessary objects from furniture and restrict decorative objects to groups of one, three or five items.

2. Coordinate bathroom towels in one or two colors only.

3. During showings, turn on all lights and lamps.

Outside

1. Check gutters for roof moss and dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.

2. Keep plants from blocking windows.

3. Clear patios or decks of all small items.

Source: stagedhomes.com