Fixing those long-ignored repairs, finding your dream home and packing up all your worldly possessions — selling a house and moving comes with a long to-do list. Do you really need to add home staging to this already busy time?

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It isn't required, but staging homes can make the process a lot easier — and your pockets a lot fuller.

What Is Home Staging?

You aren't putting on a Broadway production in your home, but house staging can result in rave reviews from prospective buyers. Staging a house means setting up the furniture and decor to make it present well. That might mean simply decluttering and rearranging the furniture you have. Or it could mean emptying your house completely and using temporary furniture from a professional staging company. However the process looks, you're setting it up to create a picture-perfect presentation that appeals to prospective buyers.

What Are Some Reasons You Should Stage a Home That Is for Sale?

Staging a house might seem like wasted time and money, but it can give you some impressive results. Consider these benefits of staging homes before you decide.

1. Improve Online Images

Since about 99% of 24- to 57-year-old home buyers use the internet during their search, it's important to have high-quality images to set yourself apart. Staging homes before taking real estate photos could draw more attention from buyers who are searching online. The staged look comes across in the photos, making your home look more attractive. That could encourage more buyers to set up showings.

2. Reduce Your Stress

Using a professional stager makes your life easier during an already hectic time. Your stager handles all the details. They know what works well and what appeals to buyers. Home staging companies typically have furniture and accessories they can use in your home as part of their services. Instead of figuring out how to rearrange furniture and decorate yourself, you can focus on other moving tasks while your stager handles it.

3. Help Buyers Visualize Themselves in Your Home

You love your home, so why wouldn't everyone else? It's easy to get caught up in the emotional attachment you have to your home. But remember that not everyone has the same style. When your personalization takes over the home, it's tough for other people to see themselves there. Home staging can create a more widely appealing look while depersonalizing your home.

Staging can also help buyers visualize how to use the space. A house staging professional can help improve the use of the space or fill an already empty home with furniture to help buyers see the home's potential.

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4. Highlight the Best Features of Your Home

You might be moving, but you still likely have things you love about your home. Maybe it's the cozy fireplace in the living room or the detailing on your kitchen cabinets. Proper house staging helps emphasize those features so buyers take notice. That can help them fall in love with your home or make them willing to pay more for it.

5. Downplay the Less Desirable Features

At the same time, you can minimize some of the less desirable features. Your stager might find a way to make your tiny dining room look more spacious or draw attention away from an outdated area. Effective staging helps draw the eye where you want it to make your home show better.

6. Get More Money From Your Home

Many of the other benefits of staged homes add up to one major perk: a higher selling price. Of sellers who staged their homes, 75% got offers that were 5% to 15% over their asking price. Your return on investment will vary, but you could more than make up for the cost of staging your home. Staging helps improve how buyers perceive your home, and they could be willing to pay more for it.

7. Shorten the Time on the Market

Spending a long time on the market could lower your sale price. Plus, it keeps you stuck in a holding pattern instead of moving on with your life. Real estate staging could help your home sell faster by making people see its true potential and fall in love with it. A survey by the Real Estate Staging Association showed that staged homes sold about nine days faster. That means you can move faster, which may help you save money on storage or avoid paying for two homes.