Homeowners wanting to sell their home are in for some good news as many real estate markets are showing signs of rebound. For example, Denver, Colorado is one such market that is seeing homes in the $100,000-$300,000 range sell quickly and for more than expected. However, despite these positive trends, sellers remain cautious and competition is tough, especially since foreclosed properties continue to saturate most markets.

Many home sellers are turning to professional stagers to set their homes up for fast sale and to remain competitive in this tough housing market. Professional staging will remove the personal characteristics of your home that may turn off a prospective buyer, setting your home up to appeal to as many people as possible. The goal is to have a potential purchaser see themselves living in the house as they are walking through.

Although there is no guarantee, history has shown that staged homes spend less time on the market and sell for far more than non-staged homes. And yet, many homeowners are reluctant to take advantage of this proven sales strategy, for several reasons.

1. It is too expensive. The cost to professionally stage a home can fluctuate. As the objective of home staging is to emphasize its positive features and downplay the negatives, a house that is already in terrific condition will have a lower bill to professionally stage it. Most professional stagers will meet with you and provide a cost estimate, and many are even allowing creative payment options to meet your particular needs.

2. It will be too difficult. The reality is that home staging can be as simple as de-cluttering your home or rearranging or updating accessories. It can also be as complex as updating every single room. Luckily, the latter is hardly ever necessary; you can often achieve excellent results by highlighting a few key rooms or areas such as kitchens, bathrooms or the master bedroom. A key factor is to de-clutter the entire house, in order to best display your homes unique qualities.

3. It will take too much time. In reality, the norm is one to three days, with even the most difficult staging jobs being completed in less than a week.

Selling a home is still very tough, particularly since there are bank owned properties priced to sell competing with your home. Having your home professionally staged may be just what you need to give you that competitive edge and to sell your home fast and for a great price.

The purpose of a home staging company is actually quite different from the interior decorating trade. Interior decorators create rooms to the specifications of invidual owners or occupants. Developers often work with an interior decorating company when building custom homes. The interior decorator designs a space to reflect the person style of the homeowner. Quite opposite from the services of a home staging professional.

Home staging companies create a neutral space so that potential buyers can envision their style and belongings in each room. The goal is to create organized, functional and welcoming rooms.

When a realtor shows the property, potential buyers can visualize the space without unnecessary distractions. Home staging is especially effective with recently listed family homes. Real estate professionals know from experience that staging will increase the odds of selling a property.

Many sellers are emotionally attached or otherwise unwilling or unable to make the necessary preparations for selling their home. A good real estate agent will often recommend professional home staging services in this case. The home stager will depersonalize and unclutter the home making it presentable for open houses and private showings. In a buyer’s market, sellers need every advantage available putting certified home stagers in high demand.

Home staging services are not limited to individual homeowners. Developers will often hire home stagers to prepare their model homes. Home stagers can help the developer make decisions about the paint colors, finishes, furniture arrangement and more. A professionally staged model home will appeal to a wider variety of buyers than one that is bare. Home staging services can also help contractors who purchase and renovate homes. These contractors often need a quick sale to recoup their investment so they turn to home staging during the marketing process.

When the housing market is slow, you will find that successful real estate agents regularly use home staging services. Home staging can mean the difference between a home that sells quickly and one that sits on the market for months or years.