The first misconception surrounding staging is the cost associated with staging. Quality staging with quality furniture and art is expensive. High end staging for a 2500 sq ft home can easily run $3,000 to $5,000. Bottom line – Staging can get expensive.

Is it really worth while? There really isn’t a magic answer to this question. I have worked with sellers that swear by staging and I have worked with sellers that find it to be a complete waste of money. First and foremost, I would only professionally stage a vacant home. Secondly, if I was going to stage a home, I would only do so with a respected high end staging company. This is one area of Real Estate that I would not shop solely based upon price. Cheap furniture and shoddy art work is not what you want in this scenario. If you are going to do it…spend the money to do it right. Thirdly, understand the product you are selling. A highly desirable remodeled home with high end finishes may benefit from professional staging. On the other hand, do not stage your fixer upper/rental property. Think of staging as a luxury service that should help magnify and highlight the upgrades you have made to your home. Quality staging should bring out the best of your home and should be used by homeowners  who are trying to obtain top dollar for a quality product.

We list properties for investors on a daily basis.  The flat fee MLS program is perfect for them because they are 100% capable and experienced in selling properties and prefer to negotiate deals themselves.  We also get questions from prospective investors of where to get started.  You need to be very careful.  There are far more books, seminars, mentoring services, etc. we DON’T recommend than the few books that we do recommend.  Much of what the purported real estate gurus teach you is either illegal or unethical, and almost none of what they teach will work in the real world.  The most comprehensive rating of the gurus out there is available at real estate author John T. Reed’s website.