why do we want to stage before listing?

I encourage my sellers to stage their home before listing. I don't mean to say the kind of staging you see on HGTV shows. It is very important to make your home as 'sellable' as possible to potential buyers. A well staged house can sell quicker and tends to sell at a higher price.

I personally like to hire a professional stager when I list a property. I have a BA in Interior Design, so I can do it for the sellers, but I've found it is easier if a professional stager steps in and suggests to the sellers what needs to be done before listing. Sometimes the sellers may take our advice personally and it could effect our relationship. I think in many cases the sellers are more willing to change things when a stager suggests some changes because the sellers know that those stagers are 'experts'.

All of the stagers I've known are very professional, respectful, personable and sensitive. They all know that the sellers have arranged their rooms in a certain way because it works and they like it. So they are not going to walk in and start changing everything. Everybody has different taste and it is not about right or wrong. But when we sell a property, we want to avoid distractions like too many family pictures, or oversized furniture, or too strong wall color, etc. as much as possible. And they know how to do it and what to do it.

If you are in need of stagers or interior designers in the Seattle and Eastside area in WA, here are a couple of them that I can refer.

Marlene Rockey http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=108728947344&h=pq9Ed&u=O9-YG&ref=mf
Yumi Kagamihara http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=219504095416&h=-BxA5&u=cU8rB&ref=mf
Dawn Wilkinson http://www.six-walls.com/about.htm

They are not only great stagers/interior desingers but also very nice persons!