Home staging has been a buzz word in real estate for a number of years now but still is not used by many real estate agents. Does it really work? Would it be a good idea for real estate agents want to spend their own money to stage a home? This is what Realtor Joe Molnar of South Bend Indiana did.

Joe listed a home that had been on the market over a year with two different agents. The original list price was high at $237,900 and was then reduced to $220,000. The house was in good condition but was vacant.

Take a look at how the house showed when it was listed with the first two agents:

Home Before Staging

Joe listed the house for $215,000. He spent $500 for staging and furniture rental for 3 months. When you look at the photos of the house after staging you don’t even realize it is the same house.

Home After Staging

See what I mean? When you compare the before and after photos the difference is remarkable.  Staging and good photos make a BIG difference. Joe thinks his $500 investment will earn him a $6,000 commission this spring.

Would you spend $500 for a $6,000 return?

Another good example of Home Staging is HGTV’s ‘Get It Sold‘ with Sabrina Soto. Sabrina takes a home that has been on the market for awhile and stages it for an Open House. Once again the before and after is amazing!