If you are selling your home, a stager just might become your new best friend. This professional works to prepare your home for the real estate market. The main objective is to make your house desirable to the highest number of potential buyers possible, so it will be more likely to sell quickly and easily.

What Does a Home Stager Do?

The home stager might employ a variety of different techniques to present the home in the best light possible. The first step will likely be to make sure the home is impeccably clean, including the exterior of the house. Next the stager will work on removing the personal touches that are unique to the buyer. Paint colors might go from dramatic reds and purples to neutral tones like beige and taupe. The home should be cleared of family photos, risqué artwork, collections and knickknacks, so potential buyers will be able to better envision their own life in the house. Some stagers tackle most of these tasks themselves, while others work with subcontractors and other professionals to get the job done. Here are some related professionals and vendors to complement the work of home stagers: Interior Designers & Decorators, Photographers, Real Estate Agents.

Before you contact a stager, make sure to consider a few things. Are you willing to change your home and take the advice of this professional to help sell your house? Do you think your house would greatly benefit from the help of a stager? How long are you comfortable having your home on the market? A staged home is likely to sell faster and, on occasion, at a higher asking price than a nonstaged home. But there is no guarantee.

Questions to ask a home stager:

• May I see your portfolio?
• What type of training and experience do you have in home staging?
• Are you insured?
• What is your average ratio of listed to sold properties?
• Do you offer any sort of guarantee on the sale of the property?

Find a home stager on Houzz. Narrow your search in the Professionals section of the website to home stagers. You can also look through photos by style to find a room you like, then contact the professional who staged it.