Realtors look for edge in crowded field

INDIANAPOLIS - The slowdown in the economy means homes for sale are sitting on the market for longer periods of time. With so many available homes, sellers are looking for ways to get ahead of the competition.

One option for sellers is to have their home staged. Staging professional Barb Schwarz is credited with creating home staging. The Seattle resident flew to Indianapolis to hold a staging seminar. Eighty realtors and staging professionals gathered at the home of Louise Martinez for the exercise. Martinez is selling her four bedroom, three bath home in Pike Township.

"I heard, with staging, it cuts your time on the market down by half. I figured, why not do a staging and put the money upfront?" said Martinez.

Schwarz said, "Our data at stagedhomes.com shows that 95 percent of the homes that are staged sell in less than 35 days. The ones that are not are anywhere from 172 days to a year."

The group at Louise Martinez’ house divided into teams. Each team was assigned a separate room. Their job was to re-configure the room so it will appeal to homebuyers. No new furniture is brought into the home, but the realtors trade pieces between rooms.

Schwarz said the way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two different things. Staging is done to make the home more appealing to buyers so it sells faster. She said the average cost to stage a home is around $1,800, but adds the cost is nothing compared to the amount of money a homeowner loses every time they reduce the asking price of their home when it's not selling.

Schwarz said when it comes to staging, it's not about spending money. It's an investment of time and energy.

For home staging tips, visit stagedhomes.com .

If you want to see the end result of Wednesday's staging, check out Sunday's open house from 1-5 p.m. The address is 8121 Walden Glen Court, Indianapolis.