By Dana Dean
St. Louis (KSDK) -- In an economy where homes are on the market for a longer period of time, experts say sellers have to step up their game. But before sellers drop the asking price, some say you should stage your home first.
One home in South City is on the market right now for $169,000 and it's staged to make it look more expensive. There's no electronics to be found there. That's just one of the tricks to make this house appeal to a large number of people.
While some realtors stage homes, there are companies in St. Louis that specialize in it. Staging a home can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000. Hometenders Home Staging says 95% of the time, people buy homes for psychological reasons. Which include how it looks, feels, and smells.
Experts says a staged home is on the market for an average of 45 to 60 days, but they say that statistic only rings true if the seller agrees to stage the home before it gets listed into the multiple listings system.
Kelly Boyd of Hometenders Home Staging, said, "That's key in this whole process because the first two weeks of the home being on the market are pivotal. That's when people know if it is a new listing, if it is in their price range, meets their location criteria. And those people are serious who are coming through in the first two weeks."
Angela Kittner, a realtor, said, "They'll be that one person that'll be like, 'No, I can envision a home without anything in it.' But most, honestly, they need the help."
However, a real estate attorney NewsChannel 5 spoke with says, in this economy, the price of your home always wins. He says right now properties that just appear to be a deal may sell better than a perfectly staged home.
"They're looking for something that doesn't have any furniture in it, is completely vacant, or has a little bit of a problem to it because they feel they're getting a better deal," said Ted Disabato, a real estate attorney.
For more information on home staging, visit http://hometenders.com/
KSDK