I guess the idea behind all of this is to give people more for their money. So, if that is the case, why aren't more Realtors offering staging services to their seller, even when it is proven to increase sales potential? Some say it costs too much, others say sellers are not interested. Many are just sitting on the fence waiting for someone else to try it and see how it works for them. Well, if you are hesitant to take the plunge, here are five reasons why you should not stage your listings.

1. You are truly selfless and want other agents to succeed before you. If other agents are selling their staged listings and your unstaged listings are not moving, they are increasing their sales volume and their bank accounts by offering a service that you do not. Do you think new sellers will want to hire you or the other "successful" agent?

2. There really is no need to increase your service menu, you offer enough already, right? If the idea of giving buyers more for their money, why not give sellers the same? The commission you earn is cash out of the sellers pocket and you want them to know you deserve every penny. The more you do to market their house, the happier they are.

3. You are willing to sell homes at reduced prices because as long as they sell, you are still making some commission. Homes that don't show well, don't sell well and that is a fact. If a property is unappealing, it may sell, but a sometimes drastically reduced price. Every price reduction is a reduction in commission for you and less profit for your seller. Not staging loses money for everyone.

4. Staging is expensive. On the contrary, a professional stager is a highly creative individual who thrives on creating high impact on a low budget. The idea behind staging is that you use what you have first, then seek low cost alternatives. To quote Barb Schwarz, founder of Stagedhomes.com, "The investment in Staging is less than your first price reduction." Boy is that ever true. The average first price reduction on a $150,000 listing is $5,000. The national average for staging fees for a home in that price range is less than $1,000. Would you rather spend $1000 or give away $5,000?

5. Staging is time consuming and a stager will just hold up the process. Actually,most properties can be staged in less than a day. Some, depending on condition, may take longer but as a whole stagers recognize your market target date as set in stone and would never do anything to miss it. Stagers WANT you to sell your listings and move within YOUR timetable.

So there it is - all the reasons why you shouldn't partner with a Home Stager. Keep repeating them to yourself and pretty soon you will convince yourself that you don't need one.

___________________________________________________________
Kimberly Wester is an Accredited Staging professional loated in Valparaiso, Indiana.