Q. We are in the process of selling our house and our real estate agent has advised us that we could use a professional stager to increase the appeal of our house and drive up the price. Personally, I think our house shows quite well and that it is wasted money. What is your opinion?
Although this isn’t a legal question, it is a good one and deserves some thought.
Stagers (as they are known) are generally technically trained individuals who approach a home and look at it from the eyes of a potential purchaser. What you may have thought was an entirely acceptable decor may be something that would turn many potential buyers off. The idea here is to have the buyer walk into your space and imagine living there.
Aside from the obvious clutter and really bad pieces of furniture, the stager can address a variety of items: Your furniture layout, removing some pieces and storing them offsite, etc. The end result is that you want to gain the maximum amount of money from the sale of your home. Having invested from several hundred to perhaps several thousand can really pay off in the end.
Note: If the house is sitting empty, it is almost always useful to have the property staged as rooms that are decorated for their purposes are much more attractive to the buyers.
Jeffrey Cowan is the principal with Cowan Taylor and McGee, Barristers & Solicitors. The information in this article should not be relied upon as legal advice.
