Stagers create ideal home image

MYRTLE BEACH -- Real estate sales have slowed in the past few months, and the need or desire to sell a property may lead some homeowners to look for ways to set their property apart, including staging.

Staging, which is setting up a property in an appealing way, can help buyers envision themselves in the property.

"What I tell people is that there are two things that are most important in selling a home. One is price, and the other is presentation," said Cyndee Long, owner of Seaside Home Stagers. "Staging is sort of the marketing of the interior of the house."

In today's real estate market, there is so much inventory that buyers can be picky, and most want a move-in ready home where they can see themselves living, she said.

Long, who started her company last year, is a finalist for the rookie of the year award from the Real Estate Staging Association, a national organization.

The winner will be announced at the association's convention later this month and is picked by a panel of experts based on a number of criteria, including branding, before-and-after photos and the overall appeal of the entry, said Shell Brodnax, the chief executive officer of the organization.

In the current real estate market, properties are competing against foreclosures and other properties with big price cuts, so having the property staged is necessary to get a buyer, she said.

"In a slower market staging is absolutely essential because it is going to sell that property, period. The unstaged ones, those are the ones that are staying on the market longer," Brodnax said.

Jennifer Grant, the owner of Low Country Staging, said her business picked up as properties have stayed on the market longer and have been harder to sell.

Sellers realize they have to try a different approach to sell the property, she said.

Mitch Mims, a Realtor with The Litchfield Co., said that in some cases staging can really benefit a property, but it is an added expense.

Long charges about $300 for an analysis and report of what a homeowner can do on their own and prices vary for her to make the fixes or rent furniture, she said.

"It is kind of a case-by-case situation," Mims said.

Staging is more helpful if a house is empty because it gives the prospective buyer a sense of how they can furnish the house, Mims said.

Mims said in some cases the owner can't afford to stage the property, and typically higher priced homes are more likely to be staged.

"It does depend on the situation and they're all different, but there is a definite benefit there," he said.