Staging a home means to professionally prepare a home for sale to maximize its selling price and potential. It is simply an investment in your biggest asset and offers advantages in a very competitive real estate market. It is not uncommon to invest $20,000 in staging a home and realizing a sale of over $100,000 above the asking price. As television shows such as Flip This House and The Stagers as well as other real estate shows become popular more people are investing in staging their home before beginning the process of selling it to find great profits.

A staged home will sell nearly 50 percent faster than a non-staged home, and will often sell for an average of 10 percent more; according to the U.S. National Association of Realtors. Home stagers will "merchandise" the home to make them appealing to a broad range of buyers. It is their job to create a stage that makes people fall in love with the home and make as much profit on the home sale as possible.

Staging a home is not the same as decorating a property for the home owners taste, rather it is to transform the home into a space that makes a great first impression that appeals to a wide audience and offers great potentials for all lifestyles. A home that is appealing to both the potential owners with family and without ensures the greatest profit potential.

Staging a home often requires the removal of furniture and art and possibly the rental of other artworks and furniture to present a more neutral and fresh look. Minor renovations, landscaping and fresh paint is nearly always recommended. Focus on the exterior looks is extremely important as the sales always begin with the curb appeal. Potential buyers must first fall in love with the home from the street or they may not stick around for a viewing.

Staging a home is not the same as interior design; it is all about selling real estate. Interior design focuses on making the inside of a house "homey" and staging sets the scene to top property sales. Staging requires the owners to be fully committed to improving their home's selling potential and expect to spend between $10,000 and $20,000.

Most staging will include putting together a proposal to do landscaping, wallpaper removal, complete interior painting, cleaning services, woodworking and minor renovations. It is not uncommon to replace appliances and even add to the home. According to professional stagers it is nearly always an investment that really pays off.