Having Trouble Selling Your Home? Try Hiring A Stager

MIAMI (CBS4) - The secret to selling your home could be simple: have you considered home staging?

When the housing market is filled with short sales and foreclosures... people are looking for the best deal out there, so experts say it is important to make sure your home stands out.

Home stagers don't just decorate; they stage a home for the buyer to be compelled to make the purchase.

CBS4 cameras were there as the team from Bertone Home Staging prepared a condo on Fisher Island for sale.

"Statistically, ten seconds to grab that buyer and they go 'wow'. They want to see the next room and the next room," said Angelina Perez, founder of Bertone Home Staging.

Staging helps create visuals and make the space as desirable to buyers as possible. People do not like to leave anything to their imagination, according to experts,

The designers achieve their looks with accessories, like rugs lamps vases and art work.

But before hiring a home stager, consumer watchdog groups suggest you do your homework.

"When you interview a home stager, ask them how many jobs they have done, how many houses they have done, and how long has the house been on the market before and after staging," said Angie Hicks, founder of Angieslist.com, a consumer ratings service.

The point to staging is to create an inviting space with neutral decorations that can appeal to all types of potential buyers.

"It is clean and fresh. A homeowner can walk in here and see themselves in this bed room," said Perez to CBS4's Jorge Estevez after her staff was done staging the bed with fresh linens and the walls with neutral artwork.

The cost of staging can range from a consultation, which could cost a few hundred dollars, to installation and removal of décor and furnishings once you sell your property which could cost several thousand dollars.