Studies show that staging can increase a home's value while typically reducing the time it spends on the market by half.  Instead of cutting into sellers' profits, dollars spent on staging can actually multiply themselves.  According to a 9/25/06 personal finance article on MSNBC.com, Pat Vredevoogd Coombs, president-elect of the National Association of Realtors and a Grand Rapids Michigan Realtor, prefers that her listings be staged.  "Sellers are too used to their homes," she reports, "They just cannot see them through the eyes of a buyer."  She has personally used stagers to sell her own homes.

Barbara Schwartz invented home staging in 1972.  She has staged over 5,000 homes and reports, "I've never seen sellers not recoup their investment."

The Wall Street Journal on April 30, 2003, reported that "staging speeds up sales in a sluggish market and can bump up prices from two percent to ten percent in a moderate market..."

A 2003 HomeGain survey of realtors found that staging literally pays for itself; moderately-priced home improvements ranging from $80 - $2,800 made in preparation of the sale yielded the highest returns when a house is sold.  Staging homes is a small investment with a potentially huge return!

"Cash-strapped" buyers want, and will pay a premium for houses in "move-in" condition.  Most will put just about everything they have into the purchase of their house.  They have little left to spend on fix-ups.