Thinking about selling your Sarasota home? What if one simple tip could get you more money—faster? Most sellers don’t realize just how much value staging brings—and I’ll show you exactly what happened in just one week after we staged a local listing.

Story: The “Before”

Let me take you behind the scenes of a beautiful listing in Osprey, FL—just 15 minutes from world famous Siesta Key Beach. This house had a fabulous location, pristine condition, amazing space for big families. But, it was empty. Sparse rooms, outdated paint, and not much warmth. Buyers would walk in and say: “It’s clean… it’s big…”—but no one fell in love. When you’re buying a home, you want to see your family living there. But here? Too much blank space—people just couldn’t picture it.

The Transformation: “After Staging”

After months on the market and little action, the sellers decided to give staging a try. We handed the floorplan to a pro stager—outdated peach walls and all—and let her work her magic. When she was finished, the home felt completely different. It was warm, inviting, and comfortable.

The Results: Increased Buyer Interest

Here’s the impact: After restaging and posting new photos, we had five showings in the first week alone. For context, this house had been listed on and off for seven months with barely any showings or offers. But once staged? Suddenly buyers lingered, asked questions, took photos, and started picturing their lives here. And—despite a slow market—we got a great offer about a week after staging.

Did you catch that? Seven months with no bites. One week after staging, and we had 5 showings and a great offer. Our sellers accepted the offer and the house is officially sold!

The Hard Numbers: Cost and ROI

Let’s talk numbers. The biggest hesitation for most sellers is the cost. For this home, staging for 60 days was about $5,000. National studies show staged homes sell for 6–10% more, and 73% faster, than non-staged homes. That means less money lost to taxes, HOA fees, insurance, and price cuts—and more profit in your pocket.

If you have a $1M home and spend $7,000 on staging, you could net $60,000–$100,000 more than if you don’t stage.

When You Might Not Need Staging

Is staging right for every home? Not always. Here are three exceptions:

• The market is so hot, homes sell instantly
• Your furniture, paint, and decor is modern, clean, and will stay in the home until the sale is complete
• The home needs major renovations and is a likely investor purchase

In those cases, staging might not be worth it.

Your Turn!

What about you—what ROI would entice you to consider staging your home? What other questions or concerns do you have about selling your house? Let's talk!