With real estate sales down every seller is looking for an edge. Some are turning to home staging. You've probably seen the shows on cable but home stagers aren't just made for tv they're producing real results that get homes sold.

Milton Reach, hired a home stager says, "We were very attached and thought it was quite perfect the way it was."

Martin Reach and his sister are trying to sell their mother's Westfield home. And just like many homes these day, the beautiful but outdated house sat unsold for months.

Reach says, "We had it on the market for a while and people came in and thought it wasn't exactly what they were looking for."

They decided to pull their mother's home off the market and make some major changes. He knocked down a wall and added windows to bring in more light. Then to help them polish the home he hired Laura DuPont, owner of Pioneer Valley Home Staging, based in Amherst.

DuPont says, "A home stager comes in with a fresh set of eyes."

Someone who is not attached to the peach carpet or the blue boarded wallpaper.

DuPont says, "All the walls were painted in the same color throughout the house which really helps create a flow."

And a more modern look. DuPont also helped define rooms suited for today's buyer.

Home staging is all about the details. But there's one thing missing in every room.

Ellen Humprheys, co-owner of Staging Well To Sell, says, "Clutter."

Ellen Humphreys and Robin Vuori started Staging Well to Sell based in Longmeadow last year.

Robin Vuori says, "When you put your home on the market it's not really a home anymore it becomes a product and you need to market and sell that product. Just like you would a product in a store."

Recently a homeowner called them in two days before an open house. They didn't have time to take down all the wallpaper but they still transformed the rooms. They took a master bedroom with pink flowered wallpaper with a big bed and turned it into a little girl's room with twin beds.

Vuori says, "You really need to depersonalize and de-clutter your home. What we really spend the most of our time doing is making the room look as big as possible. When you sell your home you are selling square footage. So we want to take as much of the furniture out open up the space but at the same time make it aesthetically appealing."

And make a someone feel at home.

DuPont says,"You do start imaging yourself living here. The buyer comes in saying this is my room. I have dibs on this one."

Sometimes it works a little too well. Martin Reach says he very pleased with the results.

Reach says, "I'd love to live here myself. It's beautiful."

According to StagedHomes.com, 94.6% of staged homes sell in 35 days or less versus non-staged homes. They can sit on the market for up to 175 days. In terms of cost, there are different levels of service, anywhere from $100 to $300 dollars per room to 3 percent of the home's selling price.

Contact Information:
Staging Well To Sell: http://www.stagingwelltosell.com/
Pioneer Valley Home Staging: http://pvhomestaging.com/