As you prepare to sell your home, you might debate whether to hire a stager who can make it look on-trend and ultra-appealing for prospective buyers.

Advocates say an effective stager can make a huge difference in how customers perceive your home, since they know all the tricks for arranging, curating and/or adding to your décor for optimal aesthetics.

But skeptics say the cost (a national average of $1,000 and $3,000) can be unnecessary. Sometimes, rearranging furnishings calls attention to flaws in the home. And living with borrowed, rearranged or missing furnishings (while waiting for a sale) can be inconvenient.

What do the facts say?

• In the NAR’s 2021 Profile of Home Staging, more than a quarter of buyers said they’re willing to overlook property faults in staged homes. Most important were living rooms (46%), master bedrooms (43%) and kitchens (35%). Among buyers’ agents, 82% agreed staging helps clients visualize a property as their own.

• A survey by the International Association of Home Staging Professionals determined staging can help sell a property three to 30 times faster, while helping boost sale prices by up to 20%. Those who didn’t stage saw price reductions 5 to 20% higher than projected staging costs.

• The Real Estate Staging Association found that after investing an average 1% of their asking prices into staging, 75% of sellers sold at 5 to 15% more than asking prices.

“Homes may be selling faster, but the right style can help earn the highest ROI,” notes stager Patti Stern on NAR.com.

Want to make your home stand out during a slower selling season? When readying your place for showings, play up the positive side of winter.

Clean sidewalks, curbs and driveways

Keeping your sidewalks and driveway immaculately clean of ice and snow is the equivalent of rolling out the red carpet for a winter house showing.

Create an easy entry

Properly stage your entrance to accommodate snowy boots and heavy coats. Provide extra-large, super-absorbent mats along with a coat tree for a frictionless entrance and less tracking.

Evoke emotion with scent

Reach those core childhood memories with a welcoming winter aroma. Keep refrigerated dough on hand to whip up a batch of fresh-baked cookies just before the showing. For an extra warm touch, set up a hot cider station.

Set the stage for winter nesting

Sell your home’s cozy potential with a few well-placed accessories. Drape a furry throw on the arm of the couch. Stack a few bestsellers on the side table. If you have a hearth, get a fire going.

Inspect the place for drafts

Find and fix any cold spots in your home. Replace the weather stripping, install window draft stoppers and insulate and seal the outlets.

Run the humidifier

Combat dry winter air by maintaining a home humidity level of 40-55%. (Tip: If condensation starts collecting on the windows, it’s probably set too high.)

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Set the perfect temperature

A thermostat setting of 72 degrees Fahrenheit will keep everyone comfortable — and keep their minds off feeling chilly!