Q: Christine, in this terrible economic time, I am finding many of the real estate agents in my area are telling clients to wait to stage. Is this good advice? Should I be looking for a J-O-B? What can I tell these misguided agents? Jess F, RI

A: Good question Jess! Realtors are really believe they are acting in the best interests of their client; if money is tight, jobs are tenuous and selling a necessity, then, in my opinion, its all the more reason to stage a property. People in a position to buy are certainly more than ever looking for the best value their money can buy. The sooner a property is staged the better. A property which is “move-in” ready is so much easier to buy. In fact Jess 63% of buyers surveyed said they would actually pay more money for move in ready. It might not surprise you the majority of those people were men! You guessed it – they don’t want to inherit the “to-do” list.