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When selling a home, presentation is everything. Fixing up and filling an empty house with carefully selected furniture and décor—also known as staging—can be an effective way to attract potential buyers. But unless you’re a professional interior designer yourself, staging often comes with a hefty price tag. In a seller’s market like Denver, where housing is scarce and buyers are in fierce competition with one another, is staging really worth it? We say, absolutely! Here’s why.

Staging Sets Your Home Apart

You may think that because Denver is a seller’s market, you can sit back and wait while eager buyers come knocking with offers in hand. Don’t be fooled! Not everyone stages their home, and doing so will put yours a cut above the rest. Sure, you could still probably sell without staging, but why not give yourself every possible advantage?

Think of staging as a marketing tool: you want your home to resonate with buyers emotionally so they’re more likely to make you an offer. According to this 2015 study, 46 percent of buyers are more willing to visit a home with appealing online photos, and 81 percent are able to visualize a staged space as their future home. It’s hard to picture yourself living in an empty house.

You’ll Increase Buyer Confidence

Buyers are savvy, and they need to know that they’re making a good investment in their future when purchasing a home. Remember, you’re not just selling a place to live: you’re fulfilling someone’s hopes and dreams for a better life. Staging shows buyers that your home is ready to be lived in; they won’t have to do a bunch of work and remodeling to make the place habitable. Besides, studies show that buyers are willing to pay more for a move-in-ready space (more on that below).

Staging Helps You Sell Quickly

The longer a home sits on the market, the more work it is for you and your real estate agent, especially if you’re still living there. Plus, selling a home is stressful, and most people want to get it over with as quickly as possible so they can move forward with their lives. We’re happy to report that, on average, staged homes sell a jaw-dropping 73% faster than non-staged ones—need we say more?

A Well-Staged Home Sells for More Money

All the minor repairs, updates, decluttering, and redecorating involved in having a home professionally staged may be costly, but it’s an investment with great returns. Staged homes on the market outperform their non-staged counterparts in every aspect, but the best benefit of all is that staged homes sell for 17% more, on average. This means that if you stage your home, you’re more likely to get your asking price—or even higher.

Staging a home for sale offers advantages during every step of the selling process, from bringing in buyers to shortening the amount of time spent on market, even increasing the overall price of the property. Despite Denver being a seller’s market in 2017, staging your home is still a worthy investment.