Sell your home fast and make more money.

Those are two important benefits that outweigh the initial investment of home staging, but those are not the only benefits when preparing a home for sale. Many sellers and real estate brokers are turning to home staging before putting a “For Sale” sign on the property.

Here are four great home-staging benefits to consider:

•Supplying a Move-In Ready Home – Many of today’s buyers are looking for specific homes that won’t necessarily require a ton of work before moving in. Who has the time to gut and renovate? Buyers are looking for move-in ready spaces they can enjoy instantaneously.

According to a Maritz Research Staging poll, 63 percent of buyers are willing to pay more for move-in ready homes.

•Stand Out Among Neighborhood Competitors – The market isn’t as competitive as in years past. Homeowners still find themselves up against neighboring homes on the market, including new construction. How will you differentiate a home from those other homes for sale?

One way is to stage the space by playing on emotional connection points that will appeal to buyers and stand out in their minds when it’s time to make an offer. If two identical homes were for sale on the same block at the same price, but one homeowner staged their space to showcase the potential lifestyle the buyer could have if they moved here, and the other home looked dirty, cluttered and poorly maintained, which home would the buyer choose? The Real Estate Staging Association National Statistics Report found, when staged first, the vast majority of homes spend less time on the market.

•Staged Homes Are Easier to Market – Once a home is staged, the space will look like a cover spread in a home magazine, so why not take advantage of the light, spacious, well-designed space created and photograph each room to market the home. Over 90 percent of homebuyers start their search online, and photos of newly staged homes will not only attract buyers to information about the home, but to the front door.

How are you searching for a new home? Do photos determine your perception of the home? Would you go visit a home that had no pictures listed or had clutter center stage? Photos are just one way to easily market a home. With a staging plan, a seller will also have systems to keep the home looking like those online snapshots.

•Increase Offers and Price – Home staging often requires that some minor repairs be made to the space, which can prevent buyers from making low-ball offers because of the work involved to improve the home. A staged home creates more buyer interest, and with more interest comes more offers, so as a seller you could even find yourself in a bidding war.

Selling a home is no easy task. In a perfect world a homeowner wouldn’t need to be living in the home while on the market. However, the list of reasons why someone sells is endless and in many cases forces a homeowner to stay put when selling.

Todd Falhman writes a montly real estate column for this newspaper.