The housing market’s financial slip is making it hard to get homes off the selling block.

To help speed up the selling process, homeowners and agents may want to consider hiring a stager. Stagers are hired to rearrange a home’s contents and furniture to better catch the eyes of buyers.

Realtors and sellers who have used staging techniques said staging sets off a domino effect, getting homes off the market faster and giving asking prices an upward boost.

“It’s my job to make the home appeal to a broad range of buyers — get it sold in the shortest time at the highest possible price,” said Shelley Wagner, an accredited professional staging master from Grosse Pointe.  

Wagner became an accredited and trained stager through www.stagehomes.com where she earned a “staging master” title. She went on to work as a trainer for the site and has since presented her expertise on segments for ABC’s “20/20” and NBC’s Today Show Weekend Edition. 

RE/MAX real estate agent Jimmy Ferris, who sells homes in Dearborn and surrounding areas, believes staging is effective.

“They come into cluttered homes and fix them up. Staging sets homes apart and makes them more appealing,” he said.

Wagner advises three simple steps:

One, remember that staging engages all the senses. “Proper staging ignites a mental shift in buyers to connect imaginatively and be able to see themselves there. It really generates techniques that generate feelings. People learn through their senses. The first thing they see and smell will give them an immediate impression,” Wagner said.

Second, it’s more than just the senses. “Making a first impression is huge because some buyers make a decision within minutes,” Wagner said. “Right when a person gets into a house and sees a dirty window or bathroom, they’re going to say ‘I don’t even want to see the rest of this house.’ ”

And finally, staging is all about making the home a place anyone can see themselves in. She said the purpose of staging is to highlight the home’s best features and work with them to make the home more appealing.

“You always want to apply rules that work with every house. All rules apply whether it’s a 900 square foot house or a 9,000 square foot house,” Wagner said. She said renting furniture pays off as an investment — that curb appeal and highlighted features in entry ways and the kitchens make lasting impressions.

To contact Wagner at her company “Set the Stage,” phone 313.405.2677 or visit www.setthestagenow.com.