As the real estate industry has become increasingly sophisticated, the business of spiffing up homes for sale has become its own occupation.

According to published reports, people in several areas of the country have gone into the business of "staging" homes, arranging them artfully for maximal visual and emotional appeal to buyers.
—Neal Gendler, "Agents sell homes by setting stage for new owners," The Orange County Register, April 18, 1999

A fresh coat of paint, a little landscaping and a thorough cleaning is all the facelift most houses will need. A home that is unkept and cluttered, however, doesn't have a chance in a slow market, where buyers have a wealth of choices. "Eighty-five percent of what people buy is visual," says Atlanta broker McMurry. "They are buying what they think they see." "Staging" your house for the sale can involve everything from storing furniture and clothes to make rooms and closets look larger to keeping the dining-room table set with your finest china and the foyer filled with fresh flowers.
—Amy Saltzman, "The selling challenge," U.S. News & World Report, April 9, 1990