In today’s competitive landscape, you look for every advantage you can offer your clients. 

For your sellers, chances are good that more of them are staging their homes than ever before. 

The reason is clear. So are the results. Staged homes tend to sell faster and for a higher amount than those that aren’t.

One of those elevating the experience for potential buyers — and results for sellers — is George Bass, head of George Bass Stage & Design in Dallas.

Born in California, George spent time in Texas and Mexico and was educated in Switzerland before moving to Dallas 21 years ago. From 1998 to 2007, George worked as an interior designer. He gained a reputation for creativity and results. In 2007, he was approached with a new opportunity.

“A friend asked if I could stage a house. I wasn't familiar with staging, but I agreed to it. We had a very good, successful time,” George recalls. “And by the time the third house came to us from the same company, I knew I needed to explore this niche.”

So he started his staging business in 2007 and has never looked back since.

Little by little, George continued to build. Today, the result is truly impressive. In fact, George Bass Stage & Design boasts over $6 million in inventory, an 11,000-square-foot warehouse facility and a steady base of about 100 real estate agents stretching from Fort Worth to Dallas, and all points between.

“We take a lot of pride in knowing that agents depend on us to just kind of seed homes appropriately, as fast as possible within budget constraints,” George explains.

One advantage George and his team offer is one-time charge service.

“That means we charge full price up front. And the merchandise stays beautiful inside the property until we have a solid, pending contract, and an official closing date. There are some wonderful, talented staging companies in Dallas, but nobody does the financials like we do. We’re able to support sellers with their package,” George points out. “Nobody wants a multimillion dollar house to sit there for a year, but with us, if that does happen, the furniture and staging are there for a year, and the seller doesn't have to worry about it not looking great, after three months, or after six months. The furniture stays in there beautifully stages until the agent brings a contract to the table and they move forward.”

One of the strong advantages of the staging that George and his team provide is value.

“A lot of agents really depend on us to bring forth the glamour and the beauty of a house, but at the same time, they know we do it for a very attractive price overall," George emphasizes. "If you do the numbers, we have a very fair pricing approach. While we’re a high-end, luxury staging company, we have very attractive means of getting that inventory into a house, and doing what it needs to do for the property.”

George has a personal assistant and six full-time stagers on his team. Each home is an opportunity to bring all the elements together to bring each home as close to its potential showing capacity as possible.

“They set the house with a floor plan that comes from me, and then I go in afterward, and make sure that we're all on the same wavelength,” George smiles. ““It’s exciting. Every house is different. We're inspired by all the challenges, by home fashion blogs, and we're inspired by other local, incredibly talented designers, and the latest things happening in terms of artwork, accessories, florals and rugs.”

As George says, staging has gone from a nice-to-have extra to a standard in the industry. In fact, according to the Real Estate Staging Association, homes that are staged sell 73 percent faster than non-staged counterparts.

“I don't think those numbers are going to change anytime soon,” George says. “The whole world is a stage, and so you have to really showcase your home in the best light possible to get the most attention.”

Trends come and go. But staying on top of them is always a plus. With his interior design sensibility, George stays on top of what’s hot.

“We're seeing a lot of clean aesthetics, meaning the simplicity of white, the simplicity of square lines, and straight lines,” he points out. “And when it comes to architecture and furniture wise, we're back to the neutral grace. At the same time, we’re seeing that the vibrancy of wonderful colors is back. Not the through the whole room, but you're seeing a lot of incredible colors when it comes to accessories, pillows, florals and especially artwork.”

One of the ultimate complements that George and his team receive is when the value of staging goes beyond its intended purpose and buyers want to also buy the staged furniture as is.

“We have a lot of international buyers, and buyers from across the country, and because the houses look and feel so great as is, a lot of buyers don't want to spend the time to hire a designer, or take time to go out in a new city and find the best shops with the best deals. So some of them do end up buying a lot of our merchandise. And we don't mind at all. We started selling merchandise four years ago. We take it as a compliment, and it’s a win-win situation.”

While designs may change, the importance of relationships never ends.

As George says, “It means a lot to us to serve our real estate partners and that they choose us to support their success.”