Las Vegas interior designer Fiorenza Bilak has built Stage The Space, LLC into a successful home staging business by addressing what she identifies as a fundamental challenge in real estate: most buyers cannot visualize how to use empty rooms. Bilak entered the industry seven years ago after staging her husband's property resulted in three over-asking offers the same day, demonstrating the immediate impact of professional staging.
Bilak's approach centers on statistics from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) indicating that 83% of people lack the imagination to visualize spaces effectively. "When 83% of your potential buyers are walking into a property, that's an enormous number to gamble with," Bilak explains. This visualization gap makes empty homes more difficult to sell, as buyers struggle to understand space, scale, and design concepts without visual guidance.
Professional staging addresses this by providing immediate answers rather than raising questions, allowing buyers to envision themselves living in the space. Bilak notes that staging often encourages buyers to overlook flaws and can lead to higher appraisals compared to unstaged properties. The financial implications are significant, with staging reducing time on market and maximizing seller profits through strategic positioning that makes listings more competitive.
Despite documented benefits, Bilak encounters skepticism from those who view staging as a cost rather than an investment. "Many don't realize that skipping staging can end up costing more in the long run," she emphasizes, noting that properties lingering on the market continue to accrue mortgage, tax, and maintenance expenses. To address financial barriers, Stage The Space recently partnered with Notable to offer pay-at-closing options, allowing clients to defer payment until the property sells.
Bilak's staging strategy emphasizes neutrality to appeal to broad tastes while maintaining polished, editorial quality. She carefully selects furniture and décor appropriate to each property's scale and incorporates "biophilic touches" with greenery and organic elements. This approach draws from biophilic design principles that have shown positive effects on wellbeing, referencing examples like Singapore's hospital system where such design supports patient recovery.
Technology integration represents another innovation in Bilak's business model. Through partnership with the furniture platform From Where, Stage The Space now features QR codes in staged properties that direct buyers to a digital storefront where they can purchase furniture and décor seen in the homes. This creates a seamless shopping experience that extends the staged environment beyond the property itself.
Beyond direct staging services, Bilak contributes to industry education through a three-hour continuing education course for real estate agents offered through RESA. The course provides license renewal credits and the RESA Certified Staging Advocate designation, equipping agents with tools to articulate staging's value to sellers. Bilak stages properties across all price points throughout the Las Vegas Valley, adjusting inventory and design to match each property's market segment while maintaining quality standards through limited service radius.
As the Las Vegas real estate market evolves with shifting buyer expectations, Bilak sees education as key to wider staging adoption. "Staging shouldn't be thought of as an optional resource," she says. "It's a proven strategy that helps homes sell faster and achieve higher returns." Through strategic staging, innovative partnerships, and industry education, companies like Stage The Space are bridging the gap between vacant properties and successful sales in competitive markets.
