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3 On Your Side: Helping Sellers Seal The Deal

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― These days, it's certainly a buyer's market. Many houses are sitting empty much longer than the owner would like. 3-On Your Side's Jim Donovan tells us about a new twist that is helping sellers seal the deal more quickly.

We've all heard of staging your home with furniture, but have you ever heard about staging it with people?

Thomas Scott is a house sitter of sorts. Right now he is enjoying living in a million dollar home.

He sold his own house and wanted to hold off on buying another.

"This is a great way to wait the market out," says Scott. "It's not a lease. I'm not a tenant. I don't rent the house. I'm not a homeowner. I don't know how long I'm going to be here."

Scott works for a company that's helping "stage" the home.

Staging usually means adding furniture, but now, it can mean bringing in a full time tenant, too.

Rodney Davis owns the home, and hopes the live-in helps him get a sale soon.

Davis says, "Since the real estate market is slow, we're hoping to get more exposure."

Surveys among realtors show empty homes tell buyers the seller is desperate and offers that do come in are traditionally low.

But with the "lived-in" look?

According to Bert Lyles of Showhomes, "Almost two-thirds of realtors believed that the showhome, fully staged, would sell at least 10 percent higher price."

The trend of using home managers is growing nationwide. It happens most often with higher priced homes, but is catching on across the board, with homes in all price ranges.

According to Lyles the prices can be "as low as 150 thousand dollars and priced as high as ten million dollars."

The house-sitter pays a percentage of the mortgage, typically 25-50-percent -- to help cover costs.

A good company screens its sitters carefully, checking criminal history. Smokers and pet owners are out.

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