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CORT Launches National Home Staging Services

Helping corporations sell inventory of homes up to 50 percent faster

FAIRFAX, VA (May 6, 2009) – CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company, announces the launch of a national home staging program to serve businesses responsible for managing the sale of homes.

Staging highlights the property's best features with the right mix of furniture and accessories. The practice has proven to drastically reduce the time a property is on the market, limiting the need for price reductions to generate interest from buyers. The program meets the growing demand for staging services from relocation management companies, real estate asset management companies, banks and corporations that own homes purchased on behalf of relocating employees

"The housing downturn left many businesses burdened with an excess inventory of residential properties that are expensive to market and maintain. CORT is leveraging its longstanding relationships with the staging community to bring the home staging program to our partners and help them sell homes faster," said Mark Koepsell, CORT senior vice president.

Staging can maintain or increase the selling price of a property in markets where home prices continue to fall and reduce the amount of time the house is on the market by up to 50 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. CORT's own study of 7,800 staged homes finds staged homes sell in an average of 5.5 months, versus 10.4 months for unstaged homes.

"Staging is successful by creating an immediate positive first impression and helping 'de-personalize' a property for both the seller and buyer," said Barie Pinnell, ASPM, president of WRE Interiors. Most home buyers decide if they like a property in the first 8 to 10 seconds.

Staging also differentiates a home from the many other vacant properties on the market. Companies and property owners typically wait too long to fully leverage the benefits of staging, waiting until they decide to drop the sales price in hopes of generating interest.

"Working with CORT has allowed me to leave furniture to the professionals while maintaining an inventory of accessories and small items, and stay focused on growing my business. I look forward to expanding that relationship to serve the staging needs of CORT's business partners," said Pinnell.

For more than 35 years, CORT has been the nation's leading provider of rental furniture with a global network of affiliates in more than 50 countries. CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company, also provides the nation's most comprehensive range of rental relocation services, including the most robust online apartment search services at www.ApartmentSearch.com. CORT's customers include more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. For more information, please visit www.cort.com