Beware of people who approach the homeowners saying they can offset their hardships by paying some rental while helping them sell their homes.  The latest benefit from this economical hardship are renters going to homeowners, where their vacant homes have been sitting on the market for a long time.  The renters will approach the homeowners, saying that Staging will help sell properties than not Staging.  They will say, vacant properties, especially in this market, DO NOT sell as people have a hard time envisioning an empty space.  ALL TRUE.

They go a step further, however, claiming that, they will “stage” the listed vacant home for sale, by living in it.  They also want to pay a fraction of the rent.  They usually do their homework and know how long the home has been listed on the market.  They will make their point by saying, for example, “see, for the 200 days of the market, you could have had some rent to help out vs no rent and we will help sell your home to boot.”  It sounds like a mutually beneficial relationship where it is a win-win for both parites.  As the tenants will benefit from a reduced rental price, the homeowner/aka now, landlord, will benefit, by having all of the renter’s “stuff” in it, just like a Staged home.  WRONG.  Couldn’t be further from the truth.

First of all, you are at the mercy of all their stuff.  How do you know what their furnishings are like?  It could end up making your place look trashy.  Vacants are a tough sell, but when the house is cluttered with junk, it is worse.

Second, the renter, (whether it is just a couple, a single person, or a family), will be LIVING in the home; not merchandising the home.  You are at the mercy of their schedule, their lifestyles, and their stuff.  How do you know they will make their best concerted effort in showcasing the home as beautifully as possible.  Also, how do you ensure they will keep it clean?

Third, the renters main objective is to get a deal.  "Staging" will be a by-product of them living in it as opposed to Staging purposefully with the proper placement and properly scaled furnishings.  They are not professional stagers and have not been trained to properly merchandise the home.  Stagers who make this a profession, and not a hobby, are trained, designated professionals who have true and tried techniques, methodologies, and experience.  Renters are there to fill up your home with their stuff and to get cheap rent.  It could hinder more than help, to get your home sold.

I think in a perfect world, this would be a perfect solution.  Renters save the day by helping showcase the home while living in it, all the while, saving renters money on rent, and helping homeowners “stop the bleeding.”  But we don’t live in a perfect world and people are not perfect.  People make mistakes, they have bad days, get lazy, and so forth.

If not Staged properly, it can do more harm than good.  I’ve had to come and re-Stage properties where someone claimed to have “Staged” it.  It sat on the market for a long time with poor feedback - it had the wrong furniture placement, wrong scaled furniture and so forth.  Imagine, trusting one of your biggest assets (your home) to a person, a couple, or worse, a family.  They will bring in all their belongings (they could have way too big of a furniture piece for your home), and what’s worse, they could have way too much stuff.

If you are in a really bad bind and see this as the ONLY solution, get resumes.  Act as if they are applying for a job.  Great questions, aside from the obvious financial quailifications, would be: 1) could I have pictures of your current abode and the furnishings that you would be bringing to my house?  2) could I have 3 neighbor's references (great to find out if they were messy neighbors who didn't upkeep lawn, etc)  3) would you be willing for surprise visits/showings?  The more you are upfront with all your concerns, the more they will realize, they will have to really work to earn their keep.