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IF this doesn't sell you on staging, nothing will

By
Home Stager with www.Staged-to-Sell

I was at a property yesterday and chatting with a Realtor about the value of staging. He started to chuckle when I said "It's hard to believe anyone in their right mind would put a house on the market without staging."  Of course, it helped that we were standing in a listing that my crew and I had recently staged and put on the market so the evidence was right in his face.

He told me that some people really are just simply not using both sides of their brain when they put a house on the market. He told me I simply must got to http://www.lovelylisting.com/ to see for myself how many people aren't staging!

I took a moment this morning to do just that and checked out the listings on the California part of the website http://www.lovelylisting.com/search/label/California

These are actual shots from the MLS.

Yes, they are simply unbelievable but check out the sixth set of photos. Yes, that is a crime scene folks. Evidence markers and all.

There is staging and then there is staging. Staging a crime scene will not help you sell your home.

Dead animals and Guns on the wall. Plastic high chairs in a messy kitchen. Carpet in the fireplace. These are May 2009 Photos from the MLS! Look for yourself. Yes, they are good for a laugh, but very sad at the same time. 

Yes, statiscs show that 20 or more photos on the internet will help you sell your home twice as fast BUT that is only if that house is prepared for market and the photos reflect a beautiful listing that will attract buyers.

For more information on Staging Your Home to actually sell go to www.Staged-to-Sell.com

Kym Hough's Staged to Sell is the Premier Home Staging company in the San Francisco East Bay.  Staged to Sell provides excellent Home Staging and Design to Live services to the Berkeley, El Cerrito, Orinda, Lafayette, Danville and the entire East Bay. For more information go to www.staged-to-sell.com

Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Hi Kym,  I took a look and it's appalling!  Unfortunately I see many similar photos in our local MLS.  I do mini-seminars for RE offices on photography and some have listened but there's still too many that publish this nonsense.  (They're lucky that I'm not their broker!)

May 28, 2009 03:54 AM
Margaret Ann Innis
Decorate To Sell - Merrimack Valley Real Estate Staging - Andover, MA
Real Estate Staging - MA & NH

OMG - I can't stop laughing!  And instead of buying the house we are laughing at it.  Great website.

May 28, 2009 06:32 AM
Kym Hough
www.Staged-to-Sell - Danville, CA
Staged to Sell East Bay - Danville, CA

Hi Ginger, hope you are well. I still can't believe it. I do remember walking into an open house years ago before I was in this business. There were no photos on the MLS of the inside, but my husband wanted to go anyway. We walked into the house there were cob webs, lace dollies, knitted ducks everywhere! At least they had the good sense not to put the photos on MLS.

May 28, 2009 09:00 AM
Allegra Dioguardi
Styled and Sold Home Staging and Staging Training - Westhampton Beach, NY
Home Staging & Training, Suffolk Co. Long Island

Gotta love the grafitti! I couldn't help but notice a bottle of Chlorox in one of them!

Not to try to outdo anyone, I once had a consultation at this house. I've posted this before but for those who haven't seen it and still need a laugh. Enjoy!

deer heads

May 28, 2009 09:28 AM
SHARON CHARBONEAU
UPSTAGING YOUR HOMES - Sechelt, BC

Kym,

Great post and yes a real howler, but reallllllllllyyyyyyyy!  If the homesellers are that crazy, what are the realtors thinking?

Allegra, you have to share what you said.  I am thinking I love the striped chair and everything else has to go!!!! 

Love is blind?

May 28, 2009 01:31 PM
Leslie Hoyt
Hello Home! - Greenville, SC
Hello Home!

Kym,

Lovely Listing (or It's Lovely! I'll Take it!) is one of my favorite sites, actually- I just cannot believe how some people live, is all.

Baffling, bewildering and shocking!

Like a traffic accident that you just can't help slowing down for to see if you see anything news-worthy.

(I'm sick, I know!)

I have actually seen some homes here and things in them (that I cannot mention with a child in my room) that are unbelieveable.

What a job we have, eh?

~Leslie

PS. WHOA, Allegra, on the dead deer head house- yikes! How to keep a serious face during the consultation? You must be one real professional! Guess you laughed later!

May 28, 2009 02:24 PM
Connie Tebyani
Platinum Home Staging, Inc. : RESA-Pro - Calabasas, CA
Platinum Home Staging, Los Angeles and Ventura County

LOL - where can I subscribe?!  I have a few I;ve seen TODAY - huh, huh? Can I? Can I? Can I?

May 28, 2009 03:29 PM
Janis Gaines
Staging Sells Eugene Homes - Eugene, OR
Home Stager Eugene OR - The Notably Well-Dressed H

OMG - The sofa in the kitchen with the 3 wall-mounted guns is...well...fortunately enough, this turns out to be a home in the UK. So none of us on this side of the "pond" need worry about these folks as neighbors...OR DO WE.......???

May 28, 2009 06:01 PM
Laurie Calhoun
Gloria Home Staging, Inc. - Winter Springs, FL
Seminole County FL Home Stager

Very funny, Kym! Susan and I found an MLS picture last week that had a cat flying through the air trying to catch something. We were laughing for a long time over that one, but it really is pathetic marketing. Some sellers ought to sue for malpractice by their agents. But then, I guess they must not be paying much attention...

May 29, 2009 10:57 AM
Janelle Fisher, Instinctive Staging & Design, Seattle Wa.
Instinctive Staging & Design, LLC - Seattle, WA

Kym, Great link.  The problem is not just a local thing.  I have seen listing in the Seattle Washington area that they haven't even done any light cleaning, let alone full on staging.  Wondering what the conversation is like when the listing agent comes to the house and sees it looking a complete mess?  I understand that a buyer is not buying the home owners personal possessions but this is ridiculous.

May 30, 2009 10:30 AM
Kym Hough
www.Staged-to-Sell - Danville, CA
Staged to Sell East Bay - Danville, CA

Allegra I am still laughing. What is worse the green wall or the dead animals????? Oh my. I am sure it was the room they were most proud of too!

I think the MLS should have standards! It will only help the homeowerns if they allow only staged homes up there now wouldn't that be great! K

May 30, 2009 10:43 AM
Susan Peters
Dove Realty Inc. - Seattle, WA
The Better it Looks the Better it Sells

This looks like half the houses I showed this weekend. Then the lame brained agents have the audacity to call and ask why my clients didn't write an offer. DUH!

May 30, 2009 06:29 PM
Anne Vigneri
CASA VERO Staging & Redesign - Albuquerque, CA
Serving the Mariposa California

I didn't go to see the "Lovely Homes".. I dont' think I need to have those images in my brain.. : /

I just do NOT understand this lack of vision that so many REA's seem to suffer from !  I opened a presentation a few months ago with this topic. ( The importance of good MLS pix) The one repsonse I got was a joking comment to the effect that maybe the house is so bad that poor photos are a good thing! ..

What could I say after that.... ?

May 31, 2009 09:32 AM
Virginia Tatseos
Stage-Show-Sell - Bloomfield Township, MI

http://activerain.com/groups/ThisIsForSaleYouMustBeKidding    I hope they use  some of these.

 

Please change your link to open in a new window.

May 31, 2009 10:14 AM
Peg Prather
Vancouver, WA
Vancouver, WA

Kym, it is so ironic that you posted this, since I just found this site yesterday. Frankly, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. And it wasn't just over the pictures, but also the hilarious commentary. I guess these houses just make our staged homes look even better!

May 31, 2009 12:00 PM
Nancy Cleary
www.nancycleary.com - walnut creek - california - Walnut Creek, CA

Kym, what are they thinking?  Have fun in Houston!

Jun 01, 2009 10:23 AM
Kym Hough
www.Staged-to-Sell - Danville, CA
Staged to Sell East Bay - Danville, CA

Susan - oh my. I hope you told them the truth!

Virgina i will check out that sight.

Peg - the word is getting around.

Hi Nancy!!! Houston was jam packed! What  a great group of ladies and one man! It was fun ya all and very inspiring! I look forward to seeing everyone on July 15th in Dublin, CA.

Jun 04, 2009 06:01 PM
c m
Colorado Springs, CO

Oh my...we all see it, we all know it...can't somebody stop it? Oh yeah! WE CAN!!

Jul 23, 2009 01:48 AM