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Get Your ASK In Gear And Get Your House Sold

Putting your house on the market? One of the most important decisions you will make is choosing the professionals who will help you sell. Not all Realtors and Home Stagers are created equal.

Just because they are professional, it doesn't mean they are proficient.

In order to choose the right professionals, you are going to have to invest some time.

This is not a decision to take lightly.

You are going to have to ask a lot of questions.

Get your ASK in gear if you want to get your house sold!

When choosing a professional, it is best to interview at least three candidates. Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions...you are depending on them to help sell your greatest asset.

Questions to ask Realtors include:

Are you full or part time?
Do you work predominantly with buyers or sellers?
How knowledgeable are you with my area?
Do you have a website and/or blog? How often do you update your website or blog?
How do you intend to market my property other than listing it on MLS?
Will my property be listed on your website?
Do you use video?
What will the cost be? Are there any fees beyond your commission?
Will I be working directly with you or with an assistant?
Can you provide references?

Questions to ask a Home Stager include:

How long have you been in business?
Do you specialize in occupied or vacant properties?
Are you familiar with my area and do you know the target buyer for my home?
Do you have a portfolio of your work?
Are the photos of your actual work, or do you use stock photos?
Do you provide digital photos of your completed work? What is the cost?
Are you registered with the state?
Are you fully insured?
What are your rates?
Can you provide references?

NOTE: At this time there is no independent organization that certifies or licenses home stagers, and no government oversight regulating home staging business practices. If a home stager has a designation after their name, it comes from whatever training courses they have taken.

Ask questions to get answers to what is important to you. You are not looking for the "best" realtor or stager. You are looking for the best realtor or stager for you. Make your selection based on the answers given and how comfortable the people make you feel.

______________________________________________________________________________

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603.661.8524

Posted by Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager on 01/27/2010 02:31 PM

Comments (48)

Advice for Sellers in the ActiveRain Channel

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48 Comments on Get Your ASK In Gear And Get Your House Sold

JAN

2010

Nice and to the point.

Marcie: Thanks!

I've been working on a blog about sellers getting there homes ready for the market, but it's a different take than yours. I like your questions and I think you it makes a great topic.

Sharon - These are excellent questions that should be asked by any home seller. I think it is also a good idea to interview 3 candidates. I like your title too, very catchy.

Always ask first that's my motto. I had a consultation lately that the client was interviewing 3 stagers at the same time. She asked if that bothered me. I said it didn't as I would quote the job to be marketed the way I think it should be marketed. The other two may make other decisions. It was up to the client to decide which stager was the "right" one for her. I will be staging the job right after the painters are finished.

Sharon ~ Awesome post. It does amaze me that people listing homes don't ask pertinent questions. Especially with "Google" and ActiveRain available.

Sharon

A very insightful post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Love it, another great post, I'm re-blogging this one too. Been out of the blogging loop while in Vegas!

Excellent post here Sharon ... well deserving of a feature. I hope everyone who is selling reads this good advice!

JAN

2010

GREAT advice to sellers....hope a ton of realtors see and read this!!

Hello Sharon,

Excellent post! Important tips & information for sellers. Thanks for sharing it with us!

Rita

Exellent Post and questions for hiring both Realtors and Stagers, Sharon.

Your title captured my attention, cute, to the point and great questions the seller should be asking.

Thank you for the questions Sharon. I am asked for referrals all the time, and I tell people to interview the referrasls. Now I have questions I can give them as well.

Thanks....consumers need to be more involved in who they hire...love your title!

Good questions. I thought it was interesting coming from a stager, a lot of agents suggest questions that are pretty self-serving.

Great post! I will definitely incorporate these questions into my leave behind listing material.

As we all know, this business of home staging, is a very hands-on and visual one AND as you mention, unregulated, so understandably not widely understood yet.

When I first got started in it, I had to ask myself: "What would I need to know in order to choose (trust!) whether to stage and which staging company should I use?" Putting myself in the clients' place helped me to appreciate that to them, "talk is cheap" and "show me" is what they really need in order to make their decision. So, I focused on building my before/after portfolio and making it readily available online.

Knowing our market, buyers' expectations, project management, and so on, enables us to direct our skills and talents toward showcasing the features that actually sell homes. Our photos "show" whether we DO what we "say" we can do and our clients' testimonials are our "references."

Thank you Sharon for putting this "out there" and I look forward to the comments that will add to this great conversation!

Excellent post and good questions. I had to help interview some stagers recently and these would have been good questions to have.

Nice article Sharon. Thanks for the post.

Nice post, it is worth the time for sellers to do their research, not all agents are the same and their marketing techniques vary drastically which can make or break the sale of a house.

We reblogged your article as well to share wtih our readers - thanks for the great post and congrats on the Newsletter feature!

Cathy: There can't be enough posts about preparing a house for sale. Sellers need all the information they can get!

Judy: At least if they interview three, they have a better chance to find one who is best suited for them and their needs. Thanks for stopping in!

Michelle F: Congratulations on being the chosen one! I agree with your response. I tell it like it is regardless of whether or not I have competition for the job.

Monique: There are so many professionals today to choose from, a seller is crazy not to do a little investigative work and find the right one. It could mean the difference between a fast sale and sitting on the market longer than necessary.

Lou: I appreciate it!

Cindy: Thanks! It's nice to be considered "reblog worthy" and I appreciate it! I bet Vegas is awesome!

Maureen: Thanks for the great comment! From you mouth to sellers' ears!

Kathy: Thanks! Well more than a handful are seeing it here! It's a start!

Rita & Michele: Thanks so much! I am glad you found the post informative.

Great article. Wish I had these questions when my seller was trying to decide to use a stager or not. Though the decision was theirs I advanced some questions for them to ask but yours are more to the point and hit some items I hadn't considered. I had used a compliation of other stagers' blogs to formulate my questions but yours are much better. Good Luck in the coming year.

Hey Sharon,

Many clients just don't ask. They observe lawn signs, depend on a referral, go with the best price quote, etc. then, when it goes sour, the whole industry is to blame.

Go figure. Thanks for the post!

Mary and Valerie: I've had the title in my head for months and just hadn't found a way to use it until now. I'm glad it caught your attention. Thanks for commenting.

Aaron: Good point! Asking for the referrals isn't enough, you must actually call them to see what they have to say. Thanks!

Joetta: The realtor is the first person a seller will blame when the house doesn't sell as fast or for as much as they wanted. This puts responsibility in the hands of the seller where it belongs.

Jenna: So glad you found it useful!

Marian: You are welcome! Thank you for validating the post with your own experience. I've enjoyed the comments so far, and I hope they keep coming!

Gene: Just knowing you are interviewing stagers is a good thing! Thanks for supporting the industry!

Randy: Thank you!

Kevin & Monica: I'm glad you found the information Reblog worthy! Thank you so much! I wasn't aware the post was Featured. I don't have a star or points saying it was featured. Interesting...

George: Well, I'm very flattered! Thank you! It may have been to late for your past client, but at least you now have the information for future clients.

John: This is true. They love to put the blame on the realtor. There are times when the failure to get it sold is due to a bad realtor...but hey, the seller picked them!

Great list of questions...I may steal a few!
And you are so right...They need to decide who will work the best for and with them and their situation

Great points Sharon. The first question should be: Are you full or part time?

Sharon, you are a blogging queen in my eyes. Your title here is such an attention grabber, followed by outstanding information. I'm going to reblog to my local area too.

RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) has now developed a rigorous set of standards to accredit staging companies. Home Staging Resource (HSR) is the only training company that has met the requirements so far.

I chose HSR myself because it seemed to be the most complete training program. It was indeed significantly longer than most other training programs, and includes business training as well as actual staging training.

Every blog you write should be featured-so thrilled this one is!! LOVE, love, love this title!! Fab info too! You ROCK!

JAN

2010

Ok Sharon the your very catchy title drew me in and you delivered with clear concise points. Brilliant post once again from Super Stager Sharon!!!

Hi Sharon,

Great advice and list of questions. So many people only ask "how much does it cost?" As you said it is so important for those searching to find the best fit for them all the way round. Price doesn't determine that.

Happy Friday!

Ana

Joan: Why steal a few, when you can steal them all! I'm so glad you find the post valuable! Thanks!

Tony: Thanks!

Ginger: Awesome compliment coming from you! I guess it takes one to know one! Thanks so much and thanks for the reblog!

Beth: I think it's great RESA has established standards and people considering getting into the business should take them seriously. As for sellers selecting professionals - I don't advise people to judge based on affiliation or accreditation because it doesn't always prove anything. Many times experience is worth more and having good references and a great portfolio are what to look for. This also goes for Realtors...a bunch of letters after the name does not guarantee they are the person for the job.

Cathy: You are too kind! It means a lot to me...it's like having my own cheerleader! The post isn't FEATURED, featured. It's only Newsletter featured, so it doesn't get the prized gold star. I didn't realize there was a difference. Still cool though, and getting lots of reblogs so I'm very happy! Thanks for the encouragement!

Cynthia: You are too funny! But, I love it! Thank you so much!

Ana: I've seen too many sellers "get what they pay for" and it isn't pretty! (especially the MLS pictures!)

JAN

2010

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! I'll be using some of your ideas.

Sharon - This is great stuff! In the "Questions to Stagers" I love, "Are the photos of your actual work, or do you use stock photos?" Great post and very thought provoking.

Beverly: Glad to hear you found it useful.

Patsy: Thanks! Hopefully it will provoke sellers to think a little bit more before making the wrong choice.

JAN

2010

Sharon- you do know how to write a post that not only captures the reader's eyes with the title, but then fulfills with timely content. The questions you posed are well thought out. Jack and Zack have "taught" you well.

FEB

2010

Kathy: Thank you for that very nice comment! Jack and Zack have taught me quite a few things!

Hi, Sharon. I'm going to re-blog this, too. I'm really surprised that it wasn't featured....it SHOULD have been!

The title is very catchy and you hit the nail on the head with your last paragraph. After interviewing and asking the questions, it's not who is the best but who is best for you...it's true!

Leslie: Thank you for the support. I appreciate it!

FEB

2010

Great title Sharon and a good article. Well deserved to be featured.

FEB

2010

Tigard: Thank you so much!

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Sharon Tara New Hampshire Home Stager

Portsmouth, NH

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Sharon Tara Transformations

Address: 10 Regina Road, Portsmouth, NH, 03801

Cell Phone: (603) 661-8524

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