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11 Comments on Selling Your Home-NOT Exactly "As Seen on TV"!
Pam,
This is really a wonderful blog and all very true. If a Seller hasn't maintained the house in years, of course it will impact the selling price. I always advise Sellers on this when I do a consult. I also mention what things Buyers are referring to when they get bfeedback that the house is "dated". I love that you mentioned that the SELLEr directly effects the sale and is a PARTNER in the transaction. They do have control of the sale by pricing it right AND presenting it well.
Marianne
Pam,
This is a great blog!
I am always uncomfortable when watching "Take This House & Sell It" The stagers/designers are talented;however I hate the way they talk about the clients decorating/lack of skills with & without the sellers present.
And, as Pam commented, it is really important for there to be a co-operative relationship between seller, stager & realtor.
Marianne and Sharon, thank you! Don't you just cringe when you hear some of the comments that the stagers make on the show? I've been told that the producers encourage this to create some drama but I don't like it. I don't think it is necessary to criticize anyone's tastes, particularly when you know that they will be watching and hearing everything that is said and HOW it is said. That's just rude.
Hi Pam!
You make some great points here. I recently commented on another blog about how a recent client was "nervous" to have me come out for a verbal consultation. She watches all of the staging shows and really thought that I would treat her that way! I reassured her on the phone and proved it to her on our visit. Afterward she gave a great testimonial, emphasizing how "comfortable and easy" I made the process. Based on this experience, I wonder how many potential clients are scared away from us because of this?
Debra, I would guess that many homeowners and realtors are put off by this portrayal. Why would a homeowner put up with one more stressful experience, especially if their realtor isn't sold on the benefits of staging and maybe believes some opinionated expert will come in and stir things up.
Pam- excellent post. While the shows on HGTV have helped to educate the public on the concept of staging, they have also at times portrayed a skewed version of what we do. We along with their Realtor are partners in their efforts to sell their house.
Kathy, we just have to do our best to counter the misunderstandings that are out there. That means educating the homeowner and the realtor. I was at a gathering during the holidays and heard part of a conversation involving someone's experience selling a home. This was second hand, but supposedly the sellers asked if the realtor thought it was worth getting the house staged. The realtor told them that if they enjoyed paying to be criticized for their taste then to go ahead! Then everyone laughed and started talking about the TV shows. OMG, I was so horrified. I wanted to go over and explain that we aren't like that but it wasn't the time or place to get on my soapbox. It has stayed with me, obviously, so I was motivated to blog about it here.
Pam - great post and excellent way of highlighting that while TV shows are great at highlighting what we do, they are less than stellar at representing how we do our job.
I think its also very frustrating that when it comes time to assess how much money was spent on transformations on TV that no mention is made of what the labour cost - all that's mentioned are materials purchased. I find that has directly impacted quotes we have done for clients because they expect the costs to be far less - because that's what is on TV - and are surprised when we charge a staging fee.
Great that you highlighted that the sellers also need to be open, communicative and co-operative partners in the project.
Heather, you make another good point. The homeowners often put a lot of their own time into the prep but the actual labor costs can be double the material costs. The time needed is often misleading, though for drama they will have it coming down to the wire, which can happen in real life.
Pam, very informative post !! Thanks for sharing, I have bookmarked to refer back to...again great info
Thanks Mary Lou! We all need to pay attention to the 3 C's in our businesses, but it's important for our clients to know that this is a two way street.