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Good idea to advertise a home as "staged"?

By Amy Bly

Home Stager with Great Impressions Home Staging/Interiors

September 03, 2010 04:22 PM

Is it ever a good idea to advertise a home as being staged? Do any agents or stagers post signs on the lawns of staged homes stating that it IS a staged home? And if so, does that attract true buyers or are they more curiousity-seekers interested in interior design?

I hesitate to use any advertising that might make a property come across as artificially contrived. My comfort level is normally to just leave my business cards on a hall or kitchen table (but only if the owners have followed my staging advice; otherwise I will not advertise my association with the property). But if anyone has had good results with marketing that makes it known a house is staged, I'd love to hear about it! And also, how do the sellers feel about it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

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Don Sabinske

Don Sabinske, Sabinske & Associates Inc. - Zimmerman, MN

Sabinske & Associates Inc.

Having never used a stager, I can't give you any useful advice. However, I would think that the homeowner should be the number one consideration here. If they just had the septic system pumped, I doubt they would put the pumper's business cards out with the home literature. Same goes for an electrician. A stager is simply, in my mind, someone who provides a useful service to sell the home, and probably not someone the buyer would need immediately.

Sep 03, 2010 04:28 PM

Amy Bly

Great Impressions Home Staging/Interiors - Montville, NJ

Styling Homes for Selling and Staying

Hi, Don,

First, sorry to hear you've never used a stager! That's a topic for another blog soon, I think, my big question being WHY?/WHY NOT?

But I absolutely agree it would be up to the homeowner. Through the staging association where I took my course last year, stagedhomes.com, we can buy lawn signs stating a home has been staged, supposedly to attract more buyers to the home. I'm just curious if this is actually the case in real life. Although I think staging is a lot more visually interesting than advertising your home as having been worked on by an electrician or plumber, etc., LOL.

Sep 03, 2010 04:45 PM

Don Spera

CR Property Group, LLC - East York, PA

Serving York and Adams County, PA

I personally think that it is going to draw curiosity seekers from neighbors than it would be potential buyers as far as the signage. As far as the other advertising on site, I would definitely think that gives the home more merit and will draw some legitimate showings.

Sep 04, 2010 12:37 AM

Michele Rose

Rose-Colored Staging - Mount Holly Township, NJ

Burlington County Home Staging & Redesign

Amy, I would never place a sign outside a home I staged and I do not leave any business cards or brochures. Our job is to make the house look wonderful. We want the buyers to see the home, not our advertising. For vacant homes, an outside sign could welcome robbery. And-- sometimes if buyers feel a home has been staged they wonder if anything's being hidden.

It's really just best to go in, do a great job and take pictures. Promote your work on your website and those agents will find you.

Sep 04, 2010 11:17 AM

Anonymous

Hi, Michele

Thank you for your comment on my post from yesterday re: advertising staged homes. I have just started leaving my business cards on the hall table in homes I stage (the last three) as long as the owners agree (so far everyone has) IF either I staged it, or the owners have followed my suggestions sufficiently for the home to look great. I really have no interest in placing "ASP Staged Home" signs, etc. on properties, but was curious if ANYONE does. To me, it's a little too artificial and I also am on the fence about whether buyers do view a staged home as contrived in any way. Of course, as stagers we do not cover defects, but we do downplay negatives as much as we can while highlighting the great features of a house. Lots of times, I find I'm able to convince sellers to replace outdated, worn carpeting, to refinish hardwood floors, remove heavy drapes, etc. so we really do get homes to look much better, which is serving both sellers and buyers.

Nice house for sale in Haddonfield, BTW. I've seen Haddonfield on "House Hunters" on HGTV!

So you are a "stagent" -- a staging agent -- very cool! Would love to know if you charge separately for your staging or throw it in for new listings -- I also have my real estate license for 22 years, and am always debating if I want to actively sell. But I LOVE staging and the more "regular" hours it provides as well.

Best of luck to you, neighbor!

Sep 04, 2010 01:34 PM

Good idea to advertise a home as "staged"?

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