Home stagers do not hide problems!

Tanya:  That's just a bunch of nonsense. I'm really shocked that Mike Holmes would profess such a thing.  'Decorating' always hides flaws in a room.  The flaws I mean are poorly designed rooms, bad traffic flow, too small windows.  It does not obviously mean hide the crack in the hardwood floor.  Why do so many people think you practice slight of hand or voodoo?

I have had numerous sellers ask me to help them hide flaws - holes in the walls, stains on the carpets, etc. - instead of just fixing them. I always refer them to other vendors that I work with regularly - painter, carpet cleaner, handyman - and then I call the vendor to have them follow up with the seller. This helps to ensure that the items get resolved, and I can do a better job staging knowing that the house is fixed up and ready to sell!

You have a great niche, Tanya, offering free staging services for your listings. I can't believe someone would ask you to cover up a boo-boo. What are you supposed to do, leave your staging gear there and hope the new buyer never sees a need to move it? Incredible!

I'm singing it loud and clear too. We do not hide things. I've never been asked to cover things up.

I was recently doing a living room and we moved the piano to the left by a few feet. This revealed a vacuum cleaner plug in without a cover on it. We brought in a new cover and put it in place. It's much better to have the largest pieces in a room in their proper places for good balance. Normally we wouldn't take on the repairs but this was too easy to resist.

Realtors appreciate Stagers reinforcing things that they have usually already mentioned to the home sellers. Things like painting, caulking, and other small repairs.

Thanks for an excellent blog.

I might hang a picture to hid damage my kids did, but never from a buyer.  You have to disclose that even if they do not see it - especially if they do not see it.

Very well said Tanya!  Hiding problems is a BIG no-no!!  I've had to correct clients in the past when they asked how to "hide" a flaw. 

Happy Staging!

Kelly  :)

I have never been asked to hide a problem, but then I go to Staging consultations armed with a bevy of affiliates names and numbers to pass on to homeowners to rectify the issues that I see.  All sorts of people from movers to painters to floor strippers and more.  Then, I stage.

BTW I noted Heather Littrell mentioned Staging being the best money an agent can spend.  None of my agents, well one of my agents only (from another culture) pay for Staging.  Why would they when the seller earns typically a 94% return on a sale while the REA only a fraction of 6% at best?  And, as a selling expense that money should be tax deductible to boot.  I would love a show of hands from REAs here as to how many pay for Staging and why.  Feel free to email me.  Thanks

Great blog Tanya, and it demonstrates that stagers have integrity (or should) when preparing a home for sale. Short cuts, cover-ups only bit you in the #@%!

Hmmm... not a problem I would have considered. I thought stagers just brought out the best features and made the space look appealing. I didn't know anyone thought they could or would cover up flaws.

But then again, home staging hadn't made it to our little community yet when I quit selling. I don't know if it has now, since I've never seen an ad for a stager.

Thank God, Tanya, my stagers are honest like you.  I know they would not telll the homeowners to hide issues.  They are there to enhance features and help us see the home in it's best light.

I personally feel that home staging, at best, will allow a home to sell quicker.  The statements that say the home will sell for much higher price don't ring well with me since a home needs to be appraised.  The appraisser won't add value for the staging so the price is limited to the comparable sales prices.

Well said, Tanya. I guess I'm a little naive because I'm trying to think of an instance where a stager can truly hide a defect that wouldn't be uncovered by a home inspection. I have seen the large rugs owners put down only to lift up and find a big spot.. Now I think stagers or agents should cover imperfections to make them look better as long as it's not covering/hiding a problem with the house. But a true defect will come back to bite anyone/everyone somehow.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Since I don't have any of the skills you have it IS all magic to me.  I am amazed by what you do.  Margaret C.

Tanya,

I know real estate agents get ripped all the time, but never know you guys got the bad rap. I really value what home stagers do, and wish more clients would choose to work with you guys.

Nice post. A Realtor and a stager. That's a good combination!

GREAT advice as always, Tanya. I once saw a surf board in a bathroom leaning against the wall as though it belonged there. The listing agent told the sellers to put it there to cover the large hole in the wall. They would have been better off drawing a bullseye around the hole. it boggles the mind that they didn't just FIX IT!!

Tanya, they are 3 of our nine grandkids, the one who looks just like me is on my profile pic. Happy holidays. Kate

Righ your job is to make the home as appealing as possible and show the homes true potential. A great home stager is a valuable person to have on your team.

Amen. Great article !

Home staging does not hide anything significant. As an inspector I'm going to locate and open the electrical panel as a matter of course. I'm not looking at furniture, art, wall colour or window treatments. I will note significant paint or floor finish defects.

What can 'hide' things from inspectors are repairs, repainting and renovations that are done prior to listing the home. Not that there is anything wrong with doing that, but often evidence of past or recurring problems can be covered of masked, even inadvertently.

The words of wisdom here are 'declare any known or suspect conditions of the home or it's systems and its' history of past events'; "ice storm damage" for example.

As for Mike Holmes, I watch his programs with interest and amusement, but those of us in the home service - real estate field have to remember this is 'entertainment television'. The shows format and the channels that air it give you the impression of 'public service education' but that is not accually the case.

I have great respect for Mike and the values he espouses on his shows. They show real problems, give good advice and platform many 'best practice' techniques and good products.

But you've got to expect a sprinkling of head turning, declarative statements that are meant to grab your attention (that's just good television). "How did the inspector miss that?" "What was he thinking?" "I can't believe the inspector didn't see this?" (Naturally they don't emphasize or even mention that the inspector is not permitted to demolish significant parts of the building to inspect it.)

If you watch the segments behind the 'headliners' there is usually a fair (and far less dramatic) discussion of the subject. However your feeling of being stung is correct because viewer walk away with those impressions.

RB