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There is no second chance for a first impression! Don't just put a home on the market if you want it to sell

By
Real Estate Agent with Donohue RE 3229067

As a Stager and Realtor I am very delighted to see great featured posts about STAGING.

I started staging for a big company in Los Angeles years ago and know the power of it first hand.

Staging has been a booming business in Los Angeles for over a decade. Top producing agents don't even take on a seller who is not willing to stage. Why? Because a top producer wants to do just that: SELL quick for a good price.

My passion for polo made me move to Florida since there is really no good polo in LA. I bought a home in Wellington, Palm Beach County which is the epicenter for equestrians and I felt I was in horsy heaven.

In need of a way to make a living after the move and realising how "un-known" staging was in FL, I decided to start my own Staging company in 2007. This was the worst year for trying to get Staging popular. I felt like I was spinning my wheels since the RE market came to a standstill and that was the reason why I got my license to still stay in the RE business which I love.

Very, very rarely is a new listing ready for showings.  Here a few before/after pix from some of my jobs:

They always suffer from far too much clutter:

Staging        Staging

Too personalized:

Staging     Staging

I have not yet seen any homes that are ready for the market it and I wish agents would start putting their foot down and not let the seller get away with the mentality:

Well, let's just try it the way it is....or just as bad: the buyer can do all those changes.

It will make or break the success of selling a home quick for good money.

Of course it has to be understood that a listing has to be priced realistically first. One can stage a home to perfection, but if the home is greatly overpriced, staging might not make a difference.

If a home is priced well however, it will give it the edge over other listings and it will have a great effect.

Especially in a buyers market we are in right now where buyers have a lot of choices it is even more critical to set your listing apart from your competition.

For now, I offer staging consultations for free as an extra marketing tool for my listings.Staging is so very important to me that I even go so far that I offer my time and help the seller getting the home ready for showings which can be back breaking.

Once again, I know the power of staging and I refuse to show a home that is not completely finished. When sellers get impatient and ask me to show it anyway, one saying always helps them understand: THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE FOR A FIRST IMPRESSION!

Fellow agents, I am urging you: help yourself and your clients and don't just take a listing without getting it ready for the public...think of your commission you might not get if buyers walk into your listing and move on to the next. You want them to stay and feel it could be already their home but it need some work which is well worth while.

 

Comments (17)

Harry F. D'Elia III
WEDO Real Estate and Beyond, LLC - Phoenix, AZ
Investor , Mentor, GRI, Radio, CIPS, REOs, ABR

The before and after pictures are amazing. Staging homes is a must to gain an advantage in the market place.

Feb 03, 2011 12:33 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Gina - This is a great argument for staging a home before selling.  As you are a home stager and a Realtor®, you've seen both sides of the business, so it's very interesting to hear your observations.  Glad you're living your dream with horses and polo - sounds wonderful!

Feb 03, 2011 03:03 AM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

GREAT before/after transformation and the endorsement to the "POWER" of staging!  Enjoy living your dream!

Feb 03, 2011 09:26 AM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Harry: Thank you and you are right, it is a must and it really works especially in such a competitive market.

Feb 03, 2011 11:03 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Sally: I believe every agent should bring a Stager to a listing presentation.

It really "impresses" sellers since the agent shows that he uses an extra, very effective marketing tool to get a the listing sold.....and Yes, being around horses is wonderful, Thank you!

Feb 03, 2011 11:11 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Thank you, Kathy! I am on a mission to make the power of staging as popular as it is in Los Angeles....I still have a long ways to go in FL, but I am optimistic.

Feb 03, 2011 11:14 PM
Christine L
Property Cupid, LLC - Chandler, AZ
Broker

Gina, I also am a huge proponent of staging.  I often go shopping with my seller's to buy a couple of place settings, flowers, pillows etc.  And engage them in helping to make the transformation in their rooms. This is the "fun" part of my job as a Realtor.

Feb 05, 2011 04:53 AM
Andy Capelluto
International School of Staging - Seattle, WA

 

I  fully agree Gina - so essential is the concept of staging any and every home in todays market - that many years ago - as a staging instructor, i went so far as to register the words  'The Power of Staging® as my trademark.  Rather than ask you to remove this post on the grounds of trademark infringement - I’d like to add to it by announcing that The Power of Staging ®- for Real Estate professionals -  online course for 2011 will be released by the end of February - encompassing vital information for agents selling homes todays real estate market.  Our premise is that todays sellers prefer to work with a STAGENT ® who can lead them through the process of staging their home.  In this economy sellers prefer to save their extra $ on their new homes rather than pay the expensive costs for home staging.  We look at a simplified and scaled down and free service by STAGENTS® to guide sellers through the process of prepping the home for resale. This course has been tried and tested by over 5,000 agents through Realty U until they closed their doors in 2010.  We will be launching The Power of Staging ® at the same time as our new website www.InternationalSchoolofStaging.com - by the end of February 2011 .......stay tuned  :-)

 

Andy Capelluto


Feb 09, 2011 06:15 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Christine: Yeah, we girls like shopping, don't we???

Even the smallest things can make a big difference and I am glad you guide your sellers...keep it up, it will help you as an agent!

Feb 10, 2011 02:47 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Andy: STAGENT....I love it.....and be assured, I will stay tuned.....staging needs to be brought to live and I am on a mission to make it as popular in FL as it is already in LA....so far, I have been fighting against windmills but I am not giving up.

Feb 10, 2011 02:51 PM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

That is hard to believe that is even the same house. Wow, what a difference and no matter how many times I try to explain this to some, I think pictures like yours can easily prove my point.

Feb 18, 2011 06:50 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Yep, pictures tell more than a thousand words....there are more before/after on my Staging website: www.ginanugent.com under portfolio.....thanks, Todd!

Feb 21, 2011 02:09 AM
Steve Scheer
Realty Oasis - Metro Brokers - Highlands Ranch, CO
Highlands Ranch Real Estate - Denver Real Estate

Fabulous photos Gina - the differences are amazing.   The seconds look sharp, fresh and classic.

Feb 21, 2011 03:05 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Thanks Steve....It is very rewarding at the end when a sellers "nest" turns into a marketable product that appeals to the general public..

Feb 21, 2011 10:29 PM
Scott Hayes
(512) 786-8300 - Austin, TX
Realty Austin, Broker Associate

Gina,

 

The photos are great, but the title is even better. One of my favorite real estate questions- do you want to list your home or sell it?

Mar 11, 2011 01:34 PM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

Your word in God's ear, Frank!

Mar 13, 2011 03:48 AM
Gina Nugent
Donohue RE - Palm Beach, FL
Real Estate Agent - Palm Beach, FL

One of my favorite real estate questions- do you want to list your home or sell it?

I think I will put this one on my favorite questions list as well...Thanks, Scott!

Mar 13, 2011 03:50 AM