A New Approach For Recommending Home Staging

A New Approach For Recommending Home Staging

I have recently had many conversations with Realtors who tell me that they have a difficult time bringing up the topic of Home Staging with their clients.  When they do, they find that clients can be resistant because it seems insulting to suggest that their property might need design help.  It sounds like there may be a disconnect between the perception of what a Home Stager offers + what we actually do.  It seems that we need to re-examine our approach...

When introducing the concept of Home Staging, clients are most likely thinking of the HGTV shows in which a critical Realtor or Designer walks through the home making fun of critiquing it.  Would you want to think that someone is doing that at your property?  I'm guessing not!  Not only that, but many homeowners have gotten so comfortable with their surroundings that they may not even feel like they need to make design changes.  They do not see the dirt on the 40-year-old carpets, peeling wallpaper, and outdated fixtures the way buyers will.  Because redesign is not a compelling need for them, we are selling the wrong solution by recommending Home Staging. 

Home Staging, as it is understood from television, serves the Realtor's need to market a better product.  While a better looking property should be as important to the seller, we know that so many factors interfere with this.  The home seller's compelling needs are completely different.  They need someone to help them sell their home quickly and to begin the massive work of packing + organizing for a move.  They think that you are the solution to selling their home faster (regardless of the condition it's in), not a Home Stager.  So we are left with them having to take on the Herculean task of organizing + packing.  Hmmm...is this a potential opportunity?

By just recommending a Home Stager to clients, we are talking about a feature and one that isn't perceived to meet their needs.  We need to have the conversation around the benefits to clients as it relates to organizing, packing + selling quickly.  A more effective conversation may be to discuss bringing in someone who will:

• give them a roadmap for getting packed
• help them sort, donate, or sell their items
• go room-by-room letting them know what they can actually pack now before the property is even listed
• make recommendations that will make their listing photos look incredible so that they get more showings
• help them drive in traffic from the Internet + dramatically increase their ability to sell quickly. 

Now who wouldn't be interested in that?  Try that approach the next time you want to recommend a Home Stager + let me know how it works!

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Rethink Home Interiors                                                 Moving can be stressful.  If you live in the Philadelphia Suburbs and need to get organized to sell, let Home Staging expert and Moving Concierge, Lori Fischer of Rethink Home Interiors help you get your project started + give you peace of mind.                                                                     www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com                                                               lori@rethinkhomeinteriors.com                                                                  610.724.1108