I haven't been here in months,, and I apologize if this topic has been hashed out, .. That said,, here is my dilema.. ( and maybe yours too ?/) . EVERYBODY WANTS TO STAGE VACANT HOMES ! .. And while I love to work on a nice clean empty canvas, I have run out of inventory and I cannot invest in anymore STUFF and I am turning down work !,, I WANT TO DO MORE RE-DESIGN !,, How do you get Realtors or homeowners to GET IT, that most occupied homes look like crap !.. I often check out the photos of listings online, and I am SHOCKED at how awful many of them look ! These websites are where buyers go to see all the "pretty pictures" !!,, Good grief !,, So.. do you call the Realtor ? Can you be diplomatic somehow when asking them if they know how bad a particular property looks on the computer screen ?.. " Hello Mr. Smith.. My name is Anne Vigneri and I am a home stager in your area. I just visited your website and I wonder if you might be open to hearing some suggestions that may improve the marketability of your listing at 1000 West Bicycle?" Would this sort of approach be viable, or just plain rude? Anybody done this ?
I would wholeheartedly welcome input from a designer on a poorly-decorated listing! Please help these agents out! Sometimes it's hard to broach the subject when the client has lived in the home since it was built in the 70's and it's not the easiest to say "You know, that crazy porcelain doll collection that occupies three rooms of your house seems to be turning off buyers." When you have an outside person commenting on the appearance, it's not hard to say "A designer noticed the home photos from my extensive Internet marketing and PICKED UP THE PHONE to tell me she had some great advice for positioning YOUR home as the best one in the neighborhood! Would you like to hear her suggestions or maybe meet with her to see if that would be beneficial?"
GO FOR IT GIRL!
P.S. - Can you change your information in your profile (just the info on the right) to explain what your designation means or what it is you do so someone knows who you are and what you do when they comment your blog? Just a suggestion
Anne - I did this last July and the Realtors(r) I contacted around here LOVED it. Of course I didn't say the place looked like "crap", but I did say I noticed the property had "X" number of homes within "X" number of miles, within "X" price range as competition and I also noted the property had been on the market for some time - of course I had no way of knowing feedback from buyers, but based on my experience as a professional stager I thought if the owner made a few changes to how the property was viewed it could very well increase showings.
In every case the response was positive and I am still receiving business and referrals from the Realtors(r). Thankfully :)
Jackie
Denise, I think HSE stands for Home Staging Expert! :)
Anne, I agree with you on the Redesign. I'm actually trying to move away from vacants period. They definitely do provide that clean canvas but the inventory costs are crazy!
I tried this a couple times and usually got the responses that the realtor was also a stager and were working on the property or that the homeowner simply did not have the money to invest in the property or that it has gone into forclosure (which is pretty common now in Orlando).
Try a plan that targets the clients directly. In my area I get more interest from clients vs. Realtors. The idea of mailing out info definitely will generate response if the marketing materials are really professional! Go get 'em!
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