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Considering Home Staging? Listing Price Shouldn't Be A Determining Factor

By
Home Stager with Sharon Tara Transformations

This morning I was inspired to write by a question asked in the Q&A section.

Tari Reph introduced herself as a new agent and asked

 "Do you use a professional stager with all of your listings? If not, how do you decide when that would be appropriate? "

Tari started a great conversation, and I enjoyed reading through the comments she received.

What stood out for me was the number of agents saying it depended on the price of the home.

While I agree that home staging isn't necessary for homes that are obvious tear downs or investment properties, I don't agree that listing price has anything to do with the decision of hiring a stager.

When considering the use of home staging as a marketing tool, listing price shouldn't be the determining factor.

Regardless of price, all homes show better when furniture is arranged to show space and the function of each room is well defined.

All homes show better when the right paint color is used,

when positive features are highlighted,

and when red flags (items suggesting future problems) are removed.

All homes show better when they appear to be well maintained and cared for.

 

Home Staging includes advice on anything and everything that will help make a home more visually and emotionally appealing to potential buyers.

 

An inexpensive home staging consult (usually under $300) provides sellers with all the information they need to prepare and present their home for the market....regardless of their listing price.

 

 

My favorite replies to Tari's question:

Barbara Todaro :  "every home is worthy of staging, except for a fix and flip or teardown....there are different types of staging advice for different price points and the greater the magnitude of home, the greater the need for staging."

 

Dick Greenberg :  "staging comes in a lot of different forms, from moving furniture and decluttering to bringing in lots of stuff. Each property will have a unique answer and a long-term relationship with a good professional stager will provide a good source of expertise on what may be needed. But it almost always pays to have a property looking it's best. "

 

Jill Murty, Realtor - Orange County, CA  :  "For occupied properties, I have a stager do a walk through of the property. She writes her recommendations and submits them to the seller. The seller may elect to employ some, all or none of the recommendations.

For vacant properties, I suggest that the seller have a consultation with a stager and decide if they'd like to proceed.

People often ask if staging is worth it. There's a reason new homes are staged. It's not because it's ineffective."

 

Dorie Dillard :  "I agree with Barbara Todaro....every home is worthy of staging. I subscribe to staging no matter what price point."

 

Thank you James Dray  for tagging me in your comment!

Comments (43)

Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Sharon -- a great post.   One of the things I like most about AR is the inspiration found in other members' posts, comments, questions and answers. 

Aug 17, 2016 01:06 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Hannah Williams  Thank you!

Michael Jacobs  Me too...you never know where you will find inspiration!

 

Aug 17, 2016 05:37 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

This is very good advice to share.

Have an outstanding week.

Aug 18, 2016 12:28 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Roy Kelley:  Thank you!  Hope your week is going well!

Aug 18, 2016 12:47 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

                                         Thanks Sharon Tara 

Aug 20, 2016 11:46 AM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Excellent point, Sharon.  Virtually all homes can benefit from this, and a small consultation fee is usually well worth it.  The tricky part, for many, is which recommendations to implement vs. available budget.

Aug 20, 2016 09:37 PM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good morning Sharon. The majority of homes need a lttle professional help. Some more than others! Enjoy your day!

Aug 20, 2016 10:07 PM
Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Sharon-I totally agree that price shouldn't determine whether a home is staged. If it was Mom's wouldn't be worthy because it is a older home and was under $100,000.

Aug 20, 2016 10:18 PM
Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS
Fathom Realty Washington LLC - Tacoma, WA
South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!

Spoken like a true professional Sharon Tara 

I found your excellent post ( I missed ) through Kathy Streib's What I Learned This Week At ActiveRain-August 14-August 20, 2016. 

Aug 20, 2016 11:29 PM
Kristin Johnston - REALTOR®
RE/MAX Platinum - Waukesha, WI
Giving Back With Each Home Sold!

Another great post...I can see why Kathy chose to highlight it this week!

Aug 21, 2016 12:30 AM
Sam Shueh
(408) 425-1601 - San Jose, CA
mba, cdpe, reopro, pe

In our area staging is often a tie breaker. What can you do for me for a fixed %.

The question is stage or not stage. Who is footing the bill?

Aug 21, 2016 12:49 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Hi Sharon Tara ... So glad I caught this via Kathy Streib. I agree, price should not be the deciding factor about staging. I'm no stager, to be sure. One of the values I see (just one) and I think it's important, a stager gives the buyer a vizualization of how the spaces can be used. It also helps the buyer make decisions. I know in my own experience, every home I've purchased was totally vacant. I think of myself as a creative, but if someone would have staged it so I had reference points it would have been a big help. Great post! 

Aug 21, 2016 03:23 AM
Patricia Kennedy
RLAH@Properties - Washington, DC
Home in the Capital

Sharon, I have a small-ish condo coming on the market in a couple of weeks, and the sellers are having it painted, the floors done, new appliances, and we're doing some staging - at least the living room, dining room and kitchen.  And some of the best staging jobs I've seen in small places were quite simple.  

Aug 21, 2016 09:44 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Kathy Streib  Thank you so much for including me! I didn't get to AR at all this weekend. I am playing catch up today!

Debbie Gartner  The ultimate decision is the sellers' but the stager will prioritize improvements to make their decision easier.

Wayne Martin  Some A LOT more than others!

Sharon Lee  You may be surprised to know that I've done consults for trailer park homes at $38,000.  

 

 

Aug 22, 2016 12:55 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, Broker, Tacoma Washington  Thank you. I didn't know about Kathy's post until this morning. We were very busy this weekend and I never go to visit the Rain at all yesterday and very little on Saturday. A productive weekend though....and that's always good!

Aug 22, 2016 12:56 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Kristin Johnston, Waukesha County Realtor 414-254-6647  Thank you!

Sam Shueh  I always suggest the seller pay for staging. I find that they are more invested and take it more seriously.

Rene Fabre  Thank you! I appreciate your sharing your personal experience. Vacant rooms are very hard to visualize furnished, appear smaller, and every little flaw is magnified.

 Patricia Kennedy  Sounds like very smart sellers. Yes, keep it simple....just enough to establish what fits in the room and help establish a life style!

Aug 22, 2016 01:00 AM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Sharon Tara - Staging the home to sell! (The way we say, priced to sell!)

However, not to mention, by staging some sellers want to increase the selling price....

Aug 22, 2016 02:35 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Praful Thakkar  The right preparation and presentation will make a home appear far more valuable....home staging does increase perceived value. However, home staging doesn't mean you can ask more than market value.

Aug 23, 2016 02:37 AM
Mary Yonkers
Alan Kells School of Real Estate/Howard Hanna Real Estate - Erie, PA
Erie/PA Real Estate Instructor

Sharon Tara Thank you for this very helpful post. I saw a reblog & followed the link here.  

Aug 30, 2016 10:32 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Mary Yonkers  Thank you for taking the time to let me know you found the post helpful!

Aug 31, 2016 06:25 AM