Real Estate Blog - Vacant homes = Belles of the Staging Ball. Occupied Homes = Cinderella BEFORE the Fairy Godmother showed up.

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Vacant homes = Belles of the Staging Ball. Occupied Homes = Cinderella BEFORE the Fairy Godmother showed up.

Cinderella HGTV has revolutionized the staging industry with their numerous programs showing how they can transform an unappealing occupied home into the most desirable one in that price range thus increasing the marketability of the home. Even though the occupied home is the star on HGTV, in the real staging world, it appears that the vacant home is the one that garners all the attention. The inquiries I get about staging a vacant home far outnumber the ones for occupied homes.

Just a few minutes perusing Realtor.com confirms that there are many "wallflower" occupied homes that could be transformed into Belles of the Ball after a visit from a Staging Fairy Godmother.

Also, I am seeing more and more comments on staging blogs here in the Rain from Realtors that say...."Next time I have a vacant home, I will have it staged." Or, "I have all my vacant homes staged."

I have taxed my brain trying to think of reasons why some Realtors would only hire stagers for their vacant listings and not their occupied ones.

This is what I have come up with:

1. They only take listings that look like model homes.

2. Buyers in their area are not able to visualize what their furnishings would look like in a vacant home but are extremely adept at visualizing themselves in cluttered, outdated, highly personalized, and overcrowded homes.

3. They stage all their occupied listings themselves and only contact a stager when furniture needs to be brought in.

4. They are afraid the stager will poke fun of the homeowner's furnishings and decorating styles like they do on HGTV.

5. They are not aware that a skilled stager will patiently, tactfully, and empathetically explain the reasons behind the suggested changes that need to be made in such a way as to not offend the homeowners.

6. They do not realize that a talented stager can make an occupied home show its best for as little as $150 - $350 for a consultation (for motivated DIY sellers) or from $300 - $600 for a few hours of hands-on staging using only the owner's existing furnishings.

What are your reasons for not hiring a stager for your Cinderella listings?

Posted by Judy Kincaid, Tampa Home Stager on 05/02/2008 04:04 PM

Comments (8)

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8 Comments on Vacant homes = Belles of the Staging Ball. Occupied Homes = Cinderella BEFORE the Fairy Godmother showed up.

I wish I knew why agents/owners first think about staging vacants and not occupieds. The majority of the time the occupied ones are the ones that need it the most! I suppose it's because agents think when they tell their clients to clean and declutter that they've covered it all.... NOT!

05/02/2008 07:02 PM

by Judy Heinrich - Richmond VA Home Staging (Judy Heinrich Home Staging, LLC)

Yep I have to agree, I think it reason # 3 also, been looking at listings in our area and they are all so bare they almost look vacant, any ideas how to change that?

05/02/2008 10:19 PM

by Ronelle Schroeder-Hill ~Oomph! Home Staging & Redesign~ (Oomph! Home Staging & Redesign)

Judy,

I'm bewildered too. It's as rare as hens teeth to find a seller who actually lives in a home that is market ready. In twenty years I've only met one.

05/02/2008 11:34 PM

by Susan Peters - Seattle Realtor/Staging Specialist (Re/Max Mutual Realty)

Judy ~ It's the same in my area too. Agents seem to think they can give the occupied homeowners a list of things to do that will magically get the home prepared with a little help from the agent. Often with a small investment, a professional stager can make a dramatic difference in making the home presentable. I'm just starting to get the word out to agents that occupied homes need staging help as much as ever. I like your analogy to Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother!

05/03/2008 06:35 AM

by Maureen Bray ~ Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR (Room Solutions ~ Staging that Sells Homes!)

We do allot of consultations for occupied homes - it takes allot of convincing and helping them understand what needs to be done. Sometimes we are so sure that they will be using us to do the staging, then the call comes - we talked it over and decided to do it ourselves!!!!!!!!!!! I think the bottom line is that Realtors know that the homeowner don't understand how we can transform the home, allot of Realtors don't even understand it. Homeowners think we are still in yesterdays market and it will sell no matter what it looks like, after-all they have lived there and loved it for years!!! etc etc. We have switched to doing mostly empties, because its what people understand, we run in circles trying to convince the occupied homeowners!!

So I'd say #6!

05/03/2008 07:57 AM

by Becky Raike & Nicole Forte -Staging Sells Your Home (Staging Sells Your Home )

Judy, your analogy and your sense of humor are both awesome. We do have to take into account that seldom in any industry has one service provider asked another service provider to actually be the instrument of introduction to the same client. For a number of years that has been true of home stagers. BUT, things are changing! As with any GOOD alliance both parties should be of benefit in a myriad of ways to the other party. Because home stagers have already proven we can be of benefit to the real estate agents and brokers in getting a particular property sold we have addressed that issue to some degree.

NOW, we are of even more benefit to them than we once were and some of that is because of what you already mentioned -- HGTV. Craig Schiller has mentioned the effect in one of his blogs. Home stagers are now in a position to recommend real estate agents to OUR clients. I've had first hand knowledge of it in my own business. As an example -- last week, a stager I know in Northern California gave my name to an agent there as someone who would be able to recommend a good real estate agent in my area. I was able to do so and now a Great agent in my area will be helping home buyers who are moving here from California because I was a connection for her.

Given the chance home stagers can help real estate agents become Prince Charming to the Cinderella listings and vice versa.

05/03/2008 11:02 AM

by Yvonne Root Northern Arizona Home Stager (rooms b.y. root)

This has always puzzled me as well as to the "why" Realtors think of staging vacants and not occupied homes. Never met an occupied home that couldn't use a little beautification and rethinking when it comes to being on the market. This is true of my own home as well - things I would need to change before putting it on the market.

05/03/2008 02:58 PM

by Sandra Hughes-Redesigned Spaces-Virginia Redesigned Spaces - Fairfax County, VA (Redesigned Spaces - Northern Virginia)

I love being the fairy god mother! A prospect call me her 'Angel'...that was a nice compliment.

05/05/2008 07:38 PM

by Abby Reilly; NW Atlanta Home Stager (ALR Home Staging and Showcasing, LLC)

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