Dean: The first thing I tell sellers when I meet with them is "Home staging is not an excuse to overprice your home. If your home is overpriced, it will not sell staged or not".

I agree that the most important factors in getting a home sold are price and condition. If either of those is not up to snuff it will effect the selling price and time on the market. As a stager I don't have any say on price but I can help home sellers get their home into the best possible condition in the most cost effective manner so they can get their home sold.

Thank you for commenting and for believing in the value of home staging.

Hi Ginger: My consultation clients are always suprised that I can find 8 or 10 single spaced pages of items that need to be addressed before they put their home on the market. But once they read the report and start looking around they usually see their house differently - more like a product that needs to get ready for market so they can sell it. Most of what we find is cosmetic, but we have found an undetected leak under a sink a time or two. Yes, we're picky. It is our job to be so that the house gets sold faster, with less hassles and for the best price.

Hi Kathy: Thanks for your thoughtful response. Hiring a professional home stager can save a home owner a ton of money. I blogged recently about a homeowner who saved $3500 after hiring us. She didn't need to replace her carpet as she had thought. Heres the link A home staging consultation can save you money. Many of us have staged or consulted on hundreds of houses. We know what works and what doesn't and what is worth it and what isn't. Thanks again.

Ginger: It is a fine line between offering constructive suggestions and totally trashing a house. I have never gotten negative feedback from an REA on one of my  reports. Mostly they are thankful that I have done the dirty work for them and they know they will encounter fewer obstacles once a house is under contract.

At the end of the report, I make a list of 10 or 20 things I feel are most important, and the things they should absolutely take care of as a kind of re-cap. I think most people understand we are trying to help them do what they hired us for.

Thanks Ginger!

I have tried multiple times to upload some photos to this blog but have been unable. Sorry. I'll try to add them later.

Jo: Thank you, and thank you again. I'm glad to hear the SEO strategy is working.

Thank you, Connie. I have been doing more and more staging consultations recently. I really enjoy them - not as much as staging a nice big vacant, but almost;-)

Kathleen: No, we are not building inspectors, but we may be able to make the building inspection go more smoothly by having our clients take care of the more obvious defects. The more the building inspector finds wrong with the house, the more likely the buyer will want to renegotiate the sales price downward.

I am getting more and more calls from homeowners even before they have met with any REAs. And they are asking me for referrals to agents. We are a great resource for any REAs that would like more leads.

Thanks for commenting Kathleen.

Hi James: Staging always works in both the buyer's and seller's favor. The house is more marketable (can sell faster and at a better price) and it is in move in condition for the buyer. I think most Agents understand marketability vs. value. It is usually the homeowners that are being unrealistic.

Jackie: We go through most of what is going to be in the report with the homeowner before we give them the report. That way everything is explained beforehand. We also encourage the homeowner to contact us if they have any questions or if they want us to be their accountability coach. Thanks for commenting.

Hi Tamara: Feel free to use this info to educate your clients. Thanks.

Patty: Thank you. See above.

Kevin: So true. Thanks for stopping by.

Oops. I missed this response. You are most welcome. Happy selling!

Hi Laurie: Thanks for the feature in The Southern Calfornia Real Estate Forum Group. Exciting!

Thank you Ronda (Mahalo!)

Karen: Does Eddie know you're going on blind dates? Thanks Karen!

Todd: Occassionally, Realtors pay us for staging up front when their clients can't afford it. Most houses would sell faster and for a better price if they were staged, which is helpful to both the home owner and the listing agent. Just make sure you will be reimbursed in the event the house does not sell (overpriced, sellers unreasonable about working with the buyer, change of plans, etc.). I worked with one listing agent that paid for the staging, but wrote into the listing contract that the homeowner agreed to lower the price a certain amount every 30 days until the home sold. Fortunately  the house sold after the first open house, so it was never an issue. But the listing agent felt confident that the homeower would agree to a price reduction to get the home sold if the LA felt it was necessary.