It always makes me smile (and chuckle a bit inside) when a seller that knows I am coming over tries to "out-stage" me.  This has happened numerous times - and still I manage to find 4 pages of recommendations for the seller - much to their surprise!  I am not nitpicking either - these are standard do's and don't's for Staging - and any one of you that has the ability to advise a client would find the same to-do items.  Out-Staging the Stager is hard to do for Sellers as they don't see things we see or understand the "WHY's" behind our suggestions.

The latest example was interesting - as my colleague and I pulled up to the house we saw the Realtor and the clients chatting in the garage.  After introductions and some small talk, we said, "Well let's take a tour!"  The woman then said to the Realtor, "You did not tell them, did you?" which made me a little nervous.  Tell me what?  Then she proceeded to tell me that she was a Stager.  OK - now we were equipped with that knowledge and we shifted gears a bit as we knew inside we would find a person that fancied herself to be a Stager - ready to hear our comments about what still needed to be done to the house.

As we went through the house - she said, "You are nothing like that show on TV" - you know the one with the terrible mother-daughter team that go in and judge and criticize everything?

The house had already been on the market for a year - and did not sell.  So - yes, there were things that were needed to Stage it for sale.  From the first curb appeal impression (add colorful annuals and new bark, and a tall topiary or plant by the front door) . . . to our initial walk through the front door - we were greeted with really obvious Staging do's.  For example - they had a large pool table in the living room, and a bar set up in the Formal Dining Room.  When I asked about the pool table - she said, 'We've always lived this way."  OK but remember living and selling are two different things.  The house was painted some tasteful colors - yet they were too custom and showed up as really dark in the photos online. 

When I photographed the house I showed her what her house looked like to buyers.  She had never seen the photos the prior Realtor used - and it was a instant "Ah-Ha" as she saw how her house looked to others.  She said, "Wow- my kitchen table (that was too large and we recommended putting it in the Dining Room) looks like a landing strip for an airplane!"  It did - dominating the room.  A picture is worth a thousand words - or in this case, fewer days on market.

Painting the family room was already on the discussion list, but the seller said she did not want to paint it a really neutral color - and the yellow wall that led to the kitchen was staying.

Solution:  I suggested "cutting" the color in 1/2 and 1/2 again if needed.  Lightbulb - AH-HA moment- she said.  "I never thought of that - it's a really good idea."  Moving on - we found plenty of furniture to use to furnish the living room and dining room as originally built - and expected by buyers which was a good thing so they don't have to rent furniture.  The upper Master - needed rearranging and painting, and the Master bath needed to be made more luxurious and updated.  They were open to all suggestions - and hopefully will implement them all.  In our market with 60% foreclosures, having a house that is move-in ready needs to happen in order for a buyer to feel a regular sale is advantageous.

As we talked, we found out that the couple had taken a re-design course - not a Staging course - (they could not even remember the name but took it in Vegas). . .and their focus was on working on houses to help upgrade and remodel them - not getting them ready for sale.  This was evident in the way the house had been presented for sale - and I thought to myself - good job for the Realtor that was wise enough to bring us out for a professional opinion - and shame on the agents that had the listing for a year with the house showing the way it did.  The way the house showed in photos and in person did not do it justice, and we know with some paint, elbow grease, and rearranging, their house will show well, and be what buyers expect to see.

Staging and re-design are not the same thing - and the goals are totally different.  Bottom line:  It always pays to have an objective 3rd party opinion - and honestly, I would have one of you come out to help me Stage my house so that I heard the truth of what needed to be done - as it is a truth that we cannot really be 100% objective in our own houses. - Jennie