It started with the Realtors. Years ago it was unheard of to speak to a seller about the "odor" in their home or their favorite wallpaper, the stains on the carpet and other "challenges" within their home. The Realtor just took the listing and hoped for the best.
What was the best? Was the he hope that the Realtor would find a buyer with a small dog who also peed on the carpet and therefore they were used to the odor? Was the hope that the Realtor would find someone who liked the smell of dirty socks or had the same cooking preferences as the current owner? Did the seller hope to engage the buyer in a refrigerator magnet contest to see who had the most diverse collection? What was that hope? What shifted for Realtors was the realization that selling a house was merchandizing rather than just putting a home on the market "as is".
(NOTE-this is Chris' dog Sugar, put the curser over the photo...that's Sugar. Always sorry to get caught.)
Most change happens when the public reacts to something and forces that company or industry to change to meet their needs. The public spoke and stopped buying the dumpy, or perceived less than perfect homes. The public said, in effect "Why trade my dirty carpet for their dirty carpet." There had to be more reason to move than to just trade challenges, right? We became a society of buyers that didn't have time for "fixing"; perhaps too tired to muster up the energy for the daunting task that awaited them in their "dream home".
Real Estate marketing became an even more important part of how property sold in the 1980's. Realtors came to the realization they couldn't just stick the sign in the yard and put an ad in the paper anymore and have the property sell. In November of 1978 interest rates went from single to double digit interest rates and it just kept going up until October of 1981 when rates reached 18.45%. If a Realtor had a client who could qualify and buy a home then, the clients did a refinance within 2 years when rates went under 14%!!! That was considered a great interest rate in 1983.
The times created a need for more merchandizing of listed homes to get them noticed by the buyers. Realtors began to realize they had to spend some marketing $$$ on their listings to get them noticed because buyers were not too interested at that point. Most buyers couldn't afford the payments at the high interest rates of that day, and those that could were not so inclined to rush out and buy if what they saw was cluttered, dirty or needed work. They had to be tempted. Home staging was created out of a need.
Realtors have always been smart enough to adapt to changing times. If the Realtor was going to spend money to get their listed properties noticed then they didn't want to lose the buyer when they finally got a prospect to come to the property and go inside. The real estate industry evolved from "selling homes" to "marketing and selling homes". Marketing techniques were created to fill a need and make the properties more competitive and marketable.
Fast forward to 2008 - Staging is now an accepted, no longer optional, marketing tool in the savvy Realtor's marketing plan. Realtors must be marketing experts along with all of the other skills needed to be a successful practitioner. So how does home staging fit into a Realtor's marketing plan? Very well thank you. It's the perfect compliment. It is completely client focused and one investment that has a high return for the client and the Realtor. Think about your local newspaper ads, can they do as much dollar for dollar?
AR has a huge group of home staging professionals online. The beauty of this forum is that you can read their published work and see their photos and determine the most professional "staged" stager for your client demographic. It's like having online shopping for resumes. I encourage you to take advantage of these professionals in your marketplace. You already know they are on trend as they are here. Any serious business owner will make time for a company internet presence. Isn't that who you want on your team, someone who supports your professional image?
Terrylynn Fisher, Realtor for decades in Walnut Creek, California, co-owner of StagersLIST.com and serious believer in Home Staging for REAL ESTATE.
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Especially in today's market, every edge helps. Good insight, Terrylynn!