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It's The Staging Stupid!!

So I have a long blog coming soon that will reveal to sellers EXACTLY the steps necessary to sell their house FSBO. Including how Flat fee MLS services work (ie only paying the buyer agent).

But I had to write about this first.

A buddy of mine in Chicago wanted to sell his place. He, like almost every person in the United States NEEDS that last $5k, or $10k, so he wanted to "save" and sell it by owner. I, the oftentimes Anti-Realtor, told him NOT to take this approach (I guess I am more of an ANTI-SUCKY-ASS-AGENTS agent).

So I told him I'd find him a great Realtor (no I didn't take a cut).

First I had him email me a couple agents that he knew of, and I did a stealth interview of the agent. There I was ,an agent from Virginia, and this Realtor was feeding me B.S. His marketing materials boasted that they put your house on 600 websites and they put your house in front of 700 million homes. I recently read in BusinessWeek that India now has 50 million internet users. Thank God they can all see my friends condo! I hate marketing that is just short of flat out lying and meant to confuse customers, or to play the "I have a longer checklist than yours" contest.

Oh and that 600 websites... as I suspected (after calling him out on it), he only puts it onto this thing called the "M" "L" "S" (ever heard of it?) and the 599 other websites pull from the MLS and rebroadcast the data (in other words all Realtor get on the same 600 websites).

So I was on my own. I looked to ActiveRain to get a good Chicago Realtor.

I didn't care too much for the agents that were on here in Chicago, so what does one do....

I found the PERFECT solution for finding a great agent! GO TO A STAGER!! I went to a top stager and asked him "Give me some names of agents that have used you. By merely using you, they are 99% ahead of the game and they 'get it', and they will help me friend net more."

Sure enough, my buddy got the property staged. The agent was young, but sharp, he got it. And low and behold...

it sold in 4 days for OVER what he wanted (net) to get FSBO and it got bid up $7k - $10k over what he wanted.

He couldn't be more excited.

Thank you stagers! How do we get more customers to take a HANDS-OFF approach and just say "Do what you need to do" and not debate every $500?

Frank LL0SA Broker FranklyRealty.com Virginia

p.s. Good photography was also a requirement when I was checking out agents.

Posted by FRANK LL0SA- Northern Virginia Broker .:. FranklyRealty.com on 04/16/2007 08:25 PM

Comments (31)

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31 Comments on It's The Staging Stupid!!

APR

2007

Interesting approach - not sure I would have thought to ask a stager, but this is a great option now that you've mentioned it.

Glad all worked out for your friend!
Ann

FINALLY someone out there has sense. If you want something done, have a stager do it, whether recommending agents or staging. We have so much more to offer than just re-arranging furniture, but tell that to the millions of realtors in this country! Great approach to a sticky problem. The fact that your friend sold over asking, after staging, is testimony to what we stagers can do for less money than it costs the seller in price reduction, a lot less money. Thanks for sharing that!

Terry Haugen - STAGE it RIGHT!

Not only over asking, but more importantly, way over what he expected to get by owner (I'm talking NET, even after those damn Realtor fees).

Some Realtors might say "oh well it was underpriced and that is why it got bid up." B.S. If you make the place jawdropping, while every other condo looks like pigeon droppings, it WILL get multiple buyers.

great story - great use of your resources - way to go

I'm wondering if any of the Chicago agents on AR are going to respond... I know some of them, and I know they're great people. I guess we all look for something different in others. Smart idea to call a stager when your other avenue wasn't working.

Wow, what a great testimonial to the effectiveness of staging. I know that in my market, staging could make the difference between whether or not a home sells, period. There is intense competition for buyers, and seller need every edge they can get.

Frank, You are so very edgy. You are fun and that must make it fun for those around you. Thanks for the kind words about stagers. You remind me of my cousin's son (who is in pre-Med right now.) I see both of you running around the rest of the world so quickly that the tornados which could threaten your world simply can't keep up. I admire your marketing stance -- takes guts. You go, guy!

Frank, Again I love your frankness!! no pun intended. You are a straight shooter. Thanks for the tip on staging and getting a good referral out state.

Good Day!! have a cup of java and a smile on me :)

APR

2007

Hey Frank,

An interesting approach, asking a stager for referrals. It makes me think of how many other service providers could be consulted about agent referrals. Title reps, escrow officers, lenders, and many others come to mind.

I have a great respect for stagers. I have personally seen their work and it really gives the home class. The emotional effect on potential buyers is amazing.

My problem is getting sellers to invest the extra money up front. They are skeptical and do not understand that it will help get the best price in the shortest time. No that we are in a buyers market it is important for sellers to have their home stand out from the crowd. Staging, multiple quality photographs, virtual tours, and video tours can make all the difference.

I disagree with you, however on the MLS providing data to 600 websites. Our MLS syndicates to Realtor.com. Homeseekers.com, Homes.com, OCRegister.com and LATimes.com. That is five. I get additional syndication through listing with Point2Homes.com and several other sites as well as my websites.

Maybe you are exagerating to make a point. But if you know how I can syndicate to 600 sites let me know.

Hey Mike,

Nope, this guy's ad said 600 websites. I asked if he personally put them in and he said no, he just found that there were 600 sites that syndicated

See?? These are 700 Million qualified buyers. All those people from India, they are qualified to buy his homes! And since when does Hotmail.com feature homes?

This stuff makes me sick.

As for getting referrals from other partners like loan officers or title companies, I think you missed the point. Everyone uses a loan person, a title company etc. but the difference is only a few people use stagers and those that do, in my book, are light years ahead of any other agent in the "getting it" arena.

And as for teaching sellers that staging and remodeling will help, it is OUR job to a) prove to them with references and past experiences or b) NOT TAKE THE LISTING!! Oh my God, not taking a listing that could make you money? Yes turn DOWN that listing that will sit forever and get 3 other listings in the meantime.

Frank

Frank - what a powerful post! As a stager, I've been asked by several homeowners to refer them to an agent. The latest referral netted the Realtor 4 leads from this one referral.

Kathy

Way to think outside the box, Frank. I great approach to solving your problem.

Frank,

What a rip-off ad!!! In addition to Hotmail.com, I didn't know AT&T Worldnet was selling homes???

Where do you find all this interesting stuff?

Keep it up!

Mike,

I asked my Chicago friend to give me a couple names of Realtors that he knew (either through friends of local listings) and this guy came up.

Did you see COMPUSERVE on there! Hello 1996 called and they want their broke companies back!

I feel bad for sellers that have to weed through this crap and find a good agent.

Frank - interesting post. I get folks asking me for realtor referrals also. My list of Realtors I will refer to is pretty short, can count em all on my one lil hand.

Staging really does work...the next few months will definitely bring about a demand shift. Stagers...hold on to your hats. Post like this will keep coming!

First congrats on going to a successful stager and knowing that they work with successful realtors who GET IT. I just did a blog about that. The realtors I work with use me on all their listings and they sell their homes immediately for full price or over asking...

Now what you need to do is hook up with an excellent stager and have them come on all your listings and have them do the dirty work by telling them everything they see that needs to be done to the home. But the key here is have them submit a proposal to the seller for the cost to do the work like repairs, painting, staging, etc.

Show them your stats and tell those resistant guys how they would not sell their car without detailing it first, then why would they sell their home (their largest investment) without sprucing that up as well.

I don't think you are Staging Stupid!!! Kudos to you

Phyllis Pafumi

APR

2007

Frank: I thought this was a very smart way of trying to find the realtor for your friend.... That 600 website ad makes me sick. Nothing gets to me for false/ irresponsible advertising.

On your p.s. did that mean the agents had to look good in their photos - I'm thinking maybe glamor shots should get a link there.

Kathleen, Since Frank isn't here I will take this time to ;) You are funny.

Need I say more?

Frank... it is a team effort. Stagers NEED GREAT realtors that "GET IT".

We just hired a new sales person, who IS a Realtor, she is AMAZED how realtor freeze up and shut down when you mention staging.

I don't know if Realtors are threathed by stagers, confused by stagers, or unsure of stagers. But there is a BLOCK there that the REALTOR puts up.

BUT then there are those savvy REALTORS that do "GET IT" and THEY are winning because they do.

AWESOME POST.

ME ;)

Great blog and great push for a part of our profession that is so vital

APR

2007

Hey Stagers! I need your opinion over on mynew website: www.AgentsThatDontSuck.com

Frank - I was just trying to help a friend find an agent for a vacation home that the are trying to sell. First I checked AR - couldn't find one. Then I tried to find a stager in the area - no luck. Then I went pouring through MLS to try to see who had good photos. In this particular area most homes only had one exterior photo, but I did find 2 agents who seem to show well on MLS anyway.

My friends said their home has been on the market for 8mo with no leads. I tried to find it on Realtor.com and the local MLS service and I was shocked to find it was not even listed. The friends say they call the realtor every week to complain. He says he is working on it. Really it is their fault for not following up. I gave them a basic crash course and the names of the 2 agents.

I really would not have though of how to find an agent in a different area if I had not read your blog. Thanks!

It has to be on Realtor.com, if it isn't then it isn't on the MLS at all.

Stage, Stage, Stage - right on there Franky boy

Maybe stage, stage, stage, stage.........

I know - that's what I told them. If it is not on Realtor.com it is not actually for sale. The weirdest thing is that for 8 months these people have been calling the "realtor" for updates every few weeks. I can't even imagine what the conversations are like! I asked them when their contract expires with the realtor and they said they don't even have one. Really, you can't make this stuff up.

Wow.

So a) call the broker (the one in charge of the brokerage company)

b) Hire another Realtor.

If you hire another Realtor they will find out quickly if it is listed elsewhere.

Frank

Frank - The agent is the owner of the Realty firm! I think I found 2 good realtors for them to interview. Both have multiple listings and pretty good pics on all their listings. The home is vacant so we are going to do the staging then they are going to list it with the new agent. Hopefully it will sell quickly.

MAY

2007

Frank, I don't know why I haven't read your blog before this week (I hadn't been on AR from mid April to late) - but now I'm keeping tabs on what you have to say. Loved your post.

Your positive approach to staging is refreshing and I only hope that it's contagious to all areas of the country. I know that staging is not new but for some it's still not a "necessary" part of the real estate selling process - what agents don't seem to see is that we are also a vehicle to help them GET LISTINGS!

Homeowners do call us first many times - I've had some insist when they call ask, "are you a realtor?" I say No. But I know they may need one or try FSBO and the Realtors who I know and TRUST will be the first on my list to recommend.

The TEAM approach is what I want and for some reason we more often than not are not invited to play on their team - in fact rejection is the norm - and we are truly heavy hitters that can help them win their game! - I feel a blog coming on.....

SEP

It's now 18 moths since you posted this blog and I find it's amazing that we still have realtors who go blank at suggestions of staging.

I'm fighting everyday. The realtors say the owners don't want to spend the money. How would they know if they haven't asked AND they don't know how much we charge.

You are great and will be in the business long after the non believers are gone.

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