Remove my home staging signs from the home? Why?

For the Realtors I work for ... there is a whole team of people who contribute their talent and expertise to get the property ready .. painters, plasterers, remodelers, landscapers, the guy who re-bricks the rear patio, the guys who put in granite counter-tops, or refinish the hardwood floors, stagers ... etc.  Some are in the front end.... remodelers, etc. and some are in the back end ... the stagers, me, the photographers, etc.

I do custom floor plans with embedded photos that upload onto MLS. We all work hard, we're professional and are dedicated to doing the best job we can do. However, the only on-site marketing I've ever seen is by the stager, so if you are a stager, you may consider you are already in a preferential position over the other sub-contractors by being allowed to leave your business card and framed contact information in a vignette with the property brochures. Have you considered that? 

Also, I've seen good photography and I've seen badddd photography and no matter how good your staging is, it won't overcome bad photography (ie dark photos, photos with no lighting other than whats coming in the windows... goofy angles that may show off the furniture, but don't do a lot to showcase the actual property .. we've all seen these.)  Please consider that by taking "good" photographs which are used in the Realtor's brochure and data-streamed to major web sites around the world, the photographer also gives the stager "a leg up"... (ie you would not be as happy with "bad" photos of your most excellent staging effort).  Would you suggest to the photographer that you should have a photo credit "Staged by XYZ Company" on each photo? Who's work is it?  The answer, to me, is the "work" being portrayed is the collective professional contributions of a number of professional persons who have been (usually) sourced by the Realtor to showcase the property so the property is desirable in the eyes of (many) potential buyers.  (ie. those gleaming hardwood floors that you are staging furniture upon were another professional's hard work.)

 As far as I know all the sub-contractors are paid at the completion of our work .. I'm not aware of anyone who waits for closing to be paid .. but honestly I don't carry on a lot of conversations with other service providers about "when are you getting paid and who's paying you?" Because of this, the realtor carrries the majority risk because as many have pointed out .. there's a bunch of stuff that can go wrong and the house doesn't sell .. but we've all been paid... and chances are quite good (in a volatile market) the Realtor could end up with zip. 

So coming from a corporate background and understanding when you have a team, you need a team leader .... for me the team leader is the Realtor . I feel it is appropriate that their sign be the outward marketing image/brand everywhere for this property ... on the lawn, on their brochures in the house, on the MLS, and whatever/however they choose to do it.  IF they choose to graciously allow co-branding or co-marketing with me or any other contributing service provider I consider it to be their choice, I think that is quite gracious of them to do so -- and work my tail off to earn and maintain their trust in my talent and skill.  Your skill, your talent is your brand ...not a sign on the lawn.

I have only run into the sign problem once. The customer is always right...the home sold anyways. Signs are free marketing! I love them.

Wow!  Tons fo comments here!  I'm am all for staging- some homes definitely need it. However, I'm also of the mind that it's not something I would want to point out to buyers. The idea is to present the home in its best light.  A model wouldn't put something like "nose job and liposuction by Dr. Smith" on her resume, right?!  From my perspective, even though stagers are typically paid by the seller it is normally the Realtor who convinces them to do it.  Your best bet would be handle your advertisement in the way that fits with the particular agent's agenda.  I would think you'd get more referral business that way, and isn't that really the name of the game?

Wow, too many comments to read ALL of them, but I was surprised that after reading so many, none seemed to offer a creative SOLUTION.

I am a REALTOR and an ASP. On the one hand, stagers want to place literature in a home so buyer agents can pick up a brochure or business card, but as a REALTOR, I may not want to draw attention to the fact that a home has been staged. As more and more people hear that staging can command a higher sales price, they may be afraid to make an offer.

That said, many REALTORS may not feel the same and you could offer free riders that agents can place on their signs. It should be generic (eg, STAGED HOME), but it will alert people that this home is unique. There are still plenty of buyers and agents alike that are curious to see a staged home.

Once inside, you could have your business cards or brochures in a discreet location.

Hope this gives you food for thought!

Wow!  Cathy I use to tell Craig Schiller that he really knew how to throw a party with his posts but I think you have topped anything I've ever seen posted here on SIF... 

We don't put signs in yards, we in fact don't leave any trace that we have ever been in a home.  The goal is to sell the home. 

I think the temptation to use the home as another vehicle to sell our services is a strong one, but there is a big conflict here.  Our job is to make that home look as attractive as possible to as many buyers as possible and when we're done if we ad an advertisement back into the mix we are doing no less than adding back clutter.  Beleive me we are from the Melissa Morro school of marketing in that we use ever vehicle possible to advertise what we have done and the results of what we have done but we never do it in the home itself.

So, did you ever think that your post would result in 185 comments?  Way to go!

I don't see what problem is. I might request that the staging sign be placed as far from the Real estate sign as possible so they wouldn't clash or compete. Otherwise, I see it a positive. The seller took the time to make sure their home was in prime condition to sell. What could be wrong with that!

I am a REALTOR who strongly believes in staging.  However I agree with most of the comments here that there shouldn't be any other signs in the front yard except the agent's.  I don't feel that tent cards are as big of an issue but still would prefer that they don't appear in the home.

I'm curious Cathy... after the overwhelming negative responses to allowing signage for stagers, are you going to listen to your "customer feedback" and remove this from your contracts or perhaps make it an option that the agent can accept or decline?

Hi Cathy -- wow, a hot button.

I use stagers often when listing homes. They will put out cards and flyers inside the home, which is fine with me--they are part of my team, and I'm proud of the work they do.

However, a yard sign doesn't work for me. Visual clutter is just part of it. Announcing to the world that it's likely this home is vacant seems like an invitation for vandalism.

On "staging day" we place a sign in the yard -  more to inform the neighbors than anything else that they don't need to worry about coming and welcoming us to the neighborhood!  Where do you get your business - from sign/plaque advertising? 

Our business has come from satisfied agents who are thrilled to sing our praises to their colleagues.  I do just about anything I can to keep agents thrilled with our work.  No sign - no problem.  Extra art - no problem.  Be at the realtor tour - no problem. This is my most effective advertising hands down.

We've had staged homes at the "tour or homes" and other high traffic areas where our info was prominently posted and guess what . . . hardly any leads or business from the advertising.  We've also had homes that sold in hours -- and our phone was ringing off the hook from new agents in the office. 

Bottom line - it's not about sign or no sign - but thrilling the agent and becoming an integral part of their team that will be most valuable in the long run.

I love comment #197 (spam).  It stops and makes you think that perhaps the thread has run its course. Nothing more I could add but congrats on the feature and the informative comments!  : )

As a trainer of home stagers, I really appreciate all of the above comments. It's so good to see the ideas and the perspectives of agents as well as stagers.

I believe that if a stager puts the client first in every situation, the rewards will come automatically. In many cases the client is the agent, so the agent's wishes come first. In some situations, it is the seller who is the client therefore their wishes come first. If I were selling my home, I would only want one sign out front and that would be my agent's.

Too often the focus is on "what in it for me" and not "what can I do to enhance the benefits for my client".

I vote no signage for the stager in the front yard until after the home sells.  The idea of putting a yard sign out front AFTER the home has sold is excellent so long as the sellers are willing. 

Whenever I put my clients first, I am always blessed - and often from "fields" I have not planted in.