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To stage or not to stage

Reblogger
Home Stager with Room Remedy Interiors, Sydney, Australia

I thought this post made for interesting reading. It raises some interesting points and comments.

Would anyone care to comment on price adjustments after staging? Has that been your experience or not?

I have to say that for my mind house hunters don't by solely on price. They buy because they see good value for money and that's where staging fits into the picture.

Original content by Eric Robbins

The 2010 RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) reports that houses that are marketed without staging, removed from the market and then reintroduced with staging spend a significantly lower amount of time on the market. However, the study makes no mention of whether the houses were put back on the market at the same price or a lower price. I would think that most houses that get reintroduced to the market have a lower price than earlier listed. Could that be a factor in the shorter market times?

Honestly, I believe under the right market conditions, staging is a
major benefit to selling a home quickly. People are visual and seeing a
cluttered house detracts from visualizing their new home. Maybe it even
reminds them of their old, cluttered home - the one they no longer want
to live in. And as for empty homes, they're lonely and uninviting.

However, when the bubble is getting hot there is more demand than
supply. Staging isn't as important during this period since buyers are
in a feeding frenzy. However, staging still helps drive those multiple
offers and the price. When the market is down, you just want to get feet
on the floor.

Last comment and I'll shut up finally! But this is the most important
piece to all this. If you are selling in 2010, you are marketing on the
Internet where 90% of buyers do their research. That means they are
looking at pictures and videos of all the houses that meet their
requirements. If a house looks shoddy, they simply click to the next
one!

Of course, I have a vested interest in those pictures and videos looking
good...that's my business. But I also have a vested interest in helping
my clients - agents and sellers - to move their homes quickly. To
accomplish that, I prefer a staged home.

Look Ma! Internet VideoCityTourVideo.comMimicc Real Estate Marketing Lab

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Posted by

Room Remedy Interiors

"Ready, Set, Redecorate in a Day"

Sydney, Central Coast, & Newcastle

Find out more about us at www.roomremedy.com.au

Comments (12)

Alex Valentino
SOLARIT® - San Francisco, CA
Founder

Emotional connections are big part of a sale,

Thx for your post

Apr 04, 2010 07:37 PM
Randy Ostrander
Lake and Lodge Realty LLC - Big Rapids, MI
Real Estate Broker, Serving Big Rapids and West Central MI

I have shown virtually staged homes and the buyers felt duped when we arrived and the home looked nothing like the staged photos. While staging makes the home look better it makes for awkward pre close walk throughs once everything has been reomved. I guess it depends on the area and market.

Apr 04, 2010 08:33 PM
Nancy Lee - An OrderLee Home,
Hendersonville, NC

In my experience, if the house was on the market before I staged it, the price was adjusted before relisting.  But, I am relatively new to staging, and all of those houses were listed during the declining market - when house selling prices were dropping and asking prices were following them down.  Each of my clients told me they felt without staging they would have had to sell at an even lower price.  Most of these clients are successful investors who know what they are talking about.  And they believe what they said: they called me in again to stage the next house.  I am trying to come up with a catch phrase that says, basically staging decreases DOM and protects value.

Apr 04, 2010 10:31 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

You wrote::  "They buy because they see good value for money and that's where staging fits into the picture."

My question is, what is the "value"???? 

How does staging add "value"?????

Do appraisers give more value to a home that has been staged??? 

Apr 04, 2010 10:40 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

In my opinion, Lenn, the "value" is perceived and that is a good thing.  Adding perceived value is going to influence buyers.  Making it look better, makes it look more valuable.  The house is only worth what buyers think it is worth.

Apr 04, 2010 11:04 PM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

I just staged a home that has been on the market since January.  The realtor finally convinced the homeowner to bring in a stager (me!).  The homeowner wants to drop the price, even though it was just staged, and the agent is trying to convince him to keep the price as is, to see if staging will make a difference.  

Wow, I found Randy's comment really interesting.  "awkward pre-close walkthroughs after the staging has been removed".  That sounds like interesting material for another bog!

Apr 05, 2010 03:03 AM
Lori Kim Polk
Premiere Home Staging : Home Staging Services - Roseville, CA
Home Stager - Roseville, Sacramento

Staging invokes an emotion and buyers buy with emotion. If it is a nicely staged house that shows buyers the flow of the floor plan, then they will buy that house over another that doesn't show well. When pricing and staging work hand in hand... the home will sell quickly, with few if any, reductions.

Apr 05, 2010 04:23 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

I staged a vacant condo that had been on the market for over a year.  When I asked the Realtor what the comments had been prior to Staging, she said there hadn't even been any showings at all.  After Staging, the condo immediately had at least 2 showings, with positive feedback. 

Did the Staging add value?  I guess it depends who you're asking.  But, without the staging, which provided better MLS photos, there would be no showings at all.  If the showings result in a sale, then yes, it added value.  Is it the be all, end all of some selling equation?  No.  Location, condition, location,market conditions, price, appearance, perceived value.  These count.

Apr 05, 2010 04:32 AM
Deena Cottingham
GreenApple Staging & Images, Calgary Staging & Photography - Calgary, AB
Home Stager & Photographer

Hmmm . . . interesting post and conversation. I'm not sure I fully agree with everything the author asserts, but like most of the comments say, buyers see more value in a properly staged property because the furnishings and decor can elevate the entire home. For example, sometimes small updates get missed when there are still dated elements. When you add more contemporary accents, suddenly the other updates stand out more, too. (Among other things!)

Staging still pays off in a hot market, too. Those house go even faster for a fair amount above list price.

Apr 06, 2010 03:42 PM
Marianne Cherico
Interiors by Marianne Cherico - Foxboro, MA
Home Stager -Massachusetts and Rhode Island

I have had at least one appraiser say that staging "tipped the scale". Although I understand that appraisers have to have comps with the same sq ft, like neighborhood, house, etc.I absolutely believe that a well staged home can be comped up. And there is value in that. But even though staging helps to sell the house by presenting it to appeal to the most amounts of Buyers, it also has to be priced right, particularly in this RE market.

Marianne

Apr 06, 2010 06:53 PM
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