Inconvenient Truths about Home Staging

Maria: I believe that in a few years, home staging will develop their own set of credentials and standards of practice. I also believes it hurts us as an industry to have many training classes but no standard accreditation. That said, in the counseling field (my other life), I had 8 years of college, 3000 supervised hours and jump through many hoops to keep my lcense-yet  personally know many BAD therapists-so a degree doesn't necessarily ensure quality. Anyone hiring a stager needs to get professional references and use a similar interview process to hiring the agent. Good stagers will not be afraid of the process. Wonder if they would let me teach a community college course?

The media has gotten bored with bashing agents so much that they need to find something new to box around. Looks like stagers are now the target, thanks to that pathetic article by the NAEBA.

I have seen some pretty bad staging, but some that was really awesome and made me want to buy the home. What I don't understand is how the NAEBA thinks it is bad to stage a home. How is staging any different than a homeowner painting the home, updating kitchens, etc? Both make the home look for appealing to buyers, and yes, usually fetch more for the home. If the home looked like doggie do-do, no one would buy it!

Craig, so good to see you here again...perhaps I've missed a few of your posts. I do so enjoy them.

Yesterday, while previewing property for a new client, I came upon a house that was obviously staged and it was somewhat of a novelty...there were areas of disarray in order to lend itself more to someone actually living there...is this the new take on home staging?

Craig - cool PR once again, it appears.  You've got a model business there.

We don't have access to home staging here in Lancaster, PA as of yet.  I do see the ads online, however, and some of the claims seem a bit disturbing - promising X thousand more in sales prices, etc.  I wondered how such advertising would be received by buyers agency associations...

Craig - Well, someone's gotta say it, right?  You are the best man for the job, I'd say.  Here's to more truth telling in the business!

 

I need to find a way to say this in my style, so that I can say it to all the "yentas with flair" in this market who think they know something about staging:-

"While education is important, the home seller needs to know that in this market where a flood of baby stager's are just entering it, EXPERIENCE trumps all else and in fact is quintessential. For with experience comes an education and wisdom about home staging that can not be burned on to a CD or taught in a 1, 2 or 3 day work shop."

As to the medicine chest... I can't imagine what the "stager" was thinking.  Maybe the person has a quirky sense of humor and this is their signature touch of whimsy?

Cheers, Craig.  Great post... on the pretty blog.

Craig,

Thanks for the post. Unfortunately, those looking for a quick buck will undermine the integrity of reputable companies and stages. Those who train must do a better job of educating the public and the would be stager about the value of credentials from reputable firms.

Craig: I truly appreciate your emphasis on training. God help me if I recommend someone who truly does not have a grasp of what they are doing or what need to be done. I also believe that a really great designer/stager has a special taste gene that most of us do not possess.

 

 

I left a comment on your pretty blog ;)

Cheers,

Cindy 

This is an issue we are hearing more and more about.  I am troubled by the lack of regulation in our industry.  Wish I had the answer!

Kim Dillon, Creative Eye Home Staging

Congrats on your interview with the Chicago Tribune.  Agree, agree, agree!  BTW, who is it that decides "either you have it or you don't"...isn't that what most of the 'certifying' training programs say? 

Jackie  

 

 

 

 

Juliet, I agree with you about the importance of experience, but I think nothing trumps real talent. It doesn't matter how many classes you take, if you don't have the talent for it, you're not going to make it. I'm not saying you can't learn anything from a class but a class will not a stager make.

Craig, excellent post.  A subject near and dear to my heart. The whole concept of staging certification is like the diploma mills of the 70's and 80's.  You just had to have enough money and you could instantly be handed a Masters degree in anything your little heart desired.  Of course you may not have known a thing about your new field of expertise.  In today's world you can pay your money, get your accreditation, copy the words of others onto your new web site or brochures and look and sound just like a pro.  What cannot be copied are results and happy clients.  One other thought, if I were to pick a spokesman to stand up for the industries hard working, talented people, it would be the same person that the Trib called.  Thanks as always...

Gary

Craig, it appears we are now living in a fishbowl as stagers. I recently posted the following log on my blog:

This month, the NAEBA (National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents) published a report warning home buyers to be careful of home that are staged. The report was apparently based on data collected by the Association through a survey of NAEBA agents and brokers. The essence of the report is summed up in a statement by Jon Boyd, President of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. It reads:

The whole intent of staging is to get the buyer emotionally involved with the home. Our member agents want home buyers to see things logically, to "see past" the staging," said Jon Boyd President of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents. "When we surveyed our brokers and agents, 82% of the respondents stated that buyers were likely to get distracted from important issues when viewing a staged home. The most prevalent staging trick reported in the survey was sellers using small furniture to make a room look bigger than it actually is. In addition, a majority of our members have seen staging cover up real problems, such as rugs hiding damaged floors and designer curtains covering rotted window sills. Since staging doesn't increase the intrinsic value of a home, buyers need to be very careful. Remember, you are not buying the pretty furnishings, you are buying the house." he continued.

As stated in their introduction to the report, "The report outlines some of the common staging practices and how they might influence a buyer to purchase the wrong home, or a home that might be hiding serious defects. The report includes examples of staging and cautionary tales from real estate agents working directly with buyers."

As a member of the staging industry, I applaud the NAEBA not only for attempting to open-up people's eyes to deceptive staging practices that they have seen, but also to the importance of all parties involved in a Real Estate transaction to be cautious and attuned to details. With all of that said, I think it is important to understand how staging can work as a benefit to buyers as well as sellers. At the same time, I'd like to address some of the staging "tricks" the report refers to. Since the usage of the word "tricks" somehow always implies deception, I would rather refer to them as staging "methods."

Method #1 -  "using small furniture to make a room look bigger than it actually is"

OK, first of all, one of the numerous faults that I have is my inability to control my use of sarcasm, so please forgive me if I come off a bit too sarcastic at times. OK, this is one of those times.... Yes, we stagers do in fact have the ability to shrink furniture and make rooms magically grow and shrink on command. We learned this shortly after our pulling a rabbit out of a hat lesson. (Boy, I feel better, or at least indulged now.)

People, beds come in four basic sizes; twin, full, queen and king. If a room contains a king-sized bed and there isn't enough room to comfortably "live" in the room, stagers may decide to use a smaller sized bed that is available in the house instead. The purpose isn't deception, the purpose is education; i.e. for the space in the room to be best used, a queen size or full sized bed is more practical. What the buyers would see is a room that functions best with a queen or full sized bed as opposed to a room that looks cramped with a king-sized bed.

Staging is very much like the "serving suggestions" you see on food product packaging. The manufacturers have the food artistically photographed to enhance the product and present it in the most appealing way. I doubt that a product would sell if they showed ill-prepared, over-cooked, burnt product on the package. Ditto for home staging presentation. What would be the logic in showing a ill-prepared, over stuffed room to potential buyers?

Method #2 - "a majority of our members have seen staging cover up real problems, such as rugs hiding damaged floors and designer curtains covering rotted window sills."

We need to get one think straight here. "Staging" did not cover-up the problems the members of NAEBA have seen, PEOPLE attempted to cover-up the problems. The issue here isn't one that should be labeled as a "trick" that stagers use, but rather one of a lack of integrity for the stager involved. "Staging" as a method, can't be cited as a reason for the occurrence of these types of problems any more than the process of automobile repairing can be blamed for the unscrupulous mechanic who completes unnecessary repairs. It is the PEOPLE who are the root of the problem, not the industry itself.

Unlike the unfortunate "duped" car owner, in most cases, they are own their own and without representation when they are being deceived by an unethical mechanic. However that is not the case, in most circumstances, for home buyers being represented by a Realtor. The onus to identify structural, mechanical and maintenance problems rests on the shoulders of all of the transactions participants including the stagers, the buyers, the "professional" Realtors, the home inspectors as well as the homeowners themselves.

To cite "staging" as the culprit and to infer that the staging industry and its practitioners are single-handedly trying to deceive the public is irresponsible and bordering on McCatheyism. I am personally offended by having my personal and professional integrity so cavalierly criticized.

Just as a sidenote (p.s. - here comes the sarcasm), rugs can be looked under and curtains,"designer" or not, can be pulled aside.

Method Summary - "Since staging doesn't increase the intrinsic value of a home, buyers need to be very careful. Remember, you are not buying the pretty furnishings, you are buying the house."

Spot on Mr. Boyd, you are 100% correct. Staging isn't designed to increase the "intrinsic" value of a home. A house after all is but brick and mortar. Staging is designed to showcase the best qualities of a home. Staging is designed to offer the buyers an opportunity to understand the best use of the space contained in those intrinsic walls of brick and mortor. Staging is putting the property's best foot forward

When you go into a store's Christmas Decorations Department, you'll see a vast array of beautifully decorated trees. The staging (presentation) of those trees didn't make the tree itself any more valuable. However, it did stir the imagination of the buyer on how the could use it to showcase their own decorations. Staging does just that. It illustrates how space can be used.

In conclusion, Caveat Emptor, which is Latin for BUYER BEWARE. Buyers, understand that you need to carefully inspect any home that you are considering. Assure that thorough inspections are conducted by reputable inspectors. Make sure that your agent is working with you to insure that you are protected from those who would try to take advantage of you. After all, pointing fingers is much easier than taking responsibility.

Jim    

This blog is so exciting to me because of the number of replies by Realtors who understand and support Home Staging - that is not happening yet in The Brainerd Lakes area of MN but I am actively working on it.

"It's common sense but I'm afraid that too many agents will not tell the seller what he/she needs to correct the problems. They're just too desperate for the listing. "  by Eileen Landau

That is precisely where routinely offering home staging services will allow agents to maintain that relationship with their clients and we stagers take on the hard things. 

Craig,

I just want to thank you again for everything you do, to raise the bar in our industry. I find your sense of stlye impeccable and your integrity beyond reproach.

I second that! Craig-your the best! Thank you for everything you do each and every day to help move this industry forward!

I am so confused! What was that letter about and how does it involve Barb Schwarz. Geez.... I go away for a few days and things get crazy.

Rob and Kate- That makes three.  (and 2 of us are naked...)  I don't get it - well I kind of do, but... okay I really don't.

To the author of the above letter, you could have taken a totally different approach and earned yourself alot of fans here in the rain, but you just made it worse for yourself.  Not flattering.