Why can we not all just get along and complement one another?

Wow, I LOVE all the response to this post! Thank you everyone!

Stacey, #12, you say, "No more would you consider yourself a Realtor when you are not licensed Realtors shouldn't claim to be stagers when they are not certified." EXACTLY! This is THE point I am trying to make here! Thank you!

Shantee, #17, you say, "where alot of agents wouldn't appreciate anyone who they dont' feel is quallified to step into their territory, they need to heed to the same notion of other professions." I love this. You manged to sum up my entire post in 29 words. I need you to work for me doing my posts. I tend to get overly wordy. I need to work on this! Very well said! Thank you!

Fernando, #15, "ruffling feathers" is what it is all about! I am certainly not trying to offend anyone. Instead, I am simply pointing out observations I have made out there in the field. If anything, I LOVE to inspire thought and conversation. This is great!!

Carole, #18, thank you so much for your comments today! This means a lot to me. And, perhaps it all comes down to Realtors(R) having actual experience with working alongside a GOOD Professional Stager before they alter their tune....

Leslie, #22, there are certainly bad apples in the bunch. And, because Home Staging is not yet a regulated industry, there are those out there who are just jumping on the band-wagon and pretending to be Home Stagers. Unfortuntely, you have only seen the work of non-professionals, as true Home Stagers NEVER over-do vacant homes for sale. This is where the certification comes into play. This is where I always preach the "Buyer Beware" mantra. It is so true. When hiring a Home Stager, you, as a client, seller, or Realtor(R) are more than justified to demand to SEE their proof of certification, and then go further to check it out on-line.  GO FURTHER to demand to see their physical portolio of work. See, you just happen to be in an area where Home Staging has not penetrated as of yet. All it takes is one talented, experienced, and educated individual to come in there and obtain just one job. Then, by seeing the results in reduced time on market, the general opinion may change. Cheers, and thank you for your comments.

Tni, #25, thank you so much for your lengthy response. This is greatly appreciated!

I agree with you completely that there are many people out there who simply have the talent, creativity, great work-ethic, and the right amount of abstract-thinking in order to be an AMAZING Home Stager, yet they may not have the official Accreditation.

And, yes, you are correct in thinking that there is nowhere, as of yet, worldwide where the Home Staging is regulated. We ran into a similar situation up here in Alberta, Canada a couple of years ago with the Home Inspection industry. We had a huge influx of people jumping in and claiming that they were Home Inspectors. They were excited. There was money to be made, and our market was BOOMING! So, sellers were having a hard time finding Home Inspectors who had time to take new appointments. "So-called Home Inspectors" saw an opportunity in the market. Needless to say, there were a huge amount of sub-standard Home-Inspections completed during that time, which led to buyers purchasing homes with large, undetected structural issues. This led to a movement for the government to FINALLY regulate that industry.

The time WILL come for Home Stagers as well. But, currently, anyone can CLAIM to be a Home Stager.

Yes, you are right. Home Staging is most certainly a SPIN-OFF Profession that came from the acknowledgement of the ridiculously long list of tasks that a Realtor(R) takes care of for every Sales transaction. Too many people out there have NO IDEA of the incredible amount of work you do for your clients all day, every day. Almost to the point of having no life outside of Real Estate....I am sure you agree.

So, Home Staging turned into its own, separate dicipline in order to alleviate some of a Realtor's(R) workload. And, really, there is so much more to Home Staging than most people realize. It all starts with simple de-cluttering, de-personalizing, and deep-cleaning. But, that is just the very tip of the iceberg.

We are educated in how to effectively direct the buyer's eye immediately to features or items within properties. We are educated in balances, percentages, and hues of colours and how this all affects the buyers' psyche. We are educated in how to evoke certain emotions within buyers. The list goes on and on and on.

But, yes, we took one of your ancillary services and dissected the heck out of it, broadened it, added to it, and perfected it. And, we did all because we, also, have a burning passion for real estate and a drive to help sellers succeed!

Thank you so much for your response.

Hello, Leslie! #36 

I APPLAUD your dedication, thoroughness, expertise, and caring about your clients!

I completely agree with all that you have written here.

Even though I have not literally been inside of my clients' competitor's properties, I have done thorough research into the listings, made solid notes on all reno's, upgrades, features, etc. I have this knowledge with me, on my person, even prior to meeting with a client for the first consultation. I have this information collected BEFORE I even get the job with a seller. Why? Because, like you say, if I cannot quantify the value of my work, I would not have a successful business.

I also refuse to Stage homes that are over-priced, dated, or in poor repair. I will not Stage a property until my list of specific recommendations have been completed, as I NEED my sellers to succeed.

Think about it for a minute. If I Staged any old property without doing my market homework/research before the fact, and ended up Staging one that falls short in all other aspects, and that property takes forever to sell, or, even worse, the listing expires, how do I, the Home Stager, look in the end? I think that my business would die a miserable death pretty quickly.

So, not only do I make all recommendations regarding replacement of rooves, plumbing, electrical, heating, new kitchens and bathrooms, etc, I also have contacts and preferred partnership discounts with the city's finest trades-people and suppliers. I also have, on hand, all of the current pricing for my clients.

So, yes, there are bad apples in the basket out there in Home Stager-land, but the good ones who have taken the right courses, and who also have a genuine passion for Real Estate, DO amazing work.

Plainly put, if my clients (sellers) do not succeed, then, neither do I or my business. Just some food for thought.

Again, kudos to you and your committment. You sound like a truly amazing and talented Realtor(R), and I wish you nothing but success!

Happy Holidays, Leslie!

Hello, Debbie, #38! Thank you so much for your kind words, and for reading my post with a positive and open mind! Cheers! It is a great marketing tool!

Mr. Bill Travis, #39, thank you so much for your lengthy response!

But, whoa horsey...I think that somewhere along the line (starting at response #39), people stopped actually paying attention and reading my original post, along with all of my following responses.

I work very closely with many amazingly talented and successful Realtors(R). I very much value, respect, and admire each and every one of them.

If, Mr. Travis, you were to re-visit this Blog post and all of the related comments (including all of my responses), you will see that I have never, and will never "chastise" Realtors(R). I have said, on many occasions, and will continue to do so, how much I am blown away by the overwhelming amount of work a Realtor(R) does for each and every client.

I am about to Copy and Paste some of my above comments here to save you some energy, so that you will see that the majority of your response was way out in left-field:

"And, you, as Realtors(R) wear an incredible number of hats. The majority of people have NO IDEA how much work you do behind the scenes to sell a listing....and to get the listings to begin with. Kudos to YOU!!!" #11

"HOWEVER, these two separate professions are designed to support and complement one another. Simply put, Home Stagers would never succeed if the Realtor® didn't. And, Realtors® would not succeed if the Home Stager was not successful." original post

"Yes, you are right. Home Staging is most certainly a SPIN-OFF Profession that came from the acknowledgement of the ridiculously long list of tasks that a Realtor(R) takes care of for every Sales transaction. Too many people out there have NO IDEA of the incredible amount of work you do for your clients all day, every day. Almost to the point of having no life outside of Real Estate....I am sure you agree.

So, Home Staging turned into its own, separate dicipline in order to alleviate some of a Realtor's(R) workload. And, really, there is so much more to Home Staging than most people realize. It all starts with simple de-cluttering, de-personalizing, and deep-cleaning. But, that is just the very tip of the iceberg." #28

 "I find that if I ever find myself assuming that another person's profession is simple, I am compelled to research the facts further. And, most times, I am dead-wrong...thank you for your response!" #4

And, Mr. Travis, you are absolutely correct that we, Stagers, do mostly look to Realtors(R) to build working relationships with. I also work with many FSBO clients as well. But, Realtors(R) make up the majority of my client-base. This is why I have never "chastised" one, and have never been anything but respectful, kind, and generous to them. I am successful at what I do, and thoroughly enjoy all of my relations with any and all Realtors(R).

So, thank you, kind sir, but I am quite allright in understanding how to market my business effectively.

I also work alongside many Realtors(R) who do have a strong talent for Home Staging. In these cases, I have pointed this out to them. The reason they still come to me is that hiring a Home Stager helps to lessen the workload for them, yet still creates a successful sale.

I LOVE the fact that this has opened communication and inspired such passionate responses.

Hello Jackie Hawley, #40. Yes, "Staging a house was part of a real estate agent's job before there was ever a professional, certified or accredited home stager." No one, including me, has disputed this fact. BUT, like almost every profession in the world, the Realtor's career "job description" has been broken down over time into specialties.

Take Home-Building, for instance. In the "beginning" there were only "handy-men". Then, they graduated into calling them "carpenters". Now-a-days, you will simply NOT catch the guy who hangs drywall trying to jump over and tape and mud that same drywall. The framing guys won't be caught dead installing flooring. And, the finishing carpenter won't be touching the roof-trusses.

The same is true for Real Estate. Many professions have spun off of the original skill-set expectations of an agent. Appraisers, Inspectors, Conveyancing, Staging, and the list goes on.

Yes, Staging was a small part of your MILLIONS of concepts that you were taught. But, because of the breadth of what you, as an agent, are expected to learn and know, there is absolutely no way you could go deeply into many of these ancillary topics and concepts.

But, you have to realize that Stagers are doing what they do ALSO because they share the same passion for Real Estate as you. We are in this profession because we want to see you and the sellers succeed.

As for the statistics in my signature, I would love for you to check actual survey results from many non-biased sources, all the way back to 1995 at any of the following sites:

www.homegain.com

www.maritz.com

www.msnmoney.com

And, there are many more. I have links to all of them on my website for people like you who have not heard or seen any of these statistics.

Saying that a home that has been professionally Staged sells for 7-10% more money has NOTHING to do with appraisals, so throw that out the window.

All that means is that a Home that shows well is proven (year after year) to bring in higher offers, resulting in higher selling price. A Home that is not showing well tells the buyer that the perceived value is not evident in that home, so they are more likely to throw in low-ball offers, eventually ending in the home selling for much less than asking price.

Take good care everyone, and Happy Holidays!

Success to everyone!

Janice, thank you so much for your response! This is exactly it....Professional Stagers simply do have the time and resources that Realtors(R) simply do not have. This is a result of taking an ancillary service that was part of Real Estate, expanding on it, dissecting it, and perfecting it.

Heather, I agree that many of the misconceptions are largely due to lack of education and awareness. And, I suppose this is to be expected while Home Staging, as a separate profession, goes through its growing pains. And, you are so right when you refer to the Home Staging education received by Realtors(R) as "Basic Presentation". And, this is exactly where the holes in understanding occur. 

Also, Heather, you are more than correct in stating that "Not everyone can do it - even with training". This is so true. And, I see it all the time. Home Staging is a profession where one can be incredibly "book-smart", but that same person just doesn't have the talent, creativity, or eye for unique situations. Your last line.....I LOVE IT!!!!  "BOTH realtors and home stagers are essential to the home selling process."

I stress this again, however: I have met a few Realtors(R) who DO have a talent for Home Staging and all of the in-depth concepts involved. And, when I see their work, I NEVER hesitate to compliment them on their talents.

A great example of how limited a Realtor's(R) Home Staging education can be: Realtors(R) are taught that Vacant listings do take longer to sell, and that they feel cold, unwelcoming, and empty. They are taught that "when furnished", the buyer is provided with a sense of scale. But, that is the extent of what they are taught. Because of the monumental number of aspects in which Realtors(R) receive training, there is simply no room or time to delve as deeply into Home Staging as one needs to.

This is why Home Stagers can be invaluable to Realtors(R). We have taken one aspect of their job, and have dissected the heck out of it, perfected it, refined it, and continue to expand upon it. 

Thank you both for your comments!!! It means a LOT to have support from fellow Professional Home Stagers regarding this topic!!

Happy Holidays to both of you and your families!!