Special offer

To Stage or Not to Stage?

By
Real Estate Agent with eXp Realty of California Inc. BRE #01743923

If you want to sell your home quickly and want to yield the highest and best price possible in a given market, my advice (besides pricing the property correctly from day one) is to always have your home professionally staged prior to going on the market. 

I have professional stagers stage each of my listings and the sales results speak for themselves. Of the top agents in Santa Cruz County I have been fortunate to hold the record for shortest days on market the past couple years. A key component to short days on the market is the amazing work done by my staging team - Yolanda Slattery & Joanne Cureton.  A home must look warm and inviting to sell and a vacant or cluttered home does not look inviting. Home buyers cannot visualize how wonderful a vacant or cluttered home can look and when there are personal items decorating a home a buyer cannot visualize the home as their own. The home must be arranged in a way that emphasizes the size of the rooms and highlights the strongest features of a home. If a homeowner is living in a home that I have listed, my stagers consult the sellers by viewing the home and providing a list of items that are suggested to be removed from every room. Once these items are packed away the stagers return to the site to perform their magical art of placement with the remaining furniture and decor in the home. Home owners often resist the staging idea but once the staging is done, 100% of the time my home sellers are hugging my stagers and thanking them for showcasing their home so beautifully.

Many times I see homes in Santa Cruz County go on the market unstaged. Often they are on the market for many months with the homeowner wondering why no offers. Sometimes these homes are later staged by a professional and then sell quickly but by then they are "old listings" and as such yield a much lower price than they would have had they been presented property from the onset.  Another critical component  to the success of the sale is professional photography. After all, it is the photographs that make home buyers want to view a home and the photographs can look ten times more beautiful and impactful with the vital combination of professional staging and professional photography. 

Remember...  the first few weeks are your opportunity to sell the home for the highest price with the best terms so get it staged, get it professionally photographed and price it right for success.

Posted by

 

Melody Russell

831-332-3975

Keller Williams Realty

1414 Soquel Ave. Ste.100, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

www.MelodyRussell.com 

831-471-9129

DRE#01743923

Together we accomplish more.

Comments (3)

Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Melody -- you are a smart Realtor to work with professional stagers!  Thanks for sharing your "success story" here because it may help other agents see the powerful benefits of staging their listings.  Being the top agent in Santa Cruz County for days on market speaks for itself - congratulations!  Your clients are lucky that you endorse both staging and professional photography, because it makes everyone a winner  :-)

Mar 15, 2011 04:33 AM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Melody--Thanks for your post.  When stagers say that staging sells homes faster they often get frowned upon.  We love to hear the prospective of a Realtor.  As Maureen says, your clients are indeed lucky that you stage and get them sold quickly.  Continued good luck. 

Mar 15, 2011 10:47 AM
Melody Russell
eXp Realty of California Inc. - Scotts Valley, CA
Expertise in maximizing the value of your home!

Dear Maureen and Janet,

Thank you for your responses. I have witnessed numerous homes get sold very quickly after being staged after sitting on the market for months unstaged (with other realtors)  with no offers.  So I know that professional staging makes a huge difference. Without decluttering and the art of the placement of the furniture to maximize the square footage it can be difficult for buyers to envisiton how inviting a home can appear.

Mar 15, 2011 12:30 PM