My point of view is an emphatic, NO!
My goal in staging is to make a property "beautifully lived in," never "staged." This is why I don't subscribe to staging gimmicks such as champagne glasses and a wine bucket on the edge of a bathtub, or a tray with a teacup and a book at the foot of a bed. These are cues that an amateur stager has been lurking! This is simply not how people live. Properties should look like homes - one that a potential buyer would feel comfortable in.
Also - some recent discussions have come up in the staging community about whether properties should be advertised that they have been staged. My response is an even more emphatic, NO!!
I don't think that we should in anyway advertise that a property has been staged, only perhaps if it is a builder's model, in which case everyone would assume that no one lives there. I think that it does a disservice to our clients. if a buyer knows that the property has been staged, they may feel that they have been mislead in some way, and discount the value added. The effects of professionally staging a home should be subliminal, not in your face. In my opinion, some of the "magic" is gone when we advertise it.
As staging professionals, we all want our work to be acknowledged. I think that this is entirely appropriate - but only from our CLIENTS, colleagues, and Realtors.
Comments(28)