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How To Avoid Seeing The Things That No One Should See.

By Linda Thompson

Home Stager with Selling By Design-Staging

October 21, 2011 09:27 AM

In real estate staging, or home staging, we stagers see things we shouldn't see (and really don't want to see.) Real estate agents and prospective home buyers also see all kinds of things that they wish they hadn't. Since many, many a great blog has been shared about this on Active Rain, I will let you remember some of the humorous and sometimes horrible examples, so I won't go into detail.

One thing a home owner should see before they agree to a price reduction (assuming that the home is fairly priced to begin with,) is a home staging professional. Actually many of the afore mentioned things we shouldn't see could be avoided if only the home owner had consulted with a home stager prior to listing the home. It could be as simple as decluttering, or addressing that strange, lingering odor that only an outsider can detect.

Often, as in the case of nicely decorated homes, lived in for 20 plus years, some gentle, but firm suggestions about updating are needed. Heavy custom drapes with big cornices, harvest gold anything, and precious family photos should be packed away. Stagers can kindly, but persuasively suggest such changes. It's our specialty. We are trained and experienced in this.

All homes should have the advantage of some aspect of professional home staging, be it a simple consultation about what the owner can do to spiff it up before listing it, or a full staging job by a home stager.

So, home owners, before you agree to a price reduction of thousands of dollars, consider investing between 0.5% to 3% of your home's sales price on professional staging help. It's your money. It's your call. Before you drop the price make one simple call to your local home stager. Save yourselves and the buying public from seeing what shouldn't be seen.

Here are some examples of happy sellers who did just that Happy because their homes SOLD!

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Comments(22)

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Linda Thompson

Selling By Design-Staging - Fresno, CA

Don, you have stirred the pot, now I'll make it boil. I have tried for awhile now to impliment that idea here. Have approached several realtors with the idea and they have said first, " Are you sure you want to do this?" Then they agreed that we could try it with specific clients, but have not as yet had any takers.

I think it would only work with homes that are furnished so I could use the owners things. The property would also have to be in good shape, not needing major repairs or expensive updating. For many homes like this paying at closing, using a written contract of course, might be viable.

Now that we've brought it up I may do a blog on how I see it working.

Kathy, you make a very good point. The houses that I have staged after they sat on the market for ahwile have all sold quickly. I can only imagine how much better the sale would have been if the staging was done first.

Oct 22, 2011 07:50 AM

Linda Thompson

Selling By Design-Staging - Fresno, CA

I think I spelled implement wrong. OOps I did.

Oct 22, 2011 07:52 AM

Susan Emo

Kingston, ON

Kingston and the 1000 Islands Area

Linda - you make a very sound argument in what a Seller needs to do BEFORE listing but especially BEFORE a price reduction. I have a Seller who wanted to reduce the price $10,000 this week. I asked what could he do to his house for $10,000? Could he update his tired carpeting? Could he paint like I suggested in the beginning? Could he put on new countertops like I advised? . . . he is a busy man this weekend! But I hope I kept some money on the table for him.

Oct 30, 2011 03:13 AM

Rob Arnold

Sand Dollar Realty Group, Inc. - Altamonte Springs, FL

Metro Orlando Full Service - Investor Friendly & F

Anybody shooting for top dollar should consider the services of a stager. Not sure how much it would help a foreclousre property though.

Oct 30, 2011 03:41 AM

Marshall Brown

Mid America Inspection Services, LLC - Fargo, ND

BSEE, CHI

Payment from closing is standard practice for Realtors and a long time ago I remember some contractors doing remedial work and being paid at time of closing. My own experience has not been too good with that, though. No matter how well intended a client with out sufficient funds to pay for a home inspection or a proper staging effort at the time of delivery probably won't have the funds if the deal goes south.

Something I have tried a couple of times was to get credit card information to charge at the agreed to closing date if the deal doesn't go forward or having a check for the full amount writen with the agreement not to deposit it until after closing.

Good luck

Oct 30, 2011 04:11 AM

Laura S. Baker

First Weber Inc - Lake Mills, WI

Realtor (920) 728-4118, First Weber Inc

Linda, this is a great post with wonderful a fantastic message. It appears the topic of when we get paid is a big one. Have you done a post on this yet? If not, perhaps you and I could do one together, perhaps from different angles and post them. I'd love to get some serious feedback on this topic. Don is not the first Realtor to bring this up and I am certain, many others have an opinion on it. Plus I would love to hear from other stagers what their experience has been.

Oct 30, 2011 04:25 AM

Sylvie Stuart

Realty One Group Mountain Desert 928-600-2765 - Flagstaff, AZ

Home Buying, Home Selling and Investment - Flagsta

Using a stager can definitely help facilitate that emotional connection a buyer needs to have with a home and make the sale quicker and easier.

Oct 30, 2011 04:46 AM

Debbe Perry

Real Living Carolina Property - Morganton, NC

828.439.3084 Morganton/Lake James NC

Ever try to get a buyer back in a home after a bad first impression? Hard to do...

Oct 30, 2011 05:12 AM

Kimo Jarrett

Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA

Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Thanks for suggesting a price range (.05-3%) with how much a seller should invest to secure a stager.

Oct 30, 2011 05:52 AM

Ann Wilkins

Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty - Oakland, CA

Oakland, Berkeley, Piedmont CA

Don brings up a good point about the payment issue. Sometimes if I know the person well, I can lend the money and take payment at close of escrow - or - if they are a really good friend and need the help, it can be my gift. I wish there was maybe some way to take 50% when the work is done and 50% at close. We are lucky in our area as most of our homes sell if priced correctly - very few linger forever so you can be assured that there will be a close of escrow!

Oct 30, 2011 05:56 AM

Beverly Femia

BlueCoast Realty Corporation - Hampstead, NC

Broker Realtor Stager - Greater Wilmington, NC Are

Linda, as you point out, the proof is in the selling. In our area, 10% of homes sell in any given month. When my staged homes are in that 10%, I know it made a difference and my homeowner knows it made a difference.

Oct 30, 2011 06:35 AM

Kathy Strader

Memorial Staged Homes - Houston, TX

ASP

Great post Linda. Thanks!

Oct 30, 2011 06:53 AM

Monique Ting

INET Realty Honolulu, HI - Honolulu, HI

Your agent under the sun

Great advice! I was hoping you would share some of the horrible things that shouldn't be seen ... it is halloween season after all, isn't it?

Here is one for you... a 6 ft long dead python (shot by the owner many years ago during a trip to Thailand), hung over a doorway as decoration!

Oct 30, 2011 08:41 AM

Kate Akerly

Kaminsky Group - Manhattan Beach, CA

Manhattan Beach Residential Sales

There are so many sellers that we share this information with. Staging can really help save them money in the end, but many of them need to be convinced of it.

Oct 30, 2011 11:13 AM

Jenny Durling

L.A. Property Solutions - Los Angeles, CA

For Los Angeles real estate help 213-215-4758

I was surprised to see Dave's comment (#9) and nobody react to it! I've seen alot of staged homes and I've seen alot that were not staged. I don't know if anyone has actually done a true apples to apples test of what a house sells for staged vs unstaged. Unless they were identical properties, I think it would be impossible!

There are some sellers who live so clean and neatly that their homes look staged even when they are not! I am about to list a vacant home and will call in a stager for an opinion and perhaps at least partially stage it. I doubt the seller will be willing to pay for staging at all. Would you pay to have a vacant home staged for the seller?

Oct 30, 2011 01:20 PM

Gene Riemenschneider

Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA

Turning Houses into Homes

I agree with you post. However, staging should really be done before it is listing in the first place.

Oct 30, 2011 01:45 PM

Linda Thompson

Selling By Design-Staging - Fresno, CA

Hello fellow AR members,

I loved all, or mostly all, of your comments. Since I have tendinitis from using the mouse and typing I will have to make my replies brief, but I did appreciate your input.

Susan, you sound like an agent who gets it and is also very concerned for her clients. And you're right BEFORE is better!

Rob, you're so right staging is in the seller's best interest. Foreclosures usually can't be staged unless of course the bank is on board with the idea.

Marshall, I would have my fee included in the contract. I was advised by an escrow officer that it would work that way.

Laura, I'd love to collaborate on a post with you. I'll be away for a week, but will contact you when I return.

Dave, "fancy dancy," now there's a new term. Is that like fancy schmancy? Also why is it that there is nothing following your kind comments but your first name? What is your occupation? And how do you get your hands so dirty?

I'm sure that if you followed a stager around for a day, lifting furniture, cleaning stuff we shouldn't have to clean, being creative on a small budget and sweating bullets in an un-airconditioned house where it was 90% you'd have an epiphany and realize what studs we are.

Oh, and all of my clients have said flat out that staging was a huge, if not the main factor in the sale of their listing.

Sylvie, Thanks for the positive comment. Keller Williams is a great supporter of home staging.

Hi Debbie, True, so true.

Kimo, you're welcome. It is a small investment.

Ann, you really go the extra mile for your clients. That is what we need to get this economy moving.

Beverly, thanks. Let's get the word out.

Thanks Kathy. Glad you liked it.

Monique, Dead animals, especially pythons are a big staging no, no. How gross!

Akerly team, Unfortunately I think most sellers at least in my area, need to be convinced.

Jenny, most of my jobs lately have been on vacant homes. Staging really helps sell a vacant. It warms the place up and helps the buyer see how their home will look.

Hi Gene, you are right. Before is the best way.

Oct 30, 2011 02:54 PM

Susan Neal

RE/MAX Gold, Fair Oaks - Fair Oaks, CA

Fair Oaks CA & Sacramento Area Real Estate Broker

Hi Linda, it is so true that people who live in a house simply don't see what others do. Some issues become invisible to us in our own homes. A stager or sharp Realtor with design sense will call these things out, and the homeowners are often surprised to see things they never noticed.

Oct 30, 2011 04:50 PM

Bob Miller

Keller Williams Cornerstone Realty - Ocala, FL

The Ocala Dream Team

Hi Linda, excellent post, we deinately see through different eyes than the sellers does.

Oct 31, 2011 12:23 PM

Wendy Tomm

Beyond the Walls - East St Paul, MB

CCSP, RESA-PRO, BBB - Wpg Realtors

Linda great points and a great post. Thanks for sharing with the AR community. Enjoyed it.

Nov 11, 2011 03:18 AM