What This St Augustine Home Stager Learned on Agent Caravan
Some of you may know that in addition to being a
St Augustine home stager, I've recently earned my Florida Real Estate license. I joined the
St Johns Watson Realty office and went on my first agent caravan (as an agent) on Tuesday. Let's just say that it was an educational experience, for both the other new agents who happened to carpool with me and for myself.
The first home we visited was a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood. It was listed for more than $700,000, over $100,000 off of its original purchase price. Being new, and not having done comps, I could not say if it was well priced. It was very interesting to hear the feedback from the other agents as they toured the home and contrasting that to some of my home stager views. Conversation with the listing agent revealed that buyers had repeatedly had negative feedback that despite the large, open floor plan, spacious office, and five bedrooms (including a mother-in-law suite) that there was only a living room and family room, but no additional bonus spaces. This, apparently, was the biggest problem the sale was facing.
Riding to the next home on tour, I made the comment to the other agents that I was going to need to work on taking off my "stager's hat" for caravan. It is difficult to not view properties as a home stager, since I've been one since 2005. The three other women in the car quickly asked how I viewed the property. They were surprised to learn that I wasn't gushing with awe over the hand-scraped hardwood floors, detailed moldings, or tray ceilings. Instead I focused on details that are probably derailing a sale for the owners. Things like:
- A desk set up in the master bedroom, probably for the partner who does not work in the large home office.
- A very large screen TV sitting atop two very small decorative tables rather than mounted to the wall (also in the master bedroom).
- His and her walk-in closets, complete with California Closets, stuffed with clothes and dry cleaning wire hangers.
- The formal living room, and only room with a fireplace, with only two formal chairs, a round table between then, and a lamp with dangling cord, with no possible plug in site.
Each of the other agents had noticed at least one of these issues also but gave them absolutely no consequence and asked why they were important.
- The biggest problem with the home, according to the agent, is that it had no additional bonus spaces. Do you think the fact that the owner of this luxury property feels the need to set up a desk in the master bedroom is a problem? This is practically waving a flag saying - "You are right, we don't have enough living/bonus space!"
- The big screen TV precariously sitting on the small tables, looks sloppy (and slightly dangerous). It's not luxurious. It's ugly to look at with cords and wires draped all over the floor and it looks awkward. You can't help but notice it, instead of the view of the pool, nature preserve or lake just outside the window right next to it.
- Each of the women in my car had noticed the closets and thought that they were simply small. It didn't occur to one of them that if they had been pared down with wooden hangers nicely spaced that it would have looked like a dream closet. As a matter of fact, when we viewed the next house, that was vacant and only $250,000 with wire shelving, they thought it was bigger and were shocked that it wasn't.
- The lamp with dangling cord screamed, "No, there is no floor plug here. We couldn't figure out how to plug a lamp in here without an extension cord being draped across the room either." (Always the right message to give to luxury buyers, right?) Not to mention the fact that this room was the first room you saw when you walked into the home with the only fireplace and it didn't even have a sofa or entertaining space. Without an ottoman, you couldn't even sit with a glass of wine and read a good book.
With a clear understanding of what was at stake with each of these problems, the new agents had a much clearer picture of what a home stager does.
- We overcome objections before they happen.
- We minimize the problems the homeowners are currently having so they aren't perceived problems for the potential buyer.
- We view the property from a purely independent but critical viewpoint. We are versed in what buyer's at all price points expect and try to ensure that the home shows its strengths, not weaknesses.
I hope that each of the agents who went with me on the caravan understood that even though a property seems to "show great" it can be improved upon. Many objections that buyers will have about a property can be minimized with proper staging techniques.
So, what about the St Augustine home stager? What did I learn? I learned that I need to rethink how I educate agents. Showing photos of homes with dishes in the sink, bad wallpaper, and a kajillion personal photos are not the before and after photos agents need to see. Instead, they need to learn about the little things we do and the difference they make in closing a sale.
Be sure to stay tuned later as I tell about the next set of houses - builder's models, ex-builder's models and inventory properties.
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