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NO HOUSE LEFT BEHIND

By Andy Capelluto

Education & Training with International School of Staging

March 25, 2008 06:17 PM

NO HOUSE LEFT BEHIND ought to become the mantra of every real estate agent. As we deal with the consequences of a sluggish market, it becomes essential that a certain degree of renovation should take place prior to the listing of every home. That is if you're hoping to attract the selective buyers who have an over abundance of choices.

I urge every real estate professional out there to disregard the premise that only a select few have the skills to stage a home. Home Staging is not brain surgery. It is a simple formula that anyone can follow. It is an essential process that should be learnt and offered by every agent. Let's be totally realistic; today money is tight and houses are slow to sell. We can all agree that it is the house that is clean, well maintained and beautifully presented that is going outshine the competition.

Today's ‘hot shot' agents are offering staging as a service and they come equipped with the knowledge and ability to stage, a small inventory of accessories and the resources to locate more inventory should the need arise. For this reason I want to encourage every agent out there to join the hundreds of agents who have already empowered themselves by taking The Power of Staging course that is now available online. I may be a little biased because I was part of the team that help put this online course together but the guys at Realty U did the most amazing job producing this very worthwhile product. The online course is visually appealing, interesting, entertaining and above all educational. Furthermore it is affordable to everyone.

Who better to lead the seller through the process, than the real estate agent. Agents are the true professionals and staging just another important tool in the ever expanding arsenal of skills to ensure that NO HOUSE IS LEFT BEHIND.............

Do yourself a favor and visit http://www.stagingspecialist.com/

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Mark Horan

Resident Team Realty, LLC & Toni's Property Management LLC - Saint Cloud, FL

"The Resident Chef" - Resident Team Realty LLC &

Andy- I just blogged about this tonight. Do the upgrades and repairs before you plan on selling. Not while you are selling.

Mar 25, 2008 06:27 PM

Nancy Brenner

Referral Associates of Georgia, Inc. - Roswell, GA

Roswell Georgia Real Estate Agent

Great site, Andy. The classes look like fun. Definitely something to add to my 'to do' list.

Mar 25, 2008 06:32 PM

Richard Dolbeare

Inactive - Wailuku, HI

Living the Hawaii Lifestyle

Busy agents must learn to delegate as it's not possible to do it all yourself (unless you have very few clients). Look for the Property Image Consultant (PIC) designation when selecting this service. No, I don't have it myself but I know those who do and they are very good at what they do.

Mar 25, 2008 06:39 PM

Julia Maher

Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT

Connecticut Home Stager

Richard has a great point. Outsource those tasks you're not an expert in to the house inspector, mortgage lender, stager, painter, etc. If a house is really a problem, Realtors should be careful to preserve their client relationship and let a stager tell the seller they need to take off the wallpaper border, take care of that smell, put away the glass figurines and all the baby pictures! Offload and use the time saved to sell another house! Julie

Mar 26, 2008 12:53 AM

Andy Capelluto

International School of Staging - Seattle, WA

OK sure, - but what happens when money is tight and there is no staging budget, surely the seller is going to select the agent who has a strong knowlege of home staging.

Mar 26, 2008 04:51 AM

Anonymous

Nanette Catarinella

I am all for Realtors learning about home staging. I have been teaching a popular 4 hour continuing education class for license renewal to Realtors in the Pittsburgh area since 2004. The class is designed to educate and inform agents about the benefits of staging and how to present the concept to their clients. It is not about "how to do it yourself." I encourage agents to work with a professional home stager as a part of their team. They learn that a professionally staged property is so much more than telling the client to clear the clutter, make the beds and boil vanilla on the stove! When they see the hard work invovled in real life before and afters and learn that an average verbal consultation takes 2 -3 hours - written reports take even longer - and a hands-on, physical staging takes 6 - 14 hours or more - they understand the need to recommend a professional. Just as they would recommend a plumber, painter or a landscaper to assist their clients - a home staging professional is a specialist in their field. Realtors need to concentrate on what they do best, list, sell and market real estate. Agents who have the time to stage their own listings - and do it right - are not busy enough selling real estate!

Mar 27, 2008 04:39 AM

Well put Nanette. We share the same intention, policy and sentiments. The fact is that in todays market and with the economy doing what it's doing, we defininitely do have agents who have lots of free time on their hands and lots of sellers without a staging budget. We all value the agents who come ready to offer practical suggestions and guidance. Of course there will always be a place for the 'professional' stager.

Mar 27, 2008 04:54 AM

I'm not ignoring your comments - quite the contrary, I'm taking a spring break vacation with my kids and I'll get back to you on my return..........

Mar 27, 2008 01:18 PM

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Andy Capelluto

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