I Understand not everyone can afford home staging, so it pays to know your math. It’s the key to realizing that ANY staging is not better than no staging. For me it’s very disapponting to lose a bid on price only but it’s more disappointing when I see what that customer paid for and didn’t get.
Professional stagers know it’s all about maximizing profit for their clients. Flat rate stagers, or very low rate stagers, don’t help sellers. In fact, they end up costing more in the long run. They may have been led to believe anyone can do it or they think it’s fun to try! Entrusting a big investment to a non-professional stager is the equivalent of using an unlicensed electrician. Usually it’s not even worth the low price; poor space planning, cheap looking set ups and dark low-quality photos that enhance the un-professional presentation. It’s throwing money out the window and in many cases the seller would have been better off saving their hard-earned cash.
The above photos are what is representing this property on websites and on the MLS. BTW this listing has stunning views. The listing agent complained to me that it wasn’t overpriced, had great views but smaller more expensive homes without views were selling all around that area except this one. Stay with me.
Sellers consider this…if you paid $1500 for un-professional staging or use an agent’s plant in the corner staging but are going into your 155th day on the market with no offers or low ball offers or low traffic, how much did you really save? Anything will sell eventually and following this principle, many agents’ answer to no interest is price dropping. Stay with me.
Usually the first price drop is around $10K. That’s about a 2% price drop on a $500,000 home. A seller loses on sale price, paid $1500 for cheap staging and will probably pay an additional 2 months in carrying costs (probably around $5000) for a total loss of $16,500. What’s that agent’s cost of the same price drop? $300 in commission.
Agents…prospective clients, the smart ones, are looking at an agent’s online marketing. I’ve discussed this with many of my clients. I refer agents to those unhappy with past service. They want to see how their listings are presented and how they stand out above the competition down the street.
Professionally staged listings can make an agent or flipper a rock star. They can demonstrate their listings sell faster and many more times for full or over ask or very close to it in any market. Professional home staging is marketing and not including it in the tool bag, especially for vacant homes, the 1980s are calling.
So… can you do the math?
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