Stagers... are we red headed step children that get no respect?

Lately I have been getting a lot of email from stagers that are frustrated with the response they have been getting from the real estate community. Basically they are surprised that realtors are not flocking to them with open welcoming arms and lavishing them with clients. Compared to mortgage brokers or home inspectors we are "red headed step children that get no respect".

The best advice I can give you is to "persevere".

Staging is new and in many parts of the country untested. So it is up to us as a united industry to get the word out about staging and the benefits it provides. When you are marketing yourself to realtors keep in mind the following and remember ultimately you need to craft your message to them and their issues/needs/concerns.

1.) Staging has become a leading-edge marketing tool for realtors that demonstrates they are savvy and leading edge.

2.) Staging fee is typically the seller’s expense, not the realtors! (Many realtors think the fee has to come out of their pocket.)

3.) Real estate staging is NOT just renting furniture… it is much more. It is up to you to explain the depth at which you go to prepare a house for market.

4.) The best time to stage is BEFORE a property is listed. Our work can move the listing price to the top end of the property’s possible price range thus covering our fees and making the seller MORE money.

5.) Let us discuss our services and fees directly with the home seller… this keeps the home seller from feeling as if additional fees are being tacked on by the realtor.

6.) INSTEAD of a price reduction… consider using us. Staging can be less costly and have more of an impact.

7.) Do not market yourself as a designer/ or decorator... rather market yourself as a "real estate/property "merchandiser". Why? Because bringing in a "designer/decorator" may be construed as an insult to a seller's tastes. Hiring a property merchandiser sounds like a wise marketing move.

In today's age, where it seems like it is all about hard core marketing, sometimes what is forgotten is that marketing ourselves and our services is ultimately about building authentic relationships. Finding ways to be of help to the realtor and EARN their respect will surely end the "little orphan Rodney syndrome" we all experience in this new industry.

Staging Realtors... how big are your guns?

When should a realtor, who considers themselves to be a stager, bring in a professional real estate stager?

In my opinion it really comes down to 3 key elements: TIME, TALENT, & TREASURE. A keen and rich knowledge of these basic 3 elements and a system for implementing and administering them is what truly makes a stager an effective resource. I have found if stager does not have access to all 3, they undermine the true benifits of staging and what is available to the seller. (Please note, the key word here is “access” and does not mean EVERY property needs all 3 elements.)

So realtors, if you are thinking about becoming a “Staging Realtor” but are not sure you want to, I ask you to consider the following basic questions regarding these 3 key elements.

TIME: How much time is preparing properties for market going to take you? Taking into account that staging can take a considerable of time to perform physical and/or project management tasks, is this the best use of your time?

TALENT: Do you already know and are you willing to continue to learn all you need to know, about landscaping, cleaning, de-cluttering, room & furnishing arrangement, home repair & maintenance to best prepare these properties for sale?

TREASURE (Props): Considering staging is real estate merchandising and that scale, proportion, color and style do make a difference… Do you have access to the RIGHT furnishings and decorative accessories that can be added to your properties that subtly blend in, yet enhance their overall appeal?

If as a realtor you are willing to fully and ongoingly commit to these basic elements of staging, as you commit to the basic growth and development of your realtor skills... I say GO FOR IT. But I think it is far to warn you... to do staging RIGHT it often takes more then one thinks. It might be best at times to call in the BIG GUNS of a professional stager.

Because sometimes it’s not what you know… it’s what you don’t know that you don’t know, that can best help your client sell their house.

I'm on the merchandising Road to Hong Kong

Well actually I am IN Hong Kong! Sitting at a desk over looking the Hong Kong Harbor. AWESOME. There is a US Naval Ship anchored here too.

WOW... this all happened in less than a 24 hour period. When I woke up last Thursday I did not expect to be flying to Hong Kong on Saturday. But I did... and here I am.

I have been here about 2 hours and I have already seen a Century 21 Real Estate sign.

Why am I here? Well, I work with an electronics company in California doing product design. They asked I come and pick colors, textures and finishes for new product release.

So what does product design have to do with staging? Well actually it is pretty simple. Whether I am staging a house or designing a product... I am considering the market and selecting and fashioning the product so what will attract the largest buying demographic.

When you come to think about it… until now the concept of product merchandising has been applied to just about EVERYTHING we buy... except for houses. Kinda odd for sure, considering buying real estate is typically the LARGEST purchase we make.

I will share more of my tales from the road when I return.

"CHEERS" to new marketing opportunities for stagers!

So if you have not figured it out yet... I have a BIG mouth.

I would rather share what I know and NEW THINGS I have learned about staging then hold it as a trade secret. WHY? Because the staging industry is young and the faster we all share what we learn the better realtors are helped, seller's benifit and the quicker the enitire industry grows.

Anyway, today I visited a Retirement Community to set up a time to come in (open my big mouth) and talk to "residents in waiting". What I mean is that the Retirment Community has new residents who are wanting to move in and enjoy their golden years... if only they could sell their existing homes.

The Retirement Community wants me to come in and share my ideas, insights, thoughts and benifits of staging with these folks. The management is being both savvy and proactive... as they want to educate and help future residents sell their current homes. HOW cool and clever is that?
Considering the audience, this will take a bit of targeted message crafting for sure... but it is an opportunity I welcome.

Oh and where did the Retirement Community find me and my big mouth? Right here... because of my blogging.

CHEERS TO BLOGGING... it is making a difference!

Staged Property does NOT sell... BUT WHY?

Here is a set of Before & After pictures of a TOTALLY VACANT property we staged back in mid June and un-staged yesterday.

IT DID NOT SELL. WHY? Was it because staging really does not help?

SOME nay-sayers might (and will) jump to that conclusion. I happen to have experienced far too many POSTIVE results because of our work to agree with that deduction.
Could it be because of the slow / poor market? Yes, that is a strong possibility. Actually the owner WAS able to rent it in the end.

OR COULD IT BE IT WAS PRICED WAY TO HIGH? YES, DEFINETLY in this case that WAS the reason! How would I come to that conclusion? Well my first clue was the day we were unloading our deliver truck and a “curious” neighbor popped over to greet and meet what she hoped was the new neighbor. When I told her we were the stagers she curtly replied… “Well, I hope it works… this house is WAY over priced.”

THEN the listing agent confided in one of our Services Specialists that he felt the property was OVERPRICED by whopping $40,000!

This is why when a potential client asks me “Does staging REALLY work?” I reply with confidence… “YES! If it is priced right. You HAVE to LISTEN to your Realtor and take their pricing advice!”

BOTTOM LINE: Staging will NOT work if the property is priced wrong!

Paint your HOME'S SALE into a corner... by not making repairs!

While many stagers talk a lot about cleaning, depersonalizing, decluttering and rearranging a home, which ARE important aspects of what we do, there is another area a GOOD stager will focus attention on and find solutions for... home repairs.

Much like a buyer, the moment a real estate stager steps into a house they are looking for problems. We have trained our eyes to look for those items and areas in a house that need tending and mending. Why? Because quite often a seller no longer sees the issues we see... the owner/seller has become so accustomed to and accepting of the property the way it has been they no longer can see all that needs fixing.

Sellers need to understand that buyers are looking for reasons NOT to buy a house as much as they look for reasons to buy a house.

Repairs mean money... and if the potential buyer can already SEE repairs on the surface it is only logical to wonder what repairs lurks below. If basic repairs, that seem so apparent to them as they walk thru a house are not being made, potential buyers wonder what MAJOR repair issues need tending to... which again means more money.

I love it when a seller says that they will leave a repair issue to the new buyer. "Oh good... I get to spend MY time and money fixing someone else’s mess!"

Yes there are those handy buyers (like my father) who always bought diamonds-in-the-rough and fix them up. But that is a smaller group... and in today's market the responsibility is on the seller to merchandise the house so appeals to the LARGEST market as possible.

Home repairs are an area that a GOOD stager can either attend to themselves, or we have the resources and connections to contractors and repair people who can quickly assist a seller tend and mend the property so it looks its absolute best while it is in the market.

The Power of Blogging about Staging

Much has been asked about the power of blogging. People want to know if it is "worth" it? They want to know if blogging generates more staging business... will it make them more money?

Well in order to make money your blog first be seen… and it looks like my rants & ravings about staging are being seen by others.

One of those “others” noticing and mentioning this blog is a cool site that until yesterday I never even heard of called Grow-A-Brain. In my opinion, now that I have seen it, Grow-A-Brain is on of the finest examples of how blogging by someone in the real estate industry can be done. As you read it… you are charmed, challenged, intrigued and taught.

AND did I mention it is written by a realtor… all I can say is if I was looking for real estate in Riverside California, I would definitely be giving Hanan Levin a call. "HE" comes thru his blog. THIS is the first lesson of my blog today.

The second lesson is much more personal and has a bigger payoff.

Upon my return from a weekend get-a-way tp Galena Illinois, I found an email in my box from a person whose name I did not recognize. The email started out,

“How weird is it, me finding your blog! I was on the 'Grow A Brain' site and your blog was linked there! How are you? I see you are still in Chicago, I am in Northern California, Gilroy to be specific…”

Here after nearly 20 years and lives that have taken us to different parts of the country a friend of mine from my high school years found me… thanks to blogging.

To say I was blown away… would be an understatement as I have tried to find this friend of mine numerous times, Goggling her name and finding nothing.

So, if you blog you may make money… and sometimes if you are lucky much much more.

HI GAIL!