Speaking Up about Home Staging

Home Staging may not be the first thought to many agents or sellers, which is unfortunate because so often it can be the best investment they make in the sale of their home.  The home that I staged last Friday was one of those homes that languished on the market waiting for the 'right buyer' or the 'right price'. 

Some of the details of the home were easily overlooked in MLS prior to staging.  Most of the rooms looked too small for the average family as the scale was off without anything to compare it to.  There were minor imperfections that nearly every home has - a small stain in the carpeting, nail pops or even a scuff mark here or there.  Unfortunately with nothing else to cast your eye to, they were glaring imperfections rather than a minor defect. 

Proper home staging helps control the buyer's eye to the features and benefits of the individual spaces, it minimizes any imperfections and shows how the space could be used.  (note:  while imperfections may be minimized they are never hidden)

Over the course of the last year, we've seen many of these homes - homes that just aren't selling - have staged with multiple offers at typically close at 98% to list price or better.  Unfortunately these sellers have missed months of possible offers and have paid thousands in carrying costs that could have been avoided. 

For all of the sellers that are sitting on the market wondering when/if an offer may happen.  For all of the agents who have clients who are frustrated that their home hasn't sold yet.... isn't it time to try something new?  Why not do what the nations top producers do... STAGE IT! 

I LOVE teaching home staging training!  My favorite part is probably Day 3 when we take students to a home that is really for sale and help them understand the real value that they provide.  We talk about all kinds of things before we move a single piece of furniture, including who the buyer will be, the overall feeling of the home before we stage it, etc.  Then we divide into teams and get to work!  (When I say we, I really mean them - they did all of this!)

The buyer for this house is probably a younger family, maybe late 20s to 30s.  The current homeowner is a widow who is downsizing and a bit older than our likely buyer...  This room was the 'formal living room'.. a room which many buyers in this demographic don't want or need, but do want a home office.  My students set out to putting a home office together for maximum appeal....

The dining room was the very next room you saw as you entered the home... I think our stagers did a great job of making the home feel 'younger' and more current.

Of course they stole the table in the kitchen (for a desk) and needed to replace it.  This definately works to make the space feel roomy but accentuate the window and view. 

The family room was probably my favorite change.  They did a fantastic job of making the room feel cozy and inviting - just what a family is looking for!

How much larger and welcoming does this master bedroom look?  Wow! What a difference!

Well - I was certainly proud of my students!! They did an awesome and amazing job for this client.  I'm sure it will sell much quicker as a result of their achievements!!

Looking for addtional home staging training?  Are you really good at staging but need to hone your business skills?  This new RESA Pro course is available for only $149 and contributes toward your Business Skills requirement.  Below is a brief description of the course:

You've heard over and over that you need a comprehensive business plan and you've looked into writing one, but have found it to be a difficult and arduous process. In this workbook, you'll find a comprehsive questionairre broken down by topic to help you understand all aspects of your business, find out what you don't know about your business and create a plan for marketing, management and growth.

 Below are the covered topics:

• Executive Summary
• General Company Description
• Products and Services
• Create a Marketing Plan
• Create an Operational Plan
• Management and Organization
• Create a Personal Financial Statement
• Start up, Operational Expenses and Capitalization
• Create a Financial Plan
• Applying for a Business Loan
• Refining Your Plan

Even if you've been in business for years, this workbook will help you put your business on the path for continued and accellerated success. With guidance every step of the way and 150 questions to help you stay on track, this will help you hone in and focus on your goals and objectives like never before.

Order your Business Management Course today...

Also available for your RESA Pro Continuing Education requirements: 

Marketing for Consistent & Explosive Growth - recorded webinar $35

Creating Limitless Opportunities - Becoming the Go-To Company - recorded webinar $35

Overcoming Objections for Increased Income - e-book $79

Looking for additional home staging training?  The RESA Pro designation helps you gain credibility while enhancing your business skills.  Best of all it is available to all stagers, regardless of your designation!  More information can be found at www.educatinghomestagers.com. 

Now available - Overcoming Objections for Increased Sales, an online instruction manual available for $79

Want to increase your income by working smarter, not harder? Learning to overcome objections can increase your sales volume by maximizing each contact with clients. In this course you will learn:

• Strategizing and Goal Setting
• Understanding the Sales Process
• The Five Objections
• Understanding Motivations
• Steps to Overcoming the Objection
• Closing the Sale

This course gives you real working answers and possible scripts for the most common staging objections. It will also help you understand how to hear and overcome the client's real objections - the ones they don't tell you. Become a ‘Master Closer' and watch your sales and profits skyrocket!

Also available: 

Marketing for Consistent & Explosive Growth - $35 - recorded webinar

Creating Limitless Possibilities, Becoming the Go-To Company - $35 - recorded webinar

Staging should be taken to a new level.... more than just cleaning, decluttering and showcasing.  Check out some of these suggestions!

Looking for additional home staging training or continuing education?  If you missed the live webinar for "Creating Limitless Possibilities - Becoming the Go-To Company" then you have an opportunity to catch up AND receive RESA Pro Continuing Education credits. The cost is only $35 and can be purchased at the RESA Pro Website.

Below is a summary of what you'll learn in this recorded webinar:

Becoming the "Go To" company is the goal of any successful service oriented business. With the growth of press and awareness in the staging industry thanks to widespread TV media, agents and homeowners are becoming more aware of the need for staging, but is your company ready?

In order to maximize the growth of your company you need to understand targeted marketing - how it works, what to do and when to strike. Becoming the Go-To Company is not just some catchy gimmick but proven success strategies to launch your business success or deepen your already successful base.

This workshop was offered at the 2010 RESA Convention. Here is what some participants had to say about it:

"I recently attended a workshop lead by Melissa Marro at the International Staging Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. Melissa has a wealth of knowledge that she is willing to share and she does so in the most engaging way. I really learned a lot and will definitely attend another one of Melissa's workshops or seminars in the future.

Charlene Storozuk,
Real Estate Staging Association, Regional VP, Canada"

"Melissa Marro is a delightful presenter! Not only does she inspire and entertain; she comes fully armed with practical and tangible information to educate attendees. Every time I hear her speak I come away with something new to add to my business today! Melissa has an innate ability to see the big picture and create practical solutions to impact her business."

Lynelle Hartman
President, LH2 Staging Inc
Trainer CSPI International Business Academy

"I had the pleasure & priviledge to attend one of Melissa Marro's presentations at the 2010 RESA International Conference in Las Vegas and was blown away by her depth of experience, knowledge of the market and tips to increase and improve the bottom line for my own business. Melissa uses practical,down to earth teaching techniques and examples with a no nonsense approach to how you too can achieve greater things in your real estate business. Not only would I attend another of her presentations again, I would highly recommend others as well. "

Karen Otto, Owner
Home Star Staging
Plano,TX

If you missed this presentation at the RESA conference, or just need a refresher, here is your opportunity to catch what you missed. Visit the RESA Pro Continuing Education Center to register.

Also available: Marketing for Consistent & Explosive Growth Recorded Webinar - $35

When buyers look through MLS, is this what they are thinking?  Agents, have you taken a look at your listings and really paid attention as to what you notice first, the property or the stuff?  Here's an example of a home I staged last week.... When I first visited the home, the seller actually had already moved out but EVERYTHING WAS STILL IN THE HOME.  I do mean EVERYTHING!  (there was still stuff in the fridge, closets and garbage can... it was actually just a little creepy.)  The sellers had relocated overseas and had not yet had movers pick up their belongings, which would go into long term storage. 

Originally we were to stage the home using the homeowner's belongings - which we had in abundance.  Then a few things changed and we found out that the entire home had been packed up and now we were called out to stage the property - this time vacant.  Here are some photos of what the home looked like when we originally visited (these are the actual MLS photos).  The after photos are after staging the property vacant.  The budget was relatively modest, but we were told by the listing agent - LESS IS MORE.  After the original photos, you'll understand why they were clear on stressing this....

In the original photo, what was the first thing you noticed?  Was it the high ceiling?  Windows?  Architecture? what about the gorgeous inlay in the flooring?

Does the first photo make you feel like you WANT to cook a gourmet meal?  Do you want to have coffee in the breakfast nook?  (Did you know there was a breakfast nook?)

Can you find the fireplace?  What about the beautiful windows?  Can you tell how large the room is?  What do you see first in both photos? 

Could we have worked with the homeowner's belongings?  ABSOLUTELY!  In the end, this wasn't an option.  What we created, when all was said and done, we created a calm and peaceful home with lots of open space.  Our goal was for buyers to be able to see the scope of the home, the architecture and see what they are buying!! 

Remember that when you put your listings on MLS that it is VITAL to have buyers be able to see the home first... if not, chances are they will never see the home in person....

Unfortunately this sometimes seems to be the way staging is handled.  Builders who do a great job with finishes and floorplans create stunning homes that should fly off of MLS.  When they don't right away they decide the home needs to be staged, but rather than paying for a PROFESSIONAL STAGER, they turn to their wives, daughters or girlfriends.  Now I will say as a staging training instructor, I've seen many of these candidates make great stagers, but usually after taking a little formal training so they really understand the why's and wherefors.

Some time ago I staged two units for a builder - they were listed with a realtor who demands that all of her listings be staged prior to listing.  In this case, there were 3 units in the same neighborhood with the exact same floorplan.  The builder refused to stage the 3rd unit because his wife had 'already staged it'.  My agent refused to take the listing. 

Now 18 months later, the builder has decided that my agent really needs to take this listing also and agreed to have me come in and 'restage' the unit.... I had a VERY SMALL BUDGET and brought only what could fit in my vehicle - a few art pieces, plants and accessories - absolutely no large pieces.  For the most part, I just restyled what was already there... (all the before photos were actual MLS shots)

Opening up the space was vital to show off the scale of the room... The previous arrangement also left no space for lighting - an important part of home staging...

You can really see from this angle the effect of opening the room... The kitchen also just needed a few soft touches to bring some life into the space....

While I'm not a fan of pushing furniture along the walls, sometimes it just makes sense to NOT float the furniture.... This arrangement made the room feel larger and made the room feel much more functional.  Before it felt a bit crowded and the 4 ft behind the sofa felt like wasted space...

I didn't change a lot here - I used the round table on the left of the bed to bring in an end table to the front room.  I added the sofa table as another bedside table, which really helped with scale in this space.  Adding the photos over the bed, helped draw the eye up to the crown molding and actually switching out the way the bedding was arranged made the bed feel more balanced and less intrusive and invasive in the room...

Most of the changes were very simple and the builder ended up spending very little money.  The majority of it was for my time.  The differences in the rooms were dramatic, however.  Additionally, did anyone notice the difference in the quality of photos... while these photos don't compare to the photos Andrew Mayon did for me (he photographed the other 2 units), they are much more quality than the actual MLS photos from the previous agent.  Photographs are an important part of the listing process and shouldn't be taken lightly. 

Now I want to be clear that this blog isn't about bashing builder's wifes or other family members but more to remind agents, builders and homeowner that sometimes a PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER is your best bang for your buck!  Don't be a penny pincher with your most expensive investments.  In the long run, you will likely NET more money by paying for a professional!