I've never understood why some homesellers are so put off by the idea of painting. Today we finished a tremendous makeover on a home in an older part of town. The homeowner was GREAT! They had started the makeover themselves and decided they were overwhelmed and needed an expert.
This particular home was listed for $324,900 in January 2007. After 4 price reductions it was listed at $274,900 when they called me.
Here's what their best MLS photos looked like....
Here's what it looked like when I got there...
Here's what it looks like now...
So many times homeowners & agents believe that they understand staging. Professional staging is a full time job! Sometimes it is best to pay the professionals for what they do best....
Oh.. the home goes back on the market tomorrow.... $299,900. I have no doubt they will get it. For the record, the price of the staging.... less than $4000. Do you think it was worth it?
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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocet and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. She now operates as the CEO of First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign as well as the Executive Director of Certified Staging Professionals International Training Academy (CSPI) - the world's largest Staging Training Organization, and regularly speaks at the StagerList Expos and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.
For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.822.2622 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com
If you would like Marro's team to provide information on staging a property in the state of South Carolina, or the Greater Charleston Area, please visit www.WeStageSC.com, email marro.melissa@gmail.com or call 843.822.2622.
For more information on Marro's CSP Staging Training, please visit www.StagingAndRedesign.com, visit the CSP Calendar for dates or email marro.melissa@gmail.com. Below is a list of Marro's current CSP Certification class dates:
February 6-8 Charleston, SC
February 16-18 Austin, TX
March 6-8 Atlanta, GA
March 13-15 Raleigh, NC
March 20-22 St. Petersburg, FL
April 10-12 Knoxville, TN
May 4-6 Covington, KY
May 18-20 Charlotte, NC
July 5-7 Memphis, TN
July 10-12 Charleston, SC
I'm a firm beleiver that people are just lazy and do not care. I think in another 5 or 10 years 99% of homeowners will be living in the dark, because they will not know how to change a light bulb. I agree with you that paint makes a great change and it takes very little effort. Please keep posting items like this to help other people realize what they can accomplish with a little elbow grease.
This is a great transformation. It looks modern, pulled together and very warm and inviting.
Wow! I'm always so impressed with your work, Melissa. This is an awesome representation of the benefits of staging. You've defined the "living spaces" and have provided the prospective buyers with a great vision.
Congratulations, your post is being featured within the group.
Kathy
Your work looks great, I am a bit conused though. It seems that Staging is becoming more like renovating???? Not just your BLOG but several others I have seen have had extensive work to improve the property. Is this the way Staging is Growing??? What do the Industry Leaders think?
Great work.
Paul Moye
Thanks Kathy!
Paul - There really wasn't any renovating here. We painted the walls and the cabinets, scraped the popcorn ceilings, and added furniture. The job of a stager is to make the home more marketable on a minimal budget (doing just the things that will add value that will actually come back in the final sale price). This is why most agents & homeowners THINK they can stage themselves, when in reality they are only doing the bare minimum - decluttering, cleaning & rearranging furniture. Those are part of staging, but not the whole picture. I will say that most of the time I don't find homes need this much help - but sometimes they do.
Great staging...and excellent response to Paul's inquiry. You are absolutely right, Melissa. I think that there is a general misconception out there on the capacity of a stager's responsibility and expertise.
thanks for clarifying this.
Julia
I don't understand the resistance to paint either. It is the most dramatic difference you can make for the least amount of money. And what a return on investment! Good job!
Kim Dillon
Melissa, great job! You spent less than $4,000 on staging and the asking price has gone up $25,000. I'd say staging is worth it! Keep us posted on how it goes.
Melissa,
Nice staging, great furniture. Worth it? Percieved value increased with your work though I cannot see so much in the photos...the condition of the house or the exterior or the neighborhood, but I have to say it is HIGHLY doubtful the final selling price will not cover the costs in the end.
Just curious, would kindly you talk about how the staging price of $4000.00 breaks out? How much for the rental furnishings and for how long? Is the paint and labor included in the $4000.00? If so, did your company subcontract the paint work? If not, do you know the amount for the paint project? I would also be curious about the cost to do the kitchen cabinets alone.