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!
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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocate 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. Selling her successful home staging company in January 2012, Marro is now a full time speaker and instructor for Staging And Resign 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 843.619.1593 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com
Proof positive that staging works, once again. Even on a small budget.
Melissa:
I agree with you regarding the importance of staging vacant homes as much as is possible, given the Seller's budget. Your before & after photos are great examples of what staging can accomplish.
I, also, know you will agree about the importance of staging a furnished home. So many Sellers have too much furniture, misplaced furniture, clutter, etc. Staging will help sell a home faster, provided that the Seller and Realtor have priced the home on a reasonable basis.
I am an Accredited Staging Professional ("ASP") Realtor. I am a firm believer in home staging.
Great job Melissa...This really shows the difference between DIY and hiring a professional. The first was a noble attempt but it lacked the pulled together effect of your version!
Melissa - you have proved that home staging can work for any budget! Thanx for sharing.
Melissa- excellent points you made. First, the quality of the photos you used was far superior to those actually used in the MLS listings. Even with the budget allowed, using your professional expertise was like having a million dollar budget.
Excellent points...the pictures drive your ideas home! Thanks for bringing some of your classroom expertise to us :o) !!
Julie
It is wonderful you are serving clients with every budget Melissa. The difference you made is signifigant and made the rooms elegant.
I have seen it before too - Builders staging with the help of friends/family. The results are usually not good. Your professional staging eye had a big impact on this home's aesthetic, flow and function. As you mentioned, a couple of the changes may have been small, but I would add powerful. Often times even those small details can have a huge impact - especially in person. Congrats!
Connie - that's what it's all about!
Pat - I'm glad that you are on board with staging. It is just so important in this market.
Valerie - I think you summed that up pretty well. It's not that the builder's wife had bad taste, or made poor furniture choices.. it's that it wasn't polished and pulled together the way it needs to be to sell...
Mannie - any seller who is serious really needs staging and good stager should be able to work with multiple budgets.
Kathy - since it's actually a million dollar listing, that's a great compliment!
Julie - you betcha!
Cathy - wouldn't it be great if sellers understood that we don't always have to spend a fortune to stage (actually almost never!)
Michele - It's about understanding the pschology of staging. Too many DIYers just think it is about decorating... it's not - it's psychology!
Hi Melissa.
I think your changes were very significant to the overall impact in every room.
I especially appreciated the bedroom. The difference in just the use of proper bedmaking is huge in your example. The revealing of the entire bedskirt, and the plumping and positioning of the pillows shows a professional touch those who professionally stage instinctively know will produce a polished result on for photographing.
Looking at your photos of the bedroom brings to mind our lesson from Christine Rae on making a bed properly for staging during our final exam for Certified Staging Professionals. She was very hands-off for the exam, letting us do our thing, but one bed was just not performing to it's utmost. She plumped and poofed some rather plain and thin bedding that really was just a few blankets we found in a closet until it looked darn-near posh.
It's all in the flick of the wrist, as they say and you clearly know how to flick!
~Michelle