Seriously Flawed Study

This is not true staging by any means…

There was a study published by the Wall Street Journal* claiming that “staging” has no effect on the home’s sale price based on the photo above…seriously?!  The study had a group of people view virtually staged before-and-after photos and asked them whether they would pay more for the beige room (above) over the purple room (below).  Each of the respondents said they would not pay more money for the beige virtually staged room over the purple room.

How can anyone take this study even remotely serious is a minor miracle.  Here are the huge problems with this study:

• The rooms were “virtually staged” (not real, in person staging which is what “staging” is truly is)
• They were “virtually staged” by a someone who doesn’t appear to know much about staging from the looks of the “after” photos
• The “before” photos of a purple room (see below) and colorful furniture look so cartoon like, it’s almost laughable!
• Ironically, the respondents believed that “other” buyers would pay 3.7% to 4.0% less than value of the home if it’s not painted and fixed up.
• Virtual stagers are insulted by these photos since they don’t come close to the quality work that a true, virtual stager can do.

This isn’t even good virtual work…is this Mickey Mouse’s home?

I wasn’t going to even respond to this study since I didn’t want to bring attention to something so absurd but since there has been some chatter about it, let’s put this matter to rest once and for all.

Anyone with half a brain would look at that “after” photo and never in a million years call this a “staged” room!

In case you were one of those silly people who actually wanted to give this study credence and thought that room was “staged”…here is what “staged” really looks like of a home that sold for $100,000 over asking price in October, 2013 within 8 days of staging:

(This home was staged by Donna Dazzo of  Designed to Appeal in New York City)

Living Room Before

 

Living Room After

Living Room Before

Living Room After 

 

       Master Bedroom Before

 

Master Bedroom After

Boy’s Room Before

 

Boy’s Room After

 

 

Girl’s Room Before

    Girl’s Room After

  

Terrace Before

Terrace After

I guess it’s a good thing this home seller didn’t listen to “other” agents who think staging doesn’t work and cite this study…

By the way, I could have produced tons of other similar success stories and photos by the many amazingly talented home stagers across the country who have been maligned by this study.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that when you improve upon a product, you get a better price.

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!
1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

*By the way, the study was called: “The Impact of Staging Conditions on Residential Real Estate Demand” and the Wall Street Journal article was called: “Home Staging Effect? Not Much.“

5 Reasons to Start a Staging Business in 2014

What is it that you love to do and are passionate about?  Chances are if you love it, you are truly gifted at it.   Do you get goosebumps when you walk into a book store and head to the interior design section?  Do you anxiously wait for your design magazines to come in the mail or get “geeked up” over organizing your closet?  Do you notice every design detail when you walk into a friends house and then subconsciously rearrange the space in your mind? If you answered “yes” to any of these seemingly absurd questions then you definitely have what I call the “design sickness” and the good news is there’s never been a better time to explore the possibility of creating a business doing it.  There is nothing more exciting then doing what you love and getting paid for it!

Here are five reasons (with statistics) why starting a staging and redesign business is a practical and perfect idea for 2014:

• Home Values Are On The Rise – What a roller coaster it has been but now in almost every area of the country, home values are going up.  What does this mean for stagers?  It means there is value in the sale of the home, so staging becomes a “windfall” of sorts for sellers who really want to get all they can out of selling their most prized possession.  (The median price of a house in the United States is $197,100 which is up over 10% from last year’s median price of $176,800 according to the National Association of Realtors NAR) (According to the National Association of Realtors, almost 20% more home sold over 2012 numbers:  5,160,000 homes in 2013 vs. 4,660,000 in 2012)
• Remodeling Is On The Rise – What happens when people start to take an interest in their homes?  They look for critical expertise from a home stylist, color expert and designer! (In an HGTV Magazine reader poll over 25% of readers underwent a big renovation, like a new kitchen or bath in 2013)  (In a 2013 Houzz survey of over 100,000 people over 53% plan a renovation in the next couple years, think it’s a good time and plan to hire professional help)
• Home Staging Was Specifically Listed As A “Best Career for 2013 and Beyond” – In an article by career guru, Marty Nemko, staging was listed as a best job and fastest growing career for the future. (Link to Article)
• Sellers Are Now Staging Savvy – With the rise of HGTV, Pinterest and Houzz the average seller understands the value of professional, design advice for both living and selling!
• Agents Are Now Staging Savvy – It’s taken home stagers years to educate the real estate industry of the benefits of staging and now home stagers have become a de rigueur part of preparing a home for sale.

The most famous real estate agent of all time, Barbara Corcoran is speaking at our Staging Convention in a couple weeks, so it’s incredibly encouraging to see how our work over the years in educating the public on staging has Barbara as a huge supporter and advocate!

 

Timing is everything and building a business is a luxury but the biggest regret I hear our member stagers say is that they wish they started earlier.

Here are just a few quotes from our members I thought was worth posting to encourage others that a new year, can mean so much to you…or it can pass you by.

Staging Training Comparison

20+ Reasons Why HSR is Your Best Choice for Staging Training…

A lot of training companies will call themselves the “world’s best” or “accredited” but you have to dig deeper to find out the facts and make sure you invest in the best partnership for your business!  I know it’s confusing, so I recently put together this video in hopes to explain the HSR point of view and my philosophy on what makes us the best choice.

Another great reason to choose HSR as your trainer of choice!  The Home Staging Resource was the first truly, Accredited Home Staging Training Provider by an independent, third-party who has audited our training (the Real Estate Staging Association).

Click Here for 20 other reasons to choose HSR…

5 Critical Reasons to Attend the RESA Convention this Year

Every year I go to the RESA Convention and every year I get ten times more done in my business the months following that inspirational event because it is so motivating!  I really can’t say enough about this event, so I thought I’d bullet point some key reasons to attend (and use to convince your spouse the importance of you going!)

1. Barbara Corcoran – Need I say more?  It’s incredible to me that RESA was able to get her to speak and I can’t wait to see what kind of wisdom this amazing woman has to share!
2. Training Times Ten – Yep, you will learn so much at this event on so many different topics!  The experts are hand picked and are the best of the best!
3. It Will Fire-Up Your Business – I promise you will walk away feeling invincible and capable of tackling the toughest projects, clients and marketing activities!
4. You Will Make LOTS of Friends – Staging and design can be a lonely business, so coming to this event allows you to connect with peers, network and make friends that will also hold you accountable and encourage you all year round.
5. Early Bird Pricing Currently, Las Vegas is a Cool Place to Visit and the Great Food – Okay, I listed three more fantastic reasons that not everyone is aware of…in fact, I think I gain five pounds from the amazing food that is served at the RESA Convention every year.

This event will sell out soon, so click here to sign-up today!

For past and present HSR Grads, I have a special video invite just for you…

Home Staging in Prague

Home Staging in Prague – Another Home Stager Success Story

I love this story because it shows that the principles of gorgeous home staging are universal! Pavlina Glacnerova of Prague Home Staging, has a wonderful talent of transforming rooms.  She also has an encouraging story to tell about how she got started, so read on and hear in her own words her story, while enjoying her photos…

I am a mother of two small kids (1 and 3 years) and I got very nervous about my future career last year. I realized that I don’t want to get back to my former profession – account manager. I yearned for a job without any time borders, without hundreds of pointless reports, without a boss which doesn’t listen but boasts of my success. I desired to be responsible for all my action and express myself.

One day I saw some realtor talking on a TV about real estate business in Czech Republic and suddenly he mentioned Home Staging. He said that it is something brand new in our area and it’s got a great potential to be very successful soon.  First I started searching on the internet for some details to find out what it takes to do it. I found a few awesome pages of Home Stagers in USA and Canada and realized I need some serious training.

I found HSR and immediately had no doubt that this is the right resource for my dream career. The was even more surprised when I had sent some questions and Audra’s emailed response arrived immediately. Because I am from Europe I’m a bit limited by a different time zone. But this fact turned out to be unimportant with HSR. I was also quite concerned about the time to finish the course but thanks to HSR I’ve been able to study by my own pace and successfully finish and achieve the certification in about six months.

 

I can’t even express how happy I am that I joined this training because HSR is not only about training but mainly a critical resource of information absolutely necessary for the right start. It is not only about home decorating, design and real estate business. It’s about a million other practical advises and instructions which you need if you want to start doing this business and be successful. It is about your presentation, how to naturally approach to a client or realtor, how to build a credible business and relationships…how to get respect.

 

I looks to me like Pavlina is doing everything right!  Her photos look spectacular and she’s branding herself beautifully on her website:  http://ukazkovydomov.cz/

Great job Pavlina!