What Agents Really Want

3 Tips on What Agents Want from Home Stagers and a Staging Story

What a lot of home stagers don’t realize is that agents want different things in different real estate markets.  For instance, in a “buyers market” which was 2007-2011 agents just want the property to sell and not sit on the market like their competitions.  In today’s seller’s market, the savvy agent wants to get the best price (and sell quickly) but price is king.  Why?  Because the smart agent knows that if they can be the “high price” leader in their market, then people will give them their listing (instead of their competition).

I love this story told by Lori Murphy who was recently awarded a 2013 Best of Houzz award and nominated for the RESA Rising Star of the Year even though she essentially just completed her HSR training and started her business last year!  At the end of the story, I give my three tips on what agents want right now…

Hi Audra,

He continued to tell me how he wants someone who will give the seller the “bad news” so that he doesn’t have to, because he wants to keep his relationship with the seller.

The stagers they’ve been using seemed to just want the seller to like them.  He said, “I need someone who will explain to sellers “why” and help them understand it is important in preparing the house to sell.  I’d rather postpone putting it on the market by 4 weeks, if when it is listed it’s ready . . . every thing’s done.”

As I sat there listening to him, (he went on for an hour . . . I’ll try not to), I realized something.

At first I shook my head agreeing with him and thinking to myself, “well, of course, that’s what we do” . . . and then it hit me . . . I was trained that way.  But it became suddenly clear that because not every stager in Columbus, Ohio received their certification from the Home Staging Resource . . . . well, let’s just say the advantage I have became crystal clear.

Eventually it did make a little sense, and then a little more, and then came the first staging job . . . .and then it really came together!  lol

Audra, I’m so glad I made the choice to sign up with HSR!  And YOU . . . over the last year and a half, I have never felt that I was in this alone.

Thanks Lori for the story and photos.  Here are three tips for what I think real estate agents want and need right now:

1. Agents want to be listened to and understood – This may seem obvious but too many times the stager is trying to fit the agents needs into their business model rather than coordinating their pricing/services around what the agent needs.
2. Agents need “staging honesty” for them and their clients, so that the house will get “top dollar” – I see a lot of stagers do a “half staging” job  which looks worse than vacant sometimes because the scale is completely wrong.  As stagers, we need to be clear and honest about what the home needs to get the best price.  The agent does not want to be the “low priced” agent, so we need to be ruthless with the seller on what kind of return they can see in a seller’s market if they stage it well.
3. Agents need tools and resources that look great in order to resell our services to their clients – This is where so many home stagers go unnecessarily wrong!  Agents need beautiful looking sales materials to convince their clients that staging is the right thing to do.

Image is everything and that is why I just added a a 6-video and two-hour series about “Blinging Your Brand” in our HSR Member’s area because we have to make agents look good for their clients!

Cheers to all the talented home stager’s out there!  Any more tips you would like to add to this post?

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

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.

7 Staging Tips for Difficult Spaces

7 Staging Tips for Difficult Spaces

One of the critical reasons to stage a vacant home is to give perspective to buyers.  Empty rooms are lifeless question marks in buyer’s eyes, so merchandising the space becomes essential!  Here are seven staging tips I think you will find extremely helpful in your next staging project…

Donna Dazzo of Designed to Appeal, a New York City based staging company was given one of the toughest vacant staging assignments I’ve ever seen, so I just had to share it.  This 3-bedroom, 4,000 square foot loft in Tribeca was on the market three months without an acceptable offer.

The loft sold at FULL asking price 22 days after Donna staged it!

Check it out…

This was the loft space as you walked in the home and as you can see the large columns are distracting and overwhelming.  The space appears dark, lifeless, cold and definitely not easily able to arrange furniture around!

Staging Tip #1 – Create Groupings

Strategically using area rugs, Donna separated the large space into groupings.  A central living and seating area between the columns draws the eye to the seating area and away from the columns.

Entryway/Living Room After 

Staging Tip #2 –Use Reflective Surfaces

The large and well placed mirror brings the eye further into the room immediately while extending the more narrow space. Using a light palette, reflective surfaces and mirrors, the space appears more open, light and inviting.

Here is a view from another angle where you can see how open the space was and how difficult it would be to fit all the represented living spaces in this one great room.

Not only did she fit a living grouping but a dining area off the kitchen as well.

Staging Tip #3 –Use Furniture to Separate the Space

What do you do with a small, seemingly un-useful space off the living area when you’ve already established plenty of seating arrangements?

Separating the space with a bookcase, it becomes an office with a view!

Staging Tip #4 –Proper Scale Needs to Always be Considered

Filled with large, empty space this loft needs properly scaled furnishings to first “fit” between the beams in the living/entry area and now larger pieces to match this large space below.

The cabinets are artfully arranged to add color and symmetry.

Staging Tip #5 –Know Your Buyer Demographic

Staging for Families

Since the buyer demographic for this space was a family, Donna incorporated that lifestyle in her merchandising by turning this cold Den space into a bright, kids play area.

Notice how the brick wall in the vacant space appears to be a detraction while once it’s staged becomes an asset.

“Artful staging can turn even negative architectural elements into positive assets!”

Staging Tip #6 –Use Great Art to Elevate the Space

At this point you’ve probably noticed the amazing artwork that serves to elevate the space and give personality right?  Well Donna cleverly partnered with an art gallery to complete her staging vision.

This bedroom is tricky because all you notice is the long, unsightly heater under the windows.

Second Bedroom Before

Using a highly textured area rug, soft textiles and amazing artwork the space becomes a girls dream bedroom!

Second Bedroom After – Girl

Ready to Become a Successful Home Stager and Redesigner?

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 Career Outlook

Career Outlook for Home Stagers in 2013

Did you know that home staging was listed in January of 2013 as “one of the best jobs for 2013 and beyond” by AOL career guru, Marty Nemko?  How Marty had even heard of our little industry is a wonder but I have to give him kudos…because he totally gets it!

See Home Staging Listed as Best Job for 2013 and Beyond Article by Clicking Here!

Expect the Unexpected!

I love hearing the stories from our members as to why they decided to take our Home Staging  and Redesign Certification course and where they’ve taken their business!  What I find almost always is that it’s never exactly how they expected it to be.  I recently got an email from Debbie O’Neill of Fine Design Home Staging (http://www.finedesignhomestaging.com) and laughed out loud…

Audra-

My apologies for the late response. When you see what I have to share, you will understand why. When I first decided to enroll in your program, my thought was it would be fun and a great “side” career. I already work full time but I wanted an outlet for my creativity and to challenge myself with new goals.

Since mid March, 2013, I have staged 8 homes. Four out of the 6 homes for sale sold within two days that they were on the market.  Two of the houses were model homes for a builder.  All but one of the 6 homes had been vacant and on the market for a long period of time. One home I did a consultation and put the owner to work on two rooms that needed “help”. The owner rolled up her sleeves and implemented everything that I suggested. She received an offer the next day. My first job in March was with a builder who was looking for a local stager in the HSR Directory. Thus, I have continuous work to either stage one of their inventory homes or to stage their model homes. In addition, the builder has requested that I help them with their inventory and get organized! Another activity I love to do!

It has been a whirlwind of projects and put my business into hyper drive. I have done no advertising except for about six SEO suggestions that you made in the training. Everyone that has found me has done so through their Google searching and commented on my professional looking website which HSR created. I received jobs before I even had a chance to update my website.

So that it is in a nutshell. I am learning as I go and am excited to learn more about the business.

Yep, sometimes the “unexpected” can happen but it’s obvious to see from Debbie’s work below that her talent is undeniable!

Great job Debbie!

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey

Hope to hear from you!

1-888-563-9271

audra@homestagingresource.com

The Art of Great Staging

Anyone who has not had their head in the sand for the last few years understands that there is “no set price” for a home.  The real estate market is a roller coaster ride of highs and lows but one thing remains the same, buyers will always be looking for that “ideal vision” for their family AND will always be willing to pay top dollar for it!

You see, staging is NOT about de-cluttering and cleaning but at it’s essence, it’s an “art form” born from extreme expertise in merchandising and designing a “vision” that buyers will fall in love with!  Staging done correctly, provides the “props and vision” for the buyer to mentally “move-in” to each room while emotionally connecting them to the home as a whole!  Once connected, the offer is made and not usually broken.

Great staging starts with understanding first “the who” and merchandising for that particular vision.  Who is the buyer demographic for that home, what will they desire to see in each space?   HSR Certified stagers are trained to research six “cues” to determine the typical buyer demographic, as well as converse with the agents in the area.

Is this a “contemporary zen” home and lifestyle we are staging for?

What will our buyers be “hoping” to find when they step through that door and how can we create the lifestyle they dream about in each room?

I would argue that many homes on the market today are what I call “half way there” homes because they have been stripped down but not “dolled up”.  They are like a cake with no frosting and will never get the best price for their home in that condition.

Essentially, these homes are leaving money on the table!

An agent might argue, “who cares if they get the best price, so long as it’s sold quickly” but that’s short sighted.

I imagine most of us would not be too happy to see the competing agent down the street selling our neighbors house for $30,000 more than we got because they took the time to bring in a great professional home stager.  Agents build their reputations not only on quickly selling homes but on getting the BEST PRICE for their clients!

Based on the information we have for our buyer demographic, we are able to create a profile of what we are designing for and a plan for the seller.  The plan starts with taking the time to understand the benefits of staging and realizing that a little work today, saves you a lot of headache in the future.  For example, if my neighbor made $30,000 more than me on the sell of their home, how does that $30,000 translate to real earned dollars?  With capital gains it means that it’s pure cash, so I would probably have to make $50,000 to realize $30,000 cash realistically.

How many hours do you have to work to make $50,000?  Definitely more hours then the amount of time, energy and expense of correctly staging the home first!

Which brings me to another very critical aspect of staging and that is photos!  Correctly trained stagers know that it’s not only about the “walk-in” but very critically about the photo for online marketing!

If 95% of buyers are online first looking at photos before they decide to visit the home, how important do you think staging for the photo is in the sales process?  As an agent, how important do you think the photos are to your image and reputation?

Great staging involves the total package!  Starting with the research, creating the plan and communicating a vision that seller’s can understand financially, then finishing with marketing output that makes the buyers fall in love BEFORE entering into the home.

5 Best Design Tips

Gregg Churchill, an HSR Certified Stager and Designer in Australia gives his 5 best design and staging tips:

What makes great design is up to your own interpretation, but I do know that when I see great design it hits me right away. We all have different styles and thoughts on our own personal design which is often influenced by all the new TV Star Designers e.g.: Sarah Richardson, Candice Olsen; Martin Lawrence-Bullard; Colin and Justin etc.) and all the inspirational shows they have on our TV screens, brought right into our own homes. I watch and record all the TV shows to learn as much as possible from them all.

The 5 best design or staging tips I can offer are the following:

1. Professionalism  That is the first & most important tip I would advise anybody when going out and selling your services. This includes punctuality; dress sense; tone of voice; facial expression (smile and be sincere) etc. Be professional every minute you spend with your clients, whether it is face to face, via emails or telephonically. Its sounds obvious, but so many refuse to adhere to this basic tip. Know what you are selling inside out and backwards. Nothing worse than being ignorant of your own subject you are trying to sell.
2. Keep it simple – Don’t overthink the redesign of the interior of the house or try to get to too fancy, apply what you have been trained by HSR to do and you will never go wrong. Study the bones of the property and the space allocated and complete your furniture arrangement. Never stop trying to improve your talent and keep abreast of new styles and fashion colours/hues etc.
3. Accessorize – Bring out your creative side! Wall art, vases, ornaments, pictures, small furnishings, faux indoor plants etc. are the jewelry on your staging creation, especially if you buy items that repeat a rhythm in that space or compliment the colour scheme. Always buy the best accessories that you can afford, its pays always! Don’t panic – Stick to your budget plan, and your interior themes.
4. When styling multiple rooms, use a colour thread throughout to bring cohesion to connecting spaces. It isn’t necessary to use the exact same colour in each room. Applying layers of the same colour, varying the hue, makes the space feel connected and less intentional. Accent colours can be used from neighboring rooms to link them.
5. Know that less is more. Be careful not to over accessorise every corner of a space, especially when its functional needs are simple. Too much clutter in a space kills the design and makes the eye jump all around the room causing confusion. I do all my vignettes in my store room before I do get to the staged property, so when I get to the vacant property, I know exactly what goes where and it saves time too. Great to also use an iPad for planning purposes.

In summation I would recommend that what every avenue you decide to pursue in your Home Staging career, always have fun and enjoy every minute of what you are doing. Try and specialize in one category for best results e.g. vacant home staging.

Always have something different to offer your clients study your opposition from time to time and see what they are offering and you may not be or never thought to. Stay abreast, keep up to date and never stop learning. Learn from as many people as you can and you will always be the best in your chosen field. Enjoy!

See Gregg’s work and story that was featured on Design Shuffle!

Home Staging Australia

Escaping the Daily Grind!

Gregg Churchill of Mr. Home Staging in Perth, Australia is truly a talent!  Recently he as featured in Design Shuffle and I’ve got his gorgeous photos mixed in with his incredible story…

My story is a simple one. I have always had an itch to get into both interior design and decoration, even from a young age and have always been interested in being creative and designing interiors. I am fascinated why and how the inside of a home is planned and how and why we live in that space.

I was a Project Designer for a major international food retail company for 10 years, and as their in store project designer. I firstly learnt how to draw plans the old fashioned way, on a drafting board and then got into CAD to design the inside of supermarkets and in store coffee shops and restaurants which was great fun as there are a lot of the interior design elements and fundamentals that I needed to understand to design and plan a pleasant in store shopping experience. I then ventured onto my own and acquired a retail franchise from the same international retail company and ran my own 1200 square metre supermarket with 55 permanent staff and 25 casuals for the weekends. After 5 years of burning the candle at both ends, working 16 hours a day for 7 days, I decided to sell up and have a change of direction. That is when I stumbled across HSR on the internet.

I did heaps of research on the subject and decided to join up with HSR for a number of reasons. I found the site to be very user friendly and made me feel like I wanted to belong to this company. I found the other companies who offered a similar course, didn’t offer it in a professional way. I found they just were not as professional in there sell to me as a prospective future client. I also liked the name HSR, as it exactly what the name described, a resource for home staging. The staging videos were very warm and friendly as was Audra’s recorded voice.

I would never recommend getting into Home Staging without this HSR qualification as you are entering a world where the general public are very sensitive and guarded when you go into their private domain, we are all sensitive about our homes. You HAVE to have a recognized certified qualification behind you and know what you are recommending to the public, as after they are paying you for this advice and expect good sound design advice. The many forms on offer from HSR are priceless as without them, I would have been lost and to even begin to try and do them yourself would be impossible. They are a short cut to starting your career right away, looking the part and they gave me a lot of confidence right from the very beginning.

Here in Perth Western Australia, our main economic industry is mining and it is booming at the moment, especially with the huge exports to China and the east. The property market has recovered in a big way, interest rates are at their lowest, and properties are selling in weeks instead of months. The WA public were a bit slow in adopting home staging 2 years ago, but this year I have seen a huge demand in business, especially before holidays like Easter where I was turning work away as everybody wanted their homes staged before Easter weekend.

The longest I have had a staged property on the market is 3 weeks and the shortest was 4 days (That property had been standing vacant for 42 days & once staged sold in 4 days) so I advertise that fact. I have, to date, a 100% success sold rate with my staged properties….This year, I was getting a lot of people contacting me, but for interior design, so at the beginning of this year I began an Interior Design Diploma course and am almost completed with it.

See Gregg’s 5 Best Design or Staging Tips!