First, I apologize for missing yesterday's blog. I had a reaction to medication I am taking and woke up with my eyes swelled shut. All under control now. But, I sure will be glad when I reach the end of the antibiotics.
So, do stagers like Interior Design? Up until now, I have been able to draw on national research to make generalized statements. Now we enter the arena of personal experience. Everyone is going to have their own opinion.
All of the stagers I know really like Designed rooms. I do.
Because I concentrate of depersonalizing, I enjoy seeing how the Designer has personalized the space. The client's favorite art pieces, that beloved chair, are integrated into the whole with artistry and delicate care.
One of my favorite "games" is, how would I Stage this Designed room? Usually, I find a core of furniture. The sofa, chair, and cocktail table (for frequent example) are arranged just I would arrange them. To stage the furniture, all I would have to do is remove the other pieces of furniture. When I look at decorative objects, again I usually find a backbone then, in my mind, remove all the little pieces and the big pieces that revolve around that core.
Window treatments can be a problem when I play this game. Window treatments are sometimes highly personal, command attention, and are very complex. These I take down in my mind. These are wonderful in a home that is lived in, but constitute an unacceptable level of distraction in a house that is for sale. On the other hand, some beautiful window treatments are simple accents to the window placement and the view. These, I leave just as they are (in my mind).
Simple rule of my thumb?
I look on the work of Interior Designers as art: very appropriate for people when they live in their home. My Designer friends, when they look at a room I have Staged, tend to laugh and say, "That is a nice beginning. But I feel like I should finish it!"
Tomorrow, let's talk about Redesign or Redecoration.
'Bye All
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Stagers are not Interior Designer wannabes
I spend a lot of time on on the Internet. I am active on Q&A sites like Zillow, I participate in Staging discussions on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and I devour information from a number of blogs.
I notice a lot of real estate agents and a lot of sellers seem to think stagers are failed Interior Designers.
Sorry guys, most stagers are fanatics.
Most stagers love staging.
Imagine having a job that, repeatedly, gives people hope in one of the most stressful times in their lives. Imagine a job that frequently provides positive feedback within days or weeks of completion. Stagers know staged houses sell because our clients tell us.
Imagine how it feels to spend two days planning and sweating and tuning and making changes aimed at marketing someone's property. Then imagine getting a call two weeks later that the property is under contract. Imagine how it feels to get that call while you are driving home from the job.
When stagers describe how they feel about their work, they use words like "euphoria" and "great" and "joy".
Is knowing the latest trends in Interior Design part of the job? Of course it is. So is knowing when the latest trend is not the best approach to marketing the house. Because, depending on the style of the house, sometimes the latest trends are counter-productive to the sale.
Stagers are color experts, research to stay current on the latest findings in buyer psychology, are artists who use furniture and accessories to paint on 3-D canvases (houses). Each painting has underlying, standard rules and each painting is unique enough to require a lot of creativity.
There is no feeling like looking over a Staging Plan and knowing it will make a difference in the sale of your client's house. There is absolutely no feeling like the one I experience when I look around a house I just staged. Okay, "euphoria" comes close.
The last day of my staging training, the class traveled to and staged a house. Before the class began, local realtors had been invited to nominate clients, someone who really needed all the help they could get. Six months before my class, on the same day she learned she was pregnant with her third child, our client learned her husband had been killed in Afghanistan. She needed to sell before the baby came. She needed to sell so she could move her little family closer to the support structure of her beloved husband's family. There was a lot of motivation to succeed that staging day. And there were a lot of tears. Quite a few of those tears came from the Realtor who dropped by to see what was happening and walked through the staged rooms saying, "I can sell this. Oh, this will sell." Because of the client confidentiality agreement, I do not know how quickly this house sold. But, I know the house was very marketable, was transformed, when we finished. (As usual, I changed a little bit of the story to hide the identity of the client.)
Hey all you stagers reading this. Share.
Tell us about those staging experiences that make this job so very special, that make all the hard work worthwhile. I will gladly bring your stories up into the body of this blog. In fact, if you wish I will post your story, your company name, and a link to your website on my website.
Or, if you disagree with me, say so. Let's talk about it!
I wish you all a Happy Monday.
I notice a lot of real estate agents and a lot of sellers seem to think stagers are failed Interior Designers.
Sorry guys, most stagers are fanatics.
Most stagers love staging.
Imagine having a job that, repeatedly, gives people hope in one of the most stressful times in their lives. Imagine a job that frequently provides positive feedback within days or weeks of completion. Stagers know staged houses sell because our clients tell us.
Imagine how it feels to spend two days planning and sweating and tuning and making changes aimed at marketing someone's property. Then imagine getting a call two weeks later that the property is under contract. Imagine how it feels to get that call while you are driving home from the job.
When stagers describe how they feel about their work, they use words like "euphoria" and "great" and "joy".
Is knowing the latest trends in Interior Design part of the job? Of course it is. So is knowing when the latest trend is not the best approach to marketing the house. Because, depending on the style of the house, sometimes the latest trends are counter-productive to the sale.
Stagers are color experts, research to stay current on the latest findings in buyer psychology, are artists who use furniture and accessories to paint on 3-D canvases (houses). Each painting has underlying, standard rules and each painting is unique enough to require a lot of creativity.
There is no feeling like looking over a Staging Plan and knowing it will make a difference in the sale of your client's house. There is absolutely no feeling like the one I experience when I look around a house I just staged. Okay, "euphoria" comes close.
The last day of my staging training, the class traveled to and staged a house. Before the class began, local realtors had been invited to nominate clients, someone who really needed all the help they could get. Six months before my class, on the same day she learned she was pregnant with her third child, our client learned her husband had been killed in Afghanistan. She needed to sell before the baby came. She needed to sell so she could move her little family closer to the support structure of her beloved husband's family. There was a lot of motivation to succeed that staging day. And there were a lot of tears. Quite a few of those tears came from the Realtor who dropped by to see what was happening and walked through the staged rooms saying, "I can sell this. Oh, this will sell." Because of the client confidentiality agreement, I do not know how quickly this house sold. But, I know the house was very marketable, was transformed, when we finished. (As usual, I changed a little bit of the story to hide the identity of the client.)
Hey all you stagers reading this. Share.
Tell us about those staging experiences that make this job so very special, that make all the hard work worthwhile. I will gladly bring your stories up into the body of this blog. In fact, if you wish I will post your story, your company name, and a link to your website on my website.
Or, if you disagree with me, say so. Let's talk about it!
I wish you all a Happy Monday.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
What if you cannot find a stager?
Optimally, you want a Stager who is a local. It is in your best interests to have your stager walk around your property and examine your house and yard "up close and personal". He or she will be able to see and enhance subtleties in your rooms. She or he will know the most about what colors and styles are popular in your area. So, when making tuning decisions, he or she will know how to truly maximize your marketing.
If you cannot find an independent stager, do interview Interior Designers and Realtors who also stage. Some of them do superior work.
If cannot find any local stagers, you have several choices:
This is a quick discussion of these choices.
DIY staging
As I discussed in an earlier blog, this is not an optimal solution. However, if it comes down to DIY or don't stage at all, go with the DIY option. Do some serious research before you start. Run an internet search on "DIY home staging". There are a lot of books on the subject. Check them out. Take a look at "The Science And Art Of Staging" on my website. Concentrate most of your efforts on the what I call the "Science" part of staging: depersonalize, neutralize, simplify, declutter, and clean clean clean.
Stagers who live in other locations and work from photographs
This can be done. I do it. Some stagers offer this service on their websites. Even if this service is not offered on their website, if you contact them, some stagers may be willing to work with you. You are going to need a digital camera because your stager is probably going to ask for very specific pictures. Then they are probably going to ask for more pictures as you go through the process to make sure the staging stays on track. Interview and select your potential long-distance stager the same way you interview local stagers (except the interview takes place over the phone).
Bring your stager to your property from another location
Frankly, this is going to involve travel and living expenses on top of the cost of staging. I only suggest you do this to protect a potentially very high profit. But, if your probable profit will cover the added expense (and still leave you with a very good profit) and DIY staging or staging long distance are not options, begin your search with family and friends who live away and can offer referrals. If needed, expand to an internet search for "home staging" in the nearest big city. Some stagers advertise their willingness to travel. Others will give you a quote when you contact them. Interview diligently and select using the same criteria you would use to find your local stager.
If you cannot find an independent stager, do interview Interior Designers and Realtors who also stage. Some of them do superior work.
If cannot find any local stagers, you have several choices:
- DIY staging
- Finding a stager who lives in another location and works from photographs
- Bringing a stager to your property from another location
This is a quick discussion of these choices.
DIY staging
As I discussed in an earlier blog, this is not an optimal solution. However, if it comes down to DIY or don't stage at all, go with the DIY option. Do some serious research before you start. Run an internet search on "DIY home staging". There are a lot of books on the subject. Check them out. Take a look at "The Science And Art Of Staging" on my website. Concentrate most of your efforts on the what I call the "Science" part of staging: depersonalize, neutralize, simplify, declutter, and clean clean clean.
Stagers who live in other locations and work from photographs
This can be done. I do it. Some stagers offer this service on their websites. Even if this service is not offered on their website, if you contact them, some stagers may be willing to work with you. You are going to need a digital camera because your stager is probably going to ask for very specific pictures. Then they are probably going to ask for more pictures as you go through the process to make sure the staging stays on track. Interview and select your potential long-distance stager the same way you interview local stagers (except the interview takes place over the phone).
Bring your stager to your property from another location
Frankly, this is going to involve travel and living expenses on top of the cost of staging. I only suggest you do this to protect a potentially very high profit. But, if your probable profit will cover the added expense (and still leave you with a very good profit) and DIY staging or staging long distance are not options, begin your search with family and friends who live away and can offer referrals. If needed, expand to an internet search for "home staging" in the nearest big city. Some stagers advertise their willingness to travel. Others will give you a quote when you contact them. Interview diligently and select using the same criteria you would use to find your local stager.
How do you find your stager?
You have done the research and decided you need to stage your house to sell. Congratulations, you are going to substantially increase your chances of selling quickly and at a better value.
So, how do you find your stager?
1) Begin with family and friends who live locally and used a stager. What do they say about that stager? Are they willing to make a referral?
2) Go to the "big" staging websites where certification training is offered or pre-certification is required and check their directories for stagers who service your city or cities near you.
These websites include (but are cetainly not limited to)
http://stagedhomes.com/
http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/
http://www.homestagingresource.com/?gclid=CMWkjpTa6JkCFQIwxwodP0lTpA
http://decorate-redecorate.com/
http://www.canadianstagingprofessionals.com/ (in Canada)
********* If you have alternate website suggestions, please send them to me. I will update this blog and keep a record for future distribution. *********
3) Do an internet search on "home staging" combined with the name of your city, or a nearby city.
Compile a list of staging companies and investigate their websites. As I said before, you may want full-service staging and you may find some stagers only offer Staging Plans. Look for your best potential matches.
Contact those potential matches. Interview them.
Ask for references and to see photographic examples of their work. Ask about their training. Staging is a young profession. Generally speaking, look for someone who attended one of the nationwide, or international, training programs. These programs encourage consistency and enforce standards. However, some stagers never get formal certification but do enough independent study that they work to the same standards. In the same way, the person you interview may be new, may not have references or examples yet, but may be a very, very good stager. If you feel this new stager is a possible fit, ask more questions. Find out more.
If you think you want a Staging Plan, ask to see an example. Have them tell you, step by step, what will happen if you hire them.
One rule of thumb I suggest you follow is, be very careful about stagers who stress their design background and talent. We will discuss this in another blog, but, staging to sell is not interior design. Staging to sell is marketing. Ask your potential stager to explain the difference between interior design and staging. Do they explain staging usually removes things by depersonalizing, neutralizing, and decluttering, and interior design personalizes and, frequently, deneutralizes? If they are not able to communicate this fundamental difference, they might not be your stager.
If you are a home owner, your stager is going to come into your life for a very brief time. But, in that time they are going to make profound changes to your life. And, like I said yesterday, it is likely any three stagers will make the same, or very similar, profound changes. So, include their history and your feeling of trust, in your decision to hire a particular stager.
Tomorrow, I am going to talk about what you can do if you look, but cannot find a stager.
Have a wonderful Saturday!
So, how do you find your stager?
1) Begin with family and friends who live locally and used a stager. What do they say about that stager? Are they willing to make a referral?
2) Go to the "big" staging websites where certification training is offered or pre-certification is required and check their directories for stagers who service your city or cities near you.
These websites include (but are cetainly not limited to)
http://stagedhomes.com/
http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/
http://www.homestagingresource.com/?gclid=CMWkjpTa6JkCFQIwxwodP0lTpA
http://decorate-redecorate.com/
http://www.canadianstagingprofessionals.com/ (in Canada)
********* If you have alternate website suggestions, please send them to me. I will update this blog and keep a record for future distribution. *********
3) Do an internet search on "home staging" combined with the name of your city, or a nearby city.
Compile a list of staging companies and investigate their websites. As I said before, you may want full-service staging and you may find some stagers only offer Staging Plans. Look for your best potential matches.
Contact those potential matches. Interview them.
Ask for references and to see photographic examples of their work. Ask about their training. Staging is a young profession. Generally speaking, look for someone who attended one of the nationwide, or international, training programs. These programs encourage consistency and enforce standards. However, some stagers never get formal certification but do enough independent study that they work to the same standards. In the same way, the person you interview may be new, may not have references or examples yet, but may be a very, very good stager. If you feel this new stager is a possible fit, ask more questions. Find out more.
If you think you want a Staging Plan, ask to see an example. Have them tell you, step by step, what will happen if you hire them.
One rule of thumb I suggest you follow is, be very careful about stagers who stress their design background and talent. We will discuss this in another blog, but, staging to sell is not interior design. Staging to sell is marketing. Ask your potential stager to explain the difference between interior design and staging. Do they explain staging usually removes things by depersonalizing, neutralizing, and decluttering, and interior design personalizes and, frequently, deneutralizes? If they are not able to communicate this fundamental difference, they might not be your stager.
If you are a home owner, your stager is going to come into your life for a very brief time. But, in that time they are going to make profound changes to your life. And, like I said yesterday, it is likely any three stagers will make the same, or very similar, profound changes. So, include their history and your feeling of trust, in your decision to hire a particular stager.
Tomorrow, I am going to talk about what you can do if you look, but cannot find a stager.
Have a wonderful Saturday!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
What do stagers do?
Most stagers offer two basic options.
Beyond staging your house, many stagers offer additional choices: office staging, land staging, and staging to rent are some of the alternatives. Depending on location, your stager may offer many more choices.
One of the most important alternatives is Home Redecoration or Redesign.
Do All Stagers Do The Same Thing?
No, all stagers do not do the same thing.
Staging is not regulated, there are no formal standards.
Because of this, different stagers offer different options and specialties. One stager may only stage vacant houses. Another stager may only provide Staging Plans. Most stagers have websites that explain their offerings. When you look for your stager, check that website. Then plan to interview a few stagers, just like you would interview contractors, or electricians, or Realtors.
Now, let me briefly take that question in a different direction.
If you set up exactly the same room in three different spaces, then asked three good stagers to each stage one space, it is very likely you would get three very, very similar results. Each space would be greatly simplified. Each stager might chose to keep different furnishings in the room, but most of the decorations and some of the furniture would be removed. The furniture might be arranged somewhat differently. But all of the furniture arrangements would be welcoming, and would focus on the room's staging point. The walls might be painted somewhat different colors, but all of the colors would be neutral and would work well with the furnishings. With the slight differences, buyers would be impressed equally with any of the spaces.
Basically, there is room for creativity, but all good stagers use common rules and work to a common goal.
When I worked on a large house with another stager in the past, one thing that really impressed me was how we did not have to discuss a lot. We both knew where we were going and what it would take to get there.
I hope this helps. CYA tomorrow. Does anyone have any questions? Any requests for a topic?
- If you plan to do the staging work, they provide a Staging Plan that includes a Color Consultation. This is a step-by-step staging checklist/instructions for you to follow. Your Staging Plan is customized to your needs: how to change furniture and accessories if you are going to live in the house, how to rent and arrange furnishings if the house is vacant. Later, if you decide you need help, most stagers will return, discuss your needs, and give you a bid or estimate on what they will charge to provide that help.
- If you do not plan to do the staging work yourself, your stager will provide a Staging Bid, or Proposal. Instead of step-by-step instuctions, your stager tells you how much they will charge to do the work and how long it will take. Again, this can involve an occupied or a vacant house.
Beyond staging your house, many stagers offer additional choices: office staging, land staging, and staging to rent are some of the alternatives. Depending on location, your stager may offer many more choices.
One of the most important alternatives is Home Redecoration or Redesign.
Do All Stagers Do The Same Thing?
No, all stagers do not do the same thing.
Staging is not regulated, there are no formal standards.
Because of this, different stagers offer different options and specialties. One stager may only stage vacant houses. Another stager may only provide Staging Plans. Most stagers have websites that explain their offerings. When you look for your stager, check that website. Then plan to interview a few stagers, just like you would interview contractors, or electricians, or Realtors.
Now, let me briefly take that question in a different direction.
If you set up exactly the same room in three different spaces, then asked three good stagers to each stage one space, it is very likely you would get three very, very similar results. Each space would be greatly simplified. Each stager might chose to keep different furnishings in the room, but most of the decorations and some of the furniture would be removed. The furniture might be arranged somewhat differently. But all of the furniture arrangements would be welcoming, and would focus on the room's staging point. The walls might be painted somewhat different colors, but all of the colors would be neutral and would work well with the furnishings. With the slight differences, buyers would be impressed equally with any of the spaces.
Basically, there is room for creativity, but all good stagers use common rules and work to a common goal.
When I worked on a large house with another stager in the past, one thing that really impressed me was how we did not have to discuss a lot. We both knew where we were going and what it would take to get there.
I hope this helps. CYA tomorrow. Does anyone have any questions? Any requests for a topic?
When Should You Hire A Professional Stager?
The Best Time To Hire A Stager Is First
In an absolutely perfect world, when it is time to sell your house, find your stager first. Even if you know certain things, like painting, need to be done, find your stager first. Do an Internet search for stagers in your area or ask friends for referrals. Bring a few stagers in for interviews. Ask for references, talk to the stagers about "how" they work. As with any other professional, interview several stagers before making your selection.
I say you should find your stager first because you do not want to make mistakes.
Maybe you are thinking, "I have excellent taste. All my friends compliment my furnishings. I can save money by doing some of the work up front."
Maybe you do. Maybe you can. But almost every day somewhere a stager walks into a house and finds the owner has done something that enhances Living, not Selling.
Story
(I am changing some things to hide the innocent, but the fundamentals are accurate.)
Recently, a stager friend was asked to review a house the owner had staged herself. She had spent a lot of money having custom shelving installed in the foyer. The shelves were a series of floor to ceiling boxes. Every wall was covered. In each box, they placed an antique tea cup. They spent hundreds of dollars building shelves which now held thousands of dollars worth of antiques. Because she is a collector, this was a wonderland to her. If she was a buyer, she would want the house the minute she saw the foyer.
Maybe you collect something small and are enchanted by this idea. The odds are most of you are thinking, "If I saw a foyer like that, I would just turn around and leave." By installing those shelves and putting out those tea cups, the seller has severely reduced the number of potential buyers who can imagine living in that house and she is putting her cherished collection at risk.
(Please do not misunderstand me, putting up beautiful, removeable shelves and displaying a valuable collection is great when you are Staging To Live, or redecorating, your home.)
Anyway, the best time to hire a stager is before you do anything. Do this because it puts you in control of those all-important first impressions.
Your Realtor's first impression will be of a house buyers will love exploring. This both motivating and energizing. The first photos of your house that go on the Internet will capture more buyers' imaginations. Frankly, presenting a staged house to the world from day one really enhances your likelihood of making a fast sale.
**************************************************************************************************
Is it too late? Have you made changes before hiring a stager? Is your house is already listed?
The Next Best Time To Hire A Stager Is As Soon As You Can.
Maybe you already made changes that cannot be backed out. Your stager will take this into consideration when she/he plans the staging. Maybe your house has been on the market a long time and is stale. Your stager and your Realtor will design a marketing plan to revitalise your listing.
You can certainly ask your Realtor about staging your house. If he/she says your house does not need staging, or that you just need to do a few things, ask how your Realtor learned staging. There are agents who attended training, understand staging very well, and do an extremely good job when they stage a house. These hard-working, dedicated souls have my admiration. Sadly, there are still agents who do not "get" staging. Some of them think staging is adding flowers and froo-froo. If you ask and are not satisfied with the answer, start interviewing stagers.
Oh, and in closing, I did an informal investigation among my friends and on some of the staging blogs. General opinion is there are two #1 mistakes sellers make when they stage themselves: choosing the wrong paint color (colors meant for living, not for selling), and putting multiple purposes in a room.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great day!
In an absolutely perfect world, when it is time to sell your house, find your stager first. Even if you know certain things, like painting, need to be done, find your stager first. Do an Internet search for stagers in your area or ask friends for referrals. Bring a few stagers in for interviews. Ask for references, talk to the stagers about "how" they work. As with any other professional, interview several stagers before making your selection.
I say you should find your stager first because you do not want to make mistakes.
Maybe you are thinking, "I have excellent taste. All my friends compliment my furnishings. I can save money by doing some of the work up front."
Maybe you do. Maybe you can. But almost every day somewhere a stager walks into a house and finds the owner has done something that enhances Living, not Selling.
Story
(I am changing some things to hide the innocent, but the fundamentals are accurate.)
Recently, a stager friend was asked to review a house the owner had staged herself. She had spent a lot of money having custom shelving installed in the foyer. The shelves were a series of floor to ceiling boxes. Every wall was covered. In each box, they placed an antique tea cup. They spent hundreds of dollars building shelves which now held thousands of dollars worth of antiques. Because she is a collector, this was a wonderland to her. If she was a buyer, she would want the house the minute she saw the foyer.
Maybe you collect something small and are enchanted by this idea. The odds are most of you are thinking, "If I saw a foyer like that, I would just turn around and leave." By installing those shelves and putting out those tea cups, the seller has severely reduced the number of potential buyers who can imagine living in that house and she is putting her cherished collection at risk.
(Please do not misunderstand me, putting up beautiful, removeable shelves and displaying a valuable collection is great when you are Staging To Live, or redecorating, your home.)
Anyway, the best time to hire a stager is before you do anything. Do this because it puts you in control of those all-important first impressions.
Your Realtor's first impression will be of a house buyers will love exploring. This both motivating and energizing. The first photos of your house that go on the Internet will capture more buyers' imaginations. Frankly, presenting a staged house to the world from day one really enhances your likelihood of making a fast sale.
**************************************************************************************************
Is it too late? Have you made changes before hiring a stager? Is your house is already listed?
The Next Best Time To Hire A Stager Is As Soon As You Can.
Maybe you already made changes that cannot be backed out. Your stager will take this into consideration when she/he plans the staging. Maybe your house has been on the market a long time and is stale. Your stager and your Realtor will design a marketing plan to revitalise your listing.
You can certainly ask your Realtor about staging your house. If he/she says your house does not need staging, or that you just need to do a few things, ask how your Realtor learned staging. There are agents who attended training, understand staging very well, and do an extremely good job when they stage a house. These hard-working, dedicated souls have my admiration. Sadly, there are still agents who do not "get" staging. Some of them think staging is adding flowers and froo-froo. If you ask and are not satisfied with the answer, start interviewing stagers.
Oh, and in closing, I did an informal investigation among my friends and on some of the staging blogs. General opinion is there are two #1 mistakes sellers make when they stage themselves: choosing the wrong paint color (colors meant for living, not for selling), and putting multiple purposes in a room.
That is all for now. I hope you have a great day!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Should You Hire A Professional Stager?
It is time to sell your home. Maybe you are getting ready to list it. Maybe it is already, unstaged, on the market.
Should you hire a professional stager?
Yes, you should interview one or more professional stagers. And, if there is any way your budget can handle it, you should hire one.
"Oh sure," I imagine you thinking, "A professional stager says that."
Oh sure, a professional stager says that. ....... But not for the reasons you suspect.
I am going to discuss four of the reasons I believe a person should not stage their own house.
Reason One: Today it is a House that is for sale, but it will always be your Home.
Maybe you love it and are sad to have it leave it. Maybe you hate it and can't wait to be gone. Whatever the feeling, almost everyone has an emotional reaction to the place they live. And that emotion impacts staging decisions. Staging requires an objective eye. It is unlikely you can have that eye about your own home. Too many memories, emotions, and habits get in the way. It is unlikely anyone can make objective decisions about their own furniture, their own colors, their own accessories.
Let me give you an example.
Just now, I got up and stood at the door to my guest bathroom. I went over the steps I would use to stage it. I looked at the shower/tub combo and knew, because of the placement of the light sources and the shape and size of the room, the shower curtain should come down. The shower/tub, enhanced with a few accessories, should be open to view.
Then I looked at the over-the-toilet-tank shelving unit we installed when we moved in. I cannot decide whether it should come down or stay up. There are valid staging reasons for each action. And I cannot decide. In YOUR house, I could be objective. In YOUR house, I could make the decision that will best enhance the guest bathroom. But, in MY house, even with this simple thing, my emotions and my history get in the way.
I am a very good stager. When the time comes to sell my house, I will hire a professional.
Reason Two: You are probably not going to do the research.
What colors are popular nationally? How do they differ from the colors that are popular locally? How do you decide whether you should you use the national or the local colors? When is it most likely to matter?
What colors are likely to make most buyers uncomfortable?
Let's assume we can stage that spare room as an office, a media room, or a guest bedroom. We know each room in a house should be staged with only one purpose. If we put all three purposes into that one spare room, we will confuse buyers and drive some of them away. How does your stager decide which purpose will appeal to most buyers? The neighborhood makes a difference. Different locations have different answers.
Just what is the percentage of buyers who cannot imagine how their furniture would look in your house?
Please note, I am not telling you the answers. That is because the answers change as our culture and the local demographics change. In fact, the questions change too.
Do you know the answers? Do you even know the questions? Probably not, that is not your job. That is your stager's job. And she or he spends a lot of time each week doing research.
When you hire a stager, you get the questions defined and answered without spending the time doing the research.
Reason Three: You do not have accumulated staging knowledge.
Each time I finish staging a house, I ask permission from the client and the Realtor to contact them periodically about the feedback they are getting. I ask them to let me know when the house sells.
Yes, I do this because I really care. I also do it because I want to know how buyers react to the staging. Are there things I can do better? Are there things I should do differently?
Mentally or in writing, each stager keeps a record of the staging decisions they made and why they made them. Over time, this builds to a body of ever-growing knowledge that ensures the stager does a better and better job.
When you hire a stager, all of that knowledge is used to help you.
Reason Four: Your house is unique.
Let's say you live in one of those ticky-tacky neighborhoods where the builder took one design, one floor plan, and built it 110 times. 110 guest bathrooms started out exactly the same. But the people living in the homes made changes. Each family's colors and furnishings make each bathroom different from a staging point of view. Sometimes the over-the-toilet-tank shelving unit stays up, sometimes it comes down. Sometimes it gets installed.
I can, have, and will give you a lot of information about how to stage a house. But, until I see it, I cannot tell you how to stage YOUR house. When your stager sees your house, she or he draws on all the time spent doing research, and all that accumulated staging knowledge, then uses that objective eye to make the decisions that best market your unique, your one-and-only house.
Your stager is a professional. Just like an electrician, a plumber, a Realtor, your stager is brings specialized knowledge and abilities to help you achieve your goals.
Now, go find your stager.
Final Thoughts
Okay all you stagers and sellers out there, what do you think? What key points did I miss? What examples can you share?
Unless someone gets a really interesting discussion going, tomorrow we will talk about WHEN you should hire a professional stager.
Keep safe.
Should you hire a professional stager?
Yes, you should interview one or more professional stagers. And, if there is any way your budget can handle it, you should hire one.
"Oh sure," I imagine you thinking, "A professional stager says that."
Oh sure, a professional stager says that. ....... But not for the reasons you suspect.
I am going to discuss four of the reasons I believe a person should not stage their own house.
Reason One: Today it is a House that is for sale, but it will always be your Home.
Maybe you love it and are sad to have it leave it. Maybe you hate it and can't wait to be gone. Whatever the feeling, almost everyone has an emotional reaction to the place they live. And that emotion impacts staging decisions. Staging requires an objective eye. It is unlikely you can have that eye about your own home. Too many memories, emotions, and habits get in the way. It is unlikely anyone can make objective decisions about their own furniture, their own colors, their own accessories.
Let me give you an example.
Just now, I got up and stood at the door to my guest bathroom. I went over the steps I would use to stage it. I looked at the shower/tub combo and knew, because of the placement of the light sources and the shape and size of the room, the shower curtain should come down. The shower/tub, enhanced with a few accessories, should be open to view.
Then I looked at the over-the-toilet-tank shelving unit we installed when we moved in. I cannot decide whether it should come down or stay up. There are valid staging reasons for each action. And I cannot decide. In YOUR house, I could be objective. In YOUR house, I could make the decision that will best enhance the guest bathroom. But, in MY house, even with this simple thing, my emotions and my history get in the way.
I am a very good stager. When the time comes to sell my house, I will hire a professional.
Reason Two: You are probably not going to do the research.
What colors are popular nationally? How do they differ from the colors that are popular locally? How do you decide whether you should you use the national or the local colors? When is it most likely to matter?
What colors are likely to make most buyers uncomfortable?
Let's assume we can stage that spare room as an office, a media room, or a guest bedroom. We know each room in a house should be staged with only one purpose. If we put all three purposes into that one spare room, we will confuse buyers and drive some of them away. How does your stager decide which purpose will appeal to most buyers? The neighborhood makes a difference. Different locations have different answers.
Just what is the percentage of buyers who cannot imagine how their furniture would look in your house?
Please note, I am not telling you the answers. That is because the answers change as our culture and the local demographics change. In fact, the questions change too.
Do you know the answers? Do you even know the questions? Probably not, that is not your job. That is your stager's job. And she or he spends a lot of time each week doing research.
When you hire a stager, you get the questions defined and answered without spending the time doing the research.
Reason Three: You do not have accumulated staging knowledge.
Each time I finish staging a house, I ask permission from the client and the Realtor to contact them periodically about the feedback they are getting. I ask them to let me know when the house sells.
Yes, I do this because I really care. I also do it because I want to know how buyers react to the staging. Are there things I can do better? Are there things I should do differently?
Mentally or in writing, each stager keeps a record of the staging decisions they made and why they made them. Over time, this builds to a body of ever-growing knowledge that ensures the stager does a better and better job.
When you hire a stager, all of that knowledge is used to help you.
Reason Four: Your house is unique.
Let's say you live in one of those ticky-tacky neighborhoods where the builder took one design, one floor plan, and built it 110 times. 110 guest bathrooms started out exactly the same. But the people living in the homes made changes. Each family's colors and furnishings make each bathroom different from a staging point of view. Sometimes the over-the-toilet-tank shelving unit stays up, sometimes it comes down. Sometimes it gets installed.
I can, have, and will give you a lot of information about how to stage a house. But, until I see it, I cannot tell you how to stage YOUR house. When your stager sees your house, she or he draws on all the time spent doing research, and all that accumulated staging knowledge, then uses that objective eye to make the decisions that best market your unique, your one-and-only house.
Your stager is a professional. Just like an electrician, a plumber, a Realtor, your stager is brings specialized knowledge and abilities to help you achieve your goals.
Now, go find your stager.
Final Thoughts
Okay all you stagers and sellers out there, what do you think? What key points did I miss? What examples can you share?
Unless someone gets a really interesting discussion going, tomorrow we will talk about WHEN you should hire a professional stager.
Keep safe.
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