Kitchen by Rosie's Staging
I’ve always been dubious about the merits of staging: the process where, for a fee, a third party comes in with her furniture and creates a stage set out of your house with the expectation that you’ll get a higher price that justifies her expense. Now, according to this article in Greenwich Time, sellers are balking at the extra cost, and the business is lagging. It’s always possible that the sellers are being short-sighted here and that staging really does pay dividends but I’ve never seen a study sponsored by anyone other than the National Stagers Association that proves it and my own experience speaks against it.
In my opinion, staging was a luxury paid for by listing agents from their own pocket in order to demonstrate to the seller that they were doing something, anything at all, while the house wouldn’t sell. It is usually performed by the second or third listing agent, which suggests that the first agent didn’t consider it worth doing. And, if a house is priced properly, it isn’t. In a down market, according to the Time’s story, neither the home owner nor the new listing agent is willing to pay for this service. Which suggests to me that it isn’t worth what it costs. Your opinion may differ.
Price and location is always the winning combo. When the location is not all that desirable, sometimes a lower price can overcome it. Always felt that staging was rather silly. Especially the part about having the smell of baked goods wafting through the house when it was being shown. I couldn’t care less. My main concerns have always been if I could afford the property and if I liked the location. The smell of chocolate chip cookies isn’t going to change that.
I am on the fence on this one.
My wife and I have sold quite a few homes that we have built/renovated and sold while living there. I was always of the mind set that it was an asset……. putting the property on the market while we lived there. Perfect example…. 212 Shore Rd, OG. We are not pack rats or keep a lot of clutter about. My wife has a great eye for decorating and our homes are always (well almost always) “show ready”, even with 4 children.
I would think “staging” might be appropriate if there was a particular room/space where it was not obvious to the typical buyer how that room could be used/set-up. Very often potential buyers have difficulty imagining there dining room set or king size bed fitting into those allocated spaces in a new home. As most of you real estate guru’s know, unfurnished rooms always look smaller than when furnished, as rooms in a “just framed” house look smaller than after the sheetrock goes up. So, setting those up to demonstrate may be appropriate.
Maybe, there is some distinction to be drawn between “staged” and “occupied”.
A clean well kept house always sells. Tastes in furniture are so wide ranging that a staged house probably will turn off half the audience…much like a politician is lucky if he or she appeals to over half the electorate.
Appreciate your post, but have to say it isn’t what we’ve experienced at all in 2009. The article that was referenced isn’t about the validity of staging but rather the state of a lagging real estate industry.
Some business continue to boom – when they show results consistently. Our staging business has expanded dramatically and we continue to see homes selling in 2-25 days average, while the average days on market in our area is well over 100 days. We’ve staged homes that were on the market for over a year and had them sell in weeks – it hasn’t been a once in a while occurrence – it has happened over and over again.
There are several national independent studies that have been conducted on staging – by the National Association of Realtors as well as homegain.com that indicate a huge ROI on staging costs.
FYI – there is no “National Stagers Association”. Also, no professional stager would recommend baking cookies in a home. A professional stager maximizes the appeal of a home and helps buyers visualize living there – having a home being spotlessly clean and smelling clean and fresh is preferable over air fresheners, baking or potpourri.
Wish this comment format allowed links and I could post links.
If a house remains on the market for month after month, what do most agents recommend — a price reduction – right? Is this reduction ever less than $5,000? Our staging fees are far more affordable than carrying a property for months or taking a price reduction! We continue to have delighted home sellers and agents and currently have a wait list for our services.
For all your information, Rosie’s Staging is a fake. I know that because the companies involved in my professional body would never leave baking equipment in the kitchen after baking cookies.
No, they don’t do any baking at all. Instead, they take a biddy little Bambi, slice the abdomen, gut him and hang him inverted in the middle of the kitchen from copper pot racks. While the blood is dripping from Bambi, the horns are glued to party hats on the Christmas table and the hind legs are attached to the car roof. Delightful. Sale guaranteed.
I can only echo what Margaret Oscilia said. There is no National Stager’s Assn, however there are several Staging organizations throughout the country. Having baked cookies or anything like it around to help sell a house is a leftover idea that Realtors may have suggested in years past, but no professional home stager would ever suggest that.
Home Staging is more akin to product merchandising. A Professional Stager will try to show the home in its best light and one that will appeal to a broad range of potential buyers. Today’s Buyer is part of the Twitter/gotta have it now mindset and want to be able to see how they will “live” in the house immediately. For the most part, today’s buyer is not going to take the time to envision what the room would look like “were it not for the old wallpaper and clutter “. And, with the inventory there is on the market, they don’t have to. They can pass and go on to the next house.
So, the investment in Staging, which could be as little as $100-300 for a Consultation is well worth it when compared to lowering the price every month.
That being said, not every home that goes on the market has to be Staged. Many savvy sellers already “get it” and stage their home before even speaking with a Realtor.
I live in Dallas. The economy has affected real estate sales, but not to the extent other areas are experiencing. That said, I’ve been in the staging business since before people knew the word “staging”. Realtor pals knew I worked creating photography sets and when their homes were sitting there, they’d ask me to go “fix”them. Once I did, they sold. I don’t , as a rule, bring in furniture, but a lot of stagers must, especially if the property is vacant. Selling a house boils down to three things.
Location
Price
Appearance
If it is the right location, the right price, then pretty much any house will sell.
HOWEVER, most of the time homes just look, well:LIVED IN.
Roomservicehomestaging is on the money when they point out that we now live in a twitter, facebook, want it NOW society. No one has time to get their house ready for sale. Mom and Dad are generally both working then juggling kids/sports/ school/ animals/volunteer activities and church. When exactly are they going to prepare a home for sale?
Very few people have an eye for properly staging a home. It’s not about moving a few pieces of furniture and getting the photos of the fridge. There is a lot more to staging!
Then there is they psychological aspect of selling a home. It’s hard, very hard, for an owner to see their home as a buyer would.
Staging is a valuable resource for owners and agents. I’ve never seen a house look WORSE after staging!
Staging can improve absolutely any property out there. Depending on where you are, most consultations can be had for under 300.00 and then the owner can do the work themselves IF they have the time.
Staging is, hands down, a fabulous investment.
Staging is like any service. There are good and bad stagers, people who know what they are doing and people who took a class and don’t have any experience. So, shop around for your stager. Ask for references. Look at their websites. If they don’t have a website, look for someone who does. Make sure the pictures are THEIR photos. Ask questions. Staging is a profession, not a hobby.
The Real Estate Staging Association and Energized Seller are both good resources for information and guidance.