Real Estate Staging / Home Staging Blog

Even though we live in a consumer society, it's an odd fact that home sellers typically do not view their property as a product for sale in a marketplace. Because this is so, a home's sale often languishes. But this need not be the case. Basic marketing teaches us that how a product is perceived and received within the market can be altered and impacted.

More then just being decorators or designers, good home stagers are more focused in applying a full array of strategic marketing principles and practices which positively influence the consumer about a product in a market.

So even though a staged home might look attractive, it is important to note that staging is NOT solely about making a home look "pretty." In fact there are homes that CAN look visually attractive and STILL not be staged. Any Realtor, home seller, or builder who thinks that all staging is is making a home look "pretty" is grossly ignorant to the reality of what a good stager does and therefore probably not using a stager and benefiting from what we do.

The "Why" and "How" a home is prepped and set for showing and selling is what real estate staging is all about. Much like what happens every day in retail stores across America (i.e. TARGET), real estate staging is actually more about the process of strategically setting up (merchandising) a house in a manner that makes it not only easy for buyers to tour, but also creates a way for their eyes and heart to connect to it with a powerfully effective first impression that lingers and stays with them.

I am not surprised to find there are many pretty homes that are not selling. But a staged home, that is priced right, will sell quickly, even in ugly markets.

Market It Forward...

Me

Yesterday I received a call from a desperate home seller looking to home staging as marketing solution that would help finally sell his $499,000 town home which has been on the market for months and months now. The buyer was quite frank about the fact that when compared to similar units for sale in the development, his townhouse was the most expensive. But he justified the price difference saying it was because his property had been extensivley remodeled with new finishes, fixtures and updates.

Intrigued... I wanted to take a "sneak peak" as I was talking to the seller on the phone. So I asked the him for the name of his Realtor and the name of the company he sold for. Having never heard of the company, I did a Google search to find their site. To my surprise NOTHING came up. The listing real estate company had NO website. Ok, that is a bit odd, but no big deal... the seller happened to know his MLS#. So off to realtor.com I went.

At realtor.com I punched in the MLS#... and WA-LA! As is typical, the listing popped up with an exterior shot of his property! (Shown right/below) But to my surprise and dismay that was all there was to look at. Just ONE picture featured to "show" the ENTIRE property! JUST ONE?!!! If you ask me there is no excuse for this and is nothing less then a marketing crime. Why a crime? Well, with approximately 80 to 85% of homes buyers FIRST pre-shopping properties via the Internet... what would you say having only one listing picture for the buying public to preview is?

Curious to take a look at his competition... I dug a bit deeper on realtor.com. I then found 2 comparable properties within the exact same development. (SEE clipped ads shown in the larger graphic along with larger original ad) One property listed for $84,000 less then the property the caller owned and the other  listed for $89,000 less. Now I know there could be and probably are good reasons why these comparable properties are cheaper... but that is NOT what I want to discuss here.

I was glad to see that each Realtor, of these 2 cheaper properties, invested the time and money to tap into one of the most basic yet effective marketing tools available to home sellers today. Each used MULTIPLE photos, of homes that they are marketing, to help build and reinforce buyer interest. Each of these cheaper competing properties had nine pictures to look at and review. Considering the seller, who I was talking to, had a property that offered more, in terms of remodeling and updates, would it not be helpful to capture and display those differences to potential buyers?

We all know that this industry is rapidly changing one. Each day there seems to be some new gadget or service (like home staging) that comes out to help a Realtor market and sell their listings. While it can be daunting to keep up with all the changes, some things, including some technology, can be easily and inexpensively integrated into the basic sales and marketing services that a Realtor provides to their clients. A perfect example of a new "basic" is the use of digital cameras and photography. Because photography is now so easy and accessable it has changed the industry. What a buyer sees of a property no longer needs to start when they physically tour a property for the first time. (Watch my CURB APPEAL SHOW)

I am not saying this it the SOLE reason why this property has not sold... as there could be a zillion others. But if a Realtor chooses not to provide even the most basic of these new services, in my opinion, they have just committed a crime.

Me

From the time we were small kids we were taught that there is a difference between what is good & bad and what is right & wrong. While those FIRST lessons of life had to do with basic relationship skills and behaviors, as we got older we gained awareness of other good & bad, right & wrong rules that applied to other areas in our lives. Rules, we grew to realize, help to guide us in subjects we study, the sports we play, the hobbies we undertake, and the work we do. In short, we gained knowledge that there are proper ways things are to be done if you are going to do them well.

So while learned knowledge is a good thing, we also have learned that correctly applying that knowledge can prove to be a quite a challenge. Like everything else in life, this also holds true to home staging. Even though there are Realtors who are knowledgeable and appreciative of home staging, some have come to realize it takes skill and ability to properly apply that knowledge. This is one of reasons why the staging industry is on the rise. BUT...(notice that is a BIG BOLD "but") if you are young in your understanding, there is something ELSE you need to know about staging and stagers. Not everyone that says they know staging or claims they are stagers really can do it. There are far too many people now claiming they KNOW how to stage, yet their final staging results demonstrate their gross lack of  understanding and break basic staging rules. AND I have to admit this really ticks me off!

Let me give you a glaring example of a problematic staging in the form of a short video I playfully call "OOPS Goes the Staging!" (Be sure your speakers are on.)

For the sake of fair disclosure, I want to let you know we here at Real Estaging are VERY familiar with the property featured and critiqed in the above video. as we lost a staging bid on for it. So while some might think I am upset because we lost the job to another person... that is just not the case. (Anyone that has been in sales for any length of time knows that is the way it is in sales... "You win some and you loose some.")

Anyway, the reason I am ticked-off is because good and proper staging DOES follow certain rules, process and approaches that when done well and done right will help the property sell. It is upsetting to know that this Chicago developer finally got the "stage the property and it will sell" message and was willing to invest hard earned money, only to get a final "staging" that actually works AGAINST their property's sale. Plus what makes this even worse is the fact that this was to be the model for a multi-unit property.

Unfortunetly many Realtors and home sellers really don't know exactly what good home staging is or is not. Why? Well, for one reason staging is still a relatively new concept and has yet to be fully embraced as a viable marketing tool for selling homes. So if you are wondering, "What is GOOD and BAD staging? What exactly makes staging RIGHT from what makes staging WRONG?" Well, to help you understand let's start with 4  Basic Staging Rules most of you have likely heard of. These basics are...

1. De-clutter and organize the home to minimize visual distractions.
2. Neutralize the home's look so that it appeals to the largest buying audience as possible.
3. Arrange furnishings  and accessories to best show the home's space and features.
4. Add what's missing to finalize the home's appeal.

As you watch my "OOPS goes the Staging!" video keep these very basic rules in mind. By the time you are finished watching it, you will beging to see and understand a little of what bad staging is and where this staging pooped out. And if you remember nothing else I hope your remember this... filling a property chock full of pretty furnishings and accessories is NOT staging!

When staging is done well and done right... it sells homes! PERIOD!

Me

PS: If you would like MORE detailed explanation of the 12 BIGGEST STAGING OOPS in this property... click on the "DETAIL" button located along the bottom of the embedded video.

43 comments • Craig Schiller • March 03 2008 11:13AM