by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Staging a home to make it “model perfect” seems to become more and more popular when trying to sell a home in a less-than-perfect market.
“It’s actually taking the seller’s personality out and setting the stage to make it ready for the buyer,” said Marcia Nicholls of Stage 2 Sell. “When someone decorates their home, they decorate it to suit their personality or taste. When you are staging, you actually come in and take the personality out of the house because the buyer has to look at the house and see themselves in it. If it’s too personalized to someone else, they can’t see themselves in it.”
In times when homes stay on the market longer, staging has taken on a more prominent role.
“When there are many homes to choose from, sellers must do everything to make their property stand out better than the competition,” said Terrell Newberry of Coldwell Banker Devonshire Realty. “A good example is new home models, which are always professionally furnished. People are visual, we like to see things. Just like buyers will stay on a Web site listing longer if there are more pictures.
“Buyers can see themselves in a home if it has furnishings. Buyers do not have to wonder what the bedroom will look like with a king-size bed if there is a bed already there. Buyers can relate to a furnished home better than an empty home or a house feels like a home if it is furnished.”
Staging can take place in an occupied home or in a vacant home.
“I do both,” said Nicholls, an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) with StagedHomes.com. “A vacant home just looks blah. The buyer may have just come from a model home or other homes that are gorgeous and they walk in and there is nothing. They want to see color and they want it to be beautiful.”
Staging allows changes to the décor of the home so it will stand out to the buyer against other homes they see.
“Staging is critical in today’s market because it enables you to leave a lasting impression of your home with the buyers who are looking at so many other houses that are available for sale,” said Maureen Dunn of Vanguard Realty/GMAC and ReDunnRooms. “I was taught that reality is less powerful than perception. If a house is presented at its best, it will not only look good but feel good as well.”
Nicholls recommends staging a home before it goes on the market, so when it is listed, it’s ready to show. Staging usually takes from 2-4 hours and costs approximately $75 an hour with a two-hour minimum.
Dunn, who earned her credentials from the Society of Decorating Professionals in Atlanta in 2006, specializes in re-design.
“I like to put together furniture and art that people already have in their homes and switch it around with better placement and lighting, plus add a few new accessories or utilize their own,” said Dunn. “By using my creativity, I make sure the home is easy to live in for the owner and shows their unique personality and style.”
Staging has become so popular because of the many TV shows and magazine and books that have brought it to the mainstream. They have made it known that a staged home sells faster, especially in such a competitive market.
“I had not used staging until recently. My friend, Marcia Nicholls, let me try it on one of my properties so I could see what the benefit was,” said Eden Jordan of Vanguard Realty/GMAC. “I was amazed at how much difference it made. The property was partially vacated and needed some updating with accessories. I probably would not have called in a stager, but once I had it done on this listing, I am hooked. They depersonalized, added new pictures, shower curtains, took out knick-knacks, and the town house sold in one week and I had two other interested parties. I was amazed.”
Jordan says staging will increase sales and make the property more marketable.
“It will make your sellers more satisfied because it is one thing that they have in control of in this crazy market,” said Jordan. “It just offers something extra to the sellers. You have to make your listing look better than the house down the street. It makes your pictures stand out online, and of course we all know that your first online showing is your first showing.”
Jordan agrees.
Staging professionals use different processes to determine the best look for the home.
Dunn starts with a consultation and a checklist that encompasses everything from the yard to the attic, then she plans for what is needed and what can be deleted to make more space.
“If the owner prefers, I can do their shopping for new towels, shower curtains and plants within a budget,” said Dunn. “I do my staging in one day. I give the home universal appeal yet make it seductive to the buyer for quick sale.”
Realtors are also getting in on the staging of a home, if needed.
“If home is vacant, I often stage it myself if it is a floor plan that really needs it,” said Carol O’Donoghue of All Real Estate Options. “I think people often expect homes to look like models. We as agents would love to list homes that show like a model and we use that saying often in a listing presentation that your home needs to show like a model. It needs to look like you no longer live there if you want it to sell fast or at market value.”
Another Realtor, Lydia Keohane of Access E* Realty, also does staging.
“Staging is a must in selling your home in every market, but especially in today’s market with so much inventory,” said Keohane. “I like that I can stage the home, for my sellers, because it’s an added service I offer that they know is of value. It’s important to approach the process gently, because it’s a matter of moving some personal items that sellers are sometimes emotionally attached to.
“Once they are comfortable with the idea, sellers are grateful and appreciative for the service and willing to cooperate with enthusiasm. They know it will help get their house sold. I’ve been staging houses for many years; before they really had a name for it. I believe it’s a mix of talent, a good eye and experience.”
Experience and a good eye seem to be the qualities to look for in a stager whether you are doing yourself or hiring someone.
“I always recommend that a listing be staged professionally if possible,” said Judy Hicks of Re/Max Coastal Real Estate. “If not, I have items that I use. I purchased them at the beginning of last year with the recommendation of a friend who is a decorator. I had to invest in items and it was over $1,000 but I felt it was necessary.”
Though staging is important, many may see it as too much of an extra expense.
“I find most sellers are not using staging because they want to save money,” said Mello. “Most of the homes in our area have dropped in value and the sellers want to try and make as much money as possible. However, I believe this is a Catch 22 for the sellers because vacant homes will take much longer to sell.
“This is the same situation when it comes to spending money on a home to get it ready to sell. Most sellers don’t want to spend much money because they are getting rid of the home. I typically have to take my sellers to other homes in the area that are ‘ready for retail’ so they can see what they are competing against. In our current market there are many ‘average’ homes that take a long time to sell with substantial discounts because they are really not ready for our current competitive buyers market.”
There are really many types of “staging” and everyone has different descriptions.
Showhomes of Florida, a local staging company, primarily does two types.
“Staging with a home manager is how the majority of our business is done,” said Jim Biby, franchise owner of Showhomes of Florida. “If a home is vacant and for sale, we will stage with quality furniture to make it appear as close to a model home as possible.”
This type of staging helps add life to the vacant home and saves money for the seller because they don’t have to pay for home owners insurance, utilities, lawn and pool maintenance.
Answering questions about a staged home from a potential buyer can be hard.
Said Young. “Buyers like to know someone is living there unless it is vacant/empty of contents or if not where did they go. Staging makes this more of a question for the listing Realtor to answer. And usually the Realtor has no idea why they are moving or where they are going unless it is the agent’s own listing.
Staging can sometimes even make a home look like a furniture store and this can be a distraction for the buyer.
“It can detract from the buyer viewing their own furniture in the house,” said Young, “One house was staged with no dresser or headboard. The windows, walls, doorways and closet doors in the room showed immediately to the buyer that there was no room for their furniture and even though they liked the house the room couldn’t accommodate their furniture so they crossed it off as not for them.
“Not to say that this could happen without staging. It is possible it would have made no difference. But they remarked about the staging used today and were aware the house was staged and smiled about it. The kitchen looked very nice, neat, clean, but there was no pantry and the buyer kept saying, ‘Where does one store the food? There is no place for it.’”