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I'm a painting contractor and often work with an interior decorator (not designer) who also stages homes. She stays quite busy, even in a low COL area that is also quite economically depressed. She is sometimes hired by the realtors but more often by homeowners. She does not take photos. She charges about $50 per hour. She usually works with what the homeowner has, but also has a garage full of cute pieces of art and furniture to dress up vacant properties.
It's definitely a good "foot-in-the-door" strategy because she (and I) get quite a bit of repeat and referral business this way. But at least where we live, would not be a full-time gig, just a good additional service she offers.
As someone who often works with realtors and designers, I must say that I am quite often gobsmacked by poor, or lack of, helpful advice from Realtors in regards to presentation of the home. I'm sure this can vary from region to region, and obviously many Realtors really know their stuff as well! But not all...
I have so much to say on this topic! I am a Home Stager in combination with my Interior Design business and I have my Real Estate License. Most of the time I am called in to stage a property that has been on the market for a long time and just will not sell. With the exception of a few very overpriced homes, almost all of my projects have been successful.
You would think that since I work for a large Real Estate Firm and know all of the agents, that most of my business would be referrals from Realtors. In reality, most of my business comes from desperate home owners who own properties that have been on the market for a long time that just will not sell. I would advise you to direct your marketing efforts to home owners and sellers and not to Realtors. You would have to ask other Realtors to give some feedback regarding why they don't often consult a stager. I have my general theories, but the reasons probably vary from case to case.
Staging is extremely successful for vacant properties. I use a rental furniture company and I work very hard to keep the costs low by selecting only essential furnishings. I purchase accessories for each job, and the accessories become the property of the home owner. I charge an hourly rate for my service, the home owners reimburse me for the cost of the accessories, and they pay the monthly charges for the rental furnishings directly to the rental company. A large home can be completely staged for less than the cost of the usual price drop. My last client sold her two town homes/ condos in 30 days after the staging was completed.
My interior design experience (20 years) allows me to work quickly- I know what furniture is going to fit and can get the arrangement right without drafting floor plans. This keeps my design fees low. There is a huge difference between interior design geared to a specific clients tastes vs. home staging to suit a specific home geared to a certain market, but being an experienced designer is essential to being a good home stager.
Sorry for rambling on lol, but I am obviously very committed to my belief that all sellers-especially those selling vacant property- should consult a stager
We do, if for no other reason than to take that element of critical evaluation from between the agent and the seller. The seller is already somewhat emotional when it comes to pricing, etc. -- all of which the agent should be advising them on down to the last dollar. But when it comes to walking through the house and saying, "Dump those pillows, they don't go with anything," either you have to have a knowledgeable agent with the tact of an angel -- or you bring in an expert. Most agents can make rudimentary suggestions (i.e., clutter, etc.), but a good stager can make some creative suggestions on using what you have in fresh ways, or suggesting budget-friendly fixes.
.................around $400 for the staging set up/removal fee for a vacant stage. Then it varies from $200-$1000 a month ......................
For that $400 plus $1000 for the first month, I can buy a heck of a lot of cute things to stage my own house.
I don't do a lot of staging. I sell empty houses and rely upon very clean and fresh paint and flooring. I also pay the cost of keeping the air temperature comfortable and I am there every week to keep the garden in shape.
I do know one family that gets paid to stage houses. They only work with vacant houses, never occupied ones. They have a barn full of perfect things and they stage the house and then they are paid a percentage of the sales price over an agreed upon amount.
In short, they claim that their staging will bring more money and they get a fairly hefty cut of whatever is "more money" and nothing from what the house would have sold for empty.
They are also landlords and use their stuff to stage their vacant units to rent them faster and for higher rent.
So I'm reading this and find this very interesting and would love any feedback any of you would like to offer.
We are presently working to get our house prepared to be placed on the market in January 2014. Right now the painter is coming in tomorrow to start/finish rooms with high ceilings. We are also having the bathroom floor tiled this week and a whole new bath for the main bathroom (not seen in video)
I have had photos taken as rooms are completed. We started to compile photos for a virtual tour. I was fortunate to have my real estate rep offer to show our video to their stager (we are relocating to another state).
I definitely think staging is the way to go, especially if you have an upgraded home and want to sell quick and have offers near or above asking.
And here is the advice of the stager as follows:
I can't be nearly as thorough as I would be when I see a home in person, but I hope these suggestions are helpful.
1. WAY too much burgundy in the dining area! Remove tablecloth and let the wood top of the table show if it is in good condition. If it is in bad condition, use a solid neutral colored tablecloth...no design. I would then place a tasteful centerpiece on the table. I understand the back wall has custom paint, but it is very taste specific and will be a turnoff to many potential buyers. It would be much better if it were painted the same color as the other walls. The room is just too dark with all of the burgundy. Ideally, the carpet should be replaced with something more neutral...not only because of the color, but I can see the soiled traffic area in the picture, so a buyer will want to replace it. They will deduct more from their offer than it will cost to replace it, so it would be in the best interest of the sellers to go ahead and replace it before the home goes on the market. IF the carpet is replaced with a neutral color, the wall COULD keep the custom paint, but it's still more of a negative than a positive. Also, the wine rack should be removed since it clutters that corner.
2. The blue wall in the family room needs to be more neutral. Again, it is taste specific and it also clashes with the blue shade of the carpet. I would like to see the blue carpet go, but from the pictures, it appears to be in better shape than the dining room carpet, so it might not be worth replacing. Once again, it will appeal to fewer buyers than neutral carpet though.
3. The neutral and bright feel of the formal living room is great. However, I would remove the wooden chair so the room will look more open as you walk into it. I would also remove the plant next to the wooded chair since it doesn't appear to be very healthy and is just eating up space in the room. The little shelf under the air conditioner window show me removed.
4. The kitchen looks great. I love the way the countertops are not cluttered and the set table looks good too. Be sure to raise window treatment in the breakfast area for showings in order to let in the most light.
5. Declutter corkboard behind workstation.
6. Remove window treatments at slider doors in order to show how nice the doors are, let in maximum light, and allow easy access to outdoors.
7. Custom paint in downstairs half bath is good because it is neutral.
8. Remove toilet brush from beside master toilet.
9. Remove case-like item from under pedestal sink in master bathroom.
10. Remove red chair near closet in second bedroom.
11. Declutter and desk shelves in both second and third bedrooms.
12. Remove any family/personal pictures which might be on display throughout the home.
13. In general, the pool and backyard look great, but what is on the wall at 4:46 - 4:51 on video? It looks as if needs to be pressure washed or painted.
Overall, the house looks clean and neat. It is in much better shape than many homes I see. The biggest problem by far appears to be the dining room. I would definitely make that the first priority to take care of with the blue wall in the family room being second priority. For the video, it's a shame those areas are shown near the beginning since most everything after that looks much more appealing to the masses. I would fear some people might stop the video before it gets to the best parts.
Just let me know if the have questions or need clarification on anything.
As a buyer, I want the house empty so I can see the rooms interact instead of having furniture in the way. I bring a tape measure and notate the room sizes instead of getting tricked into a room looking bigger or what-not.
For instance, what about a house that has a dining area and a breakfast nook? I might want that dining area as a study and the nook as my main eating space. Having different furniture sets it off wrong.
Mi Shots - you need to actually let the pros into your home. This sort of tells the whole story to me:
"For the video, it's a shame those areas are shown near the beginning since most everything after that looks much more appealing to the masses. I would fear some people might stop the video before it gets to the best parts."
Maybe things are different where you live. Here in NC, everything before the kitchen pictures is largely unappealing and cluttered, and dates the home to an era that is not today.
Mi Shots - you need to actually let the pros into your home. This sort of tells the whole story to me:
"For the video, it's a shame those areas are shown near the beginning since most everything after that looks much more appealing to the masses. I would fear some people might stop the video before it gets to the best parts."
Maybe things are different where you live. Here in NC, everything before the kitchen pictures is largely unappealing and cluttered, and dates the home to an era that is not today.
First let me say thank you for your feedback.
Second, I get it, you do not like my style. Decorating style is very subjective. I might find what appeals to you unattractive.
Now as far as saying my furnishings and decorative style are outdated, not really sure what you mean on that. Once again, it's subjective. Already had two agents for a market analysis and they are hot on my home.
New York, specifically Long Island is much different than where you are. I am presently looking in Tennessee and what is in my price range is mostly new construction or 8 years old and up. New construction on Long Island is not cheap and along with that comes hefty taxes $10,000-$20,000 a year, depending on area. It's hard to compare a 45+ old home with new construction.
Comparing my house to comps in my area, my house is in move in condition. It's just a matter of will someone like my home (colors, size, yard, taxes, etc....)
Now as far as a stager, I am not hiring a stager to come in. My real estate agent passed on my video to his stager (in a different state) to give me advice to sell to the masses. I am an artist and professionally a fashion designer. I have an eclectic way of decorating. I like antiques and I like quality furnishings. Funny thing is about 60% of the homes I am interested in Tennessee have burgundy formal Diningrooms (more common than not) and almost every home has Brown leather couches.
I just had this conversation with a few friends about the way a house appears. Each person said something different. One thought the boys bedrooms had to be more neutral. I've looked at many homes where the girls bedrooms where the brightest colors a girl could have with lots of girlie things all over. That wouldn't stop me from purchasing a home.
Another said I need to take everything out and let the buyer imagine how they can decorate. First, that is not practical. I don't have a few thousand to store my belongings. I have a family of four and two dogs that live a normal daily life in this home. Not only that, I run a business from my home.
When I look at virtual tours or photos online of home that are striped of personality, I have two thoughts....ugly or the people are selling because they can't afford the home. I want to see the potential in a home. I am attracted to homes that are fully decorated, such as this home (I pray this is available when I am ready but I sincerely doubt it). What is your take on this home? 1067 Dorset Dr, Hendersonville, TN 37075 - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - realtor.com®
So once again, thank you for your feedback. I hope I don't come off defensive. I'm not attached to my home anymore so I really just take feedback with a grain of salt. I have lived in my home for 20+ years and know all my area neighbors and their homes. By far my house shines compared to many.
I agree with Mi Shots, particularly on #1 and #2. If I were a buyer, I'd be worrying about how many coats of paint is it going to take to cover up that blue and red. Sorry, but the colors remind me of football team colors (and I have a purple wall in my guest bedroom, so I'm not afraid of color).
I agree that the window treatments to seem to age the place, which is a shame. But I probably wouldn't spend money to trade them out.
I also would suggest that the video be shorter - I mean, six and half minutes? How many times do you want somebody to see the multiple pedestal sinks and toilets in your home? A video and photos ought to tempt someone to come see the actual home, not try to show them every nook, cranny, piece of furniture, flower displays and plants in your backyard. Too many photos, and too long for somebody to sit through. I'd also dump the music.
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All Sellers Should Consult a Home Stager
