House Staging from a Professional's Perspective (agent, Realtor, listing, sellers)
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As a real estate professional, how do you feel about homes being "staged?"
I am thinking of going into the business of staging because I have learned much first-hand from stagers and my own experience and research. I also think there's a need since my own search for a home was very much affected by how a home was presented. I would think it would only be in the best interest of the Seller for a stager to come in and do a walk-through, making suggestions and then supplying an emailed list to be printed out. For just over an hour, an objective professional gets to be the "buyer" and provide a whole new perspective on how best to make the house flow. Some suggestions even stay with the seller long after the house is sold since the discovery of better house flow becomes inspiration.
Putting the suggestions and encouragement onto another individual appears to be a good way for a realtor not to get personally involved with what has to be said in order for the house to look its best. Also, an outlook could be: "You can take all the suggestions, some, or none. It's up to you." That eases the pressure on the Seller.
From a real estate professional's perspective, I would think someone to work with a prospective seller would be a Godsend. You don't have to get involved, it may be an incentive to list with you if you provide the service to get your seller started, and it may help encourage those who are having a difficult time with residences of family members who have passed. I wish I had a nickel for all the homes I looked at that were sitting as "shrines" to those who undoubtedly were loved, but whose living space remained untouched. In one instance, there were hundreds of dead bugs all over floors and windowsills. A cleaning crew was definitely in order. By the way, these house are still on the market, not doing the sellers or their agent any good, taking forever to find a buyer. One, I had put in an offer on still is around after a year and the heirs--I don't know what they're thinking, but they're not getting anywhere with a home that's being primarily photographed on the outside. Honestly...!
I don't plan to get rich, but my award-winning (and I put this humbly) photography background, design expertise and compassion for those embarking on a major life change should fill a niche and provide a service. Please let me know what you think and perhaps what other aspects of this business I should consider. Oh, one more thing--I'll be calling my business "house dressing" not staging (as they do in the UK). If I "dress your house up" for company, I think it might be more practical and applicable.
How much do you/seller typically pay the stager?
How much do you/seller typically pay for furniture rental?
Do you stage to:
get a higher price?
sell more quickly?
Does the nature of the market (buyers' vs sellers') make any difference?
davebarnes, it's encouraging to see specifics. The stager I have drawn inspiration from charges $100-150 per hour. Since I used her myself, during the house "tour," she mentioned what she had available that I could rent from her. I declined to do so since I thought items too expensive. I, too, would be interested to see what prompts the staging--higher price or selling quickly. The nature of the market, too.
Some people just want to stage or "dress" their homes on principal. It prompts decluttering, packing, and necessary cleaning. Then, come the flowers
How much do you/seller typically pay the stager?
How much do you/seller typically pay for furniture rental?
Do you stage to:
get a higher price?
sell more quickly?
Does the nature of the market (buyers' vs sellers') make any difference?
For a consult it is $100 an hour. A really bad house (meaning a really, really long punch list) will cost me $225-$250ish.
Accessory rentals (art, flowers, pillows, etc) is about $30-$45 a month and a vacant stage will run about $300 a month. I do have a cap on that and it is in our listing agreement. Sometimes sellers will pay after that, but I rarely hit my budget because the house is typically sold well before then.
I stage to push the price higher and sell faster. Obviously price point matters, but I have done vacant stages on $150,000 homes if I felt I needed to overcome something.
The nature of the market doesn't make a difference. During the bust, I needed every edge to get my listings noticed due to the massive amounts of inventory. At that point, my goal was to just sell the house. Now, my goal is to get multiple offers for my clients and push the price.
I pay $75 per hour and offer 2 hours of staging time with every listing. I stay and help the stager move things around and such.
If it needs furniture or accessories, the stager will write up an estimate and it's up to the homeowner to decide whether or not to pay for it.
Staging does help sell a house. Not all homeowners are willing to allow someone to come in and stage. And not all homes need staging as they already look stages (I love those sellers!)
Can a stager help with a house that is being lived in?
7+ months of living in a stage house.
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Cost?
