agents + stagers: an ideal partnership
It’s easy for us to provide statistics to homeowners to show that staging your home is a sound investment and ultimately a proven way to increase your sale price and/or sell faster. Staging benefits the homeowner, but it also benefits the real estate agent beyond any financial gain from the sale. Here are the top reasons why partnering with a staging company is a win for all parties.
protects YOUR COMMISSION
It’s amazing how simple staging techniques, such as decluttering, strategically placing furniture and adding a fresh coat of paint can transform a property. These small updates can definitely increase the perceived value of a property in any market, so don't leave money on the table! According to the National Association of Realtor 2021 profile of home staging, more than a quarter of buyers are willing to overlook property faults if a home is staged. Additionally, while buyers may balk at the upfront investment in staging, the cost is often significantly less than an initial price reduction, which ultimately cuts into the agent’s commission.
saves your time and energy
Is modern farmhouse still popular? What is the best white paint color? Design trends are ever changing and it’s tough to keep up. We keep our staging decor classic and try to avoid blindly following the latest trend, but we do keep tabs on what appeals to buyers and plan each staging project to compliment the home style and neighborhood. Real estate agents are busy and while they also know the neighborhoods, using a stager saves them the time and energy to go room-by-room with each the homeowner to plan how to style the home just right for mass appeal.
maintains your client relationships
Real estate agents wear many hats during the sales process. Selling the home is an emotional event and often the agent is providing both sound expert advice with a side dish of emotional support. It’s very rare that we walk into a home during a pre-listing consultation that is completely ready to list. Beyond the obvious amounts of stuff that has been accumulated over the years, the house can exhibit wear and tear, maintain odors, or have specific or dated decor. It’s important to address these potentially touchy issues to prepare the house, which can feel overwhelming to the homeowner. Our job as stagers during the pre-listing consultation is to provide honest and impartial feedback and advice to homeowners. While sometimes these are tough discussions, using a home stager allows the agent to maintain a positive relationship with their seller and lets the stager be the bad guy.
exceptional online photos
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), nearly all - 99% - of millennial home buyers start their search online. Regardless of the market, staging a photo-ready property can directly influence a buyer’s decision to preview the property. Staging is the best marketing tool available to ensure your listing stands out. We stage the home to highlight the best features and detract from any flaws. Our furniture placement gives potential buyers an accurate idea of how their furniture would fit in the space and we are mindful of photography angles to get the best photos possible and more buyers in the door.
elevates your brand
Staging helps sell homes faster than the non-staged competition. A real estate agent only stands to gain from representing listings that are selling faster and for higher sales prices. Sellers want an agent with a proven track record and staging is a key factor in establishing that track record. Elevate your professional image and increase your credibility by ensuring each listing you offer is the best it can be - beautiful in photos and beautiful in person. Stagers also help build an agent’s brand awareness by using social media channels to promote listings and direct buyers to their properties.
AN IDEAL PARTNERSHIP
While we hope that local real estate agents partner with us for their staging needs, we believe that (almost) all staging benefits the homeowner and the agent. Pre-listing consultations are an important first step to identify the most important to-do’s to prepare the property for sale. And should the homeowner need to remove their belongings before they list, we never recommend that a property be left vacant. Whether the market is hot or cold, a solid relationship between an agent and a stager is an ideal partnership.