Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates Servicing the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

I am stuck here in the snow today and I have managed to get a lot of desk work done. I was making out my shopping lists for upcoming jobs when I realized that I am so sick and tired of putting the same things in kitchens when I stage a vacant home. Here is typically what I include and I was hoping that some of you would have some new and inspiring ideas to liven things up for me!

 Kitchens:

Canisters

Plates on plate stand that coordinates with canisters

Bowl with fake fruit- assorted varieties

Large ceramic accents such as roosters if canisters have rooster theme or fruit if fruit theme

Coffee/Tea mugs on a tray with tea bags/beans and flavored syrup/gourmet cookies (this is very inexpensive)

Glass canisters with assorted colored pasta- also inexpensive and good in a pinch

Cookbooks on plate stands of open to a beautiful picture with a wooden spoon to hold the place in the book

Pitcher (ceramic, glass etc) with glasses or mugs that match

Martini sets with glasses, a shaker and fun mixers if it is a young crowd

Permanent Botanticals aka fake plants

The number one question my clients ask me is "Does staging really work?"

The answer is YES! After examining their home from a "buyer's eye view" I can easily tell them what needs to be done to make their home more marketable BUT getting them to commit to doing the work to prepare their home for sale is more of a challenge. Understandably, home sellers do not want to spend $$ on a home they are about to sell, and often do not have the time to get projects done before the home has to go on the market. 

I have found that the best way that I can convince clients to invest in their home is to share success stories with them and show them the results.  I wrote a similar post a few months ago about how staging really does work to sell homes faster and wanted to share some more success stories with you today. Hopefully, whether you are a stager or a Realtor you can use these real life examples to help your clients commit to staging.

Here in the Philadelphia/Main Line market staging is really making a difference in the way buyers perceive properties. Here are 2 success stories from last week: BOTH HOMES SOLD IN ONE DAY FOR FULL PRICE!!!

Client A: This home sold in one day for full price!

I was called in to assist client A by the Realtor that was listing the property. This client was helping her father downsize from of their family home to an assisted living facility. The home was about 20 years old and had a lot of personal artwork, photos and an entire basement full of files from the father's law practice. To help this client come up with a plan I started with a consultation. During the consult I addressed how the home needed to be depersonalized and how the interior needed to be updated to make it more appealing to younger buyers. This home was in a very desirable neighborhood but had to compete with new construction homes in the same price point. I gave the client a list of what items to keep in the rooms and how to arrange the furniture, what items to remove, what items to put in storage, and then the names of contractors that could help take away the furniture they did not want and a service to help with the removal and storage of the documents. As for updating the interior of the home, I gave the client recommendations for new paint colors, new carpet colors for the lower level and the second floor and recommended that they update the kitchen with new appliances, hardware and counter-tops to make it more competitive with newer homes. We also decided to replace the roof, repair the split rail fence and remove 3 large trees that were blocking the view of the home from the street. After the work was completed I then went back to the home to help the client with the final touches- making sure the artwork was hung correctly, the bookcases were organized and to put the finishing touches on the master bedroom and kitchen. The agent then held and open house and the home sold the first day!

The above may sound daunting for some people (my client was exhausted) but for her family this was the best solution. They needed to sell their father's home quickly and get top dollar since he is on a fixed income. The investment they made in their time and dollars got them top dollar for their home and a quick sale.

Client B: This home sold the same day as the broker's open!

I was called in to assist client B by a Realtor that we had worked with before. This Realtor uses staging as a part of her listing process and relies on us to provide this service so she can focus on the marketing of the home. The home was owned by a young couple that was relocating to another state for work. This family had 2 small children so having to have the home ready to show at all times was going to be a challenge. The home was an older home (87+ years) that was in a desirable neighborhood and very well maintained BUT the home did not have a garage since they converted it to a family room. The goal for this property was to show young families how this property was an ideal space to raise a family and also had a lot of storage space despite it not having a garage. I started by visiting the home and giving them a consultation of how they can make the home more desirable. Believe it or not clutter was not an issue. The home was very simply decorated and they actually needed to add things to give the home a more upscale look. Understandably, as young parents they did not want to spend money on things like art and accessories since the children would be handling them! We came up with a plan that included updating the older light fixtures to make the home brighter and look newer. We also recommended painting the formica cabinets (YES YOU CAN PAINT IT) in the bathrooms to give them a clean neutral look. We also addressed furniture placement to make sure that each room showcased the selling features of the home such as the tall ceilings, hardwood floors and gorgeous fireplace. After they had the work completed we returned to rent them a few things to give some pizazz to the space. We added artwork and accessories to the living room, and accents in the same colors in the dining room. Having these rooms share the same color palate made the rooms visually flow better and made the space feel larger. We also added artwork, accessories, toss pillows and lighting to the master bedroom to give it a more romantic feel. The investment these clients made was relatively small compared to the price they got for their home. Not only did they not have to endure months of showing their home with small children, they also did not have to stress about the sale of their home so they could focus on the relocation. Even better- they got to keep the $$ the company was going to give them for temporary housing when they moved because now they could purchase their new home right away!

Over the Holidays I went through my client roster to get the names of the Realtors we had worked with that year so that I could give them a gift to thank them for their business. What most surprised me was that even though we staged over 300 homes in 2006, only 47 Realtors had hired us! Most of our work had been repeat business. I realized that the secret to success in the staging business is to become part of the team that works together to list and sell a home. The idea of team work in Real Estate is not a new notion. Real Estate Agents have many people that they rely on to support their business. This includes marketing teams, mortgage and legal teams, and administration staff. This morning Real Estate Contributor Alan Heavens wrote an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer about Real Estate Agents that service their clients better because they work as teams. They are more flexible and can offer more benefits to the consumer.

So how do you as a real estate staging professional become part of that team? You need to build and nuture a relationship with your client- the Realtor- and show them how staging can make their job of selling homes easier and make them more successful and profitable. In sales this is known as WIFM- the what's in it for me strategy. In my opinion, building a relationship with your client is far more important than any other advertising that you can do because for the most part it costs nothing but your time and energy but the results are astonishing. When you are able to service your client and give them great results they are more willing to use you again and recommend you to other Realtors. A referral is the best form of advertising since essentially they are selling you.

Below are some steps that I encourage new stagers to take to become part of the team:

1. Create a target list of agents-

When I look for a Realtor to service I look for Realtors that have a lot of listings. These Realtors have less time to service their clients personally. As a stager that is part of the their team you can personally service their clients for them.

2. Look for agents that are already part of a team and have support people helping them-

These agents undestand that there are many hats that an agent must wear and already understand that the responsibilities need to be divided up.

3. Introduce yourself and your firm-

I find that the best way to introduce yourself to a Realtor is to find someone that knows them and ask them to introduce you. This could be another Realtor in the same office or a past client of that Realtor. This way you are not making a cold call since the Realtor is prepped about you. Once you meet them or speak with them keep it short and sweet. Tell them what your firm offers and how it can help them to sell more homes. Then give them some information to take with them (brochure, pictures, articles etc)

If it is not possible to get an introduction I recommend an email first to introduce yourself and your services. Keep it to 1-2 paragraphs and include a link to your website where they can see photos of your work and read client testimonials. Also let them know that you will call to follow up on your email.  You have to take the initiative since they are busy selling properties. I then follow up the email with a letter of introduction and my marketing materials (brochure, articles I have written and photos) and send this packet in the mail. 3-5 days later I call their admin and make sure that they have received it. Sounds like a lot of work but the results are worth it.

4. You just told them now show them-

After you send the above info I feel that it is important to let the Realtor try your services for free. Some stagers will disagree with me BUT the Realtor is the person that is going to convince their seller (and hopefully other agents) to use you. Would you buy a car without test driving it? Would you hire a stager to join your team with out seeing her work first? NO WAY. So let the Realtor see what you offer. I recommend a staging consult for a furnished home, the staging of one room for a furnished home, or a free estimate for staging a vacant home (I do not expect you to rent the furniture and stage a vacant for them!) This is marketing yourself and it only costs you your time and energy but if it results in many staging jobs it is well worth it.

5. Provide them with the tools they need to do their job-

Now that the Realtor sees what a valuable resource you are, you have to keep being a valuable resource to them and their team. I recommend that you create a listing packet that they can take on their listings to talk about staging with their client. This can be a simple brochure or something more elaborate like a folder with your brochure and articles about the benefits of staging and pictures of your work. This way they can sell you and your services. Another great way to build a relationship with your Realtor is to write articles for them to use in their mailings or newsletters. This will show their clients that they have special services to offer and you can use this article in your marketing materials too! Help your Realtor to gain more clients. Offer to be a guest speaker at an event they are hosting for potential sellers and offer to help with the invites and catering.

6. Follow up, follow up, follow up-

Once you have established a relationship with a Realtor make sure to nurture it.  When they send you a referral to another Realtor call them or write them a note to thank them. After you complete a staging for them send them a thank you email or note and send them pictures they can use to market the listing. If you have not heard from a Realtor in a while check up on them with an email or phone call. Make sure to remember them at the Holidays and their Birthday. Sounds simple but it makes a huge difference. Sales are about relationships and Realtors are your gateway to clients.