I get many requests for a variety of home Staging services - from the DIY folks who just need a little direction, to the relocated seller who's had a vacant home on the market for several months with no offer to purchase. One thing is for sure, there are plenty of homes for sale in most every market and your home absolutely must stand out from the competition. Yet many sellers adopt a wait-and-see approach with Staging. They list their home un-Staged to be marketed to the world on the MLS.
Is it a wise decision to wait and see what happens rather than investing in professional home Staging before your home hits the market?
I went to the source of all things Staging. Barb Schwarz is The Creator of Home Staging®, and founder of StagedHomes.com® and the International Association of Home Staging Professionals®. Schwarz invented the concept of Staging in the 1970s and is responsible for today's home Staging industry.
"Waiting to Stage causes people to say they wish they would not have waited. Longevity on the market means one thing - reduction in price," Schwarz explained. "You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The only way to sell in this market is to be thoroughly staged," she said.
Schwarz, a top producing REALTOR® herself, said it takes a lot of time for real estate agents to withdraw a home after it's been on the market with no offers while un-Staged, and then relist it Staged on the MLS. By this time, the home has become "shopworn," she said, and it's difficult to get buyer agents to return to the property with clients.
Agents need sellers to commit to investing in staging prior to listing, said Schwarz. In order to get sellers committed to Staging, Schwarz recommends that agents be firm, set policies, and use analogies that sellers would understand. "Mr. Seller, you don't wait to pay your taxes, and you don't wait to fill a cavity," she illustrated. "Invest time and some money to sell your number one investment."
Schwarz said, "No company will put a product on a shelf that is not ready. They unroll the product when it is thoroughly ready." Buyers are looking now, and they will continue to look and make purchasing decisions, said Schwarz. "To be sold, you have to be staged."
For professional home Staging assistance in North Carolina and South Carolina, contact Accredited Staging Professional Master® Joan Inglis of Charlotte-based Carolina Spaces, LLC at 803-628-8053, or visit www.CarolinaSpaces.com.
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