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Times they are a’ changing….

30 September 2008 by 4 Comments
Times they are a’ changing….

It’s been fascinating to witness developments in the home staging industry over the past few years. For my first few years as a staging instructor I had to define and explain staging. Nowadays it is a phenomenon that has changed the way real estate is sold. In 2004, I ‘Googled’ home staging, there were 16,768 entries. (I wrote it down) Today, Google home staging and you’ll see 4,770,000 entries. 

 

For years we professed that kitchens and bathrooms were without a doubt the most important areas of a home. We termed them the ‘deal makers and deal breakers’ of Real Estate. Today with the crisis in the economy, we’re seeing a surplus of inventory like never before.

 

As a result of the glut of ‘homes for sale’ the challenge today seems to be getting prospective buyers into the home. Buyers have become bargain hunters overwhelmed by more choices than ever before. So it’s back to the drawing board as we look at new ways to lure buyers into homes. First and foremost, today homes must to be priced very realistically. The house hunting process starts long before the buyer enters the home.

 

Today ‘curb appeal’ is of prime importance. Know that unless the garden, home exterior and front entrance of the home look really impressive buyers have no incentive to even enter the home. Photographs and virtual tours need to be stunning. They are the first link between the buyer and the home. Personally I believe that this warrants the expertise of a professional photographer.

 

Of course we need to be aware of budget constraints. ‘Over the top’ home staging can incur extra expense and is frankly unnecessary, especially as we may be looking at what will probably be a long term commitment of rental of staging inventory. For this reason we would like to see all agents guiding sellers as to what needs to happen to prepare a home for the market.

 

Agents today need to offer spectacular service to their clients.  To quote the words of the CEO of a top Real Estate company who announced at a meeting last month – “All agents should go out and get their staging designations”.

  • http://garreth.featuredblog.com Garreth Wilcock

    I concur that staging and professional photography are key. But in the same way I use a professional photographer, I like to use a professional stager too.

    That way there is a somewhat objective third party explaining to my seller what should be done, and I can focus on the marketing.

    That said, I’m interested in staging certification – though it’s hard to know which real estate staging designation is most useful.

    I’d be curious to know how you chose the staging designation in your article.

    Thanks

    Garreth
    Central and East Austin Real Estate

  • Andy Capelluto

    Hi Gareth,
    Thanks for your very valid comments. There will always be a place for the

  • http://www.TucsonKent.com Kent Simpson

    Price regardless, the principles of staging are more important than ever. Take the example of walking through a farmer’s market: two vendors are selling apples for the same price. One vendor has taken the time to clean up the produce and has an attractive, clean and organized booth. The other just plunks down a few bushels and sticks a sign up “apples for sale.”

    Which vendor has a better chance of selling all the apples they brought to market?

    Thought so!

  • http://www.ThePowerOfStaging.com Andy Capelluto

    Love that analogy – Thanks Kent :)