Agents take to the stage as 'stagents'
Letter to the Editor
By Inman News, Thursday, May 6, 2010.
Re: '5 must-knows about hiring a home stager' (May 5)
Dear Editor:
Regarding your article on home staging -- great points, but as a teacher, interior designer and in the last six years a teacher of home staging to agents, I'd like to make a few additional points.
Given the massive inventory of unsold homes out there in the market today, staging a home has become a necessary skill of the real estate agent. The average sellers today do not have the additional budget to spend on staging a home. Today we see a growing number of "stagents" who are able to guide their sellers through the home-staging process.
Unlike interior design, the process of home staging is simple and logical and can be learned by anyone who has an interest to learn a new skill. While a background in interior design or decorating would be an asset, it is certainly not a requirement to become a home stager. Decorating home interiors is very different from staging homes.
Andy Capelluto
International School of Staging
Seattle, Wash.
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Submitted by Gloria Singer on May 7, 2010 - 4:32am.
I'm not so sure that it's a great idea for me as a listing agent to also be the stager for the house. I am not trained or experienced in this field, and also I really do not think it is my job to be arranging their furniture, shopping for accessories, etc. I don't mind making a few suggestions if they are obvious to me, but the experienced stagers are much more hands-on and involved than I would ever have the time for. Yes sellers are strapped financially, but are we also supposed to do the touch-up paint in the house, or the fresh landscaping, because they don't have the extra funds? I prefer to work with professionals.It is my job to educate the seller that they will most likely net more and sell more quickly with the small investment in staging. I have teamed up with a stager to offer listing prospects the first two hours of staging paid for by me, but then the rest is up to them. If they don't want to go beyond the two hours, they will get a detailed list from the stager of the jobs they will need to do themselves to prepare the home for sale.
Gloria Singer
www.BocaExpert.com
Submitted by Andy Capelluto on May 10, 2010 - 12:15am.
Andy Capelluto
www.InternationalSchoolOfStaging.com
Thanks for your valid comments Gloria. You’re not alone. You are part of the 3% of seasoned, busy and successful agents who focus purely on selling real estate. These agents are committed professionals, who know and do their job and delegate other tasks to those who are both successful and who have been trained in the areas of delegation.
The Power of Staging® empowers Agents, giving them loads of vital information. We make it clear from the onset that it is not the job of the agent to climb step ladders or schlepp furniture. At $199, available live (through IRFEC in Florida) and (soon) online, the course offers affordable, quality Real Estate Education. Irrespective of whether you plan to stage or delegate staging, The Power of Staging® contains information that will add to your competency as a Real Estate professional. Knowledge is power!
Tried and tested over the past 4 years, over 5,000 agents have taken this course. The course is now part of the International School of Staging, and has been updated for today’s market, adding details that are imperative to anyone selling real estate today. Amongst our successes stories are numerous newbie agents who have the interest, energy and time to build their Real Estate businesses and who now definitely have the edge over others.
Submitted by Horace Bryan on May 29, 2010 - 7:52pm.
Andy, that is a very brilliant response to Gloria.
I wonder why she believes that you were addressing her in particular. Even I know, that nothing is a panacea for everyone. As Barry Farber's grand ma Moses likes to say: blessed is he who can pick sense from nonsense...
Submitted by Carrie Heath on June 4, 2010 - 4:36am.
Andy, I did take a course offering and have the CHMS certification - and it is a great selling point at listing appointments! I wrote a brochure for sellers with basic suggestions on how to prepare their home for sale that I leave with them, and then give them the staging advice when they list with me (and call it a $200 value as that is half of what local decorators charge). I do NOT move furniture, paint, or pack for the sellers. The added benefit is when I take buyers into homes and can point out how a sofa might fit better in a room, or how a lighter paint color will make a kitchen feel larger. Any bit of education helps!