Does Recommending a Home Staging Consultation Hurt or Help the Reputation of a Real Estate Agent?

As a Home Stager in Fairfield county Connecticut I work with both, real estate agents and home sellers. Recently I received increasingly inquiries from home sellers directly. All these clients had one thing in common – they expressed dissatisfaction with their real estate agents (they all worked with different agents).

But why? They were concerned that their agents did not go beyond the traditional way of marketing their property. These home sellers were desperate to sell their houses fast and at the top price, but they felt that they were just another house on the already long list of real estate inventory in their town. These home sellers understood that something needed to be done to make their most valuable asset stand out from the competition, but were not exactly sure what to do. All of them already de-cluttered, painted and did other things that their agents had recommended to prepare the house for sale. But yet, they knew it was not enough for this tough real estate market. They called Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors for help and got the results they were hoping for – a quick sale at the top dollar.

Here are 3 desperate home seller examples:

Home Seller 1:

Client states: “I am so desperate, I cannot stay in this house any longer. I cannot continue lowering my price – I need to try something else.”

Days on market before our consultation: about 1 year

Occupied House

Our Top 3 Diagnosis:

• Too much de-cluttered. There were no emotional connection points left for buyers to feel home. Needed to add area rugs, accessories, artwork,….
• Personal wallpaper in a couple of rooms to be removed and fresh paint needed.
• A few home repairs.

Our Services: Consultation only – Client executed recommendations based on our consultation report

Result: Sold within 14 days at full asking price.

 

Home Seller 2:

Client states: “We need to finally move on with our lives. We had to push our agent really hard to come up with a different marketing strategy – we wanted to change agent – that’s when he suggested a staging consultation”

Days on market before our consultation: 164

Occupied House

Our Top 3 Diagnosis:

• De-cluttering needed
• Home Improvements and Updating needed – painting of most rooms, trims and kitchen cabinets
• Replacing many of the dated furniture with more modern furniture through furniture rental to appeal to the target buyers

Our Services: Consultation & Staging

Result: Sold within 31 days after staging close to asking price

 

Home Seller 3:

Client states: “My agent wants to list the house for a much lower price than I think it should be listed at. I am not happy with the listing price and want to do what is needed to get the top price.”

Days on market before our consultation: not on the market yet

Vacant House

Our Top 4 Diagnosis:

• Updating of the kitchen
• Updating lighting fixtures
• Fresh wall paint and refinishing floors
• Staging 4 rooms bringing in furniture, accessories,….

Our Services: Consultation & Staging

Result: Listing price was $100,000 higher than originally proposed asking price. Sold within 1 day after staging at full asking price.

 

So the question is, does recommending a Home Staging Consultation hurt or help the reputation of a Real Estate Agent?

Staging Advice from HGTV’s Sandra Rinomato

Check out this great Staging Advice from HGTV’s Sandra Rinomato

Fuchsia Accents moodboard by Birgit

Fuchsia Accents moodboard by Birgit

Did You Know….?

Sea glass can be a fun way to accessorize and add color to your room.

Did you know that, according to the Coastal Living Magazine one of the best places to find sea glass is right here in Connecticut at Hammonassett Beach State Park in Madison?

Here are some ideas how sea glass can be easily used in some DIY decorating projects:

1. Candle Holder: find a decorative glass, fill it 1/3 with sand, stick in a candle and then add your sea glass

2. Table Lamp: get one of those table lamps that have a glass bottom that can be filled. Add your sea glass into the body of the lamp

3. Pencil holder - Simply fill a jar or glass with sea glass and stick your pencils in

 

Design Tips: How to Update a Kitchen without Breaking the Bank

In these economically challenging times, many people are holding off on big investments to update their house. But does this mean that you have to compromise on style and aesthetics while you are living in your home? Or does this mean that you have to make big pricing concessions when selling your home, just because your kitchen is not in par with what buyers are looking for?

As a real estate home staging company in Fairfield county, CT we know that kitchen and bathrooms sell houses. If buyers walk through a house and see that the first thing they have to update is a kitchen, before they even can move in, they just won’t make an offer on your property, but rather on the neighbor’s house that has been kept current in style. Buyers have many houses to choose from and they do not want to buy a “project”, but a move-in ready home.

Therefore, we worked with a recent client to make necessary changes to upgrade the dated kitchen. Here are some tips without breaking your bank that you can implement – either for enjoying a new look while living in it or for getting your house ready for sale:

• The plain “oak look” gives a kitchen a dated look. If the cabinets are in good shape you might want to consider re-facing them. If re-facing is not in your budget, you might want to consider painting them. TIP: bring the cabinet paint all the way to the ceiling trim to extend the visual height of the cabinets and give a larger space impression.
• Replace your old hardware with “new style” hardware. straight lined, simple design, brushed nickel works best for achieving a modern look.
• Granite has come down in pricing over the past decade and is a valuable option for also lower budgets. Granite countertops still has a great re-sale value and will give your kitchen a higher end look.
• In our specific kitchen example below we extended the kitchen countertop to provide a bar / eat-in feature as well.
• Compliment the granite countertop with a contemporary glass tile or other modern looking backsplash.
• A under-mount sink and a new faucet will extend the countertop space by a few inches.
• New and matching stainless steel appliances bring a continuous style into the kitchen
• If the floor is worn or dated, add a new floor as well.
• Coordinate the wall color with your backsplash, countertop, cabinets and floor.
• To top off the design, replace your old lighting fixture with a new style and finishes matching one.

 

 

 

Not Cool At All * What Does That Mean for the Consumer? * Tips on How to Hire a Home Stager

I just googled around and came across a local home stager who is using my youtube video/s on Google Places to attract traffic to her own business. Why would someone do that – the only reason I can think of is that she needs to get a superior look than her work actually is in order to get business. While I am flattered that she “chose” my work, this is completely unethical. To clarify, this stager is not a RESA (Real Estate Staging Association) Member, in which case she would be held accountable for showing someone else’s portfolio as her own work.

What does this mean for the consumer?

The Real Estate Home Staging industry is an unregulated industry. There is no independent national organization that certifies home stagers. Therefore, it is even more important as a client to educate yourself about the stager you are considering to hire – after all you are trusting this person’s advise with your single most valuable asset. Here are some important tips about how to hire a home stager:

• Look for a staging professional with great competency and professionalism, rather than the cheapest price
• Does the stager belong to a reputable national self-regulating organization? The largest such organization is the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) – the designation RESA-PRO™ indicates that this stager is not a "hobby" home stager. A RESA-PRO™ home stager is a dedicated home stager that is held to the highest standards of business, ethics and integrity. RESA-PRO™ Designees have also agreed to the RESA-PRO™ Code of Ethics.
• Ask about their training and experience
• Ask for how long has the stager been in business
• Take a look at their website
• Ask to see their portfolio with Before & After photos – specifically ask if this is work that they have done themselves
• Staging Style – make sure that not all staging installations look the same. Staging is marketing and thus it needs to be tailored to the property, local style, target demographic – and not to appeal to the masses
• Ask about insurance coverage
• Make sure that the professional is working full time as a Home Stager to be available for your needs.
• Ensure that you are being given a clearly written contract and that you understand all aspects of the contract
• Ask how they are keeping up-to-date with new staging trends
• Make sure you understand the general process the company has implemented.
• Probe to see if the stager has a marketing concept behind their staging design to sell YOUR house (what design strategy they use to make the house stand out from the competition)

Now that you have selected the right home stager for you and your needs, relax for a faster sale at the top dollar.

Listen to Your Stager, Not Your Heart–HGTV on Staging

Kris Berg from San Diego Castles Realty, also from Frontdoor.com - HGTV makes some great points about the importance of staging a home for sale if your goal is to sell fast and for the top price.

In a recent interview she said that “Mediocrity is not being rewarded. Buyers want “turn-key” or a “smoking deal”. Stage it to perfection.”

Kris has some great tips for home sellers that are important to think about when selling a home. Read her article on HGTV:

“Listen to Your Stager, Not Your Heart”

Staging is no longer just about de-cluttering and neutralizing spaces

If you are a real estate agent or a home seller, this great article written by Shell Brodnax, CEO of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), is important to be read BEFORE hiring a staging professional. The blog post underlines what Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors’ approach has been for quite some time.

When you are thinking of a hiring a professional stager, which should be a standard in nowadays real estate market, take a look at their online presence and portfolio to assess whether the stager is adopting these staging concepts.

Click here to check out Shell Brodnax’s article.

 

Large Cape for Sale in Fairfield

This beautiful large Cape in Fairfield, CT has been staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors and is now available for sale.

The floor plan is versatile and ideal for entertaining, with lots of space that can be used for a grand piano, pool table, family room, media room, library or many other possibilities including an in-laws set up or a live-in nanny.

The large deck features a nice outdoors kitchen and lifestyle.

For more information about the listing click here.

View the video:

Large Cape for Sale in Fairfield

This beautiful large Cape in Fairfield, CT has been staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors and is now available for sale.

The floor plan is versatile and ideal for entertaining, with lots of space that can be used for a grand piano, pool table, family room, media room, library or many other possibilities including an in-laws set up or a live-in nanny.

The large deck features a nice outdoors kitchen and lifestyle.

For more information about the listing click here.

View the video:

Beautiful Large Cape for Sale in Fairfield, CT

This beautiful large Cape in Fairfield, CT has been staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors and is now available for sale.

The floor plan is versatile and ideal for entertaining, with lots of space that can be used for a grand piano, pool table, family room, media room, library or many other possibilities including an in-laws set up or a live-in nanny.

The large deck features a nice outdoors kitchen and lifestyle.

For more information about the listing click here.

See the video:

Home Staging in Fairfield by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors

Furniture + Accessories = Staged - Really?

I often hear from home sellers and real estate agents that they have staged the vacant house for sale themselves. When I ask them how they have staged it, they say they have added some furniture from friends or some pieces from their home that they currently do not need and added some accessories.

As a professional Connecticut home stager I can immediately tell that in that person’s mind there is no clear understanding what real estate home staging really is. Home staging is a marketing tool and as such it requires an understanding of the most likely buyers and how to translate this into a staging design plan. While staging might seem random and being just a matter of adding some furniture and accessories, this is far from what staging really involves. Staging is a marketing tool that involves research, the art of design, and psychology. After all with staging we want to give a “wow” factor to stand out from the competition, not just a “oh, it’s ok looking”. When staging our company carefully selects each piece of furniture, artwork, lighting, décor item with the target buyer in mind.

My staging colleague Karen Otto from Home Star Staging in Texas shows in her recent blog post the different level of staging using the same accessories and furniture that were used by the home seller who “staged” her house herself. It shows that staging is a skill and an art and not just adding furniture and some accessories. Click here to check out the difference. 

Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity

It is Saturday morning 7.30am, July 16th. I am pulling into the driveway of my very good friend Marian Edvardsen . After a quick hello and our first laughter (as usual when we are together) we make our way up north. With the top of my little Mazda Miata down, we enjoy the wind blowing through our hair while driving beautiful, winding local roads from Norwalk to Danbury. Arriving at the Habitat for Humanity house on Linden Place, we are welcomed and waiting for few more women to arrive. Wohoo, Kathy McShane, from Ladies Who Launch  just arrived. 10 Women dressed up in pink with “Habitat for Humanity & Launch It” shirts, and hammers in their hands are ready for a day full of construction work. (I love the combination of “pink” and “construction” – sounds so contradictory). We had a blast working on putting up insulation, siding, framing and general clean up of the site…and of course….chatting. We all loved to chat with reporter Christine Rose, who featured a nice article about us in the Danbury Patch.

What a fabulous time we had helping to build a home for two families who really need the help. I love the concept of Habitat for Humanity and am sure I will be volunteering again some time very soon. If you would like to get involved, Habitat for Humanity is spread throughout the country helping families in need. In addition to helping, I also feel I have made new friends at this very special event. Thank you Kathy McShane for organizing this and getting such fabulous women together for a a great scope.

How Much Does Real Estate Home Staging Cost?–Part 2–Staging Helps MAKE Money

In our last blog post we spoke about the Staging Consultation and price determining factors of a Home Staging Proposal. Today we will go into more detail of the actual Staging Proposal and the Return on the Staging Investment - how staging helps making money.

The Staging Proposal:

The consultation for occupied homes and the walk-through of vacant homes provide the real estate stager with an overview of what is needed to get the house prepared and ready for a successful sale. As a general rule over the thumb, home staging prices can range from a 0.5% to 3% of the listing price - again, depending on the specific needs of that property as well as the selling price.

Remember in the beginning I said that real estate staging does not cost anything - it helps making money.

Home staging is not a cost, but an investment. The National Association of Realtors indicates that staged homes sell on average for a 6 to 10% higher price - a pretty good deal for an investment of 0.5% to 3%.

Studies and statistics conducted by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA®) have shown that professionally staged homes sell on average 67% faster than unstaged homes. This means months less of expenses for mortgage, insurance, utilities, maintenance and other carrying costs.

Add to that the reduced time of stress and worries, having to be prepared every day for a potential showing and having your peaceful life back quicker.

Now let's look at some specific numbers of a real life example of a property that Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors has recently staged. While most houses staged by Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors are in the $750K to $4M price range, there seems to be the impression that "staging is for high end properties only". Thus we decided to illustrate a lower price example to show how real estate staging helps making money also on lower priced properties. However, the same applies to higher priced homes – the numbers are just getting bigger.

This real example property is located in Norwalk, CT:

Original Listing Price:	$410,000
Days on Market BEFORE Staging:	155
Price when Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors was called:	$389,000

After reducing the price by $21,000 or 5.12% to $389,000, the price reduction still did not help to sell.

The real estate agent was in a tough spot:

1. Either make another price reduction and have price being the only marketing tool used in selling this property

or

2. Make use of a different marketing tool – packaging the product to appeal to the target buyer group by staging it – the real estate agent decided to  advise her client to stage the property

At the first visit to the property Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors immediately knew what needed to be done and the client agreed to most of the proposed investments of their vacant property – we made some home improvements and used the most advanced and successful staging techniques of Target Staging and  Lifestyle Merchandising:

Home Improvement Investments (paint, toilet replacement, lighting replacement, floors refinishing, new ceiling in one room, some repair):	$6,000
Staging Investment (rental of furniture & décor for Living Room, Dining Room, Master Bedroom and Staging Services)	$4,500
Total Investment:	$10,500 …. 2.7% of the listing price

After completion of staging, the house sold within 2 days at full asking price. 

By not using price as the single marketing strategy to sell this property, the real estate agent was able to sell the property without any further price reduction.

This is great! But what would the scenario have been if the property was staged BEFORE putting the house on the market?

· The house would have been 153 days less time on the market = 5.1 months less time of ongoing costs:

Mortgage:	$1300/month
Carrying costs (taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance cost):	$1000/month
Total monthly fixed costs saved:	$2300/month
Months less on the market if staged before:	5 months
Saved cost because of faster sale:	$2300 * 5 months = $11,500

As you can see, staging did not cost them anything.

Remember, we spoke about that staged homes sell on an average at a 6-10% higher price. If the house were staged before putting it on the market, it is likely that the house would have sold at the original price of $410,000 (or closer to it), which is an additional $21,000

Total Return on Investment, if staged BEFORE listing, would have been:

Saved cost because of faster sale:	$11,500
Sale at top price:	$21,000
Total gain:	$32,500
Staging Investment:	($10,500)
Profit Made from Staging:	$22,000
Return on Investment:	209%

This real life example shows how staging helps to MAKE money – it does not cost anything.

After reading this, what does cost more - to stage or not to stage? I hope you have come to the conclusion that it only costs NOT to stage. Not to stage costs money, time, and energy.

We realize that a full staging might not be for everyone, as this is an upfront out of pocket expense and many people might not be in the financial position for various reasons to make such investment. I recommend though to at least invest in a home staging consultation from a qualified Home Staging Professional. You will be surprised what a difference this powerful information will make in your home sale, if you implement it.

By staging BEFORE listing the Home Sellers can move on with their normal lives faster and with more money in their pockets.

When selling properties faster and closer to the Home Seller’s price expectations, Real Estate Agents will receive more referrals and can quicker devote their energy and time to their next listing.

Costal Living Lifestyle Home Staging in Stamford, CT– Do You Know Someone Who Wants To Live There?

This beautiful condo located on the top floor overlooks the Stamford Harbor provides peaceful enjoyment away from hectic life. Enjoy a costal life style with this gorgeous view from all main rooms. Have a glass of wine with friends and family while watching the sun set. Close to the center of Stamford and train makes it also a convenient to commute into NYC.

Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors–Home Staging in Stamford, CT

For more information about the property click here:

MLS# 98496002

Sneak Preview of HGTV Design Star–Season 6 is out…

I can’t wait for Monday’s premiere of HGTV’s Design Star season 6. Here is a quick sneak preview of what will happen on their first episode:

How Much Does Real Estate Home Staging Cost?–Part 1

As a home stager in Fairfield County, CT I am frequently asked by real estate agents "What does home staging cost? I need to know at least a price range, so I can convince my clients to stage their house." As simple as this question sounds as simple is also the answer: real estate staging does not cost anything - it actually helps you make money. It only costs to NOT stage.

Ok, now I see your eye brows raise in disbelieve: "How can that be? This must be another sales gimmick." If you bear with me I will provide as much insight and details possible to equip you with information to have a successful conversation about staging associated "cost". This will make you feel at ease bringing staging up as a rewarding marketing tool and solution in your property selling process.

Let's dive in!

Pricing a home staging project involves many different aspects, which makes it difficult to answer the question with just a number. It can be compared to having an unknown defect on your car and asking the mechanic over the phone what the repair will cost without giving him the opportunity to take a look on what is wrong with the car. These are some of the considerations that a home stager needs to take into account when pricing a project:

• Is it an occupied home or a vacant home?
• What is the size of the home?
• Are there any repairs, updates, upgrades, paint, flooring,… needed?
• Which rooms and how many rooms need to be staged?
• Do we need to bring in furniture and/or accessories to attract buyers? If so, how much and what?
• How many functional areas are to be installed within the rooms?
• Does the home seller do all the work on their own, or some on their own and some being done by the stager, or does the seller want to have everything being managed by the stager?

Every house looks different and has different needs and when pricing a home staging project all these different details and more need to be taken into consideration.

Home Staging Consultations are offered by most stagers. Depending on the area, prices typically range between $150 to $450. Always ask what the consultation includes. Some stagers provide a verbal consultation only, whereas others will provide a written report as well.

Why do stagers charge for a consultation?

A home staging consultation should not be confused with a proposal. During a consultation the home seller should expect to get specific feedback and recommendations specifically for their property's needs. The home seller will be given valuable professional recommendations which, if implemented, will lead to a faster sale. At the end of the consultation the home seller can request to receive a quote to engage the stager to do some or all the work.

In our next blog post I will be talking about a specific example and how Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors helped home sellers making money through home staging in CT.

Press: Connecticut Home Stager Attracting Notice

We are thrilled that today, Birgit Anich Staging and Interiors is featured in several Fairfield county newspapers – click on the picture for the full article:

A Different Approach In The Connecticut Real Estate Home Staging Industry - Rebranding Announcement

The Power of a Real Estate Home Staging Consultation

Recently a home seller called us very frustrated with her real estate agent as the agent did not take any action on trying a different strategy to sell her house in Greenwich, CT. The house has been on the market for almost a year with very little traffic. She saw staging on HGTV and thought that she should explore this new avenue.

Birgit Anich Staging & Interiors came in providing a detailed 1.5 hours home staging consultation and followed up with a customized consultation report outlining all suggestions. We had recommended some paint change, minor repairs, re-purposing a room, re-arranging furniture, bringing in different decor items such as different rug, pillows, wall art, lighting, accessories,… It took the client a few days of focused work using our consultation report and then have new photographs taken for the MLS listing.

Immediately she started showing a much increased number of showings of her house. Two weeks later she called us that she received an offer close to asking price and was finally able to move on with her life after a restless year.

After this and many other such success stories, I am wondering why do so many real estate agents still hesitate to recommend to their clients to have a professional real estate home stager come to give a consultation?