What Real Estate Agents Say about Home Staging – Out vs In

The key word for selling real estate in 2012 is CHALLENGING. No one, including the experts, can predict how the market will fare in the next 12 months. While the health of the economy and regional markets, and location and size of properties are outside the control of agents and sellers, three factors are discretionary and must be expertly managed to ensure a successful sale:

• PRICE
• PRESENTATION
• CONDITION

Increasingly, savvy real estate agents are realizing that having professional home stagers on their teams is the best way to increase their marketing effectiveness and success. When staged listings sell faster and for more than the comps that are not staged, agents and their real estate companies benefit from higher commissions, reduced marketing expenses, increased profitability, increased client satisfaction and increased referrals. Success breeds success.

In addition, collaborating with a home staging expert, who can handle a staging project from consultation through to completion, frees up an agent’s time to focus on what they do best – list and sell properties and find homes for their buyers. For the home seller, agent and real estate company, professional home staging is a win-win-win marketing strategy. Unfortunately, some real estate agents still do not appreciate the value and necessity of professional home staging. But in 2012, staging is no longer optional, according to real estate guru, Barbara Corcoran.

Here’s what real estate agents say about staging - Out vs In.

OUT	IN
“Staging costs too much”	“Staging is a short-term, high yield investment.”
“Staging wastes too much time.”	“Staging saves time by reducing days on the market.”
“Staging is fluffing.”	“Staging is savvy marketing.”
“My listings always sell… eventually.”	“My listings sell higher and faster than the competition.”
“Why would I pay for a consultation?”	“Investing in consultations helps me sell listings.”
“I won’t offend my seller by suggesting staging.”	“I win listings by having a pro stager on my team.”
“I do my own staging.”	“I focus on listing and selling.”
“Staging is just for vacants.”	“All properties benefit from some degree of staging.”
“What’s a stager?”	“My staging pro is an indispensable member of my team.”

 

As president of Ingenuity & Pizzazz, Inc., I have collaborated with agents and sellers on the staging and sale of over $600 million in real estate. It is such a pleasure to work with savvy real estate agents, who embrace the “IN” attitude.

RESA® Home Staging Industry Awards™ Finalists Announced

North America- December 2, 2011 The Real Estate Staging Association® (RESA®) is pleased to announce the 2012 Home Staging Industry Award™ Finalists. The winners will be announced and presented with their prestigious awards at the annual convention February 1, 2012, in Las Vegas Nevada.

The RESA® Home Staging Industry Awards™ Finalists are:

RESA® Product of the Year™-

• Market Ready Real Estate Online Consultations™
• Energized Seller™
• Stagers Open House-The Stagers MLS™

RESA® Innovator of the Year™-

• Christine Rae
• Tammie O’Brien
• Dan Eason

RESA® Staging REALTOR® of the Year™-

• Angela Batchelor
• Jenny Stevenson
• Matt Poole

RESA® Rookie Stager of the Year™ United States-

• Natalya Price
• Greg Henry

RESA® Rookie Stager of the Year™ Canada-

• Kristy Mattiazzo
• Jillian Summers
• Alana Tozer

RESA® Professional Stager of the Year™ Region 1 Northeast-

• Tori Toth
• Mandy Laderer
• Nairn Friemann

RESA® Professional Stager of the Year™ Region 2 Midwest-

• Linda Barnet
• David Cieslak
• Margaret Gehr

 

RESA® Professional Stager of the Year™ Region 3 Southern-

• Paige Earles
• Karen Dembsky

RESA® Professional Stager of the Year™ Region 4 West-

• Maureen Bray
• Kerry Roth
• Christine Cooper

RESA® Professional Stager of the Year™ Region 5 Canada-

• Joanne Abrahams
• Kelly Peletier
• Monica Stanciu

RESA® Home Staging Company of the Year™ Canada-

• Capital Home Staging
• Rooms in Bloom Home Staging & Design, Inc.

RESA® Home Staging Company of the Year™ United States-

• Sonoran Accents
• Pineapple Interiors
• Just Perfect!

RESA® Spouse of the Year™ United States-

• Gary Barnett
• John Marro
• Howard Morgan

RESA® Best Occupied Staging™ Canada-

• Kelly Peletier
• Nancy Hoag
• Alana Merritt

RESA® Best Occupied Staging™ United States

• Andrijana Gradiscaj Furniss
• Valerie Sagheddu
• Kathy Burke

“We would like to thank everyone for their participation in the awards process, without the support of our membership we would not be able to recognize so may well deserving people in our industry.” Shell Brodnax, President/CEO Real Estate Staging Association.

About The Real Estate Staging Association®

The Real Estate Staging Association® (RESA®) is the trade association for professional real estate stagers and redesigners For more information on the real estate staging and the convention visit www.RESAConvention.com For more information about real estate staging, or to find a professional stager or redesigner call 800-201-8687 and speak with Shell Brodnax, or visit the RESA® Web site at www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com     ####