Home Staging Scoop

Staging for Sale vs. Staging for Short-Term Rentals

Posted on by Thanks For Visiting

At RESA HQ their team is asked questions from home stagers throughout North America on a daily basis, from where to get training, how to keep up with inventory, where to find clients, the best resources for contracts, and more! For our Ask The Experts Blog series we take some of these questions to experts in our industry to get their advice.

The RESA mission is for home staging to be an industry where high standards are well-established and practiced universally, and by sharing some tips from the experts we hope to help those in the staging industry be the most successful they can be.

A recent question was asked, “How different is staging for sale vs. staging for short term rentals?”

Thanks for Visiting has always been about short-term rentals.

Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian met at a Columbus, Ohio City Council meeting fighting for their right to host homes on AirBnb.

The two shared a belief that the short-term rental industry needs hosts to be more hospitable. Every resource they’d come across in throwing their own business was purely profit driven – and “heads in beds” just isn’t their style.

Thanks For Visiting Founders Share Their Insight on staging for sell vs. staging for short term rentals

 
When you stage to sell you are providing a potential idea, and you want the buyer, who’s physically in the space, to imagine themselves there. – Thanks for Visiting
 
When it comes to the difference between staging for sale and staging for short term rentals, it’s more so the world between staging to sell, and staging to live.
 
When you stage to sell you are providing a potential idea, and you want the buyer, who’s physically in the space, to imagine themselves living there, with all of their own belongings. “Here’s where your bed could go, here’s how big the bed could be, here’s where the TV could hang, etc.” Potential buyers want to get a feel for what life could be like in that space.
 
On the other hand, a short term rental designer is tailoring a photographic story to help shape what the renter’s experience may be like; as the renter can only gauge if they want to book their stay based on pictures.
short term rental staging vs staging for sale
Another thing to note, is that non-short term rental stagers don’t need to think about is the importance of using the most comfy bed, or comfiest couches.
 
As long as the furniture and decor pieces aesthetically fit a space, they can still appeal to the right buyers.
 
On the flip-side, with short term rentals, the materials that are selected have to be commercial grade, easy to clean, and absolutely comfy!
 
Not only are you trying to attract renters with how beautiful a place looks, but you also need to curate a livable experience throughout the entire house.
 
Designing for short term rentals goes beyond comfy furniture and statement pieces, and includes items like dish placement, where you keep mugs, and how the silverware is organized. Even the restroom amenities you may offer, or the TV that needs to be connected and ready to go, all need to be considered!

With that being said, staging to rent and staging to sell both require in-depth levels of accommodation. When you’re trying to attract a specific renter or buyer, you never know who will walk through the door, so the goal is to please as many people as you can.

Together through the RESA executive team, RESA leadership, and the RESA Board of Directors, and our members, we have built a community of entrepreneurs and professionals that are stronger together. The RESA community supports, uplifts, and encourages one another to continue to grow as an industry. Together, RESA home stagers and affiliates are growing industry awareness and raising expectations.

If you have a question that you would like us to bring to the experts, submit it here. 

Not a RESA® member yet? Click here to learn how to join and about the many benefits RESA® makes available to help advance the home staging industry!

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As short-term rentals enthusiasts for eight years and counting, Sarah and Annette founded Thanks For Visiting to bring their diverse knowledge to stagers and hosts ready to grow their businesses. Sarah Karakaian Sarah has been an Airbnb Superhost since 2013. She started her journey in NYC renting out a basement suite in her own home. Now, she owns 6 Airbnbs and operates a boutique hosting business, Stay Awhile Hosting Co. Her rentals have been featured on Airbnb's Instagram and blog, the Washington Post, Homes.com, and other outlets. Sarah has a strong design and hospitality background. Pair that with her love of real estate and construction and it makes her an ideal host for short-term rentals. Annette Grant Annette partners with real estate investors on short-term rentals. She earned Superhost status by putting the guest first and creating memorable loft spaces in downtown Columbus. Her spaces are sought after not only by guests, but also by businesses looking for gorgeous spaces for brand shoots. Annette's skill in operations helped grow two businesses from the ground up to become multi-million dollar companies. She manages four short-term rentals and offers support to newbie host hopefuls.

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