The Staging's Working but we still can't sell the place!

Nice work!  Hope it sells soon; otherwise, we could use you to decorate our home! :)

Juliet - Point well taken.  While staging does envoke the emotional attachment to the property from the buyer, try as hard as we may, stagers  can't guarantee that the potential buyer can afford it, qualify for it or close the deal.  We're genius, not magicians.

P.S. I especially like the last photo of the bed reflected in the mirror - talk about great staging (staging the pictures, too!) ... 

Me too, Stephen, the heirs have been awfully nice to serve.  I take it you're a first time buyer.  Congratulations.  It's fun to be part of the landed gentry!!

Calie - it's like we're just the tools at the beginning - like a great car.  You still gotta learn how to drive it, put gas it in it, etc.  Speaking of magic - a seller once asked me to join her in a visualization session to get the ideal buyer!  Fortunately, I was about to go away and when I returned the place was sold.  I never asked if she did it or not.  Shoulda, woulda, coulda - the 2 most useless words in the English language.  Wayne Dyer has a point.

Oh Juliet!  We recently had a similar thing happen to us!  The house sold but the financing of the buyer fell through!

Nice work...now just patience and prayer and persistance

I think it's flattering! Frustrating that it didn't actually sell...but THREE offers because they loved it so much.

You did a fantastic job.

Julia

Doesn't it just break your heart?  So, which month are you going to take for your stats?  the month of the first offer or the month the contract gets out of attorney review, inspections, etc.?

Actually, that's how I now insist on being paid upfront.  A house I staged had a full price offer the opening weekend (2nd week of December no less!) and then the deal came unstuck.  It then took 7 weeks for another deal to come along.  The seller refused to pay our bill saying that we hadn't accomplised a sale in satisfactory time.  After much back and forth and talk of Small Claims Court, we settled, but I will never work that realtor again (and have stuck to it) and will rarely, if ever, accept less than full payment upfront. <sigh> We live and learn, eh?

Thanks, Julia.  Your B & As on your profile are sumptuous!  Praise from you is praise indeed!

Now, Larry, are you sharing the 3 Ps of real estate?  We all know you folks' 3 Ls (location, location, location) what's M and N?

Good job!  I hold my breath every time a home I staged goes into escrow.  You just never know if it will go through.  It's kind of a helpless feeling since we did all we could do!

this looks great! i call it retro chic ;)

cheers,

cindy 

Cindy, that's a fun one.  I'll call it that, too. thank you.

Janice - you're quite right, it's like Free Fall.  Like watching your kid play an important match or perform the lead in the summer musical.  Well, <LOL> that sums up my summer!!

I see your point, Tracie.  However, since one of our primary selling tools is Days On Market, it begs the question, at what point have you accomplished the goal and which is the # you report?

Thanks for this blog Juliet!  Financing is getting a belt-tightening from banks these days and it is highly probable that this may become more commonplace than we have seen over the past few years!  The goal should be staging and getting the OFFER(s) on the table!!  I do not think your numbers should be penalized because the buyer(s) were not able to secure proper financing.  OFFER implies written intent to purchase....contract contingencies are not your problem!! Your work brought in the offers so use the first date of the first offer!! Good Job!!  : )  Regards-Kathleen

LOVE,LOVE,LOVE it! You did a great job making it "hip"! I've got one in the works that i will be using all of grandma's furniture....you give me inspiration! Just wish our ikea in cincinnati would be built soon...

OK, Kathleen, that makes sense.

Theresa, you're getting an IKEA?  What fun you'll have!  Just the pillows and duvets alone will save you a TON of money on inventory. Plus, the small table and chairs for EIKs that really aren't... and the stainless or butcher block work stations that make a kitchen look so much more...and the colorful, inexpensive YOUNG looking soft furnishings.  It's a great place for stagers for many of our applications.  Too bad not all.  I wonder if I could send you stuff less expensively than having them drop ship it to you?

Ouch! I was wondering what the problem was considering the house and the staging looks so great. 3 offers sounds so wonderful. But then I read about the mold. That makes it a really tough sell. At any rate... you did a fantastic job and you're staging was a success.

Thanks.  I wonder how good mold remediation really is?  We were just fine when we were in there staging, and both my assistant and I are highly allergic to it.  That and cigarette smoke.  But that's another post!

Hi Juliet,

Nice work - I really enjoyed the last photo in the mirror - very creative!

You did a fantastic job! 

The only 2 things that the seller can control is condition and list price.  With the property being staged and if the mold situation has, in fact, been taken care of and signed off, then maybe the price is just too high???  

To assure prompt payment, I require a 50% deposit when the staging is scheduled and the remaining 50% on the day of staging.  I also require my clients sign a Staging Contract which specifies that I do not guarantee when or for how much the house will sell.  Having open communication is critical so I stress that  am working with the seller and realtor as part of a 'team'... I do my part of staging... they do their part of marketing and pricing properly!   

By the way, Pier 1 also has fun accessories and being a professional stager, you can apply for a 20% designer discount!

Alas - then I would venture to say that the staging hasn't quite worked yet...or some other component of the package (price, looney sellers) are to blame?

Thank you, Kaushik.  You have just ably demonstrated what it is that realtors don't understand about staging.  If there are offers coming in, the staging IS working.  If there are no offers and the place is being actively shown, then staging would be recommended.  Home staging helps people visualize the space for their own needs.  When price is the problem, there are rarely offers.  When condition and location are the largest problems, the place doesn't get shown at all, unless REAs are showing in the 3-4 pattern.

I like the way you put that, Juliet.  Staging DOES work but buyers are still savvy... they know when something isn't in harmony and it will always be reflected in the price and/or whether offers come in or  not. Getting 3 offers is proof you've done your job very well!

Your staging was absolutely right on and did wonders.  I can't help but think the price must not be too bad for the neighborhood and quality of home... but it seems like when they're finding out about the mold, the price suddenly  isn't working anymore.  I guess if I were the sellers, I'd revisit the mold situation (have it rechecked??) and consider a price adjustment at some point??

By the way, I've been visiting this forum but have never posted.  There are a great bunch of stagers here and reading everyones input is so helpful.

Then I am honored you chose to comment.  Thank you, Linda, for participating and for your kind words.

Perhaps you would consider posting?  Which of your projects was your favorite and why?  Which sold the fastest?  How do you incorporate your love of jewelry into staging?  You must love the new season's colors veering towards jewel tones?

Hi Juliet, 

To put the potential buyers mind at ease, the homeowner can hire an environmental hygienist to perform a 'clearance test'. This hygienist will generate a report that will tell you the quality of the air for the environment of the home.

 If the test does indeed report elevated levels of mold spores, the hygienist will then write a protocol that will establish the steps necessary to remedy the situation.

 Hope this information will help your seller.

Cheers!

My word, what a useful piece of information!  Thank you indeed, Cynthia.  I shall look into at once.  Coincidentally, I passed a sign today that looks like it will do the same?  what do you reckon?

No problem Juliet, 

 Not sure about that particular Co., but you might suggest this to the real estate agent. They sometimes have a resource for this type of work. If not, I would try the better business bureau or a company like Servpro, Service Master or any company that has experience w/ water mitigation.

That Co. in your photo sure looks like it does this type of work, just check them out.

By the way......Well done on the staging!

I agree Juliet, it is a shame it hasn't sold. Why hasn't it sold?  Very good staging. You can be proud of that.

I can only assume it's been sitting now.  And in the back of people's minds the mold is an issue.

Juliet, did the seller nix the idea of an environmental hygienist conducting the clearance test I mentioned in my previous post? If the mold was remediated, maybe this extra step would help put any potential buyers mind at ease.

Juliet ~ this is excellent staging, making the most by using what the seller has and adding some very fun well-placed accessories & wall decor (love the dishtowel idea)!  Thanks for the photos and for identifying your resources....that really helps.  Our new IKEA just opened a couple of weeks ago, and I almost went crazy in there....can't wait to go back!

Hi Cynthia - my bad.  I haven't offered the notion to the REA.  She's away.  It's an estate.  Will get on it as soon as she's back in September.

Maureen - Ahhhh, Ikea -- a stager's best friend, fer sherrrrr!  Love the inexpensive rugs, the glass, the candles, the color...and then suddenly the "bad" art is really expensive for what it is.  Go figure!  I find the pillows and bedding look "country" very quickly.  One has to mix and match with other things.

Juliet -  I answered your thoughtful questions (earlier in the post) then received a (coincidental?) email from 'headquarters' about going off topic... hence, I deleted my response  ~oops?!~

Anyway....this property is representative of so many listings in this market.  Yes, the staging IS working!  Todays buyer is very savvy with high expectations, though.  I think they're sitting back because they want more for less. This cycle isn't new in real estate, but it's new to us stager! 

You've got to be very proud of your staging work...  I believe it all comes down to price if everything else is in order.

IKEA... wish there was one nearby.  I've never been there!  For those of you who may not be aware... Pier 1 offers a 20% designer discount. Just go in and ask for the paperwork! 

Linda, my fault, I should have asked you that stuff offline.  I'd still like to know, if you'd be willing to email it.

You're quite right in your assessment of the market.  That certainly describes our "reality".

Why don't you do a post on "What Jewelry has taught me about staging? " and then your typing and thoughts won't have been wasted.

Thanks, Juliet.  I think I'll do that!  It will be interesting to see how other's are inspired by whatever their other passion is!

I'm sitting in a just de-staged lake front home (waiting for the furniture rental company) that I staged back in early April and I realize this project is so similar to your situation.  I met the Realtors assistant here today and she filled me in on pieces of the puzzle... why has this beautifully staged AWESOME lake front home not sold sooner?!?  It had  been on the market for nearly a year when it was vacant... then took 4 months to sell after being staged.  I learned today that it has fallen out of escrow 5 times (mold was an issue at one time!).  It finally ended up selling for $145k less than the list price, selling for $1,450,000 (not an uncommon price range in this area).  

So... what could some of the issues be???  We were all scratching our head... but...  from my bony perspective, I think there are several reasons. 

#1 Priced too high for this market

#2 Buyers are VERY cautious because so many houses are on the market and the market is slow... time is on their side!

#3 Neighborhood issues... there has been major construction going on next door and a few minor infringement issues needed to be cleared up.

All in all... I think that buyers are very, VERY cautious... they want to have their cake AND eat it too! 

Can you blame them?!?