Why Do Realtors Fear Stagers?

I have Staged® Homes all my life, starting in childhood, constantly rearranging my room. I sold by owner, in under 30 days, for years & years (No more - use a Realtor®) preparing those homes as “Staged®” before I knew the term. I have been doing it professionally & full time in the Real Estate Industry since 2006. Pure Staging® is “helping” Realtors® and sellers prepare & sell property not “actively” sell it. A Pure Staging® Professional knows his or her boundaries concerning price, contracts, inspections & all the rest - that IS handled by the Realtor®. We don’t go there!!! We make ‘em beautiful, Realtor® sells ‘em! We package properties, making the Realtor® look good, the house(s) look amazing, marketing better & reducing time on the market. Pure Staging Professionals save everyone money!

Real Estate is a different industry, in 2010. In all my professional endeavors I have never seen so much skepticism amongst professional people. There you have it! What is wrong? Professional Home Stagers® have trouble getting to sellers as Realtors® live in fear of what we will do, say or that that we will steal a client. NOTE - that’s unethical. Sure it may happen but not all Home Stagers® have their real estate license, I don’t. If you are afraid to use a Stager as you may loose a listing find a Steger that is not a Realtor®! We are out there!! Whether a Pure Stager® or a Realtor®/Stager®. Realtors® have a fudeciry responsibility to bring in Professional Stager® on every listing! Realtors, find a Professional Stager® that you can trust!!

I am speaking up after a recent comment that I saw on Facebook. A Realtor® (I do not know where) by way of a Stager® made a wild statement about Home Stagers®. A seller was interviewing agents before placing their home up for sale; Home Staging came up with one Realtor®. The Realtor® actually said, “Home Stagers® just pose as Realtors® selling houses illegally. Don’t use one.” WHAT? I believe this agent must have run across some less than Professional Home Stagers®, perhaps some with no formal training in our field. A Professional Home Stager® (not the ones I know) would never pose as anything more than someone there to help the seller prepare their home with potential buyers in mind. We are vital part of the Real Estate team, working under the direction of the Realtor® & the seller.

The comment proves some Realtors® are misinformed about the Home Staging® field and need to research it for themselves & find the right Stager®. As Professional Home Stagers® we owe it to our industry to teach what Staging® is and what it isn’t. I’ll tell you a few things Staging® is not:

• • I can watch those shows and do the Staging® myself. As a rule we are all too attached to our stuff to know what to keep & what to pack to prepare for selling properly.
  • Play music, set the table, some flowers and I’m good - savvy buyers see right past all this!
  • My neighbor or relative needs something to do, “loves” this sort of stuff, they can do it. There are right & wrong choices to properly Stage® a home and practices Professional Stagers know to get the job done right.
  • I’ll bring in my decorator to do it. Staging® is just the opposite of decorating - it is de-personalizing where decorating is personalizing.

I love my industry! Let me go on record as saying Pure Home Staging® Professionals are a vital part of the Real Estate team and we are making a difference. It is never the job if a Realtor® to sell my services/me to the seller. That is my job. I understand the hesitation to let us meet with the sellers ourselves but think about this. Your sister’s neighbor (that you do not know) is looking for a Realtor®, your sister asks for your listing presentation packet to pass on to the neighbor, she will talk to them on your behalf. Would you do that? I think not. Just as you would not let your sister sell your real estate services I advise against selling Staging Services for a Professional Stager.

Please share your thoughts!!