Should Real-Estate agents be promoting Staging ?

Here in the Montreal area most home stagers market directly to the Real-Estate Agents and seemingly with mixed results.

The idea for Home Stagers seems obvious...REA need the home staged and therefore they should know who I am and call me in to do the staging.

A few months ago a prominent Montreal Home Stager posted a blog on AR suggesting she was frustrated that no matter how many great presentations she did to REA and how favourable the response was very few agents ever called her.

I work with REA but no longer try to market to them exclusively. I found that while the REAs I worked with would usually only call Home Harmony for staging projects it often seemed that their use of staging services was inconsistent.

A few questions :

1. Does Home Staging work ?
   • Yes it makes a home look better/more presentable
   • It can help a house sell more quickly and/or for better money
2. Is Home Staging worth it ?
   • That depends on what the investment is. Not all stagers and staging projects are equal.
   • Some people spend too much on staging (and perhaps not the right things are done)
   • Some people don't spend enough
3. Is it worthwhile for a REA to bring a stager in to do a consultation ?
   • Maybe...sometimes the homeowners don't do anything with it, sometimes they will do the work themselves and sometimes they will hire the home stager.
   • Sometimes it can differentiate the services of one REA versus another making it worthwhile to the REA.
4. Why aren't more houses staged ?
   • I wonder if many REA are uncomfortable selling Staging Services - Am I wrong ?
   • I wonder how many home owners understand what staging can do for them and therefore don't need to be sold on staging ? - I am thinking it isn't as well understood as it should be.
   • Is it the concern over the cost ?

My Title like asked - Should REA be promoting staging ?

I used to think so. Now I am far from sure. I am beginning to think that to properly sell staging services we must first sell the idea of staging and Home Stagers need to take the education of the home-owners into their own hands and stop drafting on REA.

I think REAs would rather try to sell a home that was staged than one that was not. But I don't think they should be in a position to educate people as to the benefits of staging and encouraging them to hire a stager.

What do you think ?

1. Are homeowners in your area well informed as to the benefits of staging ?
2. Do they understand the ROI for staging ?
3. Is the best place for a stager to get into a home still with the Real-Estate Agent ?
4. Should REAs be encouraging their clients to stage their homes ?