This is something I've known for a long time and if you think that as a professional home stager that you are only in the "home staging business" then you are not in the business of real estate.
A good analogy for this is to think back when trains were the main form of transportation (before my day folks but I remember history lessons).
When airplanes came on the scene the big wigs at the Rail Road industries stated something to the effect of," They'll never fly! People and cargo travel by RAIL not air!"
Well as we all know, airplanes did fly and today they are the major source of mass transportation for people and cargo worldwide.
What the Rail Road industry failed to see was they were not in the Railroad business at all but in the TRANSPORTATION business.
The railroad industry never really recovered the same glory it had prior to the introduction and success of the airline industry.
The transportation industry was never the same.
And this is precisely the point of my blog.
I know many in the Real Estate community are still lacking in knowledge about how to work with a professional home stager and how they can assist you. (And I don't mean those who are active on Active Rain - if any of you have read blogs on or joined the group Stage it Forward here, you know who we are and hopefully you have made contact with one or several in your area).
Let me assure you Realtors and Sellers, I AM IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS and MY EXPERTISE IS IN HOME STAGING.
To be in the Real Estate business one must know the basic ins and outs of the market and what the purpose is. I do not claim to be a Realtor or pretend to be as much.
I do know PRICE is king when it comes to selling a home, I do not dispute that EVER and will reiterate that to my clients as well as assure them that their Realtor will guide them on that area of their journey to sell.
But as professional home stagers, we are in the business to help our clients sell houses.
My expertise lies in the marketing end of the selling process and I understand what it takes to get a home buyer ready.
Not only by doing it for you if you contract Home Star Staging to stage your property, but I can also consult with you or your clients on how they can do it themselves. It's a symbiotic relationship where by one professional assists another in the home selling or Real Estate transaction process.
We are in the same field, recognized experts in each chosen profession.
My company specializes in home staging but I am in the Real Estate business and it is my job to help YOU sell houses.
Plain and simple.
May the Real Estate industry never be the same since the introduction of the home stager.
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Karen,
This is a good reminder....The net of the price is what counts and staging helps to increase the net.
Ann
Karen- Well said!! That is really what we are all about :)
Absolutely Ann!
Thanks for reading Wendy
I agree that you are in the real estate business along with the rest of us.
Glad you agree David!
Go get 'em Karen! Your blogs are great. Hope all is well with you.
Karen- Your post is so timely. I was writing up a draft on this very topic just last night. I really do feel that we have to remind people often that we are in the same business, the business of selling houses.
Unfortunately, I can't tell you how many times I get resistance, push-back and left out of a lot of the details. Details that would be very important for me to know so I can better help sell the house. I will hopefully get my new article posted tonight, but be on the look-out for a real life example of why we need to be accepted as part of the same industry. Good post!
Hey Tim thanks for reading and I hope you're busy laying & refinishing those beautiful floors in NC! Another great home investment!
The message cannot be said enough or in too many ways Emma, I'll look forward to reading your post and feel free to link it back here when you've written it.
I encourage all local realtors to get to know Karen..... Whether you do a ton of business with her or not, she is a great gal to know..... And Always thinking about marketing.
Hi friend!!
Great post!!!
Karen - A refreshing and professional approach to communicating the message that real estate is constantly changing and evolving. Staging in some areas is still in it's infancy but is certainly being helped to grow and expand by those who treat it as a profession.
Now I'll have to buy YOU breakfast Tom. Thanks for your kind words....
Agreed Kathy, thank you for reading!
Karen: I always look forward to reading your posts and this one is no exception. We are a major, and in many cases, a welcome part of the real estate industry. I look forward to the day that hiring a home stager is the rule, rather than the exception.
I appreciate your kind words Michelle, the feeling is mutual.
From your words to the real estate industry's ears...
Great post, Karen O. -- great example! I am friends through BNI with a guy who owns a carpet cleaning business and another who owns a flooring company -- they comment frequently about how they are in the same business wanting the same result!
Well said! (as always!) We'll just keep plugging away until all agents finally come on board!
Hi Karen D. there are many service professionals in the real estate business!
That's my goal Teresa, for home staging to be seen as a standard part of a real estate transaction.
Hi Karen,
What a wonderful blog and you expressed your point so well with your analogy of the transportation industry involving both trains and planes. Home Stagers do understand the Real Estate industry and we are NOT a threat to Realtors nor do most of us profess to be experts in that field; that we leave to the professionals! What we are is an invaluable marketing tool as well as an important liason when unpleasant housekeeping issues arise!
Val
Hey Val! Long time since I've "seen" you - thanks for stopping by my blog and adding your valuable comments!
Great post Karen! I liked your analogy of planes and trains....as the times move ahead! Progress is slower in some parts of the country...and Florida has an amazing amount of potential yet to be staged! Though many of the AR REAs may know about staging, I wonder why there is such a large number who still do not call up or develop a relationship with their area home stagers. We WILL be a permanant fixture in real estate! Regards-Kathleen G
You do know I'm a Florida native right Kathleen? Born and raised in Miami and a TX transplant since 2001 - and don't I KNOW where you're at in the great state of FLA! We are in the same boat here as far as the knowledge is concerned but having that translate into action... we WILL be on it if it takes one house at a time. California has already done a great job at leading the charge.
Yes, you are so right! I pride myself on having knowledge of the real estate market and the buying/selling process.
Karen, It's good to see that you are so knowledgeable about real estate, as staging to attract buyers is so important in every home.
Yes mam, you are in the real estate business and your business is to assist in the home sale process. When you apply your wisdom of staging and the demographics and techniques you know to work, your sellers and your realtors get the result they desire. Listed Staged SOLD!!! What could be better.
Right on Tori Lynn!
We need to be able to take the team approach Lynn and understand the rules of the game.
Who would know better than a Realtor/Stager (stagent) Terrylynn? You've got the best of both worlds and I thank you for sharing it with us all.
Karen, another awesome post! I like what you said about staging being part of every real estate transaction. Eventually it will be an industry standard. Working together with the Realtor and seller will produce the greatest results.
Thanks for adding your positive comments Michele!
Hi Karen, What a fantastic correlation between staging and real estate. IT is about the real estate- getting it sold. I do have an inactive RE license so it does go hand in hand. God bless.
Karen,
I wish sellers would understand the value of what you do.
Ann
Thank you for your comment Cheryl, you really have a great combo of skill sets with both a RE license and your home staging expertise!
It's one of the reasons I write this blog and teach a class at the local college here in Plano Ann, getting the message out there and understood (in a user friendly way) is the largest hurdle we face in this industry.
Karen,
That is awesome of you.
Ann
I feel honored by the College that they accepted my course Ann but thank you kindly.
Karen this is a great post and I absolutely agree with you one thousand percent. I just spoke to my former boss the other day. Remember I was a real estate paralegal working for a very successful real estate attorney. I thanked him for all his extensive training because it has HELPED me so much in my business.
I know about all aspects of the real estate transaction, from attorney review to the post closing issues that may arise. I handled it all so when it comes to dealing with a client, YES home staging WILL prepare their home for sale, but there are SO many other factors that will add to that sale.
We are professionals in the real estate industry.
God Bless Phyllis Pafumi
Your clients are certainly blessed to have you in their lives Phyllis, you bring so much value to them that's not only tangible but intangible as well.
Karen,
They are lucky to have you!
Ann
thanks Ann ;-)
This post rocks! You hit the nail right on the head! Well done!
"I've been workin on the railroad".... Thanks Sassy - I like anything that rocks!