"It's Not MY Job" Doesn't Get You The Job, or My Respect

“It’s not MY job” doesn’t get you the job, or my respect. Allow me to elaborate.

Not too long ago Preferred Staging was hired to stage a small vacant property. I did a consultation with the Realtor prior to the staging and made a few suggestions, some “stronger” than others. For example, the light fixture in the powder room was not only about 25 years old, but it was filthy and missing a few light bulbs. I strongly suggested a new, updated fixture – something from Home Depot or Lowes that wouldn’t cost more than $50 or so, and would have really made a huge difference.

There were also some odd and very old modern end tables that were to be disposed of. I was told that they would be removed prior to staging day, along with the old, yellowed and disintegrating roller shades on the windows.

Finally, the entire property needed to be thoroughly cleaned. The entire kitchen and master bath had been updated (so why couldn’t they have updated the powder room fixture, too?), and there was a lot of dust and dirt everywhere. It clearly states in our contract that the property must be cleaned before staging, which I pointed out to the Realtor.

Staging day arrives, and the Realtor is there to let us into the property. They were a nice person - even helped us with the first load from the van. But as the morning progressed I started to think otherwise about them.

The Realtor had arrived shortly before us to remove the yellowed roller shades and throw them away, and to move the nasty modern tables into a closet. But the property had not been cleaned. Well, a broom had been pushed around so the floors were OK, but there was a thick layer of dust on shelves, mirrors were grimy, windows were so filthy you couldn’t clearly see out of them, and there was a layer of dust on every surface. And the nasty powder room fixture was still there.

I mentioned to the realtor that it clearly states in the contract that the property should have been cleaned before staging, and that before we put our rugs and other accessories on the floors, books and items on the shelves, and accessories on the kitchen countertops, we would have to spend some time doing a quick cleaning and wiping down. What’s the point of staging with beautiful furniture and accessories if the rooms are a mess? Staging isn’t going to hide it. Any serious buyer is going to notice the dust everywhere and the fact that you can’t see out the windows.

I was firmly told not to clean a thing. It was NOT my job to do it. Well, this just ruffled my feathers to say the least. Not only was the contract not honored, but my company’s name was going to be associated with this property, and the fact that it was filthy and grimy would be attached to Preferred Staging. Guilt by association. Not only that, but I would have had a hard time putting my well maintained accessories on dust and dirt.

What blew my away was what the realtor said next. In essence, they said, "I've already gone above and beyond my job by removing and throwing away the roller blinds and moving those tables to the closet. I'm not getting paid for that, so you shouldn't do anything you're not going to be paid for, either."

Ahhh. So this Realtor had the work ethic of doing the minimal amount of work necessary. They were "just doing their job" as it is understood in its most basic form. If they were asked to do anything above and beyond listing the property and showing it, I'm sure they didn't do it, or complained about it as they did to me. Now I understood why this Realtor had only one other listing besides the one we were staging. (Yes, I do check out who calls me, don't you? If anything I want to know what they look like so I can recognize them when we first meet.) I'm sure their attitude and approach to real estate is why they aren't a "big dog", and furthermore, I lost all professional respect for them.

This Realtor is truly the only one of the hundreds of Realtors I've met that had this attitude.

Virtually all of the Realtors I work with go far beyond what is "required" of them. I've worked with Realtors who have helped me stage occupied homes by completely reorganizing the closets (clothes, linen and pantry) and ironing all the bedding. There are other realtors who I've seen work with a cleaning crew by doing the dishes and running the vacuum. Then there are those who stop by a house every day to pick up the mail and turn on the lights so that a vacant house doesn't look vacant.

It is these Realtors who are the most successful. Not only do they provide excellent customer service, but they're also making their jobs easier to market the house it top condition. These Realtors realize that this is not just a business transaction but a significant emotional and financial event in the lives of their clients.

And I love working with these Realtors and their clients.

All the Best,

Monica