Savvy Portland Oregon Realtor Believes in Home Staging ~ Here's the Proof!
We've seen some lively discussions about whether staging can help properties sell faster. Some real estate agents believe that it's all about price, and price alone ... get the price low enough and any property will sell, regardless of its condition or lack of appeal.
Another segment of savvy real estate professionals believe that home staging offers powerful benefits to sellers and their agents. Today's buyers are interested in viewing properties that are "move in ready." They don't want to spend time and money to paint, replace carpeting, update the light fixtures and hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms, improve the curb appeal, etc. Homes that are well presented in the online listing photos and marketing flyers will "draw" more buyers to view them in person. They must also be priced competitively compared to other homes in a similar location, similar size and condition, etc.
Professional home staging addresses the "condition" issues in a home. Using either a consultation or hands-on staging service, staging can improve the appeal of any home, even ones with awkward floor plans or dated features. Experienced home stagers have a lot of creativity and provide helpful tips for sellers and their agents ~ and the best ideas are also very cost-effective.
One of the savvy Oregon Realtors who uses our staging service on all of her listings included this info in her recent newsletter:.
"... home sales kept me busy this year ... Adding a professional stager and professional photographer to my marketing team produced amazing results ~ In 2009 my listings averaged a mere 30 Days on Market with my sellers receiving an average of 97% of their list price! This is significantly lower than the Portland area market time of 143 days."
To avoid having your property languish on the market, and repeated price reductions, call in a professional home stager before listing ~ this ensures you've done all that you can to present your home at its very best.
Here's photos of a few of the homes we've staged for a local Realtor recently ~ they all SOLD quickly with her team approach that includes Competitive Pricing - Professional Staging - Great Photos
These homes received either a Verbal Consultation (where we provide the sellers with suggestions for easy, cost-effective cosmetic fixes & advice on proper furniture placement); or Home staging for an Occupied home (where we work with the sellers' existing furniture to showcase the space); or Home staging for a Vacant home (where we bring in all necessary furniture & accessories to make the home appealing to its target buyer).
Related Post: Dear Mr. Seller, I tried to Help You, But ...
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Need to sell your home or listing quickly? Maureen Bray and the team at Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR offers homeowners, investors, builders, banks, & Realtors a varied menu of professional home staging services. Our consultation service is only $150 and provides you with expert tips and suggestions to make your home ready for the market. Give us a call for more info @ 503-246-1800. We'd love to help you sell your home!
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great stuff
Thanks for the pics!! The homes really look great.
Maureen,
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a listing with carefully selected, and above average, photos generates more showings. And a house that "shows well" sells faster, and for closer to the asking price. (As long as it is "within reason", of course.)
You can hear it in Buyer's Agents voices when they call and say, "It really does show so well. We are going to have an offer tomorrow afternoon." They know that just as the house attracted their buyers, it can also attract others because of how it is showing, and the offers reasonably reflect that.
Your photos look fantastic.
Good luck!
Maureen, The photos you listed show the absolute value in staging. Once people have had their home staged they are just amazed at how different it looks (and how quickly it sells!). I was reading an article yesterday that one client who had called in a Stager to sell decided to keep the property! I wish I had it, I'd attach the link :)
Gary ~ glad you liked it
Tammie ~ That's why they sold so quickly, according to the listing agent ... thanks for your feedback!
Tim ~ Thanks for your positive comments ... and pointing out that staged homes sell faster because they look so much better than some of the others they're competing against, and encourage faster offers.
Carole ~ You're right that sometimes it takes seeing in order to "believe" in home staging. I did have a client take their property off the market because they liked it so much better after we staged it. Can't dispute that, can we?
All of these factors are essential. If a house has been sitting on the market for a while, buyers and agents should give a professional home stager a call.
Cindy ~ So true ... before listing, or afterwards if the home is still on the market without offers, home staging can help!
Maureen, you and Kristin have a wonderful synergy in your work. Your common goal is to achieve a rapid sale with a maximum price benefit to the sellers. No wonder why the two of you have been so successful this year!
Kathy ~ As a Realtor, Kristin recognizes the true value in staging. Her own statistics prove that it works in conjunction with proper pricing! Thanks for your feedback.
Well said Maureen; excellent job as usual!!!!!!
Randy ~ Thanks for stopping by with your comment.
A well stated testimony! Your work and presentation is outstanding. I am working at getting photos that look as good as yours!
Proof positive that staging is a valuable marketing tool and added layer of service that all Realtors should be including in their portfolio of services Maureen. Great job!
Karen D & Karen O ~ There's nothing like letting the actual statistics speak for themselves, is there? Especially when it comes from a Realtor who is smart enough to use all of the marketing tools available.
Maureen: First of all ... I love reading and viewing your writings! Maybe I'm crazy, but the beautiful pictures and beautiful homes always seem uplifting and reviving to me. They improve my mood!
Secondly, I have to relate that I always hear that it takes the "right" customer to come along for a property to sell. My impression would be that even the "right" customer viewing homes in their "right" price range or that are fantastic deals monetarily ... will be turned off if the home they are viewing doesn't host some type of visible appeal for them. It seems only human nature. So, as a sales agent ... if you have something within your toolbox that will help you broaden and improve the visual appeal of the home ... why not consider utilizing it? A stager may not be the only tool contained within your toolbox, but it most certainly could be an extremely helpful and ultimately beneficial one to have. It could prove to be the perfect "tool" that fixes the broken down sale of a home. And keep in mind ... that it takes more than one "tool" to build a home ... or a sale.
Great article, Maureen. Hope you and yours have a great Holiday season!
Gene
Maureen, simply beautiful staging and a very well stated post. Love Gene's comments too. He said what so many of us stagers have been trying to convey. We want to help sellers and agents. We can be the addition to their "toolbox" that helps create an environment that MAKES THE SALE HAPPEN. I wonder how long Gene has had this staging positive attitude?
Gene ~ So nice to hear from you again, and thank you for your kind words about my posts impacting mood! Your comments about the tools in the agent's toolbox are so well stated. Staging will only enhance a property that already meets the buyer's expectations, is in the location they want, is priced appropriately, and is in good condition. No staging can "fix" a home that doesn't start with those parts of the equation in place. So many sellers just need a stager's help when it comes to presenting their lived-in home to buyers, to show off that home's best features, and to make the viewing experience the best it can be.
May you and your family have a wonderful Holiday season as well!
Ginger ~ Thank you for your ongoing support, much appreciated. Gene did say it so well -- he's been reading the Stage It Forward posts this year, and is very encouraging and supportive of the role that staging can play in the sale. So nice to see that a mortgage lender has such a positive view of the staging industry, isn't it?
Very nicely done, Maureen! The pictures look great! I like your post and especially I like the realtor quote - "Adding a professional stager and professional photographer to my marketing team..." yes, home stagers complement real estate agents in the marketing effort. We are here to help as team members.
Birgit ~ Yes, we are partners in the Realtor's marketing effort. Some take advantage of that, and some don't ... but those who don't are missing out (and their clients are as well). We need to keep educating them about how our service dovetails quite nicely with their marketing.
Beautiful.....
B ~ Thanks for stopping by ...
What a fabulous team you are! Love, love the stagings and the professional pics really do them justice. Another great blog my Portland friend;)
Your pictures look absolutely perfect and should be in a magazine! I really like the round metal accessory above the fireplace, it is very unique. Great post and pictures.
Lori ~ Thanks so much for your endorsement! Hope all is going well in the Sacto area! :-)
Kate ~ That round metal piece is from Pier 1 .... thank you for your kind remarks.
Maureen, you do a wonderful job of staging and your pictures are beautiful!
Suzanne ~ I love working with this Realtor -- her sellers are always motivated and it makes a big difference in how the homes look when they come on the market. Thanks for your nice feedback.
Like the others have said, your photos are really good! And the subject makes perfect sense! I must learn more.... Thanks and have a great day!
Hi Marilyn ~ Thanks for stopping by .... I hope as a Realtor you find a good home stager to work with!
That's great, Maureen! The biggest compliment to what we do is when we have those regular Realtors who feel that they cannot do their job without us doing ours, so use us on every listing no matter what!
Deena ~ You're absolutely right -- this type of proactive Realtor is the smartest as their listings always look appealing and they usually sell faster!
Maureen wonderful details and photos. I can tell that you love what you do and this is so important. Thanks for sharing.
Shirin ~ I feel lucky to be able to do the kind of work I love -- helping people with the sale of their home so that they can move on. Thank you for stopping by.