5 Things Realtors Hate about Stagers

The information in this post is a combination of notes taken from a presentation at a recent Real Estate Staging Association seminar by Adrienne Lord, of Sell or Dwell, who is both a stager and an agent with Coldwell Banker. She completed a 2 year survey of realtors in our area. I added my own observations from 12 years as a stager and 10 as a certification trainer.

Some stagers are:

1.      Vague about pricing, options too confusing, easier to reduce the price
2.      Not savvy on electronic contracts and payment options
3.      High maintenance about access to the property
4.      Not reinforcing to

the homeowner that it's their responsibility to pay for the staging

5.      Not certified and insured

 ~ Before you go any further, be sure to read down to the bottom to find out more about our much anticipated Newest Online Format. The entire class is now instantly accessible in a beautiful... see below for more details. ~

1.  Agents seem to be fuzzy on our pricing and the advantages of partnering with a stager. Otherwise, they would be recommending us to every client. Last year, I was invited in to speak to a local RE office. One of their agents lost a million dollar listing because she hesitated when asked by the homeowner, "Do you have a stager?" Realtors... always say, "YES, we have a stager on our team!!" You need to have a stager's cards in your pocket at all times.
2.  Stagers, pay attention: Get up to date on electronic contract signing and invoicing. Many of my clients who are homeowners and investors live in other parts of the country. I have 2 right now from California and Colorado. It's all in our training.
3. Whatever you do, make it easy for the agent to give you access to the property. Go out of your way to get the key, if needed, and get gate access directly from the homeowner. If dealing with a stager is a hassle, guess what?? You will never get that 2nd job.
4.  It's absolutely critical to let the homeowner know it's their responsibility to pay for the staging. In my opinion, this is the number one reason agents don't send stagers to all their clients. HELLO!! Stagers beware!! If your agent gets stuck with the payment, you'd better do the job for less if you want repeat business.
5.  Stagers, pay attention: Get certified and insured, for crying out loud!! Please don't be a Debbie Decorator with no credentials. Anyone can get a business card and call themselves a stager. Homeowners beware; they're everywhere!  Agents today know they should ask about your training. Agents will not recommend an uninsured stager because the homeowner would have to make a claim on their Homeowners insurance if you get hurt while on their property. If the stager is not certified, they are mainly just de-cluttering. Anyone can do that.

Hopefully, this clears up any misconceptions and frustrations for stagers who are perplexed why agents are slow to embrace them. Let's be professional and become their best partner to becoming successful.

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GREAT NEWS ~ The entire class is now accessible through a Members Only portal. While we are tweaking it, the $750 price will reduced to $500 plus we are adding a set of professionally produced audio CDs, valued at $150, of the entire class. These recordings can reinforce your training as you listen while in your car. Also, the entire class has been video recorded, so it's like sitting in the actual class. Value $900.

All of our contestants in our stager scholarship will get this special deal. We are offering a limited quantity to others on a first-come, first-served basis. Watch for more about the scholarship in a few days. The winners of the free classes will be announced in just a few days.

We will also have an option for former students to take advantage of this new, easy format to brush up on skills and see all the new videos and updates for $100. If you took the class before this January, a lot is new. New videos and advanced material will be added as we develop it. This will pay for your membership for the next 2 years. ~

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 Also, let me know if you are interested in any of our early 2017 Jacksonville classes. They are filling up quickly. The students are coming from as far away as California, Idaho, Bermuda and Canada. 

DETAILS

For Real Estate Staging Association info, go to Facebook RESA-Jacksonville. Our next meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 16th at 10:00AM till 11:45AM. The SE branch library on Deerpark Blvd., next to the Sheraton off Gate Pkway. The meeting is all about personal security. Agents are welcome to attend. So plan to join us. RSVP here Open to anyone interested in staging.