The importance of staging a home has come up more and more in my conversations when listing a home. I know enough to tell clients to take away the clutter including pictures on the refrigerator-have as much space as possible for the prospective buyers to imagine themselves in the home-not to mention painting, upkeep and cleanliness. I can walk through a home and know when it looks off kilter or dominated by excessive furniture etc. What came up recently for me was how does it look in the pictures I take - is there a sense of space and openness when people view it online. I take a lot of pictures and post the best ones but it got me thinking-what else can I learn about something I thought I knew already.
I ran across a credential for Realtors called an "ASP Designation" (Accredited Staging Professional) through Stagedhomes.com which is for Real Estate Agents to be trained in proven Staging techniques. This is a two day course for Realtors and three days for Staging Professionals. I first heard about it through the message boards with RE/MAX where many Realtors have the designation and recommended it. Several of the RE/MAX agents also said they have a partnership with a staging professional as part of their listing presentation. A staging professional comes when they list the home (the Realtor pays them from $25-$100) and they give some tips on how best to present their home. Many times the seller wants to hire the stager after this initial meeting and so it is a great lead opportunity for a stager to provide this service with a Realtor.
Selling Southeastern Michigan Real Estate where Buyers have so many choices, sellers have to be really competitive ao I am considering adding this to my tool box of marketing strategies I can offer my sellers. Does anyone have this designation, heard of it or recommend it?
Missy: It sounds like you think the designation is worth while. When you have a TEAM (I do not yet), the value is in everyone contributing in a way that compliments what other team members bring. Having them separate would make a client feel they are getting a well-rounded variety of services.
Nathan: I am very seriously considering getting the designation in August and I don't work a team. I am sure it would work just as well and I can see what Missy is creating as my comment says above. You can follow the link I have in the post to find out more about the training. It is two days for Realtor (around $395 I think) and one day is about marketing and the other about staging.
Hi Cathy, While I feel that there is room for both professional stagers and Realtors who have taken a training, I take the postition that Realtors have SO MANY other things to do when selling a home, do you really want to be saddled with folding towels and moving armoires across a room? (of course I would take that position - lol)
But seriously, let's say a seller is interviewing their prospective Realtor. You vs. another Realtor, you both offer similar services, similar commissions etc. but what if you added the services of a professional stager. The other Realtor says I will be the one to stage your home. As the seller which would you choose?
Maureen mentions above that you could take a course for $350.00 "so that they can be familiar with staging, without having to actually do the staging themselves. It will give you a network of stagers..." That seems expensive to me.
You mention "I think sellers will take the news better from someone who has such a designation." I don't know how many people outside of the real estate world that know what any of the designations mean... but they know what staging is and I would agree that they would take the news better from a stager.
Hi Maureen - We don't offer a course for Realtors. We only offer a course for those interested in starting their own home staging business - of course realtors could take the course if they were interested, any one could.
We considered developing a course for Realtors, but decided that the realtor really had other responsibilites to take care of than to schlep around furniture and hang window treatments. Just by reading some of the "life in the day of a realtor" posts - they don't have time to effectively stage a home too.
I don't discourage them from educating themselves in other arenas of real estate, but I think that could be accomplished for a lot less money and in other ways.
We do offer a program for Realtors that encourages them to provide staging services for their listings. By doing so, I believe that they set themselves apart from other Realtors, they are truly providing a "full service" to their clients, they give their listings a competitive edge against other homes, as Cathy stated - it will make the photos of the listing look awesome, staging gets the house marketable from the get-go - as soon as it goes on the market, not long after it has lingered there.
Cari:
I agree that I have many other things to do and a professional stager would be the best. However, in Southeastern Michigan, sellers are sometimes bringing money to closing - so when they have to reduce their home so much - the cost of a stager can be prohibitive. In that case, I think a bit more knowledge on my part would go a long way. When cost is not a concern, I would much rather bring in someone who has the time and expertise. After reading a post in our RE/MAX site, I was considering partnering up with a stager to enhave my presentation and provide leads for that person. I have a friend who has a relative they wanted me to meet who is in this business. The agents were paying a stager $25 - $100 to come and give some basic tips and then the seller could higher them for more consultation on their own. it was confusing and the seller hired them but did not understand the cost - none of us were very clear in our communication and it was awkward for all parties. All things considered, I thought this designation would help from a lot of angles - mostly for those who could not afford it in a challenging market.
Cathy,
You have a valid point (especially in our market) that a lot of the sellers cannot afford the cost of a stager. I really do applaud you for thinking outside the box and wanting to take a course so you could further develop your knowledge of staging (or any other facet of RE). I haven't ever taken the Realtor ASP class, I hope if you do decide to take it that you get out of it what you hope to.
Hi Cathy!
I just happened upon this blog today and was wondering if you decided to take the ASP course? I see it's from a couple years ago, so I'm very curious if you earned the ASP designation and if you are actively staging your listings.
Just an FYI...I am an ASP and have worked on quite a few houses in Birmingham and the surrounding areas. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you with your staging needs.
Good luck with your RE business!
Marianne: Thanks for the offer of assistance for my staging needs. I did not get the ASP designation as it did not seem necessary at the time with the many foreclosures and price being what mattered most. I may consider it again in the future. I will keep your name in mind should the need arise.