Comments on: Real estate agents make their financial situation worse

By: Debra Gould

Debra Gould — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:29:32 +0000

Leigh Anne, your comment says it all! Thanks for sharing!

By: Leigh Anne Love-Mayer

Leigh Anne Love-Mayer — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:07:04 +0000

A friend had her home listed with a Realtor who lived in the neighborhood however at close to the end of the 6 month contract called me and asked about a more professional Realtor who I had mentioned to her long before she originally listed. She decided to make the change and I was hired to stage the home. I was almost done, when the original Realtor came by to pick up her lockbox, saw the home was staged (and my car in the driveway with my magnetic Staging sign on the doors) and actually commented “oh, you are having the home staged, I thought it looked pretty good before, I wish you would have given me another chance before changing Realtors”. What a careless comment! Yes, my Clients home was already clean, and looked nice, but……she never thought of all the things I changed, recommendations I made (like cleaning out the closets, removing excess furniture and things like that which made an 1100 sq. ft. house now look huge!

By: Sherry

Sherry — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:58:28 +0000

Debra,
Excellent article!
. At one time, I was a real estate agent who soon realized how unprepared sellers were for a competitive market. My love for staging began with my first agent “go see”, & long before I knew the term.
. Before signing, the seller first had to agree on two main points: (1) to “make necessary changes” to their property. I explained other properties problems & why those properties were unsellble. (2) List their home/property for a fair price. We want to attract the right buyers right now.
. I presented proposed changes to be market-ready before the home/property was MLS listed. My “staging” reasons made sense & (surprisingly) every client agreed. We returned rooms to original spaces, painted, updated, rearranged. The interior & exteriors were market-ready. I took a photography class: the MLS photos were top-drawer: I learned that (at times) less is more.
. Despite the market, listings sold quickly & often for more money. [NOTE: I listed properties @ fair market value.] At times there were bidding wars. Now the problems: clients were pleased, my business increased, & I became too busy. I hadn’t charged for staging, necessary to sell property. So now what?
. As I stated, my love had always been staging. I love being creative & enjoyed being my own boss. I let my real estate license expire & happily became a certified Home Stager / ReDesigner.
. An agent is dollar & dimed to death: the hours were impossible: clients are frustrated & frustrating: the market today? I can’t imagine the pressure an agent is under.
. Does staging assist an agent? Yes.