A home stager’s LinkedIn complaint that the home staging business cards and flyers she left at a client’s home had been put in a kitchen drawer during showings inspired me to share my opinion on when it’s appropriate to advertise our home staging services.
See if you agree, and I welcome your thoughts on this subject!
I don’t display my business cards or marketing material during real estate showings or open houses because I don’t believe it’s in my client’s best interest. This is especially true in a resale home.
It’s not appropriate to remind potential buyers that the home they’re visiting has been decorated to sell faster and for more money. Simply put, if you remind them the home is staged, the home staging might not work as well!
This observation might invite accusations from non home stagers that home staging is an evil trick to manipulate buyers and disguise actual flaws.
That’s not what I’m saying.
Buyers make decisions for emotional reasons (as much as they’ll try and justify them later with rational arguments). This is true of real estate buying as well as almost anything else.
That’s why sales and marketing need to have an element of romance.
Staging a home showcases its best features, and can help potential buyers fall in love and make an offer. It’s not any different or more manipulative than car ads that show a happy family going on a road trip, or buying a new suit to make a good impression in a job interview.
Home staging magic
While marketing your home staging services by leaving your cards on the kitchen counter is a tempting way to sell your services, it simply ruins the “magic” in my opinion.
It would be akin to a makeup artist appearing onscreen as a starlet walks the red carpet saying, “She doesn’t look like this when she wakes up in the morning.”
What do you think about displaying your home staging business cards during a real estate open house and showings? Please share in the comments below!
With an MBA in marketing and hundreds of home staging clients, internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva, is uniquely qualified to train others how to start and grow a profitable home staging business. With home staging students in 22 countries, she is the author of several home staging guides.
I agree. I think buyers may start focusing on what they believe is staged. They can think, ” It’s staged and that is why the house looks good and wondering what the house really looks like when people live there in a negative way”. I once told someone I was a Home Stager and she accused me of doing trickery, ( I didn’t take offense just thought it was funny for someone to say that)
Thanks for commenting Shelly!
Thanks for bringing up this topic, I hadn’t thought about this before and it makes a lot of sense, this is not the time to advertise our services.
Hi Debra,
Our policy was to leave our marketing materials in our vacant stagings only. Even then, we put our cards, and brochures in a discreet place, such as the laundry room, library, or closet. Our brand, is considered a premium staging brand in Houston, and our clients often wanted their guests to know that they had used the best quality services in everything in the house.
I don’t recall ever placing marketing materials in a lived-in listing. Also, we never photographed our lived in staging projects. We felt that it embarrassed our clients to show their normal (but possibly messy) before conditions.
Excellent points Tom, thanks for sharing! I had planned for a follow up article to this one on how vacant homes could be treated differently. I appreciate your experience as I’d like to roll that into the next story!
I have actually had agents ask me to leave my business cards and place them next to theirs. If you are starting out, wouldn’t this be a way of promoting your business and getting your name out?
Lilly, It’s definitely a way to promote your business, I just think it’s also at your client’s expense since it detracts from the value of the staging you did for them.
I’m surprised that a real estate agent wouldn’t think of it that way, and it was of course kind of her to offer you that opportunity.
That said, there are tons of more effective ways of promoting your services with home sellers. I write about some of these ideas in this blog, Home Staging Business Report, and I cover them in even greater detail in my courses and ebooks.
Thanks so much for commenting!
Debra, I AGREE with you; real estate open house and showings is not
the venue to display marketing material, you will get opportunity to sell
yourself just by your presence there.
I agree with you, Debra, that leaving business cards in an occupied staging can negatively affect buyers’ views on the home. Interestingly, when we bought our new house a few months ago, I was pretty sure it was staged (it was), and it made me think “hmmm, what did it REALLY look like before! I’m sure the closets weren’t this empty, etc.” We still bought the house, but it’s interesting even I, as a stager, had those “this is not how people REALLY live” thoughts!
P.S. In my comment above, I meant the house was “new to us”! Also, I agree with Tom Scanlon that even in a vacant house, it’s best to be discreet with the placement of business cards/brochures. I tend to put my cards either in a bowl or small decorative plate on a kitchen counter, a bit tucked out of primary view!
I agree Debra. I never want to point out that an occupied home is staged or not. A little mystery is a good thing!
Besides, if the buyers are wondering if an occupied home is staged, it probably means I didn’t do a very good job. If it is staged correctly, it shouldn’t even cross the buyer’s mind, they’ll just fall in love with the home.
The only times I’ve shared my cards and brochures at a staged home are when I’m invited to attend the Broker open house.
I just attended one about 2 weeks ago and it was a great educational experience for the agents. They asked me tons of questions about what we did, how we did it, how long it took, and what it cost. This helps them when speaking with their own clients and I’m also hoping makes them a little less hesitant to recommend staging themselves.
Great topic, btw!
I agree with you, Debra. Leaving marketing materials out during an open house is tacky and obvious. It goes against the staging edict of depersonalization and works against the objective of helping potential buyers picture themselves living in the home – there are no business cards on the counter in a lived-in home. I also agree that such promotion is at the client’s expense. If I was selling a home, I wouldn’t appreciate a stager using my open house in this way.
Our policy is to leave some business cards in the vacant stagings only, as the visitors will know that it has been staged and it’s a good way to promote our company. As far as the lived in homes are concerned, I always felt that the clients will probably not want to advertise that they used home staging services. Another reason is that I feel that is the client ‘messes up’ the staging we did, it actually might reflect badly on Home Staging Montreal!
For these reasons, I have never bought the ‘Staged By xxxxxx’ signs either…What do you think?
Agree with you Sveta. No I’m not a fan of putting a sign on the lawn for the same reason.
I leave my business cards with the agent but not in the house.
I agree with Susan, my aim is that buyers don’t know a stager has helped with the presentation. I’d rather they thought that it was how the owner always lived and how they could live too if they bought the property. I think this topic also widens to promoting on social media and its something I think about often. I do post a pic of a house I’ve just staged on social media (as I figure that the people who follow me aren’t going to be buying the house) but I don’t post before and after pictures with a link to the property or write a blog post about it until the house goes unconditional. It’s a tough balance isn’t it – wanting to promote your business but not wanting to jeopardise a sale. Would love to know other thoughts on promoting on social media
Imogen, you’ve said it so well, “I’d rather they thought that it was how the owner always lived and how they could live too if they bought the property.”
As for the other issues you raised, I’m glad you did. Want to address these in a follow up story. Thanks so much for commenting!
Funny you should mention holding back on displaying before/after pics until after a home is sold or at least in contract.
I’ve often thought about linking to a home, or showing before/after pictures right after staging, but I generally wait until the home is sold, just in case.
For example, right now it’s killing me not to post before/after pics of a home that had 7 offers in 3 days, but the before pictures are soooo bad that I don’t want to spoil anything. I’ll just have to wait.
So what generally happens is that I almost always run a few months behind in my posting of images and telling of stories in social media, my website and newsletters.
I’m with you! Glad you mentioned this as well. Nice to see that I’m not the only one thinking about it!
Susan, thanks so much for commenting and sharing your experience. Congrats on that recent project. Would love to write an article about it when the time is right! Don’t forget to send me details and one before and after picture at https://stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/staging-success-stories/
Agree 100% Debra. You do not leave your cards. The only time I leave them is at a realtor open house. Because of my business name Pear Tree Home Designs, I have an adorable little artificial pear tree and and a cute business card holder (a dish) that I put on the kitchen counter. When I stage a home I do use a pear here and there in the kitchen…so some realtors know now that is my signature accessory even though my cards are not displayed.
Thanks for commenting Jodi. I love your “calling card”, brilliant 🙂 Congrats on your continued home staging success.
Hi Debra, I read your article on not having our business cards available when we stage a home. I agree with you that its pro active to let the buyers believe that this home always looked like they see it now.
Thanks for commenting Patte!
I completely agree with your article! I think it is very inappropriate. It is very self serving and I have even told realtors that although I think its smart for a stager to do this, that I don’t agree with it. It’s not the right thing to do for the seller.
Thanks for commenting!
I recently staged a n FSBO home seller who asked me to leave a dozen business cards with her as she began to sponsor Open House on the weekends. She was very proud of how her home showed after we upgraded and stager her property. Of the dozen cards I left, I had one Realtor send me a card telling me how impressed she was with my staging and she invited me to lunch. Who knows where that will lead, but I’m always hopeful. After staging a home I don’t typically leave business cards; mainly because I feel that if its marketing I want – that’s not the way to get it.
Then again…in many of the responses to this post I almost sense that as stagers we aren’t supposed to leave any trace that we staged a home. With that I have to disagree. Staging is what I do. I’m proud of it and thought I don’t need to leave behind my business cards to announce it, I’m going to keep on doing what I do. So far the homes I staged this year sold anywhere between 2 days to 7 weeks. In Alaska, the concept of home staging is relatively new. My goal is to get the word out that home staging is here, and I look for every opportunity to grow the concept and see that home sellers realize its potential.
Thanks for sharing that experience Stacy.
I don’t think it’s a matter of not being proud of the work we do though. I think it’s more a matter of not wanting to say to potential buyers, “This home has been decorated to get you to pay as much as possible for it.”
That said, you’ve raised some great points in your comments, thanks again!
I want to thank you for view on leaving the cards at open houses. We recently staged a house and wanted to leave a sign saying it was professional stage and the owner didn’t want us to. Of course we obliged but now that I have read this article I see things in a different light. I like how you used the make up artist analogy. I now agree and see things in a different light. However I think it is ok to leave signage and cards at a broker open house his way REA can see your work. Great tip- thanks!
Thanks Luisa, I appreciate your comments. I agree broker open houses are different and also an awesome way to market your services to other agents. I’ll address that in a separate follow up article. Thanks!
I respectfully disagree, Debra, but I think it depends upon what is normal and customary for your area and the type of homes you stage. I don’t put brochures in occupied homes because that is not the kind of work that I wish to pursue. I do put brochures in all my vacant stagings, which are usually large luxury homes in the Los Angeles area. It is standard and customary for the home stager to displaly brochures or business cards in these types of homes. Like Tom Scanlon, we are considered the premium staging brand in this area. Most listing agents are excited and proud that they will get to market a home we’ve staged, and we don’t disappoint. Some agents hide our brochures and hand them out personally, because they want to control who gets to know about “their resource”. As far as “breaking the spell” for home buyers, if all it takes is a stack of business cards or a brochure stand on the kitchen counter, then I would think the stager didn’t do a very good job.
I get at least 10 phone calls per week from people who have picked up one of my brochures in a home I’ve staged. Sometimes they hang on to that brochure for months before they are ready to put their home on the market. They’ve seen my work, and they feel safe and comfortable calling me to work with them. They know I will perform to their standards.
Displaying business cards and brochures may not work or be acceptable in every area, but it definite works in my area.
Thanks for commenting Michelle. I agree that it’s more appropriate to display brochures in vacant homes because people already know that no one is living there. So you’re not “breaking the spell” in the same way. Appreciate you sharing your experience with my readers.
I also have to respectfully disagree with some of the article Debra. True, that buyers do make decisions based on their emotion. My clients want the best staging available to show their prospective buyers how the home can be set up. I don’t think that the buyers really care much in my area if it is staged. Many buy a room because they love the look. We use a small plaque and biz cards in a corner. Not out doing the realtors info. We have had an over abundance of clients just from our staged homes. Many are investors who want the same thing for their homes. It has been huge in marketing for our business as we are the top staging company in the area and others want a piece of it. I do agree about putting your info in occupied homes. We still take pics, we still market via internet, but we don’t leave our info due to the fact that it is not all our signature staging. This is what has worked in our area.
Thanks for sharing your point of view Lori!
I always leave my cards/marketing material on the entry table where agents leave their info on vacants only. I’ve received new business from this practice. On owner occupied jobs, the seller wants the potential buyers to believe this is the way they live day-to-day and don’t want you revealing their little secret by leaving material hanging around during viewings.
Well said Juliet, thanks for sharing your experience!
Just as Real Estate Agents marketing material clutters up the counter, the staging advertisement would, too and defeate the purpose of creating a pristine look.
Absolutely agree Karissa, thanks for commenting!
Hey, here’s a tip, if you want your headshot to show up next to your blog comments online, I wrote an article on how to do it here: https://stagingdiva.com/homestagingbusiness/does-your-home-staging-business-image-follow-you/
I would have to say I’m in the middle on this but leaning towards–do it! But do it modestly.
Story time; last month s buyer purchased a home we staged. She loved the staging so much she contacted us to stage her vacant home that she would sell, although this was not a ‘contingent’ type transaction. In addition we also got a ‘home design project’ in the home that we originally staged that they purchased. So, 3 jobs, 2 came as a direct result of our marketing materials. We leave tri-fold flyers and a few business cards, that’s it.
Story # 2–we staged a home last year. forgot to bring our marketing materials. Someone that looked at the home, didn’t end up winning the bidding war (WINNER! in Charlie Sheen words) ended up buying another home. She loved our staging and color designs so much that she asked her buyers agent to track us down, We then consulted with her on paint colors of her new home (even larger than the one we staged) AND did the ‘home design’ after they moved in.
That said; I do believe that modesty is the best policy. Our trifold flyers are not large, not obnoxious colors and they are never the first thing you see when you walk in the home. Early on we had yard signs and our fake TV screens SHOUTED obnoxious!
We’ve learned along the way. Agents don’t mind (generally speaking) modest marketing, don’t try to steal their show!
THanks for sharing your experiences Mike!
I never leave any marketing materials in occupied homes, but for vacant homes, I have had some Mark and Graham soaps engraved with the words Staged By NB Designs and use the soap as part of my master bathroom vignette. It’s very subtle but effective.
Nice idea Noleen, thanks for sharing!
Hi Debra, i don’t think it’s a good idea to leave business cards. when not staging, I go out on broker tour and realtor meetings introducing myself and leaving a card, or brochure at meetings. If the stage looks great, agents ask the listing agent “who staged”? All you need is one good stage to get the ball rolling. I have had one agent in particular who has been feeding me business on a regular business, I met her on a broker tour, she already “had” a stager, I gave her my card, and we talked briefly. She called me 3 weeks after we met, and we have been doing business regularly since July! She has referred me to several agents in her office as well.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Tanya, I know it will inspire others! Congratulations on your success! I would love to feature you and your home staging business in an upcoming article. Here’s how to help make that happen!
I have had postcards printed instead of business cards. I change the cover shot every 6 months and for me its a really effective way to advertise in preference to a business card which does not sell that much of a story. I tend to leave them in a scullery or kitchen drawer for the seller/agent to pass on if asked. I agree the reason they bring us in is for us to work our magic. Great staging looks like it was meant to be there and is relevant for the target audience!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience Jane!