Is it any surprise so many home sellers are wondering “Do I need home staging?” Especially when their Realtor says, “Your house is fine as is!”

I’ve written about the 5 home staging secrets we need to share with real estate agents. And how home stagers shouldn’t let agents discourage them from becoming home stagers.

Here Staging Diva Graduate Susan Atwell shares a story about a presentation she made at a real estate office.

One of her key goals was educating real estate agents that their first instinct to say, “No need for home staging, your house looks fine,” is often NOT the best advice.

She wrote this in response to an article I wrote about how a Barrie real estate agent led their client astray with bad advice about home staging.

Funny that this article should appear just after a presentation I made at a Real Estate office.  One of the examples I used was a vacant home that had been listed for 4 months before the home sellers called me to stage it. It sold 1 week after staging – through another real estate agent in that same office.  And all it took was a 3-hour consultation!

I used this example because the seller had asked the agent about doing additional fix ups and decorating to sell.  The Realtor told them to do only a few minor things. And, no need for home staging.

The group of agents I was speaking with would have loved it if their clients had asked about home staging.  They felt their biggest hurdle is getting their home sellers to embrace the idea of it.

Their manager even encouraged all the agents to offer a 2-hour consultation, and to either pay up front, or to reimburse at closing.

He felt strongly that by selling faster they would easily make back my fee.  I was thrilled and encouraged. I had worked with a pair of agents from this office before.

Before the presentation, I didn’t know the manager was such a strong proponent of staging.

Be Clear on Goals

My goal was to help these Realtors “sell” their clients on the need to showcase their homes— through education, analogies and examples.  Also, to let home sellers know that staging is another one of their marketing tools to sell homes quickly and for top dollar.

I encouraged them to spoon-feed staging to their clients at every meeting.  Similarly, agents will become more comfortable with the idea of home staging the more we – as home stagers – educate the agents.

Most of these agents been receiving my newsletter for over a year. Each month I include a short feature, written specifically for Realtors.  Plus another written for their sellers.

I’m not surprised at Margaret’s experience with the agent, and wanted to offer these words of encouragement, that the tide is shifting in the right direction.”

It’s been a joy watching Susan’s business grow over the years. I’ve also got to know her through our coaching calls and her active participation in Staging Diva Dialog.

Susan’s Perspective on Home Staging Courses

Susan shared her observations on what makes Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training unique.

She wrote this 5 years after taking my courses.

Here’s her perspective looking back:

Before starting my home staging business, I was confident in my ability to stage because of staging and decorating homes for friends and family.

Researching home staging courses, I almost took a very expensive program from a high-profile provider, but thought better of it.  What could I really learn from that course that I hadn’t already learned from the web, TV, books, and personal experience?  What I really needed to learn was how to run a profitable home staging business.  That’s when I searched for business training and found Staging Diva.

Debra Gould has a simple, logical, and effective business model.  Right from my very first paying job, I had all the information needed to succeed.  I came across as a seasoned and experienced pro.  I’ve used this business model for over 5 years with great success.

I recommend this education highly for new home stagers.  It’s also a great formula for seasoned stagers who aren’t getting the most out of their current business model.  The Staging Diva Program is worth every penny.  Ironically, it’s half the price of the first course I contemplated.  Without the strong business model Debra teaches, I would have made many costly and frustrating mistakes.”

Staging Diva is more than just business training. It’s a road map, a business model.  If you follow the plan, it will lead you down the path to success.”

I appreciate that Susan mentions that Staging Diva Home Staging Training is also appropriate for seasoned stagers who aren’t having the business success they’d like.

That was a big part of what motivated me to create this program in 2004.

I had been hearing from frustrated and struggling home stagers for a full two years who had discovered my own home staging business, and wanted to know how they could copy my formula for success.

That’s when I realized there was a gap in home staging education.

Gap in Home Staging Courses

Most courses are about how to decorate/stage and understanding the color wheel. They advise spending tens of thousands of dollars on your own furniture and accessories. So it can take a year or more for their students to make a profit. I’m against this practice and teach my students how to avoid taking on any overhead.

Some programs even sell cleaning supplies at a discount to their students.

We aren’t aspiring to be house cleaners, what’s up with that?!

Thank you Susan Atwell for your observations about the Staging Diva Program and for sharing your experience with presenting to real estate agents.

Has anyone else done a presentation in a real estate office? What was your experience? Did you use real-life examples to illustrate your points? Please share in the comments below.

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