“Opinions are like (butt)holes, everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks." ― Simone Elkeles, How to Ruin a Summer Vacation
Owning a staging company with my wife, we have heard a lot of opinions about staging. Some people swear by it and others swear they'll never use it. Others think virtual staging is a sufficient replacement for physical staging. If you are an agent or a seller, your opinion on this matter should be secondary to the opinion that prospective buyers have of your listing. After all, if you are listing a house, your main objective should be to fetch top dollar in the shortest period of time. And while everyone is entitled to maintain their own opinion, sellers and agents alike should be open to having their opinion challenged and shaped through cold, hard data. So let's analyze some anecdotal data from houses that were staged in the month of March by Elle B. Home Staging, LLC (*Note: Not mentioned below are two listings that had accepted offers but are now Back on the Market - at no fault of the Stager).
Stagings Completed in March (click on project names to be linked to MLS listing)
Tualatin Listing Date: 3/23/2023
-Days on Market until Pending: 3 days
-Occupied home.
-Lindsay consulted with the client on cleaning and de-cluttering.
-We brought in some of our own items and used some of the clients items that were already in the house, rearranged items as necessary, and added finishing touches.
Huntercrest Listing Date: 3/31/2023
-Days on Market until Pending: 2 days
-Vacant home staged by us.
-All the items you see were brought in from our inventory and placed by us.
Brantley Staging Date: 3/10/2023; Listing Date: 1/4/2023
-Days on Market AFTER STAGING: 24 days until accepting an offer
-Days on Market BEFORE STAGING: 60 days with no offers
-This was a vacant house with virtual staging. This strategy did not work, so the listing agent hired us to physically stage the house (smart move!).
Briar Cliff Listing Date: 3/22/2023
-Days on Market until Pending: About 1 week.
-Home was mostly vacant.
-We used a couple of the seller's items. Everything else was supplied by us.
Inverness Listing Date: 3/26/2023
-Days on Market until Pending: Under contract for 2nd time in 17 days.
-Vacant home staged by us.
-All the items you see were brought in from our inventory and placed by us.
If you find this data eye-popping, you're not alone. I am constantly amazed at the success of sellers and agents who use Elle B. Home Staging, LLC to help market their listings in a premium fashion!
