Terrylynn's Blog

A story I tell often is about a stager that worked with me for about a year before she moved...drat...She was good about being on time, good about how to handle the clients if and when I wasn't around.  She listened to me when I gave her the rundown on their situation and was always sensitive to what I briefed her of their challenges, etc. ie, divorce, sick kids, or just strapped for money.  BUT the one thing that really solidified our relationship and made her an invaluable part of my team was the Sunday when she was driving home from church and just "stopped by" to check on a staging we had done a couple days before, because she knew I was having an open house that Sunday in about an hour and wanted to be sure it was just right. 

That's not the end of the story.  She went into the house and a favorite art piece of mine had fallen onto the newly finished hardwood floors and shattered the glass all over the floors and furniture.  Oh my gosh, it was a hot summer Sunday and I had been already showing property in the morning, had run home with just minutes to spare to get my open house tools and get on over to the property.  I got a call from Corina on my voice mail.

"Hey T, I just went by the Mountaire house and have run home to get my vacuum, because the artwork broke all over and I didn't want you to come and have anyone in bare feet getting hurt.  Don't worry, by the time you get there it'll be back in staged condition."  

My heart sank, but lifted as she had solved my problem before I had to even worry about how I would find the time to go back and get the vacuum and/or how to handle the people waiting to get into the open house when I got there, much less keep their barefooted children from getting cut.  WHEW!  Corina saved my day - again.  This is the type of things she just did.  Yes I referred her all the time, why?  I KNEW my clients would be taken care of.  You bet.  That is when I realized that a relationship with a stager was not just about the "stuff".  It is the extra service I try to give to my client that she noticed and she gave to me.  She made it her business to make my job easier so that she would be invaluable to me.  And she was.  Thanks Corina for teaching me the difference between a stager and a member of my team.  I still miss you damn it. 

Exclusionism keeps us small and weak!!!

How it works in Real Estate and Staging is no different.  We ARE part of the Real Estate Industry.  Ok, we got our real estate license and are ready to start a real estate business?  Do we know what we don't know?  Same with STAGERS...Do YOU know what you don't know?  Let me tell you, most Realtors who are serious about a Real Estate career go and get the education and designations they need to specialize and refine their businesses.  Some of those are the CRS Certified Residential Specialist, SRES Senior Real Estate Specialist, GRI Graduate Realtors Institute, CCIM Certified Commercial Investment Member and many more.

Fast forward to the staging industry.  You've taken a class, are you ready to go and start a staging business?    Do you know what you don't know?  The business of setting up a staging business can be a challenge for the practitioner that is creative and just wants to stage. Where do you go if you didn't get what you needed in one class?  Well, to grow, this industry needs to learn from the real estate industry.  Each training provider offers a different twist on your staging business.  Realtors who are interested in a career get education to fill the gaps in training or where they want to specialize.  I know there are many stagers who have gone to more than one provider to get the education they need regarding various aspects of their staging businesses.  From a consumer point of view, this is a GOOD thing.   Why should you hesitate to take ANY class that you feel will improve your product and/or services to your target client and allow you to be more successful? 

Obtaining designations, certifications and education proficiencies are common in the real estate industry.  They are becoming more common in the staging industry.  I know stagers with several of the HSR Home Staging Resource, PSC Professional Staging Consultant, IRIS Interior Redesign Industry Specialist, CSP Certified Staging Professional, ASP Accredited Staging Professional, NAPO National Association of Professional Organizers and other designations on their websites and business cards.  The next big step is a Trade association that encompasses all of them.

Why recreate the wheel, we have a model that works.  The real estate industry has a huge trade association in the National Association of Realtors that encompasses the specialties in the industry.  It is RUN by it's members locally, statewide, nationally, the Realtors have a major voice in the direction of their association, their code of ethics, lobbying efforts, self regulating and many other areas. 

Staging Associations are coming forward. Should you join them?  As a Realtor I have designations and join their associations.  My trade association is the National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, and my local chapters and Boards of Realtors and I joined them all.  They are ALL governed by their members.  It is my belief that an industry to be viable should be governed by those in the trenches who do the work and know the challenges.  The association that meets the needs of their members will be the one that comes out on top.    You have a vote with your renewed membership.

Will staging be elevated to a profession of committed practitioners?  I believe it can.  Who and how you govern yourselves will determine the respect and status that you will be given in the eyes of practitioners and the public who are your clients.  Take the leap. 

What an opportunity we have to shape our future businesses, our associations and our education providers.  We need to take the reins now and tell them what we need.  They WILL listen, and with a strong self governed trade association they will come to us and ask what we need, and then they will provide it or go the way of others who have not heeded the needs of their customers.  This is the American way.   I believe we should join RESA now and shape our future in the industry, even if we are part of other training run associations.  Your Trainer run association does not serve the same purpose as a member run trade association. A true member governed staging trade organization will serve the practitioners in ways we tell them we need to be served and preserve our industry as a whole.  A true member governed staging trade organization does not exclude based on training.  It sets standards for training and professionalism.  The public benefits and that enhances our respect in the public's eyes.  We are not each other's adversary.  WE ARE THE INDUSTRY. There are thousands of us not in an association of any kind.  These are stagers too who can and will influence our industry along with us.  Together we are our own best advocates, as we and only we, know what our business is about and what things we need to protect ourselves and our livelihood while we do the work we love. 

I am excited at the opportunities in front of us.  See you there.

Staging your home to sell - Manipulation? Trickery? Deceit?  What do Buyers and Sellers get from a "Staged Home"?
Recently I have had people ask me if staging was just a way of manipulating the buyer to want something that wasn't what it appeared to be?  Are we tricking buyers into buying homes they may not want?  Are we deceiving people about a home's condition?  WOW!  Such a pure and simple concept turned ugly?  Or does staging really benefit buyers and sellers?   Here is what the Realtors who believe in staging recommend and believe should occur in preparing a home and staging a home for sale that adds benefit and value to both buyer and seller. 

-A home that has been inspected (if the roof leaks or plumbing leaks you'll know)

-A home that has been updated with repairs in mind.  You don't have to tear out the beautiful tile floor to repair damage underneath found by the inspector later. The buyer doesn't have to wonder if the new floor will look as good as you may not want to spend money on it now.

-A home where a seller cares that they provide a home you'll be proud to own (buyers who remain happy during a transaction are more likely to remain happy with their purchase - fewer problems, fewer buyers backing out of transactions, fewer lawsuits later)

-A home that is given the opportunity to show what its assets are.  Clutter and "stuff" distracts from the assets of the home-size of rooms, flow of floorplan, the office that is a dining room shown as it was meant to be-a dining room.  Other Realtors, Buyers (and appraisers) only know what they see so make that first impression a positive one that will enhance your client's bottom line.  That is our job as their Realtor after all.

The most common time and place for a purchase transaction to fall apart is after the inspections.  If this is 14-21 days after the buyer has purchased, the chances of buyer's backing out is increased as their fears take over.  The buyers who fell in love with your home, get a different reality of what they are buying, may feel overwhelmed, frightened or feel they paid too much based on the amount of work needed versus knowing what needed to be repaired, and getting to see the final product after the repair is completed.  This is a whole different feeling for the buyer and seller as the issue is solved before it is a problem.  Your Realtor believes in being proactive and knows you'll have a quicker sale, happier buyer and the maximum return with this approach to your home sale.  Staging enhances this process.

Let me take a moment to remind you about buying, a car for instance.

When you go look at a car, all shiny and clean, smelling good, looking it's best, (staged) and your expectation is that the car is as you perceive it.  It works well, has no repairs needed, does not run rough or noisy, or have transmission problems, etc.  When you take it to the mechanic and he tells you otherwise, you are disillusioned, disappointed and feel you are paying too much possibly.  Well home buyers feel the same way.  If you have put the car into good condition along with the cleaning and spiffing it up, the buyers expectations are met when the mechanic tells them the car is as it is presented.

Problems with a home are your problems until they are purchased by someone else.  Would you purchase a good looking car and take on the problems without some sort of credit from the seller or expectation that it is working, running right and as presented to you?  No, most people would not.  Why then would a buyer be expected to make what is often the largest purchase in their lifetimes with less care and concern?

How does this help?  This type of preparation gives the buyer the peace of mind that inspections were done, items found are disclosed and/or repaired, improvements were made with repairs in mind and that you are buying a product that is well taken care of and "as presented".

It  gives the seller the peace of mind that nothing was missed and will come back at them later as they used due diligence to make sure all issues were addressed and/or disclosed to the buyer prior to the buyer purchasing the home, better yet, prior to their offer.    Most sellers are good, conscientious, honest people and want this to be a good situation for all concerned.

Your Realtor's work and counsel started long before you saw the finished product.  As Wayne Dyer says "Start with the end in mind".  How do you want your ending to be?  This is real estate the way most Realtors wish it to be, Equitable for ALL parties. 

Seller-Your home becomes a house which becomes a product that you market and sell to the public.  Staging helps you earn more equity in a quicker timeframe.

Buyer-The house you are buying becomes your home and a place to grow your dreams, not nightmares, right? 

Selling a Staged Home, Buying a Staged Home...a winning proposition for both buyers and sellers.  Buyers understand  value.  People don't have a problem paying for something where they see the value.  Maybe this is not for everyone, but case in point.  Would you rather buy the Ikea bookcase in a box?  Would you rather buy the bicycle in pieces?  Would you pay to have it put together properly and in working condition when you get it?  Imagine and rate the experience and you decide. 

Terrylynn Fisher, The Staging Realtor, 30 years in real estate and 18 years staging her client's homes to sell. Real Estate is my career and my goal is to have my client's be my advocate by providing exceptional value and service. Terrylynn can be reached at 925 876-0966, email at homes4u@e-RealEstate4u

A year later in 2003 we met again at the same annual barbeque and we talked about it again.  What had happened in the ensuing time was that prices continued to go up and the property he could have bought "last year" was now out of his price range.  With the interest rates a bit higher, the mortgage payment for the house he had been qualified to purchase the year before was now qualifying him to purchase a townhome with an inside laundry, maybe a garage.  He said "I should have bought last year" and decided to wait until prices come back down as, in his opinion, they surely would.

Another year passed and in 2004 we met again at the barbeque.  His income had not gone up enough to allow him to save for the higher down payment he would need based on the higher prices and he would now qualify for a condo with community laundry and with someone living above or below him.  He was lamenting that when he retired he'd surely have to move out of state and rent or maybe buy somewhere else.  BUT his grandkids were here... quite a dilemma.  He said "I should have bought last year" and decided to wait until the bottom dropped out of the real estate market as, in his opinion, it surely would.

Well in 2005 we didn't talk much about it at the annual barbeque.   He was disgusted about this crazy real estate market and would just never be able to afford something.  He said. "Well I guess I should have bought when we talked about this a few years ago.  I would be in good shape right now as I want to retire one of these days."

The last quarter of 2005 marked the beginning of the end of the boom market we had been in for a nice ride in appreciation and at the 2006 barbeque he said, "See I told you the prices would go down, but I want to wait until it really bottoms out". 

When we saw him this year at the 2007 annual barbeque, he said "Well I'm still going to wait until we really hit bottom, because prices will surely keep dropping as I knew it would crash at some point."  The truth is, he will probably NEVER buy real estate.  He has analysis paralysis.

For many of us who believe in real estate as an investment, we can ride these real estate cycles. We choose when to sell. The point is we are on the real estate investment train and that helps us keep up in value and equity relative to the market we are in at the time.  There is certainly nothing to gain or lose if you are not in the market, but riding the cycles is preferable for some of us.  If we are not at the bottom of the bottom or top of the top, we still do fine as real estate just continues to cycle.  We can wait until the time is right.  In the meantime we get to live in our investment.  Or we can rent our real estate and earn equity while our tenants pay off our mortgages.  We write off some of the interest and taxes paid, and usually gain appreciation before we sell.  If prices are down when we sell, they are down for us to buy then too... it's all relative, but the key is that our real estate keeps us in the market and we can take our equity and move when we choose.  Your rent just goes to someone else's mortgage and equity.  YOU HAVE TO PAY TO LIVE SOMEWHERE, WHY NOT HAVE THE RENT YOU WOULD PAY GO TOWARD A MORTGAGE AND EARN EQUITY FOR YOU? 

The point our acquaintance missed was that had he purchased when he first started talking about it, he not only would have had a lot of equity (even today at the bottom of the market he'd have been ahead), at whatever point along the way (if he had chosen wisely when to sell) he would have had enough to retire comfortably and probably pay cash for a home if he moved out of state as he had planned.  IF he had bought in his area in 2001 or 2002, he'd have made about a 30 percent increase during those years, in some areas more.  So, this bottom we are reaching has dropped prices in his city about 10-15%.  And, he'd have had the 15% to 20% to take to his next home. This is far more than he could save in a year and still a profit over his original purchase price.

Here we are today, maybe at the bottom or we can see the bottom from here, and where are the people who would like the lower mortgage payment and low interest rates?  I guess they are waiting and next year will probably wish they had bought "last year".  I and many others like me have been investing NOW in real estate as we believe we are about at the bottom of the cycle. 

The time to buy is now when everyone else is not buying.  The good deals are now with an extraordinarily high number of homes on the market, signs in every neighborhood and foreclosures abounding.  We are picking up the "deals" and talk to our clients on a daily basis about the market opportunities.  I predict, THIS is last year. 

Next year is an election year and if you look at the history of the real estate market in election years, it is pretty good.  Generally interest rates go down and the market is given a shot in the arm.  In California, our economy is typically the last to go into a slow down and the first to come out.  So when I say, "This is last year", I mean "THIS IS LAST YEAR". 

If you want to make a great buy in a home or investment real estate they are around every corner.  Call your Realtor, find a good Realtor who is full-time actively working in this market as those are the people who know where the deals are (not a part timer who isn't out there day after day or a friend with a license who works only when the market up). 

With the current scares in the mortgage industry about the defaulting loans, take your Realtor's advice on a reputable mortgage broker.  40+ lending institutions have been taken over or gone under since January of 2007.  This too makes it a good time to buy as people who are afraid will not enter the market now and get the "good" loans that are still available as they are too afraid because of all the bad press.  This gives you the opportunity as the prices will stay competitive for you to purchase before the market makes a rebound the other direction.   It's time to get on the train as "this is last year".

This is a market update on the Realtor.org website for July, 2007:

Terrylynn Fisher, Realtor in Walnut Creek California for 30 years.

Diablo Realty  1800 DIABLO2   or 1800 342 2562