It's best not to discuss specific staging tips during a listing appointment. Though you will want to highlight the fact that you recommend staging as an effective marketing strategy for your listings, don't delve into the specifics.
 

It's important to remember that most sellers don't truly understand the benefits of staging, and most don't think their home needs staging. Their homes look the way they do because they think it looks good. Be sensitive to that.

One way to help prepare and educate your client on staging without going into specifics is by showing them before and after photos. A picture is worth 1,000 words! If you need a great resource for before and after photos, click here to visit our website or check out the Staging Before and After Forum on Active Rain.

If you are a Realtor who also does staging & staging consultations, schedule a separate meeting time just for this purpose. Be clear that the reason for the meeting is to discuss
effective staging strategies.

Hire a professional. A trained stager stays on top of current trends, has design savvy, real estate knowledge, excellent communication skills and is very used to playing the "bad cop" (a very nice, bad cop), so you don't have to. By hiring a professional, you can turn your listings more quickly, and spend your valuable time doing what you do best - getting more listings!


Typically, a basic 2-hour staging consultation is a $150 investment. According to a national survey of 2,000 real estate agents conducted by HomeGain (see below), staging a home for sale has a 350% return on investment! Is doesn't take a math genius to realize that investing in staging is a wise strategy when packaging a home to sell!