10 Quick Answers to Common Staging Objections
As a real estate agent, you know staging a listing is the surest way to maximize the sale price. However, talking to clients about staging can be a touchy subject. While your stager should be able to clearly articulate the benefits of staging, starting the conversation with your seller before bringing the stager in can make the larger conversation about staging more palatable and allow them to be more open to the entire staging process.
However, you don’t need to know everything there is to know about staging to set the stage for the stager (see what I did there?) What you need is an arsenal of quick answers to common staging objections. Once we’re in the house, we’ll be the bad guys who tell them the Pepto pink walls need to go, but it’s a lot easier to have that conversation when they know you think they should stage their home.
Here are the top 10 client objections we come across and the quick answers you can give to overcome them.:
OBJECTION #1: Staging is too expensive.
Don’t think of staging as an expense – it’s an investment that maximizes the amount of profit you’ll receive for your home. The cost of a professional stager is typically less than 1% of the value of your home but it can increase the sale price by anywhere from 5-20%. Even on the low end, that’s a 400% return on your staging investment. Oh, and staging services are tax-deductible (while this is true for Massachusetts, please verify it is true for your state should you live somewhere else.)
OBJECTION #2: I don’t want to spend money on a home someone else is going to live in.
Staging is a win-win – the buyer is willing to pay more for a home that is move-in ready and you get to take the additional profits and put them into your next home. Or your kids’ college funds. Or an amazing vacation. Or whatever floats your boat (maybe even a boat?)
OBJECTION #3: I’ll just give the buyer a carpet/window/etc. allowance.
Allowances may seem easy, but the seller always loses. Buyers typically assume repairs or upgrades will cost much more than they actually will and, therefore, will offer less for the home – AND take your allowance! Replacing the carpets/windows/etc. before listing the property will take this issue off the table.
OBJECTION #4: My home looks great – I don’t need to stage.
Yes, your home looks lovely, but our target buyer may very well have different tastes than you do – and most buyers don’t have the vision to look past colors or décor that they don’t like. Staging will neutralize your home to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible.
OBJECTION #5: I’ll just stage it myself.
DIY staging is definitely an option, as long as you have direction, motivation, and dedication. A professional staging consultation will help you identify the exact steps you need to take to stage if you want to stage it yourself.
(HINT: many top real estate agents offer a complimentary staging consultation to all their clients as a way to differentiate themselves, secure the listing, and bring extra value to their clients – the agent pays for the consultation, the seller pays for any additional staging services, and everyone wins.)
OBJECTION #6: Staging feels overwhelming and I just don’t want to do it.
This is completely normal. You’ve been living in your home for a while, there’s bound to be issues that need to be addressed for staging – but it will all be worth it! If staging seems overwhelming to you, you can utilize your stager’s additional services to take much of the pressure off and ensure your staging is done right.
(HINT: want to know what additional services we offer at Glen Street? Click HERE)
OBJECTION #7: The market is hot – my home’s going to sell for a lot anyway.
Yes, homes are selling quickly, but this doesn’t mean they’re selling for top dollar. No matter where the housing market is, professional staging will get you significantly more for your home.
OBJECTION #8: I don’t want someone else’s stuff in my home.
This is the time to start making the mental shift from thinking of your house as your home to thinking of it as an investment – and you are the real estate investor. Is living with some staging inventory for a short period of time (or moving out to move staging furnishings in) worth maximizing your investment?
OBJECTION #9: Staging will take too much time.
A month or two of staging (repairs, upgrades, packing, and styling) could be worth tens of thousands of dollars in additional profit, if not more. I know you want your house on the market ASAP, but your home will never be as marketable as it is the first week or so on the market. Taking a little bit of time before listing to ensure it really shines during that initial listing period is well worth it.
OBJECTION #10: I get compliments on my home all the time – everyone loves my house.
I don’t doubt it – your home is a beautiful reflection of you. However, we need buyers to see themselves in this home, not your family. Let’s bring a professional stager in to help us showcase your property in a way that will make buyers fall in love with it – because when buyers fall in love, they make big offers.
IN CONCLUSION…
These short form answers should get your seller on the right track and open the door for a stager to maximize the value in the home. However, if you’re still uncomfortable with the “we should bring in a stager” conversation, there is an even simpler solution – offer a complimentary staging consultation to all your clients, regardless of the condition of the home.
A highly effective and affordable consultation ensures your listings present as well as possible – and rather than saying “your home needs to be staged,” this blanket approach says “I do this for all of my customers because I believe in staging.” Offering staging consultations to everyone creates a smoother path to staging success.