Question, who is responsible for staging?
This is a question I get asked a lot, so let’s unpack.
I know a lot of agents market themselves as a package and include staging into the entire equation. But here is why I will never pay for staging; the risk falls on the realtor. If a realtor pays for staging and the seller decides that they don't want to sell the house anymore, now the realtor is out $10,000. That's just on a decent sized place; here in Los Angeles that staging could be upwards of $20,000.
Now if the seller pays for the staging and let's say it is $10,000 and the house is worth $3 million here in Los Angeles. If that home sells for $50 grand more, and if you have some good staging in there that $40,000 is going to be made by the seller. They had a $10,000 investment on staging, and they just made $40 grand. If you do the math on the commission, the commission between a house that's worth $3 million and, $50,000 is not that much. The realtor makes maybe an additional $1,250 if their commission's two and a half percent. So, that risk does not equal the reward.
Another think to think about is what if the seller pays for the staging and they have a fallout with the realtor, guess what? They still have the staging. They can hire someone another agent, and nobody really gets screwed.
So, sellers if you're listening, your staging should be part of the prep equation. You have your painting, your cleaning, and your staging. It's part of your investment number.
Agree or disagree with me, let me know what you think. If you have any questions or you want to start a conversation, let’s talk.
Don’t forget to catch up on my weekly show, Taya’s 2 Cents, where share my two cents on different real estate topics from buying and selling real estate, owning a home and more.