Stagers And Agents: More Alike Than You May Think (Part One)

Last weekend on Active Rain  I wrote a Members-Only post asking agents who never worked with a Stager to please tell me why.

 Great contributions,  and a some points I did not expect.  Knew this was a national stage, but did not expect this amount, or range of input.  It’s taken a  few days to wrap my brain around it all-and how it relates to my original question.

Whether you are a home seller, or a real estate agent, being comfortable with all that Staging might be may seem a formidable task, but here’s my pitch: It’s really not, because Stagers and Agents really have a lot in common. And where not alike,  they can be complimentary. 

Goals:  At the end of the day, Stagers and Agents both have a single goal, to create and facilitate a new housing situation for their client.  What is 100% absolutely the same here is that each does it in their own unique way.  We build our brand which encompasses our decisions on marketing, communications, personality, strategy and pricing.

Skills and Expertise: True of  really any profession, Stagers and Agents  have ranges of skill, and levels of expertise.  Descriptions like Short Sale Expert, Top Producer–or Accredited Stager!!-are not a standardized entity, NOR  a  guarantee of the sale of a property. It comes down to the individual.

Education/Accreditation: While not (yet) standardized or mandated for Stagers as it is for Agents, IMHO it should be. Til then, it’s a great interviewing tool…certainly for consumers, but for other professionals as well.

I like Agents who are Realtors.  And have, are proud of, and can explain their designations.  (AND PLEASE-ASK ME ABOUT MY DESIGNATIONS!)

I take CE Staging courses, and also audit CE RE classes.  Both for knowledge, and frankly, to scope out Agents/Realtors I might like to work with.  Sure, some if it can be pretty dry, but those sitting in the back of the room, reading the paper- sorry, we wouldn’t be the best fit.

Mark Twain once commented ‘Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today’.  Little good can come when one is more focused on differences.  But start the conversation with what you have in common, and be prepared to succeed.

NEXT:  Income, Value, Time and PASSION!!