Some home sellers choose not to stage a property when putting it on the market, believing that the home will “sell itself.”
Laurie Messman Two Blue Ducks
But most agents, especially those in the luxury industry, will tell those sellers that that’s a big mistake.
“I think that’s a big mistake, because this is the way it is,” Laurie Messman of the luxury staging and design studio Two Blue Ducks told Inman. “Staging is happening in the real estate sales world right now. There have been many attempts, but virtual staging hasn’t been as successful as everyone thought.
“People are still physical. We’re physical beings in a very physical world. And I think those who don’t really want to stage, they need to, because you’re immediately eliminating yourself from the competition, because when you look at what’s on the market, they’re staged.”
Good staging can also help you highlight the good things about your home while minimizing the less appealing aspects. And that can make a huge difference in the final selling price, Kaki Wenstrom, a Compass agent who founded the high-end luxury brand network Métiers Maisons, told Inman in an email.
Khaki Wenstrom | Métier Maison
“Our team works closely with listing agents and their clients to conduct comprehensive reviews of homes, analyzing market comparables, buyer behavior, and property-specific strengths and weaknesses,” Wenstrom wrote. “Based on this analysis, we recommend the right designer to help us make strategic design upgrade and staging decisions aimed at achieving and justifying the seller’s target price.”
Of course, not all staging is the same. For example, Two Blu Ducks were sometimes called in to save a job gone wrong. The keys to success at the elite level include paying attention to detail, working with speed, and communicating openly with sellers and listing agents.
explain the history of the house
Interior staging of “Maravilla” by Vesta Home | Credit: Marc Angeles & Tiffany Angeles, Unlimited Style Photography
It’s important for staging to complement the property’s original architecture and history. Otherwise, your staging efforts may feel a little strange. But these kinds of restrictions can also pose challenges, Messman said.
When Two Blu Ducks recently took on a project with units at 640 Park Avenue in New York, the designers had some interesting constraints to work with. The building itself is a historic building dating back to 1914 with a limestone facade and just 12 units, one on each floor. Meanwhile, the unit the group was called to stage hasn’t been updated since around 1980 and hasn’t been occupied since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So it was frozen,” Messman said. “And apartments don’t work unless you live in them. So it was a nice house, and you could hear the clinking of champagne glasses in 1980 and the parties that must have been going on. And what we had to do was have someone come in and feel like they could make the house their own.
“We had to respect that. It’s a remarkable piece of architecture, and we had to bring it into modern times where people can see the forest through the trees. Naturally, we had to deal with a myriad of condition issues and we had to keep the budget down, because everyone has one.”
The property was more than 6,000 square feet, including a grand piano that had to be moved three times. All these factors need to be addressed. But in the end, after hanging more than 60 pieces of art throughout the home, the team created a more modern, livable space that acknowledged its history.
“In the end, we ended up with a house that didn’t feel old, dusty or musty when you walked in, but it was a little reminiscent of those days,” Messman said.
Vesta Home, a staging company with offices in LA, New York, Florida, and San Francisco, recently staged one of Frank Sinatra’s former homes, and that’s exactly the challenge it presented.
“I think one of the hidden powers of our designers is to capture that interaction.” [between history and modernity] And we can bring a truly modern style and freshness to a home with vintage details,” said a Vesta Home representative.
work quickly
More than once, Vesta Home has had to complete staging work under uncomfortable time constraints.
In one case, a home seller had explicit but expensive artwork that was left in the home as part of the staging process. That was fine, until a sensitive prospective buyer came along.
Julian Bucknervesta Home
“Then, in the middle of the week, I get a call saying, ‘Hey, I want you to come right now and remove all of the owner’s art and put up your own art,'” Vesta Home founder and CEO Julian Buckner told Inman. “‘We’ve got a lot of Saudi royals flying in and they’re not going to want to see art with nudity in it. We’ve got to change this.’ And their jets land in about four hours.”
Somehow, the team made the switch.
Buckner added that time constraints always make projects more difficult, explaining that his favorite projects are those where developers involve the company from the concept stage of the project and allow him to customize every detail.
“The biggest challenge is they’re expecting that level of customization, and it seems like they want to have it listed within a week,” Buckner said.
Continue to interact with sellers and listing agents
Property directed by Laurie Messman, 936 Fifth Ave, New York, New York | Credit: Ed Menashy of Evan Joseph Studios
Experts told Inman that understanding the goals and scope of a staging project is also critical to success.
Lucy Assuline | Douglas Elliman
“I think the stager needs to work with the brokerage team to understand what the property needs to accomplish their goal of selling,” Messman said. “And sometimes you end up saying no. I had to say no to a project I wanted because I didn’t think the scope of the project was right.”
Aligning on vision, scope, timing, and budget is essential to a successful deal.
“There’s a much higher level of collaboration between the stager and the agent because staging is not just a cosmetic step before the photo shoot, but becomes part of the overall brand positioning of the property,” Lucy Assouline of Douglas Elliman’s Assuline team told Inman in an email. “[Clients] I don’t want to know or hear about everything that happens in between. They just want to deliver the finished product perfectly. These clients also understand the value of investing in presentation when assets are important. ”
The power of “complete customization”
You can wow both sellers and potential buyers by taking your staging project to the next level with complete customization.
Adriana Hoyos | Adriana Hoyos Design Studio
“Going above and beyond means carefully selecting every detail, from custom furniture and art to textures and lighting, so the home feels effortless and sophisticated,” Adriana Hoyos, principal at Adriana Hoyos Design Studio, told Inman in an email.
In addition to an in-house staging and interior design department, Vesta Home has its own custom furniture line. And for some development projects where the budget is built into the project from the beginning, Vesta can create something truly special.
“Anything is possible…” Buckner said. “We create custom theater seats that match the velvet of the theater walls. It’s really highly customizable, and we love that.”
Flexibility for sales items
Property planned and sold fully furnished by Vesta Home | Credit: Lila Trejo by Studio Trejo
Not only does good staging give potential buyers an idea of the home’s livability and potential, but it can also be a big selling point when luxury furniture, art, and more are available for rent or purchase.
Messman said Two Blu Ducks’ customers tend to want nothing or everything when it comes to the products the company supplies for their homes. Some customers need everything, but others rent a fully furnished property for a certain number of years and then live in it themselves.
At Vesta Home, demand for rental furniture is increasing as more and more executives travel from place to place for months or years due to work commitments. And in Los Angeles, for example, some families affected by last year’s wildfires are continuing to rent their homes and furniture while they plan their next move.
But that’s not the only level of items you can rent or purchase.
“If you want to go beyond furniture, we have home packages that include everything from towels to vacuum cleaners,” Buckner said. “We’re national, but really our digging is local expertise, knowing every region and what’s selling in that region.”
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Email Lillian Dickerson
