October 25, 2009

New York Times: Staging a Home

There’s a very interesting article in the New York Times’ magazine today about the business of home staging. It says that now more than ever, it’s very difficult to sell a home, especially one priced in the millions, so it’s well worth the time and effort to stage a home. Prospective buyers get a home with a story and a family, so it’s easier to imagine themselves living there. NYT Staging1There’s even a short video with Meridith Baer, one of the premier home-stagers, with a staff of 170 to help her get a home in perfect condition.NYT Staging2She charges between $10,000 and $150,000 to stage a house, but if you’re talking millions in selling price, who’s is going to quibble?NYT Staging3

10 comments:

  1. Meg, this is definitely a must right now. My daughter in law just helped me stage my condominium for an appraisal We edited out so much "stuff" for a cleaner look.

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  2. It was a fascinating look at the symbolism of objects too I thought. I've seen stagers at work in Denver, on a less glamourous scale, and they were miracle workers. Everything in every closet neatly folded; all the awkwardness' ironed out, broken things gone, rugs clean, while you're out to lunch. I almost think people whose homes feel chaotic would do well to hire stagers even if not selling. The outside perspective on clutter is valuable. I'd be interested to here from professional decorators on how they see the line between staging and decorating.

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  3. Wouldn't it be nice if we could take a course for staging in highschool??? (or parenting or cooking)
    So much would look better and people would know the importance of being neater!
    I am only half kidding, but then again, stagers would have no livelyhood...

    Those stagers do an amazing job getting places ready for the takeover.

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  4. We bought a new house back in Texas about eight months before we left for England. All the homes where perfectly arranged--like walking into a magazine. Imagine our surprise when we started looking for a place to live in England. Granted, we were looking for rentals, but what a difference! LOL ;-)

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  5. I saw the NYTimes article and loved it. This gal knows her stuff and the fact that she imagines the buyer she is staging for is brilliant.

    Thanks for passing this along.

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  6. It's worth it to pay for a good stager.

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  7. I am kind of amazed by Baer. All of that upholstery was custom made in her own shop? With service like that, she deserves to be the biggest home stager in the world.

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  8. I had read the article and was quite impressed with Baer's trajectory into the field. From modeling to screenplay writing to staging, she seems to be successful at whatever she tries. I'm currently doing a "live-in" staging and have gotten great reviews from realtors but overall the idea of staging hasn't really caught on in Miami. LA seems like a different world with its uber high-end market. Are there stagers in Baltimore?
    Olga ~dancing through paris

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  9. Meg, I have a freelance client right now who is a home stager in HoCo. Over the summer, none of her homes sat more than 3 weeks on the market. In this environments, that is incredible! I actually had her come over to Woodward and do my house so I could see how she works. It's fun! I had a blast having her rearrange everything. :)

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  10. Meg, I have a freelance client right now who is a home stager in HoCo. Over the summer, none of her homes sat more than 3 weeks on the market. In this environments, that is incredible! I actually had her come over to Woodward and do my house so I could see how she works. It's fun! I had a blast having her rearrange everything. :)

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