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The Home Stager and the Real Estate Agent Relationship
To understand the home stager and the real estate agent relationship, I’m going to explain what happened recently. In a discussion with a home staging colleague not long ago she related a social media experience that brought an unexpected and somewhat disturbing response. She had posted photographs of her work as is common in our profession, and in so doing referred viewers to the listing agent, also standard practice. This helps expose our work so people can see exactly what we do.
She also mentioned she had sent invitations to friend” several agents in her area as part of her marketing efforts and was astonished to receive one particular response. She was told quite bluntly that if she were endorsing a certain agent (the one listing the said house), he would never be her “friend”. She was so flummoxed she wasn’t quite sure what to do.
That got me thinking about what exactly is the home stager’s relationship with real estate agents, and how do we convey that so everyone is clear. I have also had experiences where sellers continually contacted the listing agent regarding advice and concerns about staging (I’ve also been asked about pricing and choice of agent by clients by the way). The seller appears to believe the agent is “in charge” of all matters related to preparing the listing for sale.
The Home Stager and Real Estate Professional Partnership is Not Exclusive to One Agent
Home staging and real estate professionals work in partnership but they are not partners unless there is a formal legal relationship between them. Many real estate professionals work with a single stager but home stagers more frequently work with many agents. We are independent professionals who generally work for the seller, but from a buyer’s perspective so the listing can be styled appropriately to attract buyers. Occasionally we may be paid by the real estate agent but always on behalf of the seller. When we post our photos, we direct potential buyers not just to our own work but also the listing agent because it is appropriate to do so. We do not endorse any particular agents but it’s important that we be consistent and treat all clients, including realtors, alike.
We need to be clear to all parties that our role and responsibility is to style a listing for improving ‘sellability’. We work WITH real estate professionals but not FOR them. Questions regarding home staging need to be directed to the stager; questions about price, selling progress and conditions of sale need to be directed to the real estate professional.
I appreciate my relationship with agents. I keep them informed and I consider myself one component of a partnership: seller, agent and home stager. We are independent but interdependent and work together to achieve the goal of selling the listing quickly and at the highest price its market will bear.
Jill is the Hamilton Spectator 2015 Readers Choice Platinum Award winner for Home Staging and would be happy to consult with realtors and home owners about their home staging needs. Call Jill to-day at 289.880.0500 or connect with Jill here.
