DESIGN POINT
Don’t leave your real estate investment financing to chance .
STAGING
WorkingEffectivelywithTricky HomeownerPersonalities SOMETIMES, EFFECTIVE STAGING REQUIRES MORE THAN ONE KIND OF MIRROR.
by Jan Britt
s a professional stager and expert interior designer, I spend a great deal of time working with real estate agents, investors, and homeowners who all have very differ- ent ideas about presenting the same property. This may date me, but I have been staging properties since before they even called it “staging,” and I am always learning how to better manage these situations in order to create the best outcomes for every party involved in a transaction. Recently, I worked with an agent I’ll call Holly. The first time I spoke with this nice lady, I noticed she spoke very softly and slowly, which made her sound timid. We agreed to meet at one of her listings to work with the owner on staging the property. When I met Holly, her body language indicated she was nervous. She told me she did not have many listings. I could tell success with this listing would be very important for her. When we entered the house, everything was already clean and organized. This is rare in my business! The homeowner was nice, but very different from Holly. She spoke quickly, employed ag- gressive mannerisms, and had a very matter-of-fact personality. I knew it would be important to have her on our side if we wanted to stage the house effectively, so I started reflecting her personality back to her in a kind and professional way. There is an art to this communication strategy, often referred to as mir- roring, because you must imitate a person’s mannerisms without coming across as unkind. A light touch is vitally important! I knew I was on the right track when the homeowner began Here is an example of a recent “learning experience” for me:
smiling more and accepting my staging suggestions. However, Holly started looking uneasy. We concluded our consult and the homeowner agreed to take certain steps to complete the staging process. Oddly, Holly appeared disappointed. I called Holly later, and she said I was too aggressive and spoke too quickly. She feared losing the listing. I explained that I was reflecting the homeowner’s personality back to her so that she would be more willing to implement my staging suggestions, which can be difficult to achieve with a home- owner who already has a clean, organized house and does not see any reason to change it. If a homeowner refuses to stage a property, it can linger on the market or sell for less than it should, so it is very important that a professional stager’s advice be implemented. Holly did not lose the listing and the homeowner imple- mented my suggestions. Best of all, the property sold in two days. Everyone was happy. Lesson Learned: Talk to the agent before you meet the homeowner. Make sure they are informed in advance about any special strategies you may use during a con- sult! In my case, I now make sure to mention I employ personality reflection so the agent does not feel left out or threatened during the staging process. •
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Jan Britt is a professional stager with an expertise in helping investors and agents and an experienced interior designer. She may be reached at decoratewithjan@gmail.com.
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64 | think realty magazine :: august 2018
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