who stages their flips?

Question

Who does or does not stage their flips when listing them for sale?  I have not been staging them but am wondering if I should be?  Please give your opinion-

And for you who do stage, any tips on where to get the furniture & fixtures?

BTW-   my selling price range is anywhere from $90K to $200k if that matters at all on staging.

Letitia Harris · Answer

I lightly stage my flips.  It gives the buyers a nice sense of home.  I have a collection of furniture that goes together well, and use it on each house.  I use gorilla hooks to hang pictures, clocks, etc...  They hold a lot of weight.    One little dab of caulk fixes the tiny hole, and a fingertip dab of paint.  I keep a screw top lid sample jar of the wall paint, for those quick touch ups.  A couple minute repair is worth it to hang nice art & mirrors on the walls.

Lucy DeMichele · Answer

As a Home Staging Consultant I have a 1,495 package that moves homes in this price range fast. Look for a good home Stager in your local area, not a decorator. They will often include photos and will move your home with in weeks not months. It is also good to bring them in early to pick finishes for the rehab. They are also up to date with the current trends, and can get items at deep discounts due to the volume they order. Successful Realtors know having a Home Stager on call puts them in another league all together.

Lucy DeMichele · Answer

When you think of all the extra time and effort it takes to move and store all the items you are going to use for staging, you will soon find out the price is worth it in the end. Also you have to consider if you are getting items that enhance the home, and are current and on trend. You may say well my wife or girlfriend is the way to go, but that could be a shopping spree for the other half. Still a budget killer. Tables, couch, chairs, beds, bedding, lamps, art, towels....it all adds up. Do you really want to put older stuff in a rehab house? You want to sell a life style. You want to wow the buyer. More often then not my customers pay a premium, just because they fell in love with the furniture. Stager's know all the tricks to hide eyesores, and highlight the homes best features. I still say, find a good stager in your area and negotiate a price that works for you. You are a flipper and will have multiple listings in the future, there is a bargaining tool in itself.

Trenton Miller · Answer

I would use the adhesive picture frame hangers.  Just be careful taking them off.

Dave Charron · Answer

Some great responses!  Thank all of you!  I am about 8-9 weeks out to listing my next one but I may start to look around for some small pcs of furniture.

What about pictures?  I cant stand the idea of poking holes in the walls to put up stuff after we just filled, smoothed and painted all the walls!

Trenton Miller · Answer

I have to agree here.  It can't hurt the sale of the home.  However, in my opinion the price point isn't high enough.  Buyer incentives are always attractive!

Brian Pulaski · Answer

My first flip I did not stage the house. I left it completely blank. My second flip I scoured craigslist, caught sales at different stores and rummaged through some furniture we had left over or moved into storage. I staged the house and whether it made a difference or not it sold within a few days. Then it happened again and again. I continue to grab my own staging items and move them from house to house. I always look for used furniture or sales where I can grab something cheap. I d have to store the items between stagings, which can be tough, but in the end I do think it helps. I was also able to lend it to another flipper who was having issues selling his house. We staged, took better photos and the house sold fairly quick after that!

The one thing I noticed when I had an unstaged house verse a staged one. The unstaged house people had to stand around to discuss what they liked, disliked etc... The staged house the potential buyers would sit in the living room and discuss. This seemed like they might be more inclined to make an offer if they felt comfortable and at home sitting and talking it over.

Elizabeth Wilson · Answer

@Dave Charron - The only flip we stated was listed for over $250 and had a large layout that we thought would sell better/faster when staged.

Unless you have crazy high carrying costs, I wouldn't stage houses in that price range.

If they aren't moving as fast as you'd like, I'd find other ways to sweeten the deal (like lowering the price) before staging.  Staging is expensive.

Best of luck!!

who stages their flips?

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