Why Should You Stage A Home In Today’s Market? - with Deanna Kory- EP 163

On this episode of the Lab Coat Agents Podcast, Jeff talks to Deanna Kory. In today's real estate world, the idea of having to stage a house or even get it ready to sell isn’t high on the list of importance because all you have to do is put a sale sign in the yard, and the thing is going to sell. However, these times are not going to last forever and understanding the importance of staging a property and then leading to the negotiation aspect of it are going to become critically important. Deanna Kory is from Manhattan, New York; She has over 37 years of experience in staging, and she has closed over 2 billion in residential real estate in Manhattan.   Episode highlights: In the beginning, Deanna was a classical musician, studying conservatory in soonest. Soonest is one of the larger woodwind instruments. But she had interest in the business side. Deanna ended up in New York for the classical music business, but she was making zero or so little that she could not live in New York. Deanna’s family background is from real estate, and she started in real estate in June 1985. When you promote classical musicians, it’s not like you are promoting a car or something not flashy. It’s very understated and that’s why it worked out well when Deanna went to real estate business. Self-promotion is that fine line we talk about all the time now, but in late 80s, it was nothing like what it is today. In New York there was no such thing as newsletters back in 1985 but having written a lot about public relations, positions and everything Deanna decided that she would use that strain and she would write on her observations about the market. Deanna decided that she would be giving people information about what they need to know in the business, which she knows people do.  Deanna has been in the business for a lot of years and her goal is always to achieve the highest possible sales price for a seller, and she believes in that because that is part of her value. If nothing else around you is staged and you stand out with staging, it becomes a better place and makes people feel better about place when they walk into the home or the apartment or whatever it is that you are selling. When people walk through the listed house you want them to have a positive experience as much as they can from each room. Lighting is very important in house when client is visiting because it affects how people feel, and even if you don’t notice that, start thinking about it. Deanna always makes sure that there is light that is all around the room and if you have a light source from a window make sure that when you enter you have a feeling of light because it makes the room feel larger and spacious. Deanna often work with whatever furniture she has in the space because it’s just the idea of having as much seating in the living room. And when she says floor space she wants to see the carpet area only not the actual floor area. Deanna talks about the four or five key pieces of staging elements that agents should have at their disposal.  As per Jeff  most real estate professionals opt to hire a staging company, and oftentimes it is not necessary because you can just make some minor tweaks that can make a huge difference. In New York everything gets done by attorneys after agents have negotiated an entire deal and then we have to do a whole board package on top of it. So we really need to make sure that the negotiation is a very good negotiation, says Deanna If we have an influence on both our buyers and our sellers to get them to a number provided that the seller wants to sell it at a price that is within market and the buyer is willing to pay the price within market. If you don’t make that deal, then you are not negotiating well.   3 Key Points: Authenticity is really taking hold and social media is becoming a place where a lot of people are finding success by telling their true story. Real estate was not that big of an industry earlier as it is now and there is a lot you can do as an agent to stage yourself. Deanna shares that “you do need to be real”. It is important to be out there on a regular basis. The more you are out there, the more you are providing information and giving advice and being real will be very helpful. Resources Mentioned:  Lab Coat Agents | Website | Facebook | Facebook Group | Twitter | Instagram  Jeff Pfitzer   | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter PowerISA (Sponsor) zBuyer (Sponsor) Deanna Kory | Website | info@deannakory.com | dek@corcoran.com