Staging your home to sell (with Lori Carlisle, Home Staging and Design Specialist) – Real Estate Real Fast EP20

Episode Summary

In this episode, Aaron Jistel interviews Lori Carlisle, the president of Model Property Brands, discussing the importance of home staging for selling properties, decluttering, depersonalizing the property, current trends in home staging, and the ideal customers and projects for their staging and design business. 

They also discuss the benefits of virtual staging, open concept living spaces, and the importance of staging awkward spaces in real estate.

About Lori Carlisle

Lori Carlisle is the President of Model Property Brands, a company specializing in home staging, design, and short-term rental setups. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Lori is an expert in creating visually appealing spaces that appeal to potential home buyers.

She works closely with homeowners, real estate agents, investors, and builders to understand their specific needs and create a customized look and feel for each property. 

Lori’s team at Model Property Brands is known for their creativity, attention to detail, and ability to showcase a home’s unique features. She believes that staging is an essential part of the home selling process and can help properties sell faster and for more money. When she’s not working with clients, Lori enjoys keeping up with the latest design trends and exploring new ways to enhance the home buying and selling experience.

About Model Property Brands

Model Property Brands is a company that specializes in making homes visually appealing to potential buyers through the process of home staging. With a focus on decluttering, depersonalizing, and rearranging furniture, Model Property Brands aims to highlight a home’s best features and help potential buyers envision themselves living in the space. Their services can help homes sell faster and for more money, making it a worthwhile investment for sellers.

Episode Highlights

1. Importance of staging a property for sale to visualize the space
2. Current trends and styles in home staging gaining popularity
3. Timeline and notifications required for a smooth closing after staging
4. Considerations when staging occupied properties
5. Recommendations for the most important rooms to stage on a tight budget
6. Ideal customers and projects for staging and design business
7. Emphasizing key features, maximizing space and creativity in staging
8. Staging awkward spaces to enhance functionality and maximize potential
9. Benefits of virtual staging compared to traditional home staging
10. Importance of spatial awareness when creating flow in open concept living spaces

Key Takeaways

[00:04:00] The Benefits of Staging a Property for Sale

Lori Carlisle emphasized the importance of staging a property for sale to visualize the space for potential buyers. This process includes decluttering, depersonalizing the property, and using expert design skills to highlight specific features. Staging can also involve consulting with homeowners on occupied properties and providing a balance between their belongings and supplementary inventory.

[00:04:11 – 00:04:23] “The number one benefit of staging a property is it allows potential buyers to really visualize themselves in the space”

[00:06:44] Home Staging Trends: European Influences and Moving Away from Farmhouse Style

Lori discussed the current trends and styles in home staging that are gaining popularity, such as European influences and transitional space. She also talks about the shift away from the farmhouse style, although not entirely out of style, as builders turn towards properties with more traditional elements and industrial finishes.

[00:07:11 – 00:07:36] “We are definitely leaning in the transitional space with some very nice European influences.”

[00:09:26] Time Frame for Staging a House for Investors

Staging experts typically need three to four business days to stage a property after receiving initial details like photo and video walkthroughs. Staging a whole home may require additional time, and the actual scheduling depends on the size and complexity of the property.

[00:10:34 – 00:10:50] “it usually is about three to four business days before we can actually get in and actually stage the property.”

[00:11:51] Discussing the De-Staging Process and Timeline for Home Sales

Lori and Aaron discussed the home staging process, timeline, and notifications required for a smooth closing. Lori explains that a typical de-staging request requires about 7 to 10 business days’ notice from the realtor to schedule and accommodate the de-staging of a property.

[00:12:26 – 00:12:35] “Yeah, we like to have seven business days notice with sort of a de-stage request from the realtor.”

[00:13:54] Important Considerations when Staging Properties for Sale

Aaron and Lori discuss the considerations when staging properties for sale, particularly when it comes to occupied properties. Staging may include removing or changing window coverings like curtains, plus managing clients’ emotional attachment to their homes while presenting a space that appeals to a broad range of buyers.

[00:17:37 – 00:17:59] “if you don’t have that layer of delicacy and that layer of compassion when you’re working with people, it’s really not probably not a good fit for you.”

[00:18:47] Important Home Staging Rooms for Budget-Conscious Sellers

Lori shares her recommendations for the most important rooms to stage when sellers are on a tight budget. Focusing on the heart of the home, sellers should prioritize staging the rooms visible upon entering the property. The master bedroom is another key area to stage, helping potential buyers visualize the space.

[00:19:35 – 00:20:00] “What needs to get staged is whatever you are seeing when you walk into that first right when you walk through the front door.”

[00:20:47] Discussing Ideal Customers and Projects for Home Staging

During their conversation, Lori explained the various ideal customers and projects for their staging and design business. She spoke about working with homeowners, realtors, and investors, and expressed particular interests in model homes and multifamily complexes, prompting a discussion about creativity in the staging process

[00:21:42 – 00:22:04] “The ones that give me just a little bit more of anxiety is people’s personal spaces that are asking us to come in and design their space for them that they are going to live in versus working with a multifamily complex where we can go in and set up a model apartment”

[00:22:36] Lori Carlisle Discusses Staging Do’s and Don’ts

Lori, an experienced stager, talks about the importance of emphasizing key features in a property, maximizing space, and being creative with awkward spaces. She also highlights the option for buyers to purchase furniture used in staging and shares her insights about the challenges and opportunities in the real estate industry.

[00:25:23 – 00:25:45] “We do sell our inventory, which is a nice option to have.”

[00:26:49] The Importance of Staging Awkward Spaces in Real Estate

Aaron discussed the importance of staging awkward spaces in real estate to help potential buyers visualize how they can use and navigate the space effectively. Staging not only enhances design, but also serves as a crucial tool for functionality, visualization, and maximizing a property’s potential.

[00:27:04 – 00:27:21] “It’s really problematic for them to think about what they’re going to do with things or they default to how they had their last house set up and if the configuration is different or they just don’t have that innate ability to kind of see a space and understand how furniture and things like that can unfold.”

[00:28:26] Virtual Staging and Its Important Role in Real Estate

Lori discusses the benefits of virtual staging, the impact on buyers, and how the process works with Aaron. They touched on the visual appeal, cost-effectiveness, and versatility of virtual staging as compared to traditional home staging.

[00:16:30 – 00:16:50] “Virtual staging is definitely a great way to save money – it’s more cost-effective. It’s also something that can be done very quickly. It can be done in a room that was never staged or a room that was previously staged.”

[00:29:21] Home Staging Tips and Tricks for Selling Success

Aaron and Lori discuss open concept living spaces and how designers and stylists must use spatial awareness to create a flow and make it easier for potential buyers to visualize the layout. 

[00:29:48 – 00:30:03] “Even though you may not have chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, you’ve got all these canned lighting, but how do you actually visualize the spaces and break it up for them?”