After reading Kimberly Westers post "Staging may be a new industry..." I had also received a similar call asking if I'd be interested in staging 7 new homes. Sounds great right! They wanted them done for free! They had spent $100,000 in advertising and expected 2,000 people to come through. They would use your name, logo in print media where possible and the event brochure. A new master planned community with 7 builders, 500 homes, priced at 700k-800k, but they only want it staged for 9 days. I also know they are calling other stagers and designers to try and get this done. I think they realize that not too many people would do this for free...if any. After their pitch, they did want me to give them an estimate...sight unseen of course!
Has anyone, either real estate agents or stagers had any positive experiences with this sort of "exposure" from this type of marketing? (I would not do for free and it's 120 miles round trip).
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Hi Cindy, You had asked: Has anyone, either real estate agents or stagers had any positive experiences with this sort of "exposure" from this type of marketing?
Sad to say, but doing "free work" is what Realtors do, and then we have to hope like heck we can get paid for it. We do all our marketing, efforts, gasoline, time, etc. etc. and never get paid a penny until and unless a transaction closes. We can do everything letter perfect, and still not get paid a dime. No other professionals that I know of ever gives all their work away up front and then sometimes fight or beg to get paid. So in answer to your question, yes, Realtors can and do have some positive experience from the exposure we get from that type of marketing.
LOL - I am SO glad I'm not the only one this is happening to, however sad that it si even happening at all. Twice now in recent weeks I have been called out to large, vacant homes (see my blog Developers / Property Owners "Over Building" ) But the last one was the best, "We're tight on money... so if you give me a good deal I have a lot of other properties in the works." - yup, I bet you do...
Thankfully though I do have a bid out there for 3 model homes and am told I'm in the running for the "Final 2", and they're willing to pay for it! Wish me luck, and keep your fingers crossed!
Hi Cindy, Wow, 120 miles round trip! I would turn this down even if it was a paying job! Just too far to travel and then you'd be receiving inquiries from people that distance away on a regular basis.
Although I've never been asked to stage for free, the only circumstance under which I would consider it would be that if it were the of winter (our slowest time of year) and my warehouse couldn't hold all the excess inventory! Then it would be free storage space and some advertising to boot!
Wow, this sounds crazy, Cindy! And how about those advertiser calls that want to "feature your home staging company"? That 9 day staging would sure eat up alot of advertising money!
Kathy
I would be leery, its too easy for you to loose in the long run, and them to win.
Business is business.
Heather