Are Live-in Stagers a Good Idea for Luxury Homes on Scenic 30-A?

With so many beautiful homes for sale along Scenic Highway 30-A, Realtors and home owners are getting creative about making their property stand out above the rest. In our current market many properties are brand new or vacant without any furniture. Staging a home has been a successful selling technique in communities such as WaterSound, Rosemary Beach and WaterColor. However, it oftentimes can be a very expensive option for home sellers.
A few companies have come onto the market that are filling a niche for luxury home staging…one such company is Showhomes, a home management and staging company. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company works with owners of vacant residential properties and their real estate agents, providing live-in managers who make the homes more appealing to potential buyers.
Managers, or stagers, typically bring their own furniture and agree to have the homes ready for showing on 30 minutes’ notice. In exchange, they get reduced housing costs.
“A big part of it is psychology,” said Don Vanderhoef, owner of Showhomes’ Fort Lauderdale office. “Buyers see food in the refrigerator, clothes in the closet. They see all the signs of life of a regular home.”
The housing bust has left millions of vacant homes in its wake nationwide during the past four years. Some homes become unmaintained eyesores, with overgrown lawns and swimming pools full of green water. They also can attract squatters and crime, hurting nearby property values.
Showhomes prefers to list upscale homes – those that are priced at $500,000 or above – but will consider lower-priced homes. Vanderhoef said properties in the program tend to sell faster and for more money than other vacant listings.
The company’s eight Florida offices have more than 100 staged homes for sale. Showhomes says it has staged about 60 homes statewide this year that sold for an average of $816,000. The homes were on the market for an average of 135 days after staging. High-end homes can take more than a year to sell.
Homeowners – including individuals, builders and lenders – pay Showhomes an upfront fee that ranges from $750 to $1,500 for a 3,000-square-foot property, Vanderhoef said. They continue to pay the mortgage, insurance and taxes while the property is listed for sale. The company covers normal operating expenses, such as utilities, and minor maintenance costs.
Once the home sells, the owner pays a “success” fee, up to 1 percent of the home’s list price. If the property doesn’t sell, Showhomes pockets only the upfront money.
What do you think? Is this something that would work along Scenic 30-A with the large inventory of vacant luxury homes?