The business of home staging is under transformation. Though physical staging has long dominated the market, virtual staging is quickly becoming a go-to option, but whether it’s the better option depends on several factors.

Key takeaways:

• Staging helps highlight a home’s space and architecture and appeals to the broadest buyer market.
• Virtual staging is coming up quickly, offering a lower cost, more flexibility, and a shorter timetable than traditional staging.
• Help sellers decide which option is best for them by looking at factors like budgets and timetables.

When Barb Schwartz introduced the concept of home staging in 1972, inspired by her background in theater, the idea was novel.

Instead of having buyers view rooms as homeowners had lived in them, salespeople removed any contents—from art to furnishings—that cluttered, dated, or personalized spaces. This purging made it easier to see a home’s architecture and scale. New buyers, it was thought, would have an easier time envisioning themselves in the space.

The concept gained a following, as well as sophistication in process, and led to a profession of trained specialists. With their arsenal of furnishings, baubles, and art, these specialists made a job of staging homes to sell. Sellers usually paid for the service, since many staged listings sold faster and for higher dollars than those not staged.

Staged homes continue to sell well, and the service is in great demand as a result. In the National Association of REALTORS® 2019 Profile of Home Staging, one-quarter of buyers’ agents said that staging increased the dollar value offered by between 1% and 5%.

When Demand and Competition Increase

Nowadays, staging has become almost de rigueur, and professionals with the skills are experiencing an uptick in business. Professional organizer Amanda Wiss of Brooklyn-based Urban Clarity added staging to her repertoire and has seen her business grow by 80% over the prior year.

An increase in the demand for staging also translates into an increase in higher expectations from the clients. To stay relevant in a competitive market, stagers have come to spend more time and money to fashion staged rooms that outdo one another. What’s more, stagers must have a well-rounded and working understanding of what’s necessary to fit a property’s architecture, location, and trending decor. From clean contemporary to mid-century modern, and farmhouse, stagers need to know it all, says Beth Franken, broker-associate with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Chicago, who earned staging credentials from industry trainer ASP.

The increased competition has also spurred stagers to charge more, sometimes 8% to 10% of a listing price, though this varies based on the work involved.

Wiss recently staged a listing in the New York City area with multiple bedrooms and charged in the mid-$20,000 range, and just like when the staging trend originally picked up steam, sellers are still paying for the service.

The Rise of Virtual Staging

Of late, staging has evolved to include the digital realm. Now, rather than physically staging each room in a home, virtual staging allows a company to use a program to map out the home and choose proper furnishings for the space. The increase in the virtual option is due in part to a few factors, including:

• Advances in technology that produced more realistic results
• The influx into the marketplace of millennials, who are more comfortable shopping online than any previous generation
• The pandemic, which made looking at homes online more popular to keep everyone safe

More companies specialize in virtual staging nowadays, allowing salespeople or homeowners to pick from an expanding library of design choices. Want a mid-century modern room with Herman Miller furniture? Check. How about a modern Italian look? No problem.

In some cases, stagers digitally remove furnishings or decor like wallpaper. To make it clear to prospective buyers that the space might not look exactly as it does in the virtual staging, however, salespeople attach a “virtual design” disclaimer, so there’s no misunderstanding.

Cost-Friendly and Adaptable

Virtual staging offers flexibility new to the industry. The time saved over using a truckload of furnishings also makes it more sustainable, says Atlanta-based salesperson Christopher Matos-Rogers with Coldwell Banker. The price skews far lower than physical staging, spurring more practitioners to pick up the tab as part of a marketing budget, says Ilaria Barion, founder of Barion Design.

Since 2005, Barion has staged more than 50,000 properties and is focused on the luxury market. She switched from working as a physical to a virtual stager in part because of the specific needs required in the luxury space.

“Unless you’re going to spend a lot of money, the rental furnishings may cheapen a property’s look. The cost of luxury home staging has skyrocketed. It also takes time to assemble the furnishings,” says Barion. The sheer number of people searching for homes online—95% of home shoppers, according to a report(link is external) from Properties Online—makes virtual staging a useful option.

Also, on the plus side, she’s found that virtual staging allows “you to do amazing things and fast—move in a baby grand piano, for example.” Her company charges per photo, taking into consideration the size of the room. Clients can expect prices from $49 to $399. If furnishings need to be digitally removed from the space, it charges between $20 and $90 per image. Additionally, and unlike in physical staging, Barion’s company typically delivers within a few days.

Thanks to virtual staging, Barion also offers a special custom staging service from scratch. With this service, she offers renderings, and she can offer an express service that’s less expensive for small dwellings.

BoxBrownie.com, an Australian digital staging firm that also performs photo edits and redraws floor plans, charges even less—$24 per virtual image with a turnaround of 48 hours for a new design. It will remove images within 24 hours. The firm, the pitch battle winner at NAR’s inaugural Investment, Opportunity & Innovation Summit in 2018, also has a large inventory of photos in different styles, says Tabitha Thomas, general manager.

Some companies work both ways, as does Atlanta-based No Vacancy Staging. The company charges $39 per virtual photo if the salesperson or homeowner opts for self-service. If they seek advice, the cost is $60. It also offers a two-business-day turnaround and can provide an online quote and contract within 15 seconds, says co-founder Krisztina Bell. As different spaces in a home take on greater importance, it stages them, too, such as more outdoor areas, Bell says.

Virtual staging also offers the advantage of presenting variations on the same space to show flexibility. Throughout the pandemic, buyers have wanted to see that a space might function as a home office, classroom, or gym.

Choosing the Right Staging Option

While its popularity trends upward, not everyone’s convinced that virtual staging is always the best choice. Some experts recommend studying a potential hire’s portfolio to see if they offer adequate digital choices and professional quality software and photos that accurately portray dimensions, perspective, and scale, Franken says. “Some images look fake,” Barion says.

Conversely, some digital versions are so persuasive that, after seeing photos online and later entering the home, buyers are disappointed by seeing empty rooms or the seller’s furnishings instead.

“It may initially raise buyers’ expectations and set them up for a let-down when they see rooms in person,” says Kristie Barnett, whose Nashville firm, The Decorologist, runs in-person and online staging seminars through her Expert Psychological Staging firm.

In contrast, she feels that traditional staging makes spaces appear larger and more valuable. “Done properly, it puts the emphasis on the selling points (the architecture) rather than the decor, and helps buyers know how their furnishings will fit by seeing how comparable items look,” she says.

Which route to go may also depend on the age of potential buyers and how they like to shop, says Chicago commercial interior designer Mary Cook of Mary Cook Associates. Cook has merchandised thousands of model homes and apartments for discerning builders and developers of residential properties.

“Many millennials are very comfortable shopping for a home or apartment using virtual reality, digital renderings, or virtual walk-through renditions online, and even buying without stepping foot inside. But that’s very different from how many boomers like to purchase. They want to see rooms and furnishings in-person to know what works,” she says.

For example, she cites the repurposing of the Tribune Tower in Chicago, which transformed from offices to condominium residences. “Initially, the developer opened for sales before the model units were complete. Potential buyers were interested, but once furnished models opened, sales quickly accelerated. It made a huge difference for the older age group buying to see how rooms might be used, including turning a massive foyer into a gallery,” she says.

Salesperson Franken had a similar experience taking over a condo listing in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood. It was virtually staged and sat unsold. Franken decided to use contemporary furnishings she collected to physically stage the home. “I charged the seller $2,700 and dropped the listing price $6,000. It sold within four days,” she says.

But those like Bell of No Vacancy Home Staging say there’s room for both approaches. “Virtual isn’t meant to replace home staging but [to] offer another option. Both have evolved and will continue to do so,” she says.

BONUS: Starting the Conversation

One of the toughest parts of the staging process is starting the conversation with sellers. It’s not easy to ask that they remove all or some of their objects to make space for new furnishings, especially if they’re still living in the space. “Many are still reluctant, and you have to be careful never to say anything that’s insulting or seems a putdown of what they own,” says salesperson Beth Franken.

Instead, she suggests using stats and stories to share how staging can help before listing a house. “You can’t put something on the market twice,” Franken says. Staging expert Kristie Barnett agrees. “First impressions are felt, not thought, and take place almost instantaneously when someone enters a property.”

Both also suggest pointing out simple staging ideas that a salesperson or homeowner can do on their own:

• Get rid of what won’t be moved to the next home.
• Use hangers that match.
• Remove about 60% of the items from closets and bookshelves.
• Declutter glass-fronted cabinets and counters in full view.

“The eye needs to have an uninterrupted take on a room, and too many things, patterns, and colors distract,” Barnett says.

Showing photos of staged homes makes a significant difference, says salesperson Christopher Matos-Rogers. He uses his area MLS to pull up examples of other listings in their neighborhood that demonstrate how much better a well-staged, well-photographed home presents and performs. “Helping people see the difference is everything,” he says.

More ideas to share are in NAR’s 2019 Profile of Home Staging:

• The median dollar value spent on staging was $400.
• Twenty-eight percent of sellers’ agents said there were slight decreases in the time on market when a home is staged.
• All rooms don’t need to be staged, but the most common to stage are the living room, dining room, kitchen, and owner’s bedroom and bath.

Image by p_kennedy123 from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Home inspectors say they can spot the work of an amateur versus a pro.

Homeowners may have gotten overconfident with their DIY skills. Armed with YouTube tutorials and extra time at home during the pandemic, more homeowners have been drawn to DIY house projects to save money and bypass waits for overbooked contractors. Home inspectors are seeing the results of that DIY surge. When homeowners go to sell, they say more DIY jobs are popping up as red flags.

“We want homeowners to be handy, but we want them to be careful about what they choose to do to their home,” says Adam Long, president of the HomeTeam Inspection Service, which has 200-plus offices nationwide. “It’s important to know when to call in a professional. Saving $200 to $300 for an electrician or plumber could end up costing you thousands in the end.”

Here are the areas where home inspectors are noticing an uptick, Long says.

#1 Electrical Work

Common DIY tasks: Installing a lighting fixture, ceiling fan, or dimmer switch

Risks: Electrocution and home electrical fires

Red flags: Inspectors are spotting overloaded circuit boxes, wires left exposed or the wrong wires being used, and improper junction boxes. “Any changes in the electrical box can be problematic, even when it seems minor like adding a dimmer or wall switch or even a Wi-Fi–enabled switch,” Long says. Personal dangers aside, faulty wiring can cause shorts that lead to house fires. Further, homeowners who do their own electrical work may have failed to get the necessary permits—approvals from municipalities that shows a job was done to code. Failing to get permits can result in fines and hold up a home sale.

#2 Plumbing

Common DIY tasks: Changing a faucet or appliance

Risks: Water leaks or flooding to the home and mold

Red flags: Plumbing that is wrongly installed or repaired can cause significant damage to a home, such as flooding and eventual wood rot and mold growth, which can affect air quality and human health. “Be careful any time you do anything with the home’s plumbing to make sure you are doing it safely and correctly,” Long says. Homeowners may be tempted to change a faucet or update an appliance like a dishwasher. But one wrong connection can lead to costly damage. A dishwasher requires lots of water pressure. If it’s not properly hooked up, homeowners could experience significant flooding in a kitchen.

#3 Roofing & Decks

Common DIY tasks: Installing or extending a new deck or repairing roof shingles

Risks: Injuries from falls and damage to the home

Red flags: Home inspectors say DIY deck installations often are improperly attached to the house or have loose, insecure handrails, both of which pose safety concerns. With roofs, homeowners may try to replace a shingle. “Professionals take extra precautions and know how to stay safe on the roof while making repairs,” Long says. Decks and roofs are some of the highest-priced home items to fix—and where the labor tends to be more expensive than materials, homeowners are too often tempted to do it themselves for the savings, Long says.

#4 Landscape Grading

Common DIY tasks: Adding landscaping or outdoor elements that change water flow around the home

Risks: Improper draining, flooding, and structural damage

Red flags: Inspectors may spot puddles of water around the home’s foundation. When the house was built, the yard was graded so that water would flow away from the home. But after a few years, grading may not have been properly maintained. This can cause water to rush around the foundation and lead to structural damage or water entering a basement or crawl space. “This one is an easy one to pay attention to, especially when it’s raining,” Long says. “That’s the best time to check that water is moving away from the foundation. The gutters should be directing water away from the foundation, too.”

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Today’s vacation homes require an updated set of features to maintain appeal in a post–COVID-19 world, including space to spread out and top-notch Wi-Fi connectivity

Key takeaways:

• Post–pandemic vacation homes need a whole new set of amenities that complement current reality.
• More people are taking longer breaks from the city and working from home, so connectivity is important.
• With more communities toughening rental rules, buyers must stay abreast if earning extra income is a goal.

During the second half of 2020 and through 2021, vacation home sales skyrocketed, according to a report from the National Association of REALTORS®. Today, vacation houses provide important stress relief to the woes of post-pandemic life. As COVID-19 transmission continues to ebb and flow, these homes offer a mental and physical escape as well as a way for extended families and sometimes groups of friends to gather safely, particularly those whose primary homes are in dense urban areas.

Some buyers also view their vacation house as an investment opportunity for rental income. Since vacation homes are typically used for short spurts of time, short-term rental services like Airbnb and VRBO provide opportunities to generate income when the house isn’t in use by the owner.

What works and what doesn’t have changed since the pandemic began, and making a smart purchase requires attention to a different playbook than in years past. These days, a getaway may require more time than the occasional weekend, so different amenities may appeal. With work culture still trending toward the hybrid and work-from-home models, people might spend more time at a vacation home, since where they work is flexible. There may also be more people under a single roof, since extended family members gravitate to be together. And if extra income is desired via short-term rentals, there’s a need to pay attention to a municipality’s rules as more tighten up on the number of days and the number of guests permitted.

Because the pandemic has upended inventory, prices, layouts and more, help clients fine-tune their plans based on what’s available so that they can also fine-tune their wish list. Sometimes a vacation house may even transition to a primary residence, says broker Linda Novelli of The Novelli Team at Compass Real Estate in Margate, on the New Jersey shore.

Working With Available Inventory

As with listings for non-vacation houses, most housing stock remains in short supply, which will influence where and what clients buy. “Sales have been very strong, and the market hasn’t softened. We ran out of good inventory after fall and winter,” says broker Diane Saatchi of Saunders & Associates in East Hampton, N.Y. “When a new house is constructed, it gets purchased right away—and above the asking price,” she says. 

In Telluride, Colo., vacationers come for the two prime seasons of winter skiing and summer relief from hotter climates such as Florida, Arizona and Texas. “They may pay 25% more than they did a year ago,” says broker-owner Anne-Britt Ostlund of Mountain Rose Realty.

In contrast, the Michigan and Indiana vacation areas near Chicago have started to slow. “There are still sales, but it’s not as crazy as it was with 15 offers,” says Jason Milovich, whose Union Pier, Mich.–company, Bluefish Vacation Rentals and Property Management, handles rentals. “The rental market has also slowed a bit,” he says.

Thinking About Distance and Location Accessibility

Without a private plane or helicopter, getting to certain vacation locations may not be easy. For example, Telluride requires flying into its small regional airport or a larger one in Montrose, 40 miles away, and taking a shuttle, says Ostlund. “I—and others who come here—like it because it is so far away and quieter than Aspen or Vail,” she says. As a result, many stay for three to six months, or otherwise longer than they used to, she says. 

Even vacation havens in New York’s Hamptons or Massachusetts’ Cape Cod require longer drives due to increased traffic. Many spend extended weekends or longer stretches to avoid going back and forth. The communities reflect that change by offering more services and shops. In some towns in the Hamptons, New York City art galleries, luxury retailers and hospital satellites have opened locations to cater to the increased population and the longer stays, Saatchi says.

Another factor buyers care about is how far a house is to a downtown, beach, ski slope or entertainment. The main attraction for those buying in Orlando is Walt Disney World, says James Mitchell with Buy Orlando Properties. In Vail, being on a bus route helps renters do without a car, says Tyra Rudrud, broker-owner with Engel & Völkers’ office there and in Beaver Creek.

But because of less inventory and higher prices, some buyers are willing to compromise on proximity. “Years ago, summer residents didn’t want to be five or six blocks from a beach, but now they’re more flexible and willing to be in parts of town once considered less appealing,” Novelli says.

Rudrud also sees that kind of change. “Before, people were looking to be in the center of town or close to slopes, and now, they’re willing to look outside core areas and be in the valley.” she says.

Today’s In-Demand Features

The most critical feature to attract buyers is a house in move-in condition, since many don’t want to do work, even if they can line up a contractor. “I used to say ‘location, location, location’ was most important. Now I say ‘new, new and new,’” Saunders says. “That’s another reason why some will purchase in locations not as popular­–if the homes are in ready condition,” she says.

Ostlund agrees. “They don’t want to be bothered since they want to get in and enjoy their house. To get work done, they might have to wait one or two years because skilled carpenters remain hard to find,” she says.

Second on many wish lists is high-speed connectivity, as more people have the flexibility to work from home, says Milovich. In some remote locations, it requires planning to gain a strong connection.

Also high on the list is the still-popular open plan with a spacious, functional kitchen, which remains the family hub. In kitchens where there’s extra space, a new trend is two islands—one for socializing and the other for kitchen prep.

The increased number of people that occupy a vacation home at one time has led to renewed interest in dining rooms. Buyers don’t want formal spaces, but a room so everyone’s not eating only at a breakfast bar in the kitchen, Rudrud says.

The greater number of people has also led to demand for more bedrooms and bathrooms. “No longer is a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house sufficient,” Novelli says.

And if constructed with a basement, the lower level may be finished to include an exercise room since many homeowners still avoid going to a gym, Saunders says.

What’s Important on the Outside

Having some property available outside is a must, though how much depends on location, budget and how buyers plan to spend their outdoor leisure time. Strong connectivity outdoors, if possible, is also important, as more are moving their home office outdoors in good weather and seek strong connectivity there, too.

If internet is available inside, a strong Wi-Fi signal may be available outside, especially if the router is placed to facilitate it, according to Rebecca Lee Armstrong, with Salt Lake City–based HighSpeedInternet.com. The company is comprised a group of internet and tech experts who help consumers find the best options in their area. Residents can also use Wi-Fi extenders that can send the signal in specific directions, she says.

Another popular feature for vacation homes is a swimming pool. In Saunders’ area, “everyone wants a pool, and an in-ground gunite design,” she says.

Milovich sees that trend slightly slowing, though. “At the height of COVID, a private pool was the number one amenity, but that’s tapered off since there’s not as much trepidation now about going to a beach,” he says.

Other amenities that appeal include a deck with heaters for colder climates, roof overhangs for sun protection and outdoor gathering, and a hot tub, says Rudrud.

BONUS: Using a Property Management Company to Rent Out Your Vacation Home

Although many homeowners successfully rent their homes on vacation platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO, another option is to work with a property management company. Many brokerages are now offering property management services. Though the company usually takes a percentage of the rent—typically from 10% to 50%—many also place their listings on well-known vacation platforms for wider exposure. Milovich’s company does and receives 60% of its bookings from its property management work, versus 40% from the other sites.

They also offer the advantage of knowing an area’s rules and regulations, like:

• How many days the property can be rented annually
• Whether short-term rentals of fewer than 30 days are permitted
• The number of guests and cars allowed on the property, since there may be limits

In Ostlund’s Telluride area, the town has placed a moratorium on short-term rental licenses through 2023 so officials can study how they affect the community’s fabric, she says. Vail is studying restrictions because of the shortage of workforce housing, says Rudrud.

Another advantage of property management companies is that many have reps who handle all the nitty-gritty, such as checking renters in and out, setting out fresh linens and towels, stocking the kitchen pantry, and removing personal items. They may also spiff up the decor to make the listing appeal to the widest possible audience.

Image by giovanni gargiulo from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Presale renovation companies work with real estate professionals to improve a home’s looks in pursuit of turnkey properties that garner top-dollar at resale.

First impressions matter in any housing market—but all the more so now that home sales are cooling. So, presale renovations may become more commonplace as home buyers, who are already stretching their budgets, seek move-in-ready properties. More renovation companies are partnering with real estate professionals to offer this kind of help. The companies work with pros to decide what home updates are needed based on the return on investment, handle the design and renovation work, and offer financing options so homeowners don’t have to pay up front. Owners can use the proceeds from the sale of their property to pay for the remodeling work later on.

Presale renovations can make hard-to-sell properties more attractive to buyers and boost the final sales price. One case in point: A townhouse in Charlotte, N.C., had not a single cosmetic improvement since it was built in 1999. The home’s cabinets and flooring were outdated, the countertops and bathrooms had old-fashioned tile, most of the appliances and lighting fixtures no longer worked properly and the paint colors did not reflect current trends, says Will Allen, owner of Renovation Sells Charlotte, a home improvement company specializing in presale renovations.

“In the current real estate market, it is more important than ever to understand what buyers are looking for,” says Kathryn Heynen, a sales associate at Cottingham Chalk who was the listing agent for the townhome. “As a seller’s agent, I encourage my clients to get their home as market-ready as possible.”

Prior to the renovation, the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath townhouse was valued at $340,000. Renovation Sells recommended $64,000 in renovations. After the four-week project, the home was listed at $495,000—and in just two days, it sold for $570,000. That’s a 350% ROI on the renovations. “We’ve been in a killer market,” Allen admits. “But still, our design team’s vision is what truly made this listing take off. The design brought this listing even more attention.”

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A Hands-Off Renovation Process

Renovation Sells met with Heynen and her client during the planning phase to collect input to ensure that they made the most impactful design decisions for ROI while staying on budget. An in-house design team familiar with local trends presented proposed materials, colors and finishes. Once approved by the agent and seller, the firm completed the work.

The key cosmetic changes prioritized for the townhome centered in the kitchen and bathrooms, which, in general, tend to offer the highest ROI. These also were the most outdated features inside the home, Allen says. “Countertops, cabinet refinishing and backsplash truly made the biggest difference,” he adds. In the owner’s suite, the bathroom also got a refresh with new flooring, paint, lighting and fixtures.

Allen says his company most commonly recommends upgrades in paint, flooring, the kitchen, bathrooms, landscaping and exterior curb appeal because they tend to generate the biggest ROI.

Presale renovations could become even more important as the market cools, Allen says. “Coming out of a hot market like we’ve been having, agents and sellers are having to shift their expectations. What worked over the past few years—list a home as-is and having it sell the same day above asking price—just won’t cut it with higher interest rates and lower demand. Agents are now educating their sellers that in order to maximize their sales price, they need to make smart updates to get homes Instagram-worthy and move-in-ready.”

Allen, who has a construction management background and a real estate license, says cosmetic adjustments—big or small—can help generate higher final sales prices. “There’s nothing I love more than creating a vision for a property and transforming it into something truly beautiful,” Allen says. “Almost all of our business is working with REALTORS® and their clients, whether it’s to prepare a listing or make cosmetic changes before the client moves into their new home.”

Image by bidvine from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

Green is in when it comes to design, especially amongst the younger buying pool, and staircase gardens provide a unique, aesthetically pleasing look for those who want a touch of nature.

Staircases serve an important function both in and out of homes, but their ability to add aesthetic value to a space often goes unrealized. As the desire to bring nature into the home has increased in recent years, homeowners have found a new purpose for these transitional features: staircase gardens. Evoking whimsy, staircases adorned with potted plants or trailing vines add a pop of vibrancy and life to an otherwise overlooked space.

According to Pinterest’s trending searches, interest in staircase gardens is on the rise. Gardening and interest in houseplants, especially by millennials, have both experienced a boom(link is external) during the pandemic as people have spent more time at home. All that time at home has also allowed people to look at spaces that don’t get used beyond their function, including staircases, but people are bringing them back into the fold using plants. “I think that they may be looking again at their spaces because they’ve been spending more time in their home environments,” says Mary Barensfeld, a Pittsburgh-based architect(link is external). “I think there’s something that draws people toward nature, whether that’s going for spending time outdoors or bringing nature into the home and working amongst nature.”

Adorning staircases with greenery does more than create a cool vibe. It also encourages passersby to momentarily pause and acknowledge the space around them. “Anytime you have a plant somewhere as you walk by, you’re checking on it, right? To see if it needs any water, there’s a new leaf there that you didn’t notice last week,” says Maryah Greene, a plant stylist and founder of Greene Piece(link is external). “I love to put plants in any space where mindfulness can be entered into the equation, and stairs are a great place to do that as you move throughout your day,” she says. “It’s just a moment to check in on your space.”

A staircase garden might sound daunting, but can easily be created with just a couple of plants. Here’s what to know if your clients want to add a staircase garden to their homes.

Look Under the Stairs

Sometimes staircases have leftover space underneath that is open but not quite usable for anything else. “It’s a perfect spot to fill with something that doesn’t have the knickknack-y vibe, but it’s a good place to put plants,” says Barensfeld. These spaces receive less natural light, so consider shade-loving plants, like snake plants or maidenhair ferns, and make sure the plants can be easily watered.

The type and number of plants used under stairs will depend on the size of the space. A single, tall plant might work well for a space that’s small but possesses a decent height. Likewise, in larger spaces, adding more than one plant—or even a mini-atrium of plants—adds a bold statement while still embodying a minimalist look. If the staircase is a focal point in the home, plants help dress it up.

Use a Trailing Plant

Greene advises homeowners to keep stairs as clear as possible—no one wants to trip on a plant. Using a trailing plant to wrap around the railing of the stairs leaves the staircase open while also creating a beautiful space. Picking just a couple of plants that are “super long and vine-y” creates the illusion of “having this lush jungle on your staircase, but it’s only a couple of plants that are just really long,” says Greene.

Plants that typically work best for this include philodendrons, golden pothos and mini monstera (rhaphidophora). To execute this, homeowners should place a plant at the top of the stairs and let it trail down, shaping the plant around the railing. They can also place one plant at the top of the stairs and one at the bottom and have them meet in the middle, which works if the plants are really long.

The best way to encourage length, Greene says, is to find the source of light. “If, on the bottom floor, you have a window, but on the top floor, it’s a bit darker up there, I recommend having that plant in the spot that’s the sunnier so that it can continue to grow, as opposed to having it at the top of the stairs, where there is no sunlight—that plant’s really going to struggle to grow downward,” she says.

Trailing plants work well for outdoor staircase gardens, too. For this locale, planting the vines in soil is key, advises Brandy Hall, founder of Shades of Green Permaculture(link is external). “They’re going to be less finicky because they have contact with the soil,” says Hall. “They’re going to get water, and they’re going to get nutrients. You don’t have to really think about them as much as you do with containers.” Plants like creeping figs are great to train against closed risers, while muscadines and evergreen clematis can work great with railings, depending on the conditions.

Keep Pot Size in Mind

As tempting as it may be for homeowners to arrange potted plants on their staircases, it’s important to remember to keep the steps as clear as possible. It can be done, though, if pot size is taken into consideration.

When plants come home from the plant shop, they should ideally be repotted into a container that’s an inch or two bigger than the nursery pot, says Greene. A pothos in a four-inch pot at the nursery, for example, should go into a six-inch pot at home. “You want to figure out the diameter of your steps and make sure that pot isn’t taking up way too much space on your stairs to prevent you from using those stairs,” says Greene. “Start smaller than you think, because plants grow, of course, and so as that plant continues to grow, you’re eventually going to pot it into something bigger every couple of years.”

Another cool way to use potted plants is to consider the WallyGrow(link is external) planter system, which allows users to create plant walls with various hanging planters. “Their main focus is allowing you to create a living wall, or a live plant hanging anywhere in your home. I’d definitely recommend those; they’re awesome, they make watering easy. If you have hardwood floors, you’re not ruining those,” says Greene. They can be arranged on the wall along a staircase, leaving the railings and stairs clear.

Get Colorful

While green houseplants work well for indoor staircases—and some do have flowers or colorful leaves—outside staircases are great spaces to introduce pops of color. Homeowners can carefully arrange potted annual flowers to create a lively space. “I really love using bunching grasses in outdoor containers, because they have a lot of seasonal interest and they overwinter really well, even though they don’t stay green year-round,” says Hall.

Bunching grasses like chasmanthium and river oats are especially great for this purpose. “They have really beautiful seed heads in the fall, and then they’ll stay golden during the winter and then come back to life in the spring,” says Hall.

With younger home buyers trending green and showing an uptick in interest in houseplants and gardening, staircase gardens are a great and relatively easy way to meet demand and bring the outdoors in or simply to dress up an underutilized space. They’re also a great tool for staging or helping your client set up their space once they’ve purchased a home.

Image by Suket Dedhia from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

The quest for organized storage and space for pandemic reprieve spurred interest in transforming garages, but nowadays the sky’s the limit on how the space is used and looks.

Key Takeaways:

• Two key factors—the pandemic and the search for more storage—have influenced current garage trends.
• Garage space isn’t just for cars anymore. It’s now a space for recreation, solitude, working out and a home office in many cases.
• Trends for the garage also include sustainability, which means EV stations for either the current owner or to improve resale value.

When it comes to a garage, most clients won’t require the space to house 12 cars like a recent client of Los Angeles architecture firm KAA Design Group. In fact, the client himself didn’t need that much space. He owned only two cars but was thinking about resale value on his home—knowing car collectors are in abundance in L.A.—when he opted for the extra-large garage.

He’s currently using the extra space as an art studio, says Grant C. Kirkpatrick, KAA architect and founding partner.

The need for flexible garage space, however, is on the rise. Before the pandemic, most homeowners wanted and needed less. They required space to park two cars and room for some seasonal items or tools. However, lifestyle changes and pandemic-fueled hobbies mean a garage needs a little more flexibility to meet demand.

Changes Influencing Garage Space

During the pandemic, many people took up outdoor hobbies, says Laurel Vernazza, home design expert at The Plan Collection. As a result, space to store outdoor gear such as kayaks, paddleboards, golf clubs and bicycles tops the list of garage needs.

The pandemic also fueled requests for more quiet spaces away from the main part of the home, and garages sometimes served as a retreat, a home office or a gym.

Though it may not rank as high as the desire for an updated kitchen or owner’s bathroom, having a finished garage with flexible space has moved up on many buyers’ wish lists.

Converting Garage Space

One advantage of converting a garage, especially when it’s attached to the home, is that it is typically an easy and affordable transformation. The space is often already outfitted with electrical outlets and weatherproofing, says New York City–based architect Victor Body-Lawson of Body Lawson Associates. “An attached garage is also easy to heat or cool,” he says.

A detached garage, however, is a bit of a challenge to convert, Body-Lawson says. “Expenses increase with big-ticket items of new windows, insulation, new floors, interior finishes and plumbing,” he says.

How often buyers undertake these types of changes often depends on a variety of factors: climate, property size, budget, age of the house and what neighboring homes offer.

An Overview of Demand for Garage Space

In historic mining town–turned–ski village Telluride, Colo., adding a garage can raise the home’s sale price by 20% or more, says salesperson Anne Brit Ostlund, with Mountain Rose Realty.

In contrast, the new nearby town of Mountain Village features many homes with a minimum of a three-car garage to make space for off-road vehicles, golf carts and town or sports cars, Ostlund says. Larger garages might add a 10% payback for resale, she says.

In still other communities such as Maplewood, N.J., having a garage is so important that removing one for whatever reason isn’t allowed unless it’s replaced. In the town, which has 25,000 residents, only 18 houses lack a garage, says Stephanie Mallios, a salesperson with Compass.

Besides functionality, Kirkpatrick says aesthetics are important for a garage. “Since our clients are most often coming home via their garage, it should be beautiful,” he says.

One trend is certain for new-home construction as well: Fewer new houses come without a garage of some kind. Developer Jeff Benach of Chicago-based Lexington Homes says he no longer brings to market a single-family house or townhouse without a garage that offers more than a single bay. He also won’t design one with a tandem layout, where cars line up behind one another.

Vernazza concurs that it’s rare for a new home to have room for just one car.

What Matters Most

Nowadays, want outweighs need when it comes to features that pique buyer interest. A finished, clean garage is likely to offer an uptick in value by presenting buyers with the plus of one less project to tackle, says Aaron Cash, founder of Toronto-based Garage Living, a franchise that transforms garages.

Clean and Uncluttered

The first step is to declutter the garage as you would any other part of the house rather than make it a dumping ground, says Cash. Though the garage was once a space to house dirtier objects like lawn maintenance equipment, homeowners would rather see a clean space as well. Montgomeryville, Pa.–based The Closet Works recommends using an antimicrobial or antibacterial finish on surfaces for cleanliness.

Door Styles

Nicer, more durable, and lower maintenance doors, sometimes constructed from galvanized metal that doesn’t rust or less costly vinyl, are preferred these days. Styles range from matching the rest of the house to setting a different vibe. For Mallios’ new two-car detached garage, she veered from her home’s Tudor style for mahogany carriage house doors and stucco facade, making it “more charming than my house,” she says.

The good news is that the garage door shortage, which hampered upgrades and new-home construction during pandemic supply chain delays, is lessening, according to Scott Balogh, owner of Aero Garage Door in Libertyville, Ill. “Backlogs have gone from one year to 14 weeks, though delays remain for certain popular colors, styles and materials. Among the more popular looks are wood tones that match a front door,” he says.

Garage door extras are also popular, including exterior lights, smart features used from a smartphone, and automatic controls since it’s more common for people to use their garage as an entry and exit from the house, Cash says. Cameras are also becoming more common, which helps with package delivery verification, Balogh says.

Windows

Windows have become popular, particularly in the upper third of the price range of garages, says Dan Timm, a salesperson with Baird & Warner in Libertyville, Ill. A cost-effective way to include them is to have them on the garage’s top panel or one just below, he says. “It breaks up what is otherwise a monolithic slab,” Timm says. But, in some houses and front-loading garages, they may be placed on a side.

EV Charging Stations

As interest in EV expands, garages need to accommodate home charging. More of Case’s clients ask to install one station or at least provide the rough-in for work to be finished later, and the vast majority of newly constructed houses are including one, he says. When Mallios built her new garage, she installed two.

Interior Floor and Walls

Those who want to spiff up their garages may start with a floor coating that’s similar to epoxy and makes the garage easier to clean, says Cash. A variety of colors and textures are available, he says. Designer Claire Ownby of Scottsdale, Ariz.–based Ownby Design often chooses from porcelain wood tiles, industrial carpet tiles or polished concrete. “It really depends on the aesthetics of the environment, but we are typically treating the floors with a more affordable and durable version of the interior of the house,” she says. Gray still ranks high in popularity since it’s neutral and hides dirt, according to Closet Works.

Organized Storage

Storage and organization are top of mind for all spaces in the home, including the garage. Adding slats and other systems along walls or installing cabinets, drawers and bins, some with locks to keep out children, are popular options to add intentional storage space. Some also like to add overhead racks that they can reach with a pulley system or ladder. Having good visibility by adding more lighting than the typical single bulb makes finding stuff easier, Cash says.

Sal Graci of River Avenue Digital, which handles Closet Works’ marketing, makes other recommendations: leave empty space for future expansion, install only adjustable systems so changes can be made and store stuff off the ground to leave room for cars and avoid damage if flooding occurs.

Car Lifts

Commonplace in commercial garages, these have become more popular in residential and allow an owner or potential future owner to have a large car collection without adding square footage, Ownby says.

BONUS: Garage or an Extension of the Indoor Space?

The garage is frequently becoming an entertainment destination with the clever moniker of the “gar-bar” or “new speakeasy,” Mallios says. One house Mallios recently sold at 18% above the asking price had a four-car garage with such a space. It helped its owners survive the pandemic, she says.

For some KAA Design clients, the garage becomes a man cave or equivalent. “The pride in their vehicle or vehicles and the car culture results in a desire for a garage that brings it all together—car display, workshop, lounge and bar, entertainment, etc. for solo reflection or friends and parties,” Kirkpatrick says.

A client of Timm’s installed a TV, sound system, color-changing LED lights, epoxy floor and collection of vintage car grills with lights inside the headlight spaces.

Also becoming more common is to convert part of the garage into an accessory dwelling unit so it can be occupied by family, grown children, college students or renters as home prices and rents rise, says architect Body-Lawson. Some ADUs also become offices for new businesses, he says.

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission

More than 50 years after the federal ban on housing discrimination, upholding the law’s spirit remains a challenge. Here’s how to be a fair housing leader.

Sandra Butler refused to let it slide when a seller she represented made what felt like a discriminatory comment. The seller thought the buyers, who had foreign-sounding names, were trying to negotiate for too many repairs. “I know how these people are, and they always want something for nothing,” Butler recalls the seller saying.

Butler is African-American. So was her client. And she didn’t want the seller to “think this conversation could be had because we look alike,” she says. Instead of flatly admonishing her client, Butler turned the conversation to fair housing law. “I said, ‘I don’t know the buyers or what they look like. I just know they are ready, willing, and able to purchase, and it’s our duty under the law to make your property available to them,’” says Butler, a sales associate with Sibcy Cline, REALTORS®, in Cincinnati. The deal ultimately fell apart over negotiation terms, but Butler was satisfied that she’d made her client more aware of a seller’s responsibility to abide by the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits inequitable treatment in the sale, rental, and financing of homes based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and the presence of children.

Each April, REALTORS® celebrate Fair Housing Month to commemorate the law, which was passed in 1968 and amended in 1988. Yet more than 50 years after its passage, racial and religious tensions continue to dominate national conversations and stoke heated rhetoric in presidential politics. Is that tension having an effect on real estate sales? Apparently not. Housing discrimination is the exception today, according to a REALTOR® Magazine survey of National Association of REALTORS® members. Of the 2,300 respondents, more than 80% said they had not encountered housing discrimination in their market.

That’s great news. And yet, fair housing challenges remain. Violations—and government efforts to enforce the law—continue. Nearly 10% of respondents to the survey said they had encountered discrimination in their markets, 18% of those saying it happened within the past month or “earlier this year.”

Fair housing organizations receive about 25,000 to 30,000 complaints each year, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance, a coalition of privately run fair housing groups. Yet, testing suggests there are many more instances of discrimination—the NFHA estimates about 3.7 million annually. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has conducted thousands of tests in recent years, employing housing organizations to send testers out to view for-sale and rental properties as a means of determining whether landlords, lenders, agents, and others in the real estate community treat protected classes differently.

Cliff Long, CEO of the Birmingham Association of REALTORS® in Alabama, says discrimination in the rental process is the biggest issue in his market. When he was relocating to Birmingham three years ago, he experienced it firsthand. Long, who is African-American, says several landlords wanted him to produce financial records before they would show him rental units—a practice that fair housing groups say is often aimed at minorities only. Having just taken the top job at the association, Long decided not to file a complaint.

Nearly all respondents said if they encountered potential discriminatory language or actions, they’d likely address it the way Butler did—by engaging in some straight talk about the law with their client. Less than 3% of respondents to the survey said they’d file a complaint, and less than 1 percent said they’ve ever filed a fair housing complaint.

Putting Your Training to Work

As an NAR member, you’ve made a commitment to equal treatment—not just because it’s the law but as part of the REALTORS® Code of Ethics. NAR requires that members stay up to date on the Code, completing training at least every four years. In addition, states and localities often have their own fair housing laws, so state and local associations administer specific fair housing training for their members. Typically, licensees are required to take a two- or three-hour course every two to four years.

So there’s little doubt that when clients ask questions about quality of schools, local demographics, and neighborhood safety, you know to refer them to reliable information sources for answers rather than give your opinion. Resist the temptation to skirt the subject, says Mabel Guzman, CIPS, a sales associate at @properties in Chicago. You’re not teaching them anything by being coy. Be frank about why you can’t answer certain questions. Seize the opportunity to explain fair housing laws and why it would be illegal to offer your opinion.

Curiously, more than 30% of respondents to REALTOR® Magazine’s survey said they don’t talk about fair housing issues with buyers and sellers. Whether that’s because they don’t encounter discriminatory behavior or because they’re too uncomfortable to challenge that behavior is not clear. It can be tempting to overlook questions or statements from clients in order to avoid an awkward exchange that could affect your business relationship. Addressing such issues in a nonconfrontational way, with fair housing law as the framework, can help.

The Challenges Ahead

When you’re working with first-time buyers, particularly from new immigrant populations, you may need to actively educate your clients about fair housing law. Immigrants are an increasing target for discrimination in real estate, contends Lisa Rice, NFHA executive vice president, and many are unfamiliar with their rights under the law. “If no one is mean or disrespectful,” she says, “it’s not the first thing on your mind that maybe that house wasn’t made available to you because you were being discriminated against. Trained real estate practitioners can recognize discrimination and be part of how we bring awareness to the public.” The Alliance expects to see a rise in national origin–related cases in the coming years, Rice says.

As a Muslim woman living in the South, Firdaus Rahman, CRS, GRI, a sales associate at RE/MAX Partners in Mobile, Ala., admits she’s worried that Islamophobia—a hot-button issue in the 2016 presidential race—is becoming more acceptable and leads to unfair treatment. Rahman has been teaching fair housing and diversity courses through the Alabama Real Estate Commission since 2002, but the curriculum doesn’t go deeply into religion. She says the training needs an overhaul to reflect new issues surfacing in the field.

“You have to understand where people from different cultures are coming from,” Rahman says, adding that sensitivity to certain holidays and holy days is an important part of working with clients.

Also, because some cultures don’t participate in banking and savings in ways that are customary in the U.S., landlords, lenders, and real estate practitioners may have to educate their clients about U.S. customs or even adjust their expectations. “When immigration reform begins, we’re going to need a lot of education,” Long says. “You can bet fair housing is going to be front and center, and we’re going to be in a bad position if we’re not ready to tackle this issue. I’d like to play a proactive role rather than a reactive role.”

Brokers can take the lead on that front and establish relationships with local fair housing organizations to get a better look at the issues facing local markets. After the NFHA filed discrimination lawsuits against several brokerages nationwide in 2007, including one in the Detroit area, Michigan REALTORS® partnered with fair housing groups around the state to bring regulators and practitioners together. The association developed a program to allow brokers to be voluntarily tested by fair housing groups for informational purposes, hoping it would foster more collaboration on training in the industry. “Part of the testing was about demystifying our relationship with fair housing centers,” says Brian Westrin, the association’s director of legal affairs. “There was a lot of unknown there about whether brokers could reach out and bring fair housing centers into their office for education.”

Addressing the Affordability Barrier

One of the underlying goals of fair housing law has been ending segregated housing patterns in the United States, but census data show the law has fallen short. So last year, President Barack Obama announced a new rule requiring local governments that receive federal housing funds to report how they use those funds to foster more integrated communities.

Lack of affordable housing can perpetuate segregation when it prevents protected classes from moving up the housing ladder. It’s a problem facing cities across the country, but none more acutely than San Francisco, where the median price was $940,000 in the fourth quarter of 2015. That’s why REALTORS® there have banded together to come up with solutions to the growing affordability crisis.

The real estate industry in San Francisco relies heavily on all-cash buyers—many from Asia—which pushes up prices and leaves other groups at a disadvantage, says Eugene Pak, president of the San Francisco Association of REALTORS® and sales manager at Climb Real Estate. One of SFAR’s primary goals this year is to work with local officials on a program to fast-track the permitting process for residential developments that will deliver a certain percentage of affordable units. It currently takes eight to 15 years to build a large development because of the intense permitting process, Pak says. “We don’t only care about the needs of our millionaire clients,” he adds. “We believe in housing for all.”

The country has come a long way over the past half-century when racial steering and disparate lending practices were common. And REALTORS® are on the forefront. But in an increasingly diverse country—where taking the first step toward buying or even renting can be a daunting task—you have an opportunity to do more: Teach your neighbors about what fairness in the real estate transaction looks like and empower those who’ve faced prejudice to challenge unequal treatment. Are you making the most of your platform?

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

©National Association of REALTORS®
Reprinted with permission