If the Pope gets tired of running the Church, he might want to try his hand at real estate staging. Evidently, it is one of the few professions (aside from the Papacy) that confers infallibility. I reached this conclusion after a very frustrating, extremely expensive experience with Marlene Wharmby, aka Staged by Marlene.
I got competitive bids from reputable stagers whose services would have cost $4,000 to $4,500 for my 2,000-square-foot home in the Claremont/Elmwood neighborhood. Marlene's bid was $6,500. Like other real estate agents, mine was willing to pay for a portion of the staging expense. Marlene was still the most expensive vendor, and by a considerable margin. My real estate agent (Regina Jacobs, reviewed separately), swore up and down that Marlene is "the best" and "just cares about getting it right." I later learned that "right" is a relative term that does not necessarily include a strategic grasp of marketing residential real estate nor a commitment to customer satisfaction.
In the interest of fairness, most of Marlene's furnishings were of good quality, orchids were attractive, she worked on a tight timeline, and her crew was mostly considerate. The house photographed well, an important aspect of marketing a property.
I paid several thousand dollars on staging for two key purposes: Getting rid of furnishings that would likely have detracted from my home's perceived value and helping prospective buyers imagine how they would use the space. Originally built in 1942, my home offered fabulous location but lacked some of the modern amenities such as a "true master suite" and a family room that readily accommodates a big TV. The Realtor predicted that these would inhibit my home's ultimate selling price.
I was shocked to see that Marlene had staged the master bedroom with a double bed (the room was big enough to accommodate a king-sized bed). Thinking that I might be too close to the situation, I asked a few neutral observers for their input. Each, independently, immediately noticed the under-sized bed and asked questions such as, "Isn't this supposed to be the master bedroom? Why isn't it a queen bed?" and, "Are they trying to make the room look bigger by using this tiny bed?"
I broached the subject with Marlene, being careful to make it clear that I was concerned with the strategic marketing implications of a double bed and the importance of a "true master suite" among potential buyers. I was not criticizing her aesthetics. She dismissed my concerns and informed me and my Realtor that it would cost $500 to change the double to a queen because she would "have to go and buy another queen mattress set." In other words, she was short on inventory, even though her proposal had called for a queen bed. She refused to consider my suggested compromise of an inflatable queen-sized mattress and rudely reminded me that I had signed a contract agreeing to pay at least $150 for any and all changes, no matter how small.
I was--literally--left speechless by her lack of professionalism, indifference to customer satisfaction, and my Realtor's failure to advocate on my behalf. Upon reflection, I realized that the problem was Marlene's apparent belief that she is infallible. She even puts it in writing: "Reworking or responding to suggestions by seller or agent on the staging is not allowed under this contract." She also states that the staging furniture is used but that the customer is responsible for full replacement value for any damage (and she will not provide receipts documenting purchase price). I think they call that wanting to have it both ways.
The master bedroom was the most glaring error, but it was not the only factor that made me feel I had received poor value for my investment:
* High-quality built-ins in the family room were minimized by a sofa that was too big for the space and failed to help prospective buyers imagine how they could use the room.
* Built-in-book shelves in another bedroom were completely ignored. I had to borrow books and decorative objects from friends to draw the prospective buyer's attention to this value-added feature.
* Coffee table books were so faded that the dust jackets were a different color where they had not been exposed to daylight.
* The crew used large nails that left big holes for hanging pictures. Why not use Ooks (http://www.ooks.com)or Command Strips (www.command.com)?
To summarize, if a potential vendor's contract looks unreasonable, take heed. Selling a home is stressful enough. Marlene's indifference to customer satisfaction was obvious in the contract. I made the mistake of trusting the verbal reassurances of a real estate agent. I hope that this Yelp posting helps other avoid the same very expensive and stressful error. read more
