Behind the Yard Sign: Steps to Promote Property Listings Post-COVID with Windermere's Nancy Chapin

There are a lot of things that a real estate agent can do to promote a listing. While we continue the awkward yet necessary social distancing amidst COVID-19, everyone (no matter what type of business you’re in) is having to figure out which strategies and services, new or old, will help them succeed in this new normal and beyond. For those of us trying to sell homes now and in the future, it’s going take a lot of recognition of our strengths and weaknesses and a lot more practice behind the camera.

People are all so different, and we all respond differently to the various forms of media and marketing that are thrown our way… but what is for certain, however, is that to get someone’s attention, those visuals must stand out. They have to pop! (It was referred to as Pop Art for a reason, y’all.) A listing isn’t anything worthwhile unless it can really get your attention. Compare it to online dating! Would you swipe right to a photo of someone who just rolled out of bed and clearly isn’t trying? Umm, no thanks! Buyers are more likely to spend time with and give attention to the light, bright, thoughtful imagery of their next potential crush! Funny enough, this mentality is the same for housing. Give walls a fresh coat of light neutral paint! Brighten things up with lighting and show off those windows! Stage the home, inside and out! Give it that much needed makeover that enhances its natural beauty. Set the stage for the next homeowner to make it their own. If you put your best foot forward and make the listing shine, there’s a higher chance of getting buyers to consider moving to the next step – the 360 walk-through.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 3 WITH WINDERMERE’S NANCY CHAPIN

Behind the Yard Sign co-hosts Justin M. Riordan and Kelly Hanahan from Spade and Archer welcome Nancy Chapin from Windermere to talk about listing during COVID times.

Since open houses are a no-no these days, what better way to get a potential buyer closer than to do a customized 360 degree video walk-through for them! Our dear friend Nancy Chapin of Windermere Real Estate in Seattle, WA shared a few tips with us about her experience using such marketing tactics saying that she makes sure to show off the home’s floorplan in addition to its key features because she knows that’s a huge aspect in the decision-making process. “Neighborhood and configuration are the top. Everything else – finishes, countertop – they can change that out over time. If the configuration is quirky, that is really what people want to know.” And you don’t even have to be the seller’s representative to make one! Agents visit and tour homes so that buyers don’t have to right away, so why not record a video for your buyers and share it with them to review when they can really take it in? Hopefully they’ll want to watch it more than once, and if so, then they can.

But wait, there’s Matterport! Is it worth it? Maybe! Our owner & founder Justin Riordan shared his insight mentioning that he finds Matterport tours choppy and harder to navigate leaving him frustrated, but when his son gives it a whirl, he’s all about it! It’s purely a matter of your audience when it comes to this high-tech home tour, so yes, it could definitely be worth the investment.

And here’s another big listing suggestion – just say no to virtual staging. It may get you some great listing photos online, but it leaves your buyers high and dry when it comes to the videos, Matterport, and ultimately their in-person visit. Nancy reinforced this notion. “The goal is always to get somebody to leave their house, go across town, and come experience that home within those walls because I personally think, all those homes kinda have a soul, and you kinda feel it.” Nancy is an avid fan of staging for listings -- especially now because without staging, it’s much harder to drum up those warm, fuzzy feelings from a potential buyer when you have a lifeless, empty home.

If you want to cater to the broadest range in demographics, we say do it all! A quick coat of paint, thoughtful homestaging, professional photography, video tours, Matterport walkthrough, social media posts… all of it helps right now while we wait to even see if we begin frequenting open houses again. You might as well invest all the funds you’d be spending on printed flyers and tasty lunch offerings on those virtual marketing tools. You’ll find yourself not only with a new adaptive skillset, but also a very likely chance of a house sold! 

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Spade and Archer Design Agency is a professional home stager in Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles. We start every single project with our Instant Price so let’s start the process of selling your home with an easy, free and instant quote. Spade and Archer is your no-risk, pay-at-closing, touchless installation, instant pricing home stager and we can’t wait to work with you.

Spade Stories: Meet Seattle Home Stager Riley

SEATTLE DIRECTOR
RILEY HALL

Did I grow up as a little boy prancing around the house pretending to be a residential home stager?

No….but maybe, yes, if I’m honest?

When I was not playing “farm” with my sister’s My Little Pony, I would run around my room making sure my latest Lisa Frank sticker-filled works of art were taped perfectly straight on the wall, that all my Ranger Rick magazines were facing the same direction on my shelves, and that the stuffed animals on my bed were staggered in such a way that they could all see what was going on in my room.

Was it pediatric OCD or the first visible sprout of a budding career as a home stager? 

We may never know.

In some ways, organizing books and arranging stuffed animals is what I still do today but instead of stuffed animals, it’s throw pillows.

Hi. I’m Riley. I’m the director of Spade and Archer’s Seattle location.

While growing up in rural Texas, I was taught two rules: work hard and be curious….and don’t complain about the smell of cow shit; it’s the smell of money. But that rule isn’t as transferable as the other two.

Work hard and be curious.

Those two rules have stuck with me.

I’ve always worked hard and I continue to explore my curiosities. Which is why after 10+ years of working as an art director and graphic designer in the publishing world in Orange County, I found myself wanting to explore my curiosity of designing physical spaces as opposed to designing print or digital pieces.

While I loved my life in California and loved working in a field that allowed me to be creative, there was a part of me that wanted to explore a more tangible form of design in a new city. 

I had always been the person my friends would go to for advice on paint color or furniture layout, but turning that talent into a career? I didn’t know where to start. 

I figured the best way to figure it out was to follow that curiosity and take some chances. So in 2015, I moved to Seattle and continued working as a graphic designer churning out contract design work for tech companies to float me while I explored opportunities in the staging and home design field.

Shortly after being in Seattle, I got connected with Spade and Archer and met Justin and Chad, our Founder/Owner and Creative Principle respectively.

After a rather unusual interview process involving telling a stranger I could not be their friend, I was hired.

The Seattle offices of Spade and Archer had just opened and I was hired as a junior design manager. I worked my way up to design manager after several months of quite intense training on the subtle nuances that set Spade and Archer apart from other staging companies. 

Now, after nearly four years, I’m the director and get to lead the powerhouse team of designers and warehouse staff we have here in sunny Seattle.

Working for Spade and Archer, I get to do so much more than arrange accessories on a table or select art. I work with a team who loves what they do and together we are able to transform empty rooms into aspirational spaces in which people are able to envision living their lives. 

It’s a rewarding feeling for sure.

With each new project, I still get to explore my curiosity by selecting the perfect pieces for each home. And while I don’t play with My Little Pony anymore, that won’t stop me from spray painting one gold and arranging it on a nightstands next to a lamp and a perfectly-made bed to be photographed to help sell a house.

Behind the Yard Sign: Coldwell Banker Bain's Todd Shively and Managing Real Estate in COVID Times

Behind the Yard Sign | A Tell-All Real Estate Podcast by Big-Mouthed Home Stagers

EPISODE 2: Managing Real Estate in COVID Times, Interview with Todd Shively, CCB Managing Broker

In unprecedented times, we turn to leaders in our industry to help guide us and lead us in new directions.  Todd Shively is the Principal Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker Bain Capitol Hill, one of the more than 30 CBBain offices in Washington and Oregon. He’s a career real estate professional and a good friend of Spade and Archer. In his many years in real estate Todd has seen and done it all, but this is uncharted waters for all of us. So, we asked him how he was navigating these turbulent times and what advice he had for the rest of us in the real estate arts.

Podcast co-hosts Spade and Archer founder, Justin Riordan, and marketing side kick, Kelly Hanahan, welcome Todd Shively to the show.

“My agenda primarily focuses around crystal clear communication; providing touchstones for the brokers so that they have a sense of continuity”, Todd said.  With multiple agencies and government outlets providing constantly updated- and often conflicting- information it is important to stay in constant communication.  “We do a lot of meetings. I ask everybody to get on the video and we do our regular meetings at our regular times. We have happy hours three times a week. People begin to fall into the rhythm of things. We have a couple of additional meetings in the mornings just to be available if somebody wants. We are helping folks who are not regularly in touch with their clients and trying to get them to use this time in the best way possible.”

And though the office is closed, Todd still goes in on Tuesdays just check on the basic infrastructure and provide a sense of continuity.  Agents can set up appointment times to come in and pick things up if necessary. The goal is to get the work done to the degree that they feel they can safely do it.  All models of business operation are going to change and it’s up to us to take what we know how to do and adapt to the change.

A major part of our business is the open house. Unlike a sweater you can return or an essential item you can order online, most people want to actually experience the home upon which they are spending thousands of dollars.  Social distancing orders drastically alter the way business has always been done.  Dozens of people showing up to walk through a stranger’s house right now is dangerous and impractical.  Some agents have just been posted up in a house waiting for people to arrive and the idea that they're just going to say, ‘I'm just going to conveniently be here with the door open and try to stay far away’ and having people standing out in the line really just flies in the face of everything we're trying to accomplish. Showings have to be scheduled now- it’s the law- and everyone should be ok with that. “Let's just get on board with the rules,” Todd says.

What does the future hold for real estate?  How long will we be in this new modus operandi and how can we best serve the client? The future is uncertain, but many things that we are doing now can carry over into the new way of doing business. Maybe all of this should be applied permanently.  “I think everyone's behavior is going to be affected for a long time.” Todd says. “In terms of how we allow the public into our spaces and engage a public space we’re really trying to create enough of a sense of structure that people can feel as safe as they can coming into the house. You sort of just have to say: let's do everything we can within the smallest box possible to facilitate for the needs of the greater good.”

With the ever-changing landscape of business vs. virus, economic health vs. physical health, and personal freedoms vs. the good of the public we must bob and weave if we are to survive.  Many industries will not make it out of this pandemic at all so it’s up to real estate leaders and professionals to try whatever they can to make it through.  This industry has been adaptable in the past with adopting the online viewing format.  We have created virtual tours and stunning imagery to engage buyers. This is a 24 hours service industry even with socializing restrictions. It’s up to all of us to adapt and move forward.  Real estate will always be an essential business.  Safely moving forward, leading this and other industries in new techniques, and maintaining the customer connection through any means possible is how real estate will survive and thrive in the future.

Spade and Archer Design Agency, a Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles home stager, has real estate’s most fun job.  Staging homes is endlessly exciting—especially when properties are sold faster and for more money — but we also get the insider’s view of countless agent and client interactions. Our decade of experience watching real estate professionals do their work inspired us to share the stories happening Behind the Yard Sign. 

Behind the Yard Sign is a podcast about the lives, struggles and successes of seasoned real estate agents. Veteran brokers share their highest highs and lowest lows and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. You’ll find lots of tips, tricks and how-to advice on how to sell homes for more money and in less time with Spade and Archer founder, Justin M. Riordan and his marketing side kick, Kelly Hanahan.

Spade Stories: Meet Los Angeles Home Stager Erin

My family moved into a newly built home when I was nine years old. I remember sitting at the kitchen counter as a teen on my first-ever laptop perusing home listings online, daydreaming about one day owning a home. I would stare out the car window on my way to daily dance classes admiring the beautiful houses in the suburbs. I studied ballet and modern dance throughout my entire youth. For a long time, I believed I would end up dancing full-time for a professional company. After graduating high school, my dear, supportive parents bravely sent me to San Francisco to study dance year-round. I was quick to adapt to my new surroundings in urban life, and I absorbed that iconic, free-spirited city faster than face lotion. The cost of living there snuck up quickly, and I found myself balancing dance training and a part-time job in retail. Dance was suddenly not my only focus and money mattered.

I took a seasonal Visual Merchandising position at Williams-Sonoma’s flagship store which led to me assisting their corporate Visuals department. I loved it. My adolescent knacks for collaging and fort-building were married with my instinctual organization skills, and like a dancer, I was following instruction and putting something together to inspire an audience. I also had to be nimble for certain tasks like window installations and maneuvering merchandise. I ended up working for the WS brand for seven years while still dancing for various small companies in the Bay Area as well as the San Francisco Opera. I went to and worked at Burning Man, as well…multiple times, directing teams for installations and participating in large-scale productions. I matured in one of the most colorful cities in America, and it was a  f—ing blast. 

Once the tech industry got a hold of San Francisco, I decided to relocate and start fresh in the lush and green city of Portland, OR. I took a position in a local Williams-Sonoma store (where I also met my now fiancé) and started my freelancing career. I eventually would fly city to city for the home decor manufacturer Roost with a team of talented stylists. We would transform their showrooms and market exhibits every six months at a whirlwind pace. It was a true test in stamina and time-management among many other things. To put it mildly, I learned a tremendous amount over the course of what ended up being a six year run of almost non-stop travel. Not surprisingly… I got burnt out. 

By that time, I had basically stopped dancing professionally due to time away and had to find ways to earn more money. One of which was assisting some friends in developing a vacation rental design firm. We had a name and concept ready to go; it just needed a bit more tact. While researching local competition, I discovered this thoughtful, established home staging agency called Spade and Archer. Hoping they might need some extra help, I reached out. The next day, I was on the phone with Justin Riordan who had an offer for me to apply for a Junior Design Manager position. Realizing the perks of a steady paycheck and the chance to actually have benefits and paid time off, it was a no-brainer. I applied.

Two months later, I was offered the position and became a home stager. I started in April of 2018 and transitioned from freelancing to my first-ever full-time job. I hurried through five months of Design Manager training to keep up with the busy schedule, hurdling installation labor and sales while learning the Spade and Archer standards. All of a sudden, Justin presented an opportunity for me to join his Seattle office which was another no-brainer. My loving partner and I, after just having moved into our own Portland apartment together, packed it all up and reset three hours north. It was such an emotional shift, but was well-worth it as I ended up growing very fond of Seattle and my new co-workers. Oh, what an adventure it is to work for Justin… Not even five months later, he announced the next great company expansion into Southern California.

When I first interviewed, I expressed that I would love to one day live in California again. My fiancé is from an area north of LA, and we both were itching for a little more Vitamin D. All that in mind, I signed up for the opportunity and would be one of two staff members to relocate and help open the new LA office. After 364 days in Seattle, my fiancé and I were on the road again to our next apartment together in SoCal.

Now, since our recent opening in sunny California, I hold the role of Director for Spade and Archer’s Los Angeles office. Being offered such a notable position is a huge honor and a big responsibility (which I’m humbly still recognizing every day). Los Angeles home staging is no-joke, and there’s a lot of territory to cover. We have put in countless miles driving across LA, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties to connect with new prospects. As we begin with a more routine schedule for installations, I’ve found myself reflecting on all the adventures over the years and chuckle at the memory of me as a kid at the kitchen counter on that laptop. I get to work in the real estate industry for an exciting company that puts all the skills I’ve harnessed on display. Though I’m not actively dancing anymore, I’m extremely grateful for the time I dedicated myself to it and the work ethic and strength it gave me. It’s that experience that got me here ultimately. It’s the fact that dancers never quit — we simply pivot.

Managing COVID-19 on the Home Staging Project Site

Are you essential or not? …That was the million-dollar question for businesses big and small since the pandemic brought on the first wave of restrictions across the country. As many were told to stay home and close their shops, services and restaurants, many industries were being sorted through to determine whether or not they could or perhaps should still operate. The notion of being essential or not was unclear.

Our home stagers use gloves, masks, social distancing and disinfectant on every Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland project.

We have offices in three states along the west coast, and what an adventure it was to chase all the rules and requirements given by each state’s set of leaders to know what we could or could not do. Even we weren’t sure for our own line of work as home staging exists basically to make houses look pretty. Sure there are valid reasons that were important for the real estate market, but when you put it in black and white, it’s not essential…. Or is it? The state of California and the state of Oregon both deemed us as essential right away because they considered us to be movers. Movers are essential as they help support the effort in providing housing during their mandated stay-at-home orders. So, anything revolving around housing was left to continue operating specific safety measures. Washington State, however, was all over the place in making up its mind. 

When coronavirus showed up in Washington State, everyone found themselves in panic mode there. Real Estate among many other seemingly luxury services was halted, so we halted, too. Then, 48 hours later, after a realization that there were transactions to be closed and homes to be moved into and out of, that decision was turned around. Justin, our owner, along with others in our leadership team felt like they were solving a riddle with the details of requirements and mandates. Suddenly we learned not only were we essential, but we were mandatory. We had to get back up and resume services. 

It was like no one knew what was going on anymore, and since we now finally had our clear directive company-wide, we wanted to make sure those we serviced were managing okay and see how we could help while they got back in the groove safely as needed. There was a lot more communication with our clients which actually unearthed a lot of moral dilemmas with lots of opinions for how to maintain health and safety protocols within real estate. We felt caught in the middle suddenly, but there were two conversations that stood out to Justin, our founder, that helped him understand the necessity for Spade and Archer to get back up and running.

The first conversation was with a new client who was in absolute need of selling her home after her agent and stager backed out leaving her helpless. That urgent need and cry for help was enough to motivate Justin to formulate a plan for operating again. So how would his staff react to working amidst a pandemic? The answer was clear after a certain conversation with one of his newly hired staff members. When Justin asked him if he would be willing to work, he answered with an absolute “Yes!” as he hadn’t been able to file for unemployment because of his former employer never claiming him as an employee. Going back to work meant he would be able to avoid relying on credit cards to get by and would certainly make the near future for his family much easier.

Now realizing that the states, the clients, and the employees were all wanting us to operate, Justin made the decision to do so. That meant figuring out what PPE (personal protective equipment) was needed to stay safe and what our new process and schedule would look like. It was a huge team effort. We had to apply extreme caution because if safety wasn’t prioritized first, then nothing else mattered. We provided our staff with cleaning supplies, masks, and thoughtful scheduling that supported everyone’s well-being and social distancing. Sure, we’re extending our installation timelines to more than one day, but we’ll take it. If we can adhere to requirements, still manage to service our clients’ needs, and keep our employees working, then we are in a very good place.

At this point, we have been back up and running for over a month now having safely installed a number of staging projects in Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles. One very amazing coincidence in timing that helped us continue accepting new projects was the launch of what we would immediately refer to as our “touchless service” of Instant Pricing. We had this new pricing tool in the works for months and found the ability to provide a new benefit to our clients that we never could have imagined right when the pandemic hit. 

We were just one of the countless small businesses in this country forced to learn how to juggle over a tank of sharks very quickly. It’s hard to know if you’re doing the right thing with each step. With the rules and guidelines changing from one minute to the next, it has been and will continue to be hard to please everyone. That’s true regardless of a pandemic! Fortunately, we have amazing staff that is ready to adjust with every turn that comes our way, knowing that grace, and perseverance will get us through this new normal.