Kevin+Jonathan In and On the Media

Kevin+Jonathan on the media

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Q+A

The San Francisco Chronicle asks expert area realtors questions every week for their Sound-Off segment found in its Sunday Real Estate Section. The online counterpart appears on SF Gate. We’ve been asked to contribute and do so fairly often, which is what you're seeing here.  

Q: When do you recommend staging and when is it unnecessary?

A: A good stager’s art will capture and appeal to the best possible buyers on a visual, visceral, and emotional level. Virtual staging isn’t enough, and you don’t want to be there for the letdown that a buyer would certainly have when discovering the home they’ve seen online is nowhere like what they imagined.

Sure, hiring a gifted designer and stager to transform your vacant property may seem expensive — why can’t I just buy a couch myself you may ask — but it is an essential ingredient in achieving a successful sale. Besides, staging is usually all-compassing because you’ll get the couch, the rug, the bedding, the art, and all that moving.

Staging will show people how they can change their lives by living differently and better than they do now. We cannot underscore how important this really is; forgoing staging runs the risk of costing far more than a staging fee with a reduced sale price.

We work many of San Francisco’s best stagers and designers as we collaborate with each of them on paint colors, art, furniture pieces but will also add our own personal touches like fresh flowers, scented candles, and high-end accessories to make a property that much more appealing.

The online and print versions of this was published on May 23, 2021. Find the online version here.

Staged Homes vs Unstaged Homes
The difference home staging can make is transformative and something virtual staging can't mimc.

For More Sound-Off Snippets...

 

MIMBYs instead YIMBYs and NIMBYs Maybe? Kevin and Jonathan Get Asked About Declines in New Construction Starts (Spring 2023)

While acute market forces are curtailing new construction starts now, development here was already an uphill battle. Development timelines take years, so any non-NIMBY-related delays in adding new homes will keep housing prices high that much longer. But even for people who can afford to buy in the Bay Area, there’s a shortage of accessible destination homes for folks who are downsizing or ones who can no longer do the stairs in their 3-story Victorian.

SF Chronicle: Do the NFL Playoffs Impact Open Houses?

Rather than try to compete with the 49ers’ post-season run as very relevant contenders to be Super Bowl champions, many agents will treat this bit of hometown civic pride like a holiday and accommodate sports fans who are also trying to buy a small part of that hometown.

In SF Gate: Looking Past the Headlines - Sept 4, 2022

Conflicting news reports about the real estate ‘market’ are concerning because they gloss over the fact that the housing market is very nuanced as each property is unique. Folks can lose sight that buying a home not only serves the very basic purpose of shelter but is also the main way folks can build wealth.

Infographic: How Was 2021 in San Francisco?

2021 was a banner year for San Francisco’s housing market. See how houses, condos and TICs sold and how demand met increased inventory with prices still going up with Kevin Ho and Jonathan McNarry, Vanguard Properties, San Francisco.

On the Media: K+J on Home Staging's Importance

Home staging will show people how they can change their lives by living differently and better than they do now. We cannot underscore how important this really is; forgoing staging runs the risk of costing far more than a staging fee with a reduced sale price.

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