The Wall Team with RE/MAX Heritage II

I was helping my daughter and family to find realtors to interview to sell their nice, newish home quickly. After interviewing several types, we werent terribly impressed. I knew a photographer that I had had before with another realtor. I called them to see what realtor they worked with. Of that short list, I called Lauri at Remax' Wall Team and she sounded sincere about helping guide them, how good her sales rep, Dillon, was, her stager, etc. I impressed on her that the kids had very little in the way of decor and even standard furniture pieces. They sold their couch and bedset, had no end or night tables. The market in that area of Keller had plenty of big homes for sale, but the ones that were not staged well didn't sell well. I confirmed this several times -- that the stager had decor, end tables, sofa, etc that they could borrow or rent for a reasonable price. That we knew that staging was key to getting the right price, selling it fast. The good: They did sell it for the target price (with some cash reduction in closing costs, etc). The girl that managed the closing from her end was good. (However, she left the company before it was complete and the realtor didn't tell us. They hadn't even assigned someone to do the job until we told them that she wasn't returning the stager (a third party contractor) that they used was barely helpful. and then by them for not trying to back them and fulfill Lauri's promise. The salesman said he didn't know about any staging guarantee and we asked him to contact the owner to confirm. That the deal hinged on it. He later confirmed that it would all be done, no matter how many hours it took. So they signed on with him. The stager they hired came and said that she wouldn't be using any of her things and that her time was limited. At first, she said she was all out of things, then she indicated that she was nervous about lending things as there was a baby and a small dog in the house. Then she said that that is her standard contract with the realtor and she was not told anything else. We asked her to call the rep right then. She said that he must be new. We told her the deal was cut with the owner. She would not call her. Then we talked about just decor. She gave us the impression she might help with that. She walked around talking about what to take away, what to box up, and what she could use. And that she would be back. Afterwards, my daughter talked to Dillon, the rep, and was assured that it would turn out fine. I knew what that meant: he didn't see it as important. But we knew that another house was on sale in their neighborhood and had been on sale for a long time. It was not professionally staged. My daughter had no money to spare to get someone else. They had a baby and little girl to manage as well as the packing and storing and downsizing. So, I spent many hours in the summer heat loading up my Suburban twice (end tables, large pictures, lamps, decor, bedding, etc) plus the new stuff (plant, trays, table decor, etc) and shopping several stores for things they needed to add color. After everything unnecessary was removed, cleaned, and my stuff and new stuff was there, the ,stager came back. She brought nothing other than a hammer and nails to hang what pictures there were there and she dressed the bed and said she was done. My daughter tried to talk to her again but her demeanor and resistance was very uncomfortable to the point that my daughter asked her to leave, then my daughter cried. She called her rep, Dillon, took a picture of how bare it was in the living room, and he said it looked fine to him. I wanted to call Lauri to ask her about her word, but my daughter was worried that it might interfere with Remax trying to sell the house to the best of their ability. So we spent all our time arranging and deciding what to put where before the photographer showed up the next day. So stressful. We hated the experience. Before you hire a realtor, get in writing exactly what the stager will do in every detail. I'm beginning to doubt that any realtor has a stager paid to do more than arrange what you already have as nicely as they can -- or tell you what to keep or store. Very dissapointed in them for insisting that they could. The house did sell in a month or so, and for the right price, but the staging we did beyond what the stager did, and the photography, and the marketing probably sold it most.

The way we wanted it to go