by Craig C. Rowe | Apr 16, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
Equity Angels was founded in 2024 by Kenya Burrell-VanWormer and Katherine “Kat” Winston, each of whom has a diverse tenure in real estate leadership, technology and entrepreneurship.
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Chambr, ARKI, Convierge, Goby Homes, Pairgap and Reeku are the latest companies selected for advisory services by Equity Angels, a woman-founded and -led organization focused on equitable access to financial and entrepreneurial resources.
The latest Catalyst Program cohort was shared exclusively with Inman.
The organization said its latest class is “developing AI-powered solutions designed to supercharge the productivity and profitability of architects, engineers, single and multifamily owners, real estate brokers, agents and teams.”
ARKI was co-founded by architect Natalia Bakaeva and Mehdi Karamnejad, an engineer. The company applies predictive intelligence and rapid data analysis to AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) design workflows to cut project times, improve quality and better link stakeholders.
Alikiah Barclay was inspired by work travel to launch Reeku, an initiative that creates value for tenants and landlords out of underused apartments. PairGap unlocks homeownership for the next generation of buyers through shared ownership, data-driven matching and structured legal agreements, according to Equity Angels. It was founded by Nikki Merkerson.
Goby Homes is looking to better entwine the consumer in the real estate transaction with its software solution that promises to “connect all parties involved, provide secure document management and ensure efficiency.” Its founder, Terrence Nickelson, is an agent and software engineer.
Chambr’s mission is to help people be better at sales. Its founders Alex Poe and Gabriela Constantinescu created a roleplay-based system using dynamic scenarios generated by artificial intelligence.
An upstart agent 20 years ago in Brazil, Luciane Serifovic is now leading her own AI-driven proptech, Convierge. The application empowers buyers and agents to collaborate on home search and vendor management throughout the transaction.
Equity Angels was founded in 2024 by Kenya Burrell-VanWormer and Katherine “Kat” Winston, each of whom has a diverse tenure in real estate leadership, technology and entrepreneurship.
“By supporting these promising founders through our Catalyst Program, we’re architecting a more equitable and technologically advanced ecosystem for the real estate industry,” said Burrell-VanWormer in a statement. “And our commitment and impact are amplified by the invaluable support of advisors, mentors and partners like Blueprint, which will feature our cohort at the largest gathering for built world innovators and investors this September.”
The power of tailored startup accelerators to fuel significant growth is underscored by a Wharton study, according to Equity Angels. One finding in particular was that participants in such programs consistently outperform their peers in key metrics like fundraising, growth, revenue and job creation.
“The data is clear: Well-structured and specialized accelerators are a catalyst for rapid growth and measurable innovation,” said Winston. “Our recently released Impact Report further demonstrates the efficacy of this approach within our own proptech-focused program, and this new cohort is poised to build on that momentum.”
Equity Angels will be working with Blueprint Vegas to showcase its cohort and programs. The annual real estate industry event, which brings together technology leaders, companies and innovators, was acquired by Inman in 2024.
Equity Angels’ inaugural cohort consisted of four companies that raised a total of $3 million and created 11 jobs. The startup collective was made up of agent and broker financial services firm Upfront, home furnishing visualization solution The Studio Home, recruiting and retention company Maverick Systems, and Billions, a startup that strives to improve operations for high-performing teams.
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by Matt Carter | Apr 16, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
In April, we’ll go deep on money and finance for a special theme month, by talking to leaders about where the mortgage market is heading and how technology and business strategies are evolving to suit the needs of buyers now. Inman’s Best of Finance returns for 2025, celebrating the leaders in this space. And subscribe to Mortgage Brief for weekly updates all year long.
Congressional Democrats are questioning the legality of the Trump administration’s purge of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s boards, in which the newly appointed head of their federal regulator — housing scion Bill Pulte — was installed as the chair of both companies.
In an April 15 letter to the inspector general who oversees Fannie and Freddie’s regulator, 10 prominent Senate Democrats also asked for more details on “abrupt and sizable” workforce reductions at the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the recent firing of more than 100 Fannie Mae employees accused of fraud.
The grandson of PulteGroup Inc. founder William J. Pulte, Pulte was confirmed by the Senate on March 13 as Trump’s nominee to lead the FHFA. Four days later, the FHFA sent 14 members of Fannie and Freddie’s boards packing and named Pulte the chair of both boards.
Elizabeth Warren
Senate Banking Committee ranking members Andy Kim and Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday asked FHFA Inspector General Brian Tomney to determine “whether or not FHFA leadership complied with all relevant federal laws, regulations and agency policies and procedures in its decision making.”
Brian Tomney
Tomney, who has served as the FHFA inspector general since 2022, wasn’t targeted in the Trump administration’s removal of at least 18 inspector generals, which some Democrats say were illegal.
The letter — also signed by Democrats Tina Smith, Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, Catherine Cortez Masto, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Kirsten Gillibrand — asked Tomney to assess if workforce reductions at the agency will affect its ability to fulfill its oversight role.
Rep. Maxine Waters, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, was even more blunt in an April 7 letter to Pulte himself, accusing him of having “broken the law by illegally appointing yourself as chairman” of Fannie and Freddie’s boards.
Maxine Waters
Waters slammed FHFA’s subsequent move to rein in Fannie and Freddie programs aimed at boosting lending in minority communities, saying it “will limit access to lending for first-time homebuyers and other borrowers who have been historically locked out of the market due to systemic and overt discrimination.”
The FHFA, which has been relying primarily on its own and Pulte’s X accounts for media communications, did not respond to Inman’s requests for comment.
Bill Pulte
In an April 9 appearance on Fox News, Pulte said there is an “ongoing investigation” into the issues that led to the firing of more than 100 Fannie Mae employees. He said FHFA discovered “multiple people were working two jobs” — including some who were located in China — and that some employees had received kickbacks for charitable donations.
Waters also took issue with FHFA appointing its general counsel, Clinton Jones, to serve on both Fannie and Freddie’s boards, and demanded that Pulte supply the “names, titles, qualifications, and all business and non-business affiliations” of the other new board members.
Clinton Jones
Jones joined the FHFA in 2019 during the first Trump administration, and was promoted to general counsel in February 2021 — shortly after Biden took office.
The other new additions to Fannie and Freddie’s boards last month included Mike Stucky, a former Pulte Group division president; Tri Pointe Homes Inc. executive Brandon Hamara; and Ralph “Cody” Kittle, a partner at private equity firm RenWave Kore.
Omeed Malik
More recently, on Monday Pulte announced on X that banker and investor Omeed Malik — recently dubbed “MAGA world’s premier financier” by New York Magazine — is joining Fannie Mae’s board of directors.
Another new Fannie Mae board pick — Christopher Stanley, a staffer from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — resigned the day after his March 17 appointment.
But Democrats said this week they have ongoing concerns about DOGE’s role in running the FHFA during the second Trump administration.
In their letter to the FHFA inspector general, Senate Democrats asked for details on what access DOGE officials have to FHFA, Fannie and Freddie data, and whether DOGE officials were involved in the decision to purge the company’s boards.
Waters and Senate Democrats also want to know more about news reports of staffing reductions at FHFA and Fannie Mae.
“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play a critical role in our nation’s mortgage market and collectively guarantee roughly 50 percent of home loans,” Senate Democrats said. “Clarity in [their] operations is therefore essential to the stability of the housing finance system.”
David Dworkin
National Housing Conference CEO David Dworkin, a centrist advocate for affordable housing stakeholders, last month called Jones “a highly respected regulator and policy expert” whose appointment to the mortgage giants’ boards “was reassuring to many who expressed concern over which senior FHFA staff would be retained.”
And while Dworkin said he’s not aware of another instance of a regulator assuming the chairmanship of a regulated board, as a practical matter, “the FHFA Director has been the de facto board chair of both companies since they were put into conservatorship in 2008.”
More recently, Dworkin said the National Housing Conference is working with Pulte and Trump’s Housing Secretary, Scott Turner, to further the Trump administration’s stated goals of lowering the cost of housing and expanding housing supply.
In an April 13 column, Dworkin said he recently met with Turner to discuss ways Opportunity Zones can help build more affordable housing, and using AI to simplify housing choice vouchers.
“We’ve also gathered dozens of the most knowledgeable and influential housing experts to discuss how to effectively recapitalize and release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from 16 years of conservatorship,” Dworkin said, in light of a proposal to create a U.S. sovereign wealth fund and seed it with the Treasury Departments warrants for Fannie and Freddie stock.
Dworkin said that to understand Pulte’s April 8 assertion that FHFA is “turning around Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, slowly but surely,” it’s important to understand “the degree of regulatory supervision that has micromanaged nearly every business decision” at the companies at every level.
“It’s a common refrain from lenders that they cannot get timely answers to some of the most routine questions,” Dworkin wrote. “As Pulte moves to ‘run these companies like a business,’ he is moving regulatory supervision to the top as he prepares the companies for release from conservatorship. It’s easy to mistake the missive as pejorative, but in fact, he understands that you can’t run a business unless you match an employee’s responsibility with the appropriate amount of authority and accountability.”
Together, Fannie and Freddie employ more than 16,000 workers and generated 2024 profits totaling $28.9 billion, boosting their combined net worth to $154.3 billion.
To succeed in meeting Trump administration’s goals, Dworkin said, Pulte and Turner”will have to be disruptors of what has not worked, but they must do so without being disruptive of what does. That won’t be easy, and will require broad consultation with stakeholders at every step of the way, while moving forward at a deliberate pace.”
“If we get it wrong, we could do damage that could take a generation to recover from,” he concluded.
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by Jim Dalrymple II | Apr 16, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
LaRocco is based in New York City and comes to Compass as a top agent from Douglas Elliman. She hopes to expand her team after jumping to Compass, according to an announcement.
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Against the backdrop of an intensely competitive recruiting landscape, Compass this week announced it has scooped up star New York City agent Patty LaRocco.
LaRocco comes to the brokerage from Douglas Elliman, according to a Compass statement, and has done more than $3 billion in sales volume in her native New York. The statement adds that LaRocco specializes in a number of well-known neighborhoods including the Upper West Side, Park Slope and TriBeCa.
“I’m grateful for my time at Douglas Elliman and the support I received there,” LaRocco said in the statement. “However, I felt it was time for a new chapter. I’m excited to connect with a fresh network of friends and support moving forward.”
The statement adds that LaRocco has represented a number of high-profile individuals, including the ex-wife of billionaire George Soros, Weber Soros, who sold an Upper East Side townhouse for $31 million in 2014. LaRocco has also nabbed top spots on numerous agent rankings.
LaRocco will bring two team members with her to Compass, with the statement adding that she hopes to expand in the future.
LaRocco comes to Compass during a period of intense competition for top talent.
Just days ago, Inman reported that 13 percent of “business operator” agents — or agents a recent report defines as not being low or non-producers — moved brokerages in 2024. Inman Intel data has also shown that many agents field frequent recruiting calls from brokerages. The recruiting frenzy has taken place against the backdrop of a years-long slower real estate market — meaning the demand for agents who can close deals is higher than ever.
In the statement, Compass Tristate Vice President Gordon Golub said he was “thrilled to welcome Patty into our community and help her grow even further.”
“With initiatives like Compass’ 3-phase marketing,” Golub added, “she’ll be able to provide her clients with more options, all while tapping further into the Compass network.”
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by Lillian Dickerson | Apr 16, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
The open-sourced form warns homesellers that selling a property privately without listing it on the MLS may have negative financial impacts but recognizes sellers hold the “final choice” in how to market their homes.
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Days after vowing to work with Zillow to uphold the National Association of Realtor’s Clear Cooperation Policy, eXp Realty on Wednesday rolled out a new “Seller Advisory” form in an effort to warn consumers of the risks that come with marketing a property outside of multiple listing services.
The “Seller Advisory: Risks of Limited Market Exposure” open-sourced form is available to anyone via eXp Realty’s website, the brokerage announced in a livestream on YouTube. The form warns homesellers that marketing a property privately without listing it on the Multiple Listing Service or other wider channels “can significantly limit visibility and reduce buyer competition, which may negatively impact your final sale price and terms.”
The form includes four sections on the drawbacks of limited buyer exposure, financial risk involved as a result of limited competition, the potential for longer days on market and the negative impact of withholding listings from public portals.
“EXp Realty strongly encourages you to consider exposure to the broadest market possible which includes the Multiple Listing Service and broader public marketing channels available to all consumers, prior to accepting an offer,” the form reads in bold.
EXp executives specified on Wednesday that the form is not a contract and also notes that sellers should establish their priorities and weigh any potential ramifications before deciding on forgoing public marketing of a listing.
But before two signature lines at the bottom of the page, the form also says, “Ultimately, the final choice of marketing direction is at your discretion. You acknowledge your eXp Realty agent has explained your options.”
Pareja also took the opportunity during Wednesday’s presentation to criticize “a company” — presumably Compass — that has spearheaded the “so-called ‘seller choice movement,’” which eXp characterized as anti-consumer.
“The loudest voices behind the so-called ‘seller choice movement’ come from a company born out of greedy venture capital that has purchased all its growth without a sustainable business model or a clear path to profitability,” Pareja said.
“And now, in a rush to appease Wall Street investors, they are pushing an agenda that runs clearly counter to consumer best interests.”
The intention behind the new Seller Advisory form is to increase transparency for homesellers, eXp Realty said in a press release.
“Seller choice is foundational, but choice without truth is a disservice,” eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja said in a statement. “We believe the industry must lead with transparency, not tactics. That’s why we’ve open-sourced this advisory. To give every seller in America a clear view of what’s at stake.”
During a YouTube presentation on Wednesday, Pareja and Holly Mabery, SVP of brokerage operations, said that the form is designed for seller education and to facilitate conversation. But it’s also available to help empower agents industrywide.
“We are going to empower sellers and empower all the agents out there — whether you’re with eXp or another company … you’ll have access to this form,” Mabery said.
Pareja also clarified that its agreement announced with Zillow last week was in no way a signal toward an exclusive partnership with the portal.
“We are offering the same opportunity to every major portal,” Pareja added in a statement. “This is not about favoring platforms — it’s about delivering consumer transparency at scale.”
Pareja framed the move as one by eXp to lead the industry away from the recent conversation surrounding private listing networks and toward transparency.
“We’re not waiting for the industry to catch up,” Pareja said. “We’re modeling what leadership looks like.”
During Pareja and Mabery’s joint YouTube presentation, the two also clarified that eXp Realty will not be engaging in the National Association of Realtors’ new delayed marketing exempt listings option.
After the NAR settlement, “we made a unilateral decision as a company that we would no longer do broker-to-broker to remove confusion to the consumers,” Pareja said.
“We’re finding ourselves in the same situation with delayed marketing — we are not going to do it. We truly believe if a seller requires privacy, which we strongly believe in seller choice, coupled with seller truth and education, if a seller needs that, we are absolutely going to support that. But once that property is inputted into the listing service to be shared with other brokers, our position as a company is, we’re going to share it with everyone.”
View the full Seller Advisory form below.
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by Jim Dalrymple II | Apr 16, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
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Lately, real estate has looked like a clash of Titans. There’s Compass versus Zillow, Rocket buying up Redfin and the National Association of Realtors playing defense on multiple fronts.
Anywhere, one of the biggest titans of them all, has waded less proactively into industry drama than some firms. But that doesn’t mean the company is resting on its laurels. Case in point: Anywhere this week revealed to Inman that it has quietly been working on a title venture, dubbed Upward Title, for almost two years.
Upward grew its revenue by 10 times year over year in 2024, according to numbers Anywhere provided to Inman, and it is currently available in 30 markets across the country. More broadly, Upward is part of a larger trend in which big companies are getting bigger and finding new ways to capture more of the homebuying and selling transaction.
This week, Inman sat down with Sue Yannaccone, president and CEO of Anywhere Brands and Anywhere Advisors. The conversation began with a rundown on Upward and what it means for the company, then meandered to some of today’s most-debated news stories.
And the takeaway from this conversation was that Yannaccone sees trends, including consolidation and transaction integration, dominating the real estate industry. Recent, high-profile deals — notably Rocket’s recent buying spree — exemplify this trend, but Yannaccone argued that in such an environment, the type of scale Anywhere possesses represents an advantage.
What follows is a version of Inman’s conversation with Yannaccone that has been edited for length and clarity.
Inman: You guys reached out about a venture called Upward Title, which is part of an effort to build an integrated buying experience. Tell me what Upward is and why it matters.
Sue Yannaccone: As an enterprise, obviously, we have benefited from the scale of having a fully integrated business, right? And we saw the opportunity to really leverage that national scale and expertise in our title business to benefit our franchisees. Obviously, title is a scale game. It’s a unit driver.
So we thought, how cool would it be to bring to market a solution as part of Anywhere, leveraging the benefits of our experience and scale, in owning this national title business.
What we did is we launched a multi-franchise title joint venture business. We first piloted it in 2023, and we’ve had some success. And now we’re looking to expand it significantly. It’s branded Upward Title.
Who can use this right now, and what is the long-term goal?
Currently we have franchisees from all of our brands participating. We have been really excited with the growth that we’ve seen thus far. We are in 30 major markets. And really there’s no ceiling on the opportunity there. It’s just volume of business. I want it to be encompassing as many of our affiliates as we can.
We’re in everywhere from California to more rural markets in Minnesota. We’re in Pennsylvania, NorCal. The need is universal, and so our opportunity is universal.
What’s been really unique for us is, as we’re talking to independent companies who are considering affiliating with one of our brands, this has been something they can then launch within their marketplace. It’s a full service opportunity that they bring to bear when partnering with Anywhere.
What’s also interesting is that upwards of 50 percent of the revenue in Upward comes from outside business as well.
Thinking about opportunities to further integrate, what are you hearing from franchisees and brokers? What are they saying they want?
Upward was absolutely an answer to a question that they had.
I think now they’re constantly looking for the ability to grow their business. Whether it be doing mergers and acquisitions, where we’re very involved in conversations with our affiliates to help them grow that way. There’s also delivering on the tried and true value proposition things as well. Really strong learning and development, agent coaching. And of course, helping them market to the consumer in a way that is relevant and modern.
You mentioned mergers and acquisitions. Where do you see that going? Will we see more local companies combining to create local juggernauts? Will we see more of the Compasses of the world buying up Latter & Blum? All of the above? What’s on your bingo card for M&A?
We expect to see industry consolidation continue. We at Anywhere are always involved in the M&A conversations and evaluating what those opportunities are to enhance our portfolio and our business as well. We’re looking to focus on helping our affiliates grow, diversifying their business through things like Upward, while also leveraging the scale that we realize that we have.
This conversation is taking place against the backdrop of Rocket buying Mr. Cooper and Redfin. What do you make of those deals?
I think it’s really a sign of what’s happening. I think there’s that inevitable consolidation. I think those opportunities are interesting and focused really on that home transaction process. That is a piece of the ecosystem. I think it is about this integrated home transaction. I’ll be interested to see what they do with that business and where they take it.
But again, that’s why I think it’s so important that we lean into what we already have, which is that mass scale. through the transaction, through title, through mortgage and the entirety of the process.
With that deal, I’m curious about how it complicates what Rocket even is. In the past I might’ve said Rocket and Anywhere are two great companies without a ton of overlap. They’re not necessarily rivals. But now Rocket has a brokerage through Redfin. And a portal. And a mortgage servicer. So, does Anywhere see Rocket, or other companies that are traditionally outside your space, increasingly becoming rivals or competitors?
I spend much more time focused on what our business strategy is and our growth lens. And I think with our scale and our opportunity, I don’t look at them in the same wheelhouse as ours. I think we continue to watch what they’re doing and who they’re serving and where they’re serving them in the transaction.
We’re talking about building out this integrated system for the transaction. Have you guys, for example, considered acquiring a portal? Or building a portal or something like that?
We’re always looking at opportunities and considering what strategic fits may be in play for us. And so, one thing we’ve said is we’ll explore a lot of different opportunities and are constantly= having those conversations and thinking about those opportunities.
I think we are always going to — and [Anywhere CEO Ryan Schneider] is on record saying this, and I am as well — that we evaluate deals as they make sense for our business. They have to be strategic. They have to make strong financial sense. We take a lot of calls, and we take every one of them. We have those conversations.
We are talking about portals, and last week the big news was Zillow’s decision to exclude privately marketed listings. What do you make of that move?
I think we’re going to have to watch and see what happens, how that comes to market. We believe transparency for the consumer is the best way to go. And we won’t leave our affiliates or our agents in any position to be disadvantaged. But we do believe in a world where we were pushing for reform, not repeal of [the National Association of Realtors’ Clear Cooperation Policy].
I think it’ll be interesting to see where this all comes out. But we’re focused on delivering to our customers what they need, no matter where the marketplace goes.
Where does it go? NAR made their change, but then we still have Compass and Zillow pushing different sides. Any thoughts on where the new status quo lands?
I wrote an op-ed on this. I think that ultimately, we continue to fail to discuss what the consumer wants and needs in this process. Ultimately, I believe that the consumer should have the option as to how they market their home. And that is who will likely end up driving where this all lands from a mass execution standpoint.
We believe in full transparency for the consumer and the most eyeballs on a home is the best way to sell it. But we also understand there’s a desire for some privacy and security in some instances. And so I think we’re going to continue to watch this, but we can’t lose sight of the consumer’s desire because it is in fact their asset (25:21) that they need to sell in the way that works for them.
In our last couple of minutes, talk to me about advice for brokers and agents who want to thrive in the world we’ve been discussing.
As we look at certain things and think about what I’ll consider the evolution of the real estate model and what’s next, I encourage everyone — whether they’re an agent, affiliate, broker-owner, anybody in the space — to just focus on what is the right thing by the consumer in the process. Understand the evolving landscape and be super transparent with your customer.
Lean into differentiating how you do business. Because I do believe that in a consolidating environment, that both the agents and the brokers that are future forward, that are evolving with the marketplace, are going to be the ones that outperform.
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by Nick Schlekeway | Apr 16, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
Broker Nick Schlekeway offers a staging prescription for marketing your next listing and engaging the perfect buyer.
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One of the most common questions I get from agents and sellers alike is, “Does staging really make that big of a difference?” The short answer? Yes — and it’s not even close. In fact, if you’re not making staging part of your selling strategy, you’re leaving serious money and opportunity on the table.
Staging is more than just furniture and decor. It’s about creating an emotional experience and helping buyers visualize their future in a home. It’s about making a property feel warm, inviting and functional — and removing anything that distracts from its potential. As agents, it’s our job to bridge the gap between what a house is and what it could be in the eyes of a buyer.
Buyers have little imagination. You have to do the heavy lifting
One thing I’ve taught my agents for years is that buyers, for the most part, don’t have the time or mental space to imagine what a home could be. They’re busy. They’ve been scrolling Zillow for months, they’ve toured multiple properties, and they’re overwhelmed. Add in the fact that many buyers don’t even know exactly what they’re looking for, and it’s clear why staging is so powerful.
When buyers walk into a vacant home, they’re greeted with echoes and empty spaces. It feels cold and disconnected, and it’s hard for them to picture how their furniture would fit or how they would use the space. Conversely, if they walk into a home that feels cluttered, personal, and overstuffed with someone else’s life — family photos everywhere, walls painted in bold colors or furniture that overwhelms the room — they can’t see past it.
Staging is about presenting the home in its best light, making it easy for buyers to imagine themselves there without having to work too hard. You’re not just placing furniture — you’re telling a story, and that story needs to be simple, clean and compelling.
The couch shows them how big the living room is. The dining table placement helps them imagine family gatherings. The neutral decor allows them to project their own style onto the space. All of this helps buyers move from “I’m not sure” to “I can see us here.”
Striking the right balance
The biggest challenge with staging is balance. Too empty, and the space feels sterile and uninviting. Too full or too personal, and buyers feel like they’re intruding in someone else’s life. The sweet spot is a space that feels intentional, warm and welcoming, but still leaves room for imagination.
This also extends beyond furniture. The exterior matters just as much. Landscaping, clean entryways, fresh paint and small details like new doormats or well-maintained walkways make a huge difference. Buyers are making judgments before they even walk through the front door. Staging includes curb appeal. It’s all about first impressions.
What’s often overlooked is the psychological aspect. Buyers want to feel like they’re stepping into their next chapter — not someone else’s final one. A staged home offers them that fresh start. It shows care, effort and professionalism, all of which translate into perceived value.
The proof is in the results
Here’s the thing: The statistics back this up. According to industry data from the National Association of Realtors, 20 percent of real estate professionals said staging led to higher sale prices, while 27 percent agreed that staged homes sold in less time. Perhaps more importantly, 81 percent reported that staging improved buyer visualization, and a staggering 89 percent noted that it had an overall positive impact on the sale.
These numbers aren’t just anecdotal — they’re consistent. Staged homes generate more interest, sell faster and tend to command stronger offers. In a competitive market, that edge is invaluable. Staging builds trust and creates emotional momentum. It turns browsers into buyers.
At the end of the day, our job as agents is to remove obstacles for buyers and make the process as easy and appealing as possible. Staging is a key part of that. It helps buyers fall in love with a home before they even know why.
So here’s my question for you: Are you making staging part of your strategy? If not, why not? Get focused on how to have this conversation with your sellers, how to access the right resources and how to build staging into your listing presentation.
Nick Schlekeway is the founder of Amherst Madison, a Boise, Idaho-based real estate brokerage. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
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