As the owner of a home-staging business and a new-stager trainer, I’ve heard and seen it all… from the stressed-out homeowner who hated the stager’s props and threw some of them in the garbage once the stager left, to the diva-like behavior of the stager who refused to let the homeowner sleep in his own bed once she had remade it with designer linens. There has been bad behavior on both sides of the home-staging project and perhaps a little understanding is in order. A truly professional home stager only wants the very best for you and will work like a dog to see that you get it. To understand a little better what she goes through on your behalf, consider the following.
1. Your home stager wants you to be successful! Your stager has the same goals and hopes as you for a successful home sale. It helps your stager’s business to have her staged homes selling fast and for top dollar. It’s in her best interest to provide you with a fantastic staging job. She’s on your side!
2. Home-staging services are not free (or even cheap). You may pay anywhere from $500 to $5,000 (and more) for a staging project. However, your staging investment may lead to a return of tens of thousands of dollars since staged homes typically sell for more money than non-staged homes. Your stager wants to do everything she can to help you achieve those results. It’s good for you and good for her business!
3. Your home stager is not a maid (but she can help you find one, if needed). She may be willing to do some minimal clean up, but cleaning the house before the staging starts is your responsibility. Most stagers will meet with you prior to Staging Day. At that time, she is likely to give you a list of projects that YOU must complete before the actual staging. These projects may include clearing clutter, house cleaning, yard work, painting, and more. If these projects are not completed when your stager returns to do the staging, it is likely that she will leave and reschedule the project while you complete your tasks. Since time is money, your stager may assess an additional service fee for having to come back if your home is not prepared as agreed upon during the initial consultation.
4. Your home stager can work faster if you are not at home during the staging. Even if you feel you are being unobtrusive, your presence in the home will cause a one to two-hour delay in the completion of your staging project. Some stagers may charge extra if they know you plan to be present on Staging Day. Your stager welcomes your comments, questions, concerns, and suggestions, but they should be discussed before the actual staging process.
5. Your home stager performs many hours of “behind the scenes” work both before and after the actual staging. Your stager spends hours designing your unique home-staging project, selecting and preparing all furniture and staging props, managing administrative duties, coordinating the schedules of moving crews, assistant stagers and other personnel, packing and loading props, and if necessary, shopping for extra items that may be needed to perfectly complete your project. All of this work is then done in reverse, once your home sells and the stager returns to de-stage your property.
6. Your home stager knows that you have your own ideas about how things should be done, but if you’ve hired her, trust her, and let HER do the decorating. If you second guess every move your stager makes and question every design decision, both of you are going to be unhappy with the final results. It’s fine to have complaints--just deliver your criticism in a non-abusive way. Remember, your stager is not staging your home to reflect your personal tastes. If she’s doing her job right, the décor should be generic and more likely to appeal to a wide variety of tastes and styles. That strategy will then increase the chances of your home selling quickly and for a great price.
7. Just because you want the stager to bring in a Balinese prayer bed with hand-beaded pillows, doesn’t mean she can, or should! (And yes, that was an actual customer request.) Let your stager decide what furniture and staging props will be appropriate. Making requests for specific or unusual items will be difficult or impossible for your stager to provide. Your stager has an inventory of staging props and/or furniture and she will need to make her selections for your project from that inventory. Your stager has the unique challenge of making her random staging props work with the random décor you already own and somehow make it appealing to all tastes and styles.
8. Your stager’s props and furniture are on loan to you and should be treated with care. Your stager will expect a certain amount of wear and tear on the items she uses in staging projects. Being careless with these items while they’re in your home is not only disrespectful, but may end up costing you some money to replace. Many stagers will ask you to sign a contract that includes some sort of damage-protection clause which may result in extra fees if you damage any staging props.
9. Your home stager would love to help you decorate in your new home. Most stagers provide other services which compliment their home-staging business. Hiring a stager is a low-cost alternative to hiring a licensed interior decorator. Many stagers have incredible design abilities and would enjoy the opportunity to help you decorate not only the home you’re selling, but also the new home you’re moving in to.
10. Your home stager is a hard-working business woman (or man). Many times, your stager gets treated like the hired help. It’s nice to remember that she’s a professional and is providing a service of great value to you and your family. Treat her with the same dignity and respect you expect when performing your job and the both of you will have an enjoyable staging experience.
If you’re considering hiring a stager, these tips should help your staging experience go smoothly. Best wishes for a quick and profitable sale, and remember … Stage It Well, Watch It Sell!®
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