Many home stagers were taught, in their training programs, not to post staging fees on their websites. The intended purpose was to encourage people to call for pricing and give us a chance to explain how staging would benefit them. However, I have come to realize that many people are automatically assuming that home staging is too expensive and never making that call.
Since many people still adhere to the old adage, "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it anyway," I am in the process of designing a new website that will have my staging fees and services clearly explained and prominently displayed.
I have seen quite a few blog comments from Real Estate Agents asking, "How much does home staging cost?" If the question is answered at all, it is usually the standard, "Staging costs less than your first price reduction." True as that might be, I know you want an answer with $$$.
These are the average (or most widely used) price ranges. Some stagers' fees are lower; some are higher.
OCCUPIED HOME STAGING
VERBAL HOME STAGING CONSULTATION -- $100 - $300
HOME STAGING CONSULTATION WITH WRITTEN REPORT -- $200 - $475
HANDS-ON STAGING -- $75 - $125 hr. (many stagers have a 2-3 hour minimum)
Rather than an hourly fee, some home stagers charge a flat rate for either half or full day staging:
$300 - $400 for half day (4 - 5 hours)
$500 - $800 for a full day (6 - 8 hours)
VACANT HOME STAGING
The average cost for vacant home staging in the majority of markets ranges from $1,500 to $5000.
Fees may be even lower for vignette or light staging but they could be considerably higher for homes that have excessive square footage or require high-end furnishings and accessories.
Now that you have a better idea of the cost of home staging, don't hesitate to contact some local home stagers and inquire about their fees for staging an occupied home. Ask if they can give you a ballpark figure for staging a vacant home. They will be happy you called.
I am so fortunate to have such a lovely and versatile staging assistant. Chloe works behind the scenes making my job easier. She is a self-starter....when she sees a task that needs attending to, she jumps right in and does it.
I would like to share some photos of her on the job:
Inspecting newly acquired inventory
Selecting artwork
Choosing the right accessories
Arranging flowers -- her favorite task!
Making sure all the proper tools are in the staging bag!
Helping to locate my purse and keys!
Helping prepare for a staging workshop!
Proofreading -- No need for spell check when she is on duty!
With this post, I will reach 50,000 points.....finally!!! And....it ONLY took 3 years. Having 50,000 points is fabulous but it was getting to know AR members from around the country and learning things formerly unimaginable that makes this journey so remarkable. Who would have thought that I could intellectually converse about SEO, widgets, longtails, short sales, etc.? My friends and family are so impressed!
It would take me forever to list ALL of the things on Active Rain that have impacted my life but one, in particular, stands out....my new love for photographing nature. Thanks to everyone who freely shared about the best cameras, the best free photo enhancing sites, and the importance of always having your camera nearby, I am able to share these photos of the glorious sunset I witnessed a few nights ago.
Here's hoping it only takes me 3 months instead of 3 years to make the 100,000 point milestone.
I have fond memories of the day I felt that I was truly a part of the AR community. My A-Ha moment occured when I read Craig Schiller's blog, "Joy to the Rain", and saw this wonderful graphic.
I found Active Rain in August of 2006 by doing a Google search for Home Staging and was directed to Craig Schiller's blog. I think there were only about 50 home stagers in AR at the time yet only a handful of them were actively blogging.
Since AR predominantly consisted of Real Estate Agents, I always felt like a guest whenever I logged in. I was not sure I would ever really belong. But that didn't keep me from faithfully stopping by...love that Google juice....I just made sure that I minded my manners and never "rocked the boat".
When the "groups" feature was added to AR, Stage It Forward became my hangout of choice. It was fun getting to know stagers from around the country. I enjoyed receiving and sharing staging tips and advice and encouraging my fellow stagers. However, I always had a self-imposed feeling of needing to stay with my "own kind" so I was reluctant to join any other groups that would allow me to mingle with Real Estate Agents and other Industry-Related Professionals.
But that all changed when I gazed upon Craig's masterpiece. When I saw my face intertwined with the faces of AR Staff, Real Estate Agents, Home Stagers, Mortgage Professionals, Home Inspectors, Loan Officers, Photographers, etc., something clicked....I finally got it.....This is a Community!!! A community of individuals who are passionate about various branches of the Real Estate Industry who have banded together to glean information, share information, encourage, comfort, uplift, challenge, praise each other and become friends and colleagues.
My search for more info on Home Staging led me to Active Rain, but the sense of Community has kept me here.
About a week after we had returned from our house hunting trip to CA, my husband came home from work and said, "I have Good News and Bad News:"
The Good News is.......We are home owners!
The Bad News is ......... It is Old Stinky!
My husband thought I had gone beserk when I jumped up and down shouting, "Yes, Yes", Yes! Thank you, Lord! He said, "Are you crazy? You're happy we got Old Stinky"?
Happy???....I was ecstatic. I was finally able to reveal a secret I had been carrying since our second visit to Old Stinky......Old Stinky was a diamond in the rough!
It took me two visits to see its true potential. The first time we visited, I didn't even try....too many other homes yet to see. But, on the second visit, with our choices dwindled down to next-to-none, I was able to look at the house more objectively and was surprised at the things that I discovered:
While my husband had been inspecting the shower, my curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to see what was behind the interior doors that were leaning up against the wall. I peeked behind them gingerly and was shocked to find a gorgeous stone fireplace with a beautiful mantel. My husband didn't believe me when I told him that Old Stinky had a fireplace because he had never seen it.
I took a Kleenex out of my purse, wet it and wiped away some of the dirt and grime off the floor in the guest bathroom and discovered beautiful Italian tiles.
I realized that the doors leaning over the fireplace belonged to the pantry in the kitchen which was large enough to accommodate a washer and dryer.....how convenient that would be for the Queen of multitasking!
I remembered that the realtor said that the homeowner was offering a $2000 carpet allowance so I stood back and envisioned what the home would look like with brand new neutral carpet instead of the red floral, urine soaked indoor/outdoor carpet that blanketed the family room, dining room AND kitchen.
Yep, it was love at second sight! I secretly wished and hoped that Old Stinky would be my first home but I didn't want to tell my husband for fear of jinxing it!
When we first embarked upon our house hunting trip to the San Francisco Bay area, we knew it wouldn't be easy, but we really thought that we would be able to find an acceptable house and still have time to do some sightseeing. As it turned out, we house hunted every single day of the 10 days we were there with a little sightseeing thrown in.
As each day passed, we were more and more frustrated. It was a seller's market and, while we were able to find homes that we liked in our price range, they were selling fast...too fast! At least 3 times, we toured a home we liked and then rushed over to our Realtor's office so he could contact the listing agent (this was pre-cell phone days), only to find out the house had just gone under contract.
As our list of suitable homes dwindled, our REA really had to dig deep to help us find the right house for us. He took us to see a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home that was in a counteroffer situation. It was move-in ready...having recently been updated with fresh paint and new carpet. Our REA advised us to make a good offer in hopes that the counteroffer currently on the table would not be accepted. So we did.
Because there was a very good likelihood that the counteroffer would be accepted, our REA suggested we reconsider a home that we had previously viewed and deemed unacceptable. The first time we viewed it was at the beginning of our trip and we couldn't get out of there fast enough because it reeked of dogs and urine thus earning it the nickname Old Stinky! There was a water problem in the shower resulting in rotten floor boards and mold. There was no way we could imagine ourselves living in that hell hole.
Because time was running out, our very patient REA suggested that we at least take another look at Old Stinky before ruling it out for good. My husband said, "No Way!!!" I, on the other hand, was willing to give it a second chance because the REA reminded us that it had 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a family room which was unheard of in our price range. We took another look.....it was filthy with junk scattered everywhere and it still stunk! Plus there was more mold! But it was 4 bedrooms and 2 baths with a family room...in our price range. So we told our Realtor to submit an offer on Old Stinky IF and only IF the other offer didn't go through!
We flew out over San Francisco Bay enroute back to Phoenix feeling fairly confident that we would be returning to the San Francisco Bay area as homeowners. But....we had no idea which home we would own!
In trying to tell the story about how buying my first house in 1984 was the benchmark for my staging career, Perfection is trying its best to smother Passion with the overwhelming need to include every little detail. I have spent too much time on trying to get it just right....and there is only 10 minutes left of today. So Passion has taken the realm and told Perfection that we are going to "Just Do It"! We can always "tweak" it later.
As first time home buyers, my husband and I were about to embark on a journey that would have a long-lasting and profound effect on me. The lessons I learned would be the cornerstones of my home staging career. The year was 1984 and we were being transferred from Phoenix to San Francisco and decided to go for it and buy our first house.
We were approved for a loan up to $68,000. We knew prices in the San Francisco area were astronomical so we didn't set our expectations very high. We we searching for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home...obviously it wouldn't be brand new. A roof, windows, walls, and a toilet were must haves....everything else would be gravy!
We also knew that our budget precluded us buying in an area with a considerable commute into the city. We were searching for our first home in "the Armpit of the Bay Area" with an hour to hour and a half commute both ways...on a good day. We looked at many, many different homes during our 10 day househunting trip. We found that as the days passed, we were becoming less critical and willing to overlook obvious flaws because we really wanted a house.
I thought house hunting was going to be fun. For years, my favorite past time was visiting model homes to get decorating ideas and just to gawk at the creativity and innovation. I truly expected to enjoy this house hunting experience. It wasn't fun.....it was exhausting and mind numbing. Seeing house after house and, at the end of the day, trying to remember which ones stood out from the crowd and earned a repeat visit and wondering if we were going to find a house before we had to fly back to Phoenix when our 10 days were up. It was as much fun as alligator wrestling!
It was a seller's market which added to our frustrations: we must have put in full-priced offers on atleast 6 homes only to be told that they had recently gone under contract; one of which was a home that we tried to view but couldn't because a tenant lived there and wouldn't agree to have the home shown. Our realtor suggested we put in an offer contingent on being able to view it first with the right to back out if we so chose. We were running out of both time and houses to see....there just weren't that many in our price range. And we wanted to buy something, anything on this house hunting trip.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of this life-altering event!
What have I gotten myself into? Yesterday, I announced that I was so inspired by the movie "Julie & Julia" that I made a commitment to blog every day. Today is Day 2 and it is 10:57 PM and both perfection and procrastination are alive and well because I am not going to be able to produce the blog that I had hoped.
For my first official post in this challenge, I intended to detail the events that led up to my passion for home staging. But I didn't know where to start. There are so many defining moments that contributed. Too many in fact to put into just one blog so I am going to put them in a series starting tomorrow.
Can you believe I almost gave up and threw in the towel? But I am not a quitter...I made a commitment....I have passion...and I am determined to see this through to the end. Oh, what a bumpy ride this is going to be.
I certainly hope so because after seeing the movie, "Julie and Julia", I made a commitment to myself to blog every day for a year...starting today. Uhhhh-ohhhh! Going public with that announcement makes it official....there is no turning back.
I joined Active Rain three years ago and this is my 35th blog. Yep, it's sad. I am my own worse critic. I felt that my blogs weren't good enough because I wanted everything to be perfect. Better add a large dose of procrastination to the mix as well. I kept waiting for just the right time, the right photos, the right words....it had to be brilliant, witty, intriguing, soul stirring....perfect!
No more perfection for me.....just passion!!! As I learned from the movie....passion is the driving force that keeps you going when you are unable to persevere or unsure as to whether you even want to. Sheer determination, advanced planning and commitment are also key players.
Funny thing about passion.....it gives you the courage and confidence to do something that otherwise would seem unfathomable. I went over a year without blogging anything....zip, zilch, nada. Now I am going to commit to writing 365 daily blogs about:
Home staging Helping people Pros and cons of being curious Pros and cons of having a creative mind The need for adventure My love of nature All the joys, hurdles, and blessings I encounter along the way.
Passion, you are going to have to kick Perfection's butt, because there is a lot riding on you!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
I thought house hunting was going to be fun. For years, my favorite past time was visiting model homes to get decorating ideas and just to gawk at the creativity and innovation. I truly expected to enjoy this house hunting experience. It wasn't fun.....it was exhausting and mind numbing. Seeing house after house and, at the end of the day, trying to remember which ones stood out from the crowd and earned a repeat visit and wondering if we were going to find a house before we had to fly back to Phoenix when our 10 days were up. It was as much fun as alligator wrestling! 
I certainly hope so because after seeing the movie, 
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