I am going back and forth on the consultation charge.My training gave us the option of going either way, however they really pushed the idea that you should get paid for your time and work...don't get me wrong I believe that my time and creativity are worth money...it's just that in the past I've  expected a contractor or a repairman to give me an idea of the cost of a product before I agree to buy it.They explain what needs to be done and how they will go about doing it...I think that many clients feel the same way.

One other option is to charge the fee yet have it apply to the staging day.At this point I'd at least like to get my foot in the  door so that I have the opportunity to explain what I can do for my client and why they should stage their home....

What does everyone else do with their clients? How do you gauge whether to chance losing the staging job altogether when competitors don't always charge for their consults...Let me know!!!