Real Estate Blog - Let's start at the very beginning ( a very good place to start)....Vacant Staging

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Let's start at the very beginning ( a very good place to start)....Vacant Staging

Since I am hoping to see the group, VACANT HOUSE STAGING & NEW HOMES, become a 'tutorial' of sorts with respect to Staging Vacant Homes, let's start off by sharing ideas - what HAS worked and what HASN'T worked.....

When I launched my business early in the Spring of 2006, I had all these ideals of what I would be doing and how I would help sellers to use what they had to make the house more marketable. The problem is that just about every call I received involved a Vacant House! Now, keep in mind that I took one of those "ABC" designation courses, but we never ‘touched' upon vacant houses and rental furniture!

I knew about CORT furniture and paid them a visit to introduce myself and my business to them. I was not impressed with the quality of the furniture that I saw in the showroom...it was ‘enh', however I knew that Stagers in the area were using it, so I figured, "OK...it IS what it IS"....

Thank goodness for Phyllis Pafumi-ReStyled to Sell Staging Homes NJ who had studied the "ABC" course with me and become a friend...she HAD done her homework and referred me to AFR Furniture Rental. OK...so they were a little more expensive, but wow! They had a great selection from which to choose! So I chose furniture for each Vacant that came my way and a Rep quoted it for me.....I then e-mailed a quote to the client and would never hear from them again! I would send ‘follow-up' e-mails and sometimes even leave a voice-mail message. The problem is that I never ‘heard back' from the client.

This went on for a few months and finally in March of this year, I talked to Craig Schiller (Real Estaging who gave me a ‘reality check' and said not to e-mail anymore quotes, but to go and give the quote ‘In Person' so that I could deal with/work with any objection that the owner/seller had, and thereby ‘nail' the job! Guess what? That was it! I had to ‘pare' the quote down a few hundred dollars in order to get the job and a large portion of the accessories and furniture were MINE (thank goodness for the Target Global Bazaar Sale in February - I had a ‘massive' amount of inventory!), but for less than $800 per month, I staged the entire first floor of the house as well as the "Bonus Room" on the second floor (which no one knew how to define!) vacant homes: Those Elusive Vacant Houses - They Can Be Staged For Less Than You Think!

So, what did we learn here? WORK with the seller - don't give up...make the numbers ‘work'! Also, do your ‘homework' and find reputable Rental Furniture Companies that you can work with and who will keep the cost down so you can work within the Seller's budget. THIS, clearly, is Step #1 to landing the ‘Vacants"! And one more thing - stick to one Rep! Those furniture rental companies don't take kindly to stagers who call and speak to a different rep each time that they call. Ask for a name and stick with it!

VAL

Ps..I am including this post in a few sites for 1 week only in order to bring new members to our Group!

Posted by Val Allocco, HSE; ASHSR - Home Stager for Manhattan, Brooklyn & Long Island on 07/12/2007 06:49 PM

Comments (21)

home staging, home stager, vacant house staging, vacant home staging

Post is included in group: Stage It Forward...

21 Comments on Let's start at the very beginning ( a very good place to start)....Vacant Staging

JUL

2007

Thanks for some great tips, Val. I am still looking for my first vacant. That is really where I want to focus and you offered some strong advice.

Connie King

CK Staging & Design

This is good to know. Thanks for sharing. I think I will join your Vacant group because I have 2 listings coming up that will be vacant. Too many buyers have NO imagination, so staging can be a real asset!

you can also talk to local antique dealers and some will let you place their pieces in the homes, with price tags left descreetly on them of course, for free.

Hi, Val!! I just posted behind you, and was happy to see you. This post is the reason that you are so incredible at staging- you look at all options, and find the best fit (financially) for the client. Thinking outside of the box shows that you care more about their outcome than your income, and that's what people trust. You are the best around- thank you for being in New York!! :) I'm leaving- this is for stagers.

I love it when I stumble upon a post like this -- bookmark and follow suit !

thx, Karen

Okay, my problem solved I am losing the vacant rentals because 1.) over priced and 2:) I am not speaking to them in person I am giving them an estimate on the phone...

Hi Val, I have never emailed or called a client with an estimate. I give it to them on the spot when I go for the consultation. If I happen to go over my quote, well then I suck it up. I think people want to know right now how much its going to cost them. If they have too much time to think about their decision to stage, they might get cold feet.

Terry Haugen - STAGE it RIGHT!

Val, I remember the difficulties you had and how well things are going now for you with staging those Vacants! And congratulations on your new group, I'm sure it will be a big hit on AR.

JUL

2007

I started out just doing vacants (lots more work than I expected, but fun!). I learned to give quotes in person, have my contracts ready to sign and to resist the urge to give out staging tips and advice for free. I have two reps that I work with and now they know that when I call, I expect a certain quality of product and that they must give good service. The first vacant was quite a rocky start, but it does get easier each time you do it.

Thanks Val! Great information! I find it difficult when the homeowner has already moved away...not only can I not get face-to-face with them, but they've emotionally left the area as well! Guess phone is still better than email in that case!

Susan

Hi Val, I am very interested in this vacant staging group because my business has ended up being Vacants and Models. Where are the occupied houses?

Because of my location it is difficult to locate rental furniture so I have my own inventory. Of course for the models, the owner usually will purchase the furniture/accessories that I source.

Other stagers on AR, my little group of SSU and experience has helped me on my journey from 1st vacant to several in one week. I still learn constantly and look forward to others' experiences! Thanks

Thanks for the advice, Val. I think I have to stop giving estimated "range of cost" over the phone.

have a great weekend.

Julia

This is the area where I am I am making a niche for myself. The amount of actual physical work involved is the one area I think a lot of stagers or "want to be a stager" don't really have a grasp on. Even if you rent the big pieces and have it dropped off, there is still a lot of lifting, bending, packing, unpacking and general "schleping" that goes on. I live in Atlanta and during the summer when it is 94 degrees out, you are doing some serious "glistening" as I am told women do in the South.

Just officially joined - great idea for a much needed forum!

Hi val,

Just joined I am so glad you did this group. I do mostly all vacants because here in idaho the grow is huge and about 85% of the homes are new construction and vacant. thanks for the group

JUL

2007

Hey Val Great group to start and thanks for the mention. This will help alot of us to share our problems. I TOLD YOU YOU WERE GOING TO BE THE QUEEN OF VACANTS!!. Now this group, you never cease to amaze me

Phyllis Pafumi

Thanks for the info Val - now maybe Terry Haugen could blog on how she does those "on the spot bids" and rarely is off by even a few dollars.

hi Val,

Thanks for starting this new group ~ great idea! Here's a question for you: For your staging fee (not including the rental) do you find it practical to charge on a square ft formula? Or do you charge per room, knowing you'll use certain items that will take you xx amount of time to do in that room? Just wondering what you've found works for you. It can be tricky trying to get the pricing piece of the puzzle just right so your feedback would be much appreciated....

Hi there Val,

I'll be joining your group. As a stager, as well as a provider of up-to-date (non-boraxy) quality furnishings selected specifically for staging (fabulous look @ great value), it's great to see this focus topic! Totally agree on the point of presenting the quotes in person. In addition to having that direct connection to clarify concerns and speak to any objections presented, it reinforces your customer focus...Taking the additional time to work with and FOR that client. Best, V

SEP

2007

Thanks for the good advice... I've been concentrating my business on vacant homes... It's so much easier to start with a clean slate and not spend time sorting through other people's stuff.

I e-mailed five quotes on vacant homes just last week, and haven't heard back from any of them yet. I think I can do on the spot quotes, because most of my jobs are pretty similar... living room, dining and master bedrooms package. And I've been keeping my part of the fee the same because I've been working with several realtors at the same company... I don't want any of them to think I'm playing favorites.

In response to Maureen's question, I quote by room (a flat fee for above three rooms) and add charges for extras like lots of bathrooms or sunroom.

I am looking for advice on the possibility of renting furniture from a furniture store that usually just sells. Any suggestions on how to approach them? How the contract should work? I just don't have room to store my own large pieces of furniture... hopefully someday the business will grow to where I can afford to purchase/store my own large pieces.

I've been using CORT and have pretty good luck... SOME of their furniture is very nice, but they recently changed their policy and now require a minimum of three months rental.... my staged homes have been selling in less than two months, and people don't want to pay for any more than they think they will need.

Any suggestions are welcome...

Joyce

SEP

2007

Thank you. Cheri SMith- fantastic idea! Negotiating with shops will be tomorrow mornings priority-thanks!

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