Occasionally someone says something that stops you in your tracks. This happened to me the other day when I was with a client who had recently had a staging to sell consultation. I was back at her house dropping off a few items for her to use to stage her home and she said something that really made me stop and think for a while.
She told me that she had been on my Active Rain blog and had been reading some of my posts. She said that if she had just read those before I came, she could have probably done it herself. Three points immediately came to mind.
First of all she is absolutely right - she could have staged her own house. In fact she had already been cleaning and decluttering and had done a fabulous job. I just provided a plan for the remaining things that needed to be done. This is the case for probably 90% of the people who hire a stager. They need direction because selling a home is an overwhelming process if you don't prioritize what needs to be done. Putting things into perspective is a valuable tool and a stager can provide that service.
Secondly, one of the benefits of hiring a stager, even though you think you can do it all on your own, is that someone who is objective is looking at your house. I know this from first hand experience. I sold my house this summer and it was very difficult to stage it. Not because I don't know how, but keeping an objective eye is difficult when you have managed to live with it day after day. So even though the majority of the work can be done by homeowners, it pays to have someone (can be a friend or realtor too) go through your home before you put the for sale sign out. It will really be worth it!
Lastly, I thought about the value of education and I am not necessarily talking about a being in a school building. I was taught principles of staging and I share those principles during every consultation. When you equip yourself with knowledge then you can accomplish all kinds of things - just like my client said. Knowing what to do and how to do it can only set you up for success.
Often times education doesn't even need to cost you anything. There have been several occasions when I have offered free classes about staging in this area. Articles found in this column can also be a great tool to learn more about staging. Reading blogs is another great way to bring you up to speed about staging, not to mention the books that can be purchased. The possibilities are endless if you are interested, it is pretty easy to find a way to get educated!
As seen in The News Enterprise in Staged SO Right's monthly column in October, 2010.
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