How Far In Advance Should I Schedule A Home Staging Consult?

Oh my goodness, you do touch a nerve of frustration.  Recently I worked on two houses where the owners made major decisions, spent a lot of money, then brought me in.  In one, they painted most of the interior Kelly Green because "green is a neutral color and we like this one best".  In the other, they gutted and created a kitchen that belonged in a 600K house...unfortunately, they plan to list at 200K.  Paint would have been enough.  Golly, I hate arriving just after the nick of time. 

Great post, but I have to say making that first contact is so important, if I get a client that calls and says "we are thinking about selling or buying in the next  6 -9 months when should we sit down to discuss? Ahhh yesterday, lets meet tomorrow, tonight, as soon as possible. So important to make that face to face meeting happen as soon as you can no matter how far off in the future the "event" will be.

I agree.  Great post!  The more time the seller has to remove, repair and re-arrange, the less stressful it is.

Kathy

You are right Sharon there is no time like the present to plan for home sale success!

Great Great Advice, Sharon!

I; personally, do not plan to sell my own home in the next couple of years. But, I always think and look at it with a staging eye... meaning: what would it take to have my house "show ready" in a matter of a week! We never know!

So true Sharon...I find that some sellers have quite a lot of work to do and prefer to spread out the effort and investment over time so they are not under the gun when it comes time to list. I have clients who I consult with that are looking 2 years ahead!

Sharon after my frustrating (we're listing tomorrow) consult yesterday, I'm starting to prepare my house this spring and I hope to never HAVE to sell it and move.  The meeting with this client struck a code with my own situation and I do not want to go through the process alone or at the last minute.  Usually there is just too much to do (in my locale filled with seniors) and a lack of energy and desire to do it.  DO IT NOW, my mantra. 

Great post! It's so important to get the consultation as far in advance as you can. The more time you have to do the work, the better!

I love the consults where they are listing in a few months, not a few days. When they are in a time crunch not only are they overwhelmed, I am having to curtail my suggestions because they don't have time to get things done.

Sharon,

Excellent advice, well said, and well expressed.  I am going to suggest for a feature.  A

Well said Sharon! Why do everything in a panic when you can budget both the time and money necessary to accomplish the task? As you point out, a consult gives them a good plan to follow.

Sharon

The sooner the better is right on target.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

The "sooner the better" is exactly right.  Love it when.....sellers/agents call me in early.....It's a challenge when...."can you stage it early next week?".  Clients get sooooo much more when they plan ahead!

Sharon, great post. I suggested it too. It is so important to make the house move in ready BEFORE it will be listed. I had a client who will cell in couple of years. She said that she will make changes during that time and enjoy some improvements. I also had a client who wanted to list their house in 5 days. You should see their to-do list. I am happy I changed their mind and they will make improvements and ONLY AFTER will list their house.

Sharon - you make an excellent point.  Why wait, as is often done, when you have one week to get your house ready because there's an open house the next weekend.

Sharon - Great post.  Often sellers wait until after their homes have been on the market for months before they call in a professional stager when they should have called us way before the home goes on the market.  A very wise sales manager once told us that "a home correctly priced and prepared for the market is a home 90% Sold."   I still agree with that.