Home Stager Services and Madison, WI’s Dog Days of Summer
My friend Carol Dunn wrote a bang on blog post about just some of what goes into the work of staging a home between the consultation and the actual staging of the home.
We are not just movers, we have to come up with a game plan (to do list) keeping the owners abilities and budget in mind, plan the color scheme and design that will work to enhance the features of that particular home and minimize the not so positive features, select fabrics, paints, furniture, artwork, and accessories, pull & track inventory, deliver and arrange it all, do all the paperwork involved, and de-stage, pack-up, deliver back to the storage and put away all inventory.
And that is just the physical and mental part of what we do.
Home Stager Services and Madison, WI’s Dog Days of Summer
Nothing brings a bigger smile to my face than seeing my little Benny dog enjoying the fruits of my labor -- my outdoor pool. Home stager labor fees vary from state to state; region to region but much of the work of any home stager is done before the actual staging day.
It's often these tasks and the physical labor of the business of a home stager that is overlooked when clients are considering making the investment to contract the services of a professional home stager. When questioned about hourly rates (that start at $65 per hour for Madison area), I reference the many tasks unseen by my clients.
As little Benny floats in the cool water of the pool, I review the details of a recently contracted staging job - (poolside). It’s after the home staging initial consultation that the real work of a home stager begins that include:
Reviewing the on-line pictures of the home seller’s competition.
Creating furniture placement plan to work with a seller’s furnishings, OR making the selection of accessory items and/or furnishings from staging inventory
- Creating the Staging Day Action Plan
And while Benny frolicks in the pool, this home stager is making a trip to the store or doing on-line research for the "just right" accessory or furnishing that will accentuate the positives of a client's home. Then there's the stop at a Madison area home improvement store to pick up paint or other enhancements that will make the undesirable aspects of the home less pronounced. On staging day (and while Benny lounges in the pool on this 90 degree day), sweat will begin to roll off my brow as load my vehicle with inventory for the home, followed by more sweat as I unload my vehicle at the home and finally more sweat as I stage the home according to my calculated staging plan. (I always wonder at this point when the make-up crew will arrive to give me that home stager HGTV look!)But at the end of the day, it's all about providing the home staged advantage in offering Madison area sellers wise counsel and quality work that will continue to build industry credibility in being a home stager. Oh yeh, and satisfaction in knowing that little Benny will continue to enjoy the good life!!
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