Step 5 in the Step by Step Series is the consultation or bid phase.  At this point, you have a stager, introduced the staging concept to your client and they have met to discuss what happens next.  It will either be a consultation or bid.

To clear up a few things first, neither of these things will be accomplished unless you have a signed listing agreement, if you are the one that brought the stager in.  If your stager came along to the listing appointment, it was just to assist you in the explanation of what staging is and what the process entails - no recommendations are given at that time.  Until they sign on the dotted line, they get nothing.  This is great for you, because you now have two people working to get that listing, not just you.

Consultation:  Is a detailed written report outlining what steps should be taken to improve the salability of the property.  This can be used by the homeowner as a kind of roadmap to guide them through preparing their home for the real estate market.  This is the information they need to do it themselves. This is what the consultation fee is for - information.  There is no guarantee that the stager will be brought in for further assistance to the homeowner.  I, myself, present my information in a prioritized list that assists the homeowner in deciding how best to use their resources. Also, I generally walk through the house with  them - report in hand - and explain my recomendations to them so that they fully understand what is being presented to them. 

Some homeowners may find the list overwhelming or too time consuming and may choose to hire the stager to complete all or some of the work outlined. This work is rarely charged to the Realtor, unless they offer to pay for all services.  (That is a topic for another blog) A bid for such services can be done at the homeowners (or agents) request.

Bid:  Is a bid for services such as bringing in furniture and accessories, staging the property, etc. It is just like getting an estimate for new windows.  There is no charge for this, because there is no information given other than how much to complete the job.  This is more commonly done for vacant properties, though a seller who has been through the process before and is  fully aware of what will occur may request a bid without a consultation.

After these reports have been delivered and everyone is in agreement as to what path will be taken, the work must be completed.  We will talk about that next...