I can certainly give a client a ball park estimate for staging a vacant property for FREE by phone once I get some basic information about the property, however if the client requests an exact proposal there is a consulting fee associated with it that I do charge for. However, this initial fee will be fully credited to a signed staging contract with my company, Home Star Staging.
Some stagers may or may not do this as standard for their policies and procedures but I do and below may help you understand why.
After being contacted recently by an agent I've never met via email regarding staging a vacant home for their client I sent them a response explaining the ball park estimate for FREE and then the procedure and policy should they wish to get the ball rolling on the project for an exact proposal which includes the initial consultation fee (fully credited back to the job remember that?)
I received a reply from the agent on behalf of their clients basically stating that this was a ridiculous policy which "they'd never pay for!"
Here's what I wrote in response to the email:
Just to clarify, the initial vacant preview fee is a fully credited amount to a signed staging contract.
While I respect your client's decision to refuse the initial (fully credited fee), there are many hours that go into the initial phase of the property preview, staging design, furniture selection and estimating process. If a client isn't able to understand that at the beginning of the process, they likely aren't going to agree to the budget necessary for the job.
Ball park estimates are always FREE by phone or email and if I know the price point, square footage and style of the home along with whether or not they want full house or key room only staging I can better estimate. However if they decide they want the full bid for the complete job and if I need to physically preview the home, there will always be the initial consulting fee (again credited to the job) for the time involved.
I fully respect the right of anyone to decline my policy, however it's in place for a reason. Here's the main reason why;
I cannot run all over town and keep my current client work load schedule in check to provide FREE consulting services for vacant homes.
Inevitably while I am in the home there are ALWAYS QUESTIONS regarding other items like updates, layouts, "what would you do here?" you name it, it's a consultation! If a prospective client cannot wrap their head around the initial FREE ball park estimate(& it's generally spot on within a few hundred dollars give or take) then there's no sense wasting their time or mine.
I am gratefully busy enough in my home staging business with a majority of work being conducted in the occupied homes for sale market, that in 9 out of 10 calls for vacant homes I am usually talking the client out of working with my company due to my policies and pricing structure for the quality of work I demand for my brand and my client's vacant homes.
If you're price shopping, looking for a discount, only need a "couch & a dining table" & say "I don't have much budget" please don't take offense but I'm not right for you.
I fully accept that I am not the stager for everyone and that's perfectly fine with me. I find that I work with who I enjoy and who values my services and it makes my business and professional life so much richer physically & emotionally which has as much value (or more) than any dollar amount you can place on it.
Below is a testimony from a vacant property client who understood the policy, staged with my company & describes the results in the video.
If you're a home stager are you charging for vacant property previews or not? If not, I'd love to hear your thoughts on why or why not. It may be different in other parts of the country so I'd be interested to know!
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- Pre-listing home staging consultations
- Post list "trouble shooting" home staging consultations - no matter how long a home has been on the market there are always ways to improve the chance of sale
- Owner occupied property staging (utilizing owner supplied furniture & accessories or including some of our own inventory)
- Vacant & investment property staging (Full and partial rental furniture packages, accessories and staging services)
- Is your office interested in hosting a home staging class or presentation? Just ask!
- Contact Karen at 496-964-0516 or Karen@homestarstaging.com
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