You are absolutely right!  We take "overwhelming" and make it "manageable" for sellers. Having someone give you direction can reduce a ton of stress.

Well said! Abby, this is so true we love decluttering!!! .great post!

Hi Sharon, Thank you!  I'm glad you agree!!! 

Hi Fernando, ain't that the truth!!  Thanks

Determining what stays and what goes . . . where?  I find that to be the thing home sellers trip up on the most.  For instances when furniture doesn't seem to be arranged correctly, they know it, but cannot pin point what needs to come out or stay to make the room work.  Then once you rearrange it they sit back and go WOW! That looks better!

Nice post, Abby

Hi Karen, Good to hear from you!  I think that's one of my favorite comments when you move around existing pieces and the homeowner is amazed at the end result, like "why didn't I think of that?"  LOL  Thanks for commenting!

Excellent post, my dear friend Abby (or better known as Abster).

Professional stagers can and do reduce the amount of stress.  I particularly liked your line about how we help decide what goes and what stays.

Kathy

Great post Abster (any friend of Kathy N's is a friend of mine). I tell my clients that if they are overwhelmed deciding what to keep and what to pass on, they should pack up everything. They can decide what to keep, what to sell, what to donate or what to toss later on in their new home. It makes the packing up a little less stressful and keeps the process moving along.

Abby - you speak words of wisdom and truth!  I have noticed a huge upcturn in the consultation market here in Calgary.  Realtors are actually calling us to come in and consult before they post pictures and put the home on MLS.  I hope we are saving them from headaches and stress.  Betty 

Thanks Kathy!  Yes, I like that part!

Thanks Michelle!  =)  You know, even if you do purge before you move there is the likely tendency to purge AGAIN once in the new house.  Let's face it, you literally touch every single item you own when you pack to move so it really is a great time to purge, if you can handle it of course.  I know from myself, when I moved, I got rid of a ton of stuff, still needed an extra truck and then ended up purging so much stuff after I moved in that I probably could have saved myself the extra $500 on the second truck!  But, like you said, I was overwhelmed and it was easier to just pack it and deal with it on the other end.   Thanks for commenting!

Hi Betty, That's awesome for you!  Consultations sure are a great way for homeowners to begin the moving process as we outline everything that needs to get done for them.  Thanks for commenting

Totally!!! :)

Cheers,

Cindy

We've provided these moving project management services for a few clients...very helpful to them. Great for out-of-town sellers or those who can afford to shift the responsibility to a staging team. My daughter lives in SFO and apparently this is a HUGE biz out there!

Thanks for dropping by Cindy!  =)

Hi Celeste, a moving project management service?  love that!  Thanks for sharing!

Right on Abby !- stagers and staging a home will reduce the stress of selling and makes it much easier for everyone in the family. A staged home is a home that is ready at a moment's notice for a buyer to preview and it's also ready for the sellers to move out quickly.

You've got the right medicine my staging friend!

Why, thank you, Karen!  =)  Thanks for commenting!

It's funny with this job how much pshychology goes into it.  Alot of it is just reassuring the homeowner!

Hello Abby!  EXCELLENT POST!  It is definitely a market niche stagers could fill for potential clients out there!  Anything 'new' is a challenge for most people to begin with and we could be there to help with the flow right away!  Good thinking!  Regards-Kathleen G

Hi Cindy, it's one of those things when we preach about the emotional connections for the buyers, it's also about the emotional connections for sellers and how important it is to help them through that disconnection process.

Hi Kathleen, why thank you!  I guess if don't just focus on the end result...selling the house...but also what we are doing for the homeowner in the meantime, staging can make a world of difference for a potential seller, if we go about it the right way.

Thanks for commenting ladies!