I am finding that there is a tremendous amount of vacant homes wanted and needing to be staged. The last 5 Stagings I have done have all been for Vacants. I am building up a great inventory as I do not care for the furniture available from the rental store.
Is it just me or is this something that is happening all over?
How is everyone handling these?
Thanks,
Lynette
You are right Lynette. There are much more vacants on the market up here in N. Cal. too. I have an inventory for about 3.5 houses, but very often I mix and match with a rental Co. I have decided not to get any more large furniture pieces. Even though I do enjoy the rental of my own items, it can pose problems when you have to move everything and your hired help can't help. Not sure if you have Cort or Renta Center near by. They can be very afforable and "they" move the furniture ;) Sometimes you can just get a couple of basic pieces and then accent it with your own things. Best of luck, Lori.
Lori - do you keep the furniture rented from Cort or Renta Center and move them to different locations or do the clients rent directly?
Lynette
Does the homeowner have to physically add you to their insurance, or are you automatically covered by their policy? I ASSUMED that the rental furniture was automatically insured by their policy.
Lynette
Hi Lynette,
We have an over abundance of them here (in Arizona) roomer has it a good share of them are corporate transfers. So that's all I'm doing right now are vacants, (they are my favorite)
Yes, I too have alot of vacant homes I'm staging. In fact, over 90% of the staging projects are for vacant homes. I too love doing vacant home staging. However, I love seeing the transformation of those who are living in the home. I'll often get the comment "I just can't believe this is my home." It's a nice thing to hear!
Kathy
The main issue I have with rental compaies is tht people dont want to be locked in for 60 or 90 days. How are you over coming this hurdle?
Denise
I have all of the same issues here in Indiana - poor quality, long agreements, minimums, limited styles, etc. The only real options were to start buying or not do vacants. I really love vacants, so shopping it is...
I have 3 vacant homes staged right now and another scheduled for this week, 2 tentatives and a bid appointment coming up. I'm hoping the already staged homes sell quickly so that I can get that inventory back and not buy more.
Well the 60 day plan isn't too bad really. By the time a normal escrow closes, it is close to that. We have 2 rental companies that will rent for 30 day minimum, which is great. You just ask the homeowner to add you to the policy while your things are in the house. It just takes a phone call. The rental companies have insurance, but you pay extra for that with a deposit.
Like Kimberly said, it is great to be able to roll your Inventory into another house if you can plan for that ;)
Lynette,
Here in Raleigh the need for vacant staging has really taken off. I have been leasing furniture from a small design firm that has high end furniture. With her we have enough for three houses and I do the rest on my own. The rental companies here don't have the right quality for a lot of the houses I stage. I do a lot of the mini mansions in Raleigh and need designer pieces. If you can find a design that wants income on their inventory it really works out well. We have been moving the same furniture for almost a year now. Also a great resource is any model home that maybe moving and selling off their furniture. This is where I find the best deals. Good Luck!
Michele
Hi Lynette,
Yes, there are a lot of vacant homes for sale in the Phoenix area also. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether every room should be staged, or is is it more cost effective for the client to do only primary rooms - I have been doing both, depending upon budgets but sometimes feel I should recommend staging key rooms only. Any thoughts?
Thanks, and happy staging!
Elizabeth
Lynette: I specialize in higher end vacants. I don't own any larger pieces of furniture due to the cost of warehousing it and labor to move it around. I rent from Cort or Brook (my current favorite) for the sofas, large chairs, dining room sets, bedroom sets, matresses, etc. In my area, they charge $150 to deliver & pick-up (one charge). I have even paid their delivery guys a little extra to help me out if I am in a pickle and need something moved that we can't move ourselves. They deliver, unwrap, place furniture, hang pictures, etc. for the one fee. Yes, there are some limitations in style, and sometimes availability. But, generally speaking, it has worked really well for me. I have tons of accessories, bedding, silk plants, lamps, antique Persian carpets, etc., in my inventory that I then use to tie the whole project together and make it look fabulous and unique.
The other problem I have with keeping large upholstered pieces in my inventory is that all your stagings start to look the same with the same furniture all the time. Working with the rental companies gives me a choice of 20 or 30 styles to choose from.
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