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The Satisfaction of Staging a Home

By
Home Stager with ALR Home Staging and Showcasing, LLC

So, a couple of weeks back I was called upon to perform a consultation for an occupied house.  The real estate agent referred me to this client as I'd staged another listing for her a week earlier.  This smart homeowner decided to stage PRIOR to listing!  Gotta love that!!!!!

The consultation included the standard list of things to prepare the house for the listing, primarily to reduce the amount of WALLPAPER in it.  (Almost every room had wallpaper and I'm not even exaggerating.)  I provided options for paint colors for the rooms I recommended as priority to be painted along with referrals for painters.

About 10 days later I received a voice mail from the homeowner stating she wanted me to come back and stage some of the furniture and accessories in two of the rooms.  When I returned the call the conversation went something like this:

Me: "So, how are things coming along?"

H.-O.: "We've been so busy doing all of your recommendations.  3 trips to Goodwill to unload things we decided not to keep and the painters are here and will be finished tomorrow.  I decided that I need Abby to come back and help me because I just cannot do all of this myself!"  {Sidenote, I did provide her with a proposal to come back and do the work for her...}

Me: "I told you I'd come back, you just had to let me know when!  I know it's a lot of work to get prepared.  What do you want me to help you with?"  {I knew, at that point, that she'd probably done most of the work I'd included in my proposal}

H.-O.: "I need help putting the kitchen back together. It's empty.  All of the accessories are in my dining room.  Beware, it looks like an aisle in Tuesday Morning!"  (((LOL!)))

Me: "That's great!  It's great to start with empty!  Then I can strategically place what we need and then whatever is not used you can plan on packing up!"

H.-O.:  "That's great!  Thank you!"

Well, I spent the morning there and let me tell you, she was so pleased.  She said it was so interesting to see how someone else would place her things in ways she'd never thought of before!  What was most satisfactory was this:  She said that the whole process just completely helped her get motivated and organized to move!  She said that she was so overwhelmed with the thought of packing and moving, and that the staging service has helped her begin that process in a more organized fashion. 

I felt so good driving home today.  I really felt like a made a difference!  =)  

{I'll add pictures later...my media card is playing games with me at the moment and I cannot upload my camera...}

Thanks for reading!

Comments(12)

Charlene Storozuk
Dezigner Digz - Burlington, ON
Home Stager - Burlington Ontario

It's great when you have a client that wants to stage before listing.  Sounds like it was a success.  Maybe since she was so impressed with how you staged her kitchen, you should offer to help her out at her new home.  Can't wait to see some pics!

Feb 29, 2008 07:44 AM
Kathy Riggle
STAGING SMART N SOLD - Houston, TX
Houston Home Staging

Abby,

You must have really connected with the homeowner when you did the initial consult, and she felt comfortable to ask you back to help.  Your helpful attitude came through from the beginning & no wonder you feel rewarded by the results-Congrats!

Kathy

Feb 29, 2008 07:53 AM
Connie King
Sevierville, TN
This sounds like a ready-made, perfect staging scenario for an occupied home!    What a great client!   She really "gets it"!    Sounds too good to be true.   Good for you. 
Feb 29, 2008 09:31 AM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

Abby - you always do such a fabulous job with occupied homes.  And... I'm not at all surprised with her comments.  Your a solution provider who works magic!

Kathy

Feb 29, 2008 09:51 AM
C. Bartch
Newark, OH

Wow Abby,

It looks like you were very sucessful in your presentation with regards to getting the homeowner to go along w/ all your recommendations, especially the dreaded wallpaper. Congrats to you!

I love placing accessories, it's the icing on the cake.

Mar 01, 2008 01:59 AM
Janis Gaines
Staging Sells Eugene Homes - Eugene, OR
Home Stager Eugene OR - The Notably Well-Dressed H
I ALMOST always enjoy my Staging adventures. But every once in a while, there is a special day where I sit back and think, "THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD DAY." It usually centers around one of those "practically perfect clients (realtor or homeowner) who are awesome to work with and totally appreciate what I do. I don't know that I've ever felt that way in any other profession I've worked in...maybe non-profit volunteer projects. I'm so lucky to be in this business!
Mar 01, 2008 08:57 AM
Kathleen Garvey
HomeSmart Cherry Creek - Denver - Denver, CO
Denver's Neighborhood Expert - Listings & Sales
Thanks for sharing your day with us Abby!  Sounds like a really satisfying staging.....gotta love that!  Regards-Kathleen G
Mar 08, 2008 10:49 AM
Marci Toliver
438-4642 - Mauldin, SC
Anderson SC, Spartanburg,Greenville SC, Home Staging
Abby- dont you love it when a plan comes to gether!  Can't wait to see the pictures!
Mar 09, 2008 06:00 AM
Elaine Manes Gage
Home Staging Online Services - Denver, CO
Staging done ONLINE!
Abby- Your wonderful story just reminds us of another advantage to hiring a stager. We can take that daunting task of packing and break it down to what should be packed now and what should remain for showings! Thanks so much for sharing, and I'm glad she recognized your value!
Mar 09, 2008 06:50 AM
Cindy Bryant
Redesign Etc. Home Staging - Houston, TX
"Houston Home Staging Pros"

Don't you love it when the customers want to watch and help, they are always amazed...it's a lot of fun!

Mar 09, 2008 11:08 AM
Barbara Cluck-Miksits
BCM Home Staging LLC - Ridgewood, NJ
Home Staging - New Jersey
Abby - Good for you. Isn't great when you know you have done a great job and the client is happy?
Mar 18, 2008 03:53 PM
Julianna Hind
eXp Realty - Tacoma, WA
REALTOR, 206-679-4768, Tacoma Federal Way, Auburn, Kent, WA
Abby - your expertise is such a valuable asset to these homesellers. They are lucky to have discovered you!
Mar 18, 2008 04:43 PM