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What You Can Do BEFORE Your Staging Consultation.

By
Home Stager

What You Can Do BEFORE Your Staging Consultation.

When you decide to sell your home you’ll want to prepare it for sale.  That is to say, you’ll want to do everything in your power and budget tohome for sale make your home stand out. And you’ll want your buyer to see be able to see the value that you’ve placed on your home.

Staging consultations are one of the best investments a seller can make when they are getting ready to put that For Sale sign out there.

To help you make the most of the 2 or 3 hours you’ll spend with a Home Stager, here are some things you can do and some things you’ll want to avoid.

DO

1.Remove any distractions.

If you have small children around, arrange for a babysitter or play date out so that you can give 100% attention to your stager.

The same is true for pets. I’ve been to consultations where it was so hard to talk over barking dogs.

2.Allow for time.

Most consultations can take from 2 to 3 hours depending upon arrangement you have with the stager. Allow for this. If you are looking at your watch because you have to leave for an appointment, you won’t be able to concentrate.

3.Pick up just enough so we can see what you have.

While we want you to leave what you have so we know what we can work with, having to work around piled up laundry, dirty dishes in the sink, or stacks of newspapers will only take away from your consultation time.  Stagers WILL mention these things during the consultation and not assume that you know these need to be removed.

 

AVOID

moving1.Packing up everything!

This may sound counterintuitive to what everyone tells you but Stagers can work with what you have and save you from having to invest in renting accessories and furniture.

One of my clients had given everything away but her bedroom furniture. All she had was a card table and 2 folding chairs. She’d been told that her home would sell quickly so why not get rid of things so buyers could see the space.

2.Picking up the paintbrush!

Yes your agents and friends have all told you to paint, and yes, as a home stager, I usually recommend a fresh coat of paint but you’re paying for our consultation!  Let us suggest a color.

One of my favorite young couples happened to be one paint can away from painting all of their walls a stark white at the suggestion of their painter. They waited for the consultation and ended up with a perfect soft taupe with white on the trim.

3.Avoid the cable staging shows for now.

We all watch them and they have been instrumental in informing the public about the need to make your house a showplace when selling.

But remember that the REAL show is in your house not on the screen.

4.Ask helpful friends and family members who want to come and watch to stay home.

It’s understandable that you may want some support or that others may be curious but we want your full attention on how you can make your home market ready.

Think of it this way, you are paying your stager for her time and expertise. Everytime that your friend opens their mouth to let us know what HGTV says costs you money!

 

Don’t let a staging consultation scare you. We’re there not to judge but to help you sell your house.



Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

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for Houston & Harris Counties
and
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Comments (33)

Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Great tips, Kathy.... (as always). I've run into people who got overly aggressive in packing stuff away which could be used for staging... and every so often someone who thinks it's a good idea to paint before the stager arrives.

Feb 08, 2018 08:58 AM
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

When Staging goddesses talk, we listen. More great advice Kathy. Happy it was featured. D 

Feb 08, 2018 09:26 AM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Kathy,

This is another chapter for the book, I keep harping you should write.  What a wonderful post. A

Feb 08, 2018 09:47 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Wayne Martin and thank you! Hope you're having a wonderful week. 

Matthew Klinowski, PA and hopefully they won't paint their exterior marine blue before I come out like one of my clients did. 

Feb 08, 2018 09:56 AM
Matthew Klinowski, PA

So funny you say that!  The house we bought a year ago was painted Marine Blue with a Mauve color front door and bright yellow trim.  It's why it was on the market for a while.  Needless to say, the first thing we did was paint! And now we are renovating...everything is a tear down in our neighborhood. Have a great weekend.


 


Feb 09, 2018 03:43 AM
Marte Cliff

I did flyer remarks for a client in Florida who had a listing I called the turquoise house. The exterior was turquoise. The kitchen cabinets were turquoise. The built-ins along the back hall were turquoise. And the trim - school bus yellow.


It was pretty awful, but it did sell.

Feb 12, 2018 02:46 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Barbara Todaro often if I'm working with an agent who is not familiar with consultations I will have them attend one so they will have a better understanding. 

Marco Giancola I hope you're loving our weather like I am. 

Feb 08, 2018 09:58 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Brenda Mayette I was on a consultation and the client had her best friend there. I could hardly get a word in because she was telling her everything she's seen on the cable shows. 

Dorie Dillard we truly are. And we've all worked in their shoes before. 

Feb 08, 2018 10:05 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Sally K. & David L. Hanson hope all is going well!!!!

Joe Pryor  I understand that it's hard but even if they can get a sitter for a short time. 

Grant Schneider I had a client who was going through a very bad divorce. Her friend was over for support but she wouldn't shut up. The client ended up running out of the room in tears. 

Feb 08, 2018 10:17 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Scott Godzyk Can't wait to hear how it turns out. 

Brian England Thank you!!  I wish more sellers would consider staging. 

Carla Freund Thank you! Appreciate it. 

Feb 08, 2018 10:20 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Debe Maxwell, CRS And thank you. I mentioned to Scott, I had a seller whose home was the odd one out on the block. And before I could get there, the whole exterior was painted a marine blue!

Feb 08, 2018 10:22 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Nina Hollander I'm laughing because one of my earlier consults was with a lady who'd already packed up most of her accessories and sent them on to her new home. The home, while a beautiful one, was blah. Even her friends offered to go to Marshall's or Target with her to buy some accessories to add color.

Feb 08, 2018 10:24 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Debb Janes EcoBroker and Bernie Stea JD and I thank you!!!!!

Ron and Alexandra Seigel it's one of those things that I keep putting off!!!But I need your nudging. 

Feb 08, 2018 10:26 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Excellent advice!

I once did a consult at a home with 7 small dogs. The woman "kept them under control" by squirting them with a squirt gun. I kid you not. It was insane.

I once did a consult for a couple who had taken a suggestion to "declutter" far too literally and removed every single item from their kitchen cabinets....everything! All their food and dishes, etc. was in boxes in the garage.

Feb 08, 2018 11:08 AM
Marte Cliff

I don't suppose the water actually harmed the dogs - but that does smack of cruelty. A little training might have been a better idea - especially since it sounds like the squirt gun wasn't a permanent fix.

Feb 12, 2018 02:43 PM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Hi Kathy Streib, one of my sellers decided to pack everything and paint the house knowing the stager was coming. Not a good idea. They truly are trying to be helpful but the opposite happens. This is a great advice for all home sellers.

Feb 08, 2018 11:45 AM
JL Boney, III
Coldwell Banker - Columbia, SC
Columbia, SC Real Estate

Great list of suggestions. Allowing enough time is a big one, I think most people believe a stager will just rush through and point out a few things but in my experience it's a little more in depth than that.

Feb 08, 2018 01:07 PM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

Excellent advice all agents should pass along to their prospective sellers.  Let the experts work and guide you - after all, that’s what they getting paid to do

Feb 08, 2018 01:28 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Hi Kathy: And turn off the TV!! I've gone to people's homes for a listing appointment and they leave the TV on, as though they need some kind of background noise all the time.

The trick there is to speak softer and softer until they can no longer hear you. 

Feb 08, 2018 01:56 PM
Corey Martin
Martin Presence Group - Ruston, LA
Real Estate and Management Solutions

I agree this is great advice for what to do and what not to do before staging. Thanks for sharing. 

Feb 08, 2018 07:06 PM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Morning Kathy.

Congratulations on the feature. Still having difficulty in getting people to stage their home around here.  sigh

Feb 09, 2018 03:12 AM
John Wiley
Fort Myers, FL
Lee County, FL, ECO Broker, GRI, SRES,GREEN,PSA

Kathy, this is advice that needs to be part of a listing presentation.

Really good points.

Thanks

Feb 09, 2018 07:08 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Kathy - I wish you were here. My son has his duplex for sale and one side is vacant. I hesitate to put a tenant in when we're hoping it will sell, but considering what his agent isn't doing, I suppose I should start advertising.

I went looking on line for a local stager, but didn't find anyone. This town is always 10 or 15 years behind the times... sigh.

Meanwhile - I love your tips. Agents should print this post and give it to all prospective sellers.

Feb 12, 2018 02:42 PM