November Challenge: The Client I Wanted to Clone
It’s never easy for sellers to welcome someone into their home, knowing they’re about to hear a critique of it. When I consulted on occupied listings, I could see the apprehension in their eyes.
There were occasions when I could sense the tension…the husband or wife was resisting everything about the move, or the client was still old school and felt the house would sell itself. You’ve met them. “If they don’t like the paint color, they don’t have to buy the house.”
This is why it was so refreshing when one of my first clients greeted me with Be brutally honest with me!
This was in 2008, when the market was down and very few people in FL knew about staging. My client was relocating due to a job transfer to Central FL.
Jeff offered me an Espresso, then told me he’d spoken with his landscaper and other vendors, and they were ready to go after our consultation. He’d watched a few HGTV shows and even clipped some “Before” and “After” photos he thought might work.
That said, he was open to what I said and never let what he saw on the cable shows get in the way of what I was saying.
When I pointed out the cracked tiles on the kitchen floor, he said, “I’d rather spend the money to fix what’s broken than lose an extra $20,000 on the sale.” Finally—a client who gets it! Repairs, upgrades, and staging aren’t expenses—they’re investments that pay off.
Home stagers rarely have the opportunity to establish the kind of relationship agents have with their sellers or buyers. But Jeff texted me after his house sold and once he was settled in his new home.
In the early years, it was not easy getting agents or sellers to understand home staging, much less agree to a consultation. My client was a breath of fresh air.
I am eternally grateful for my client, who let me know that I was not going to have to “butt heads” with every seller.
This is Post #1 in the ActiveRain Thankfulness Challenge.
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