| I am writing this after commenting on another blog about consultation reports because I think that since this is such a large part of our business, we want to know that we are presenting it correctly and professionally, but most all, we want it to be benficial to us. After all, I am a stager because I love to stage and make homes look great, I am not a secretary anywhere because my passion is not typing all day(although AR has made me enjoy it a little more). I think that these reports are very informative to sellers who do not do this for a living and we don't need to stress and waste our time making these soooo perfect to the eye. They just want the information, they don't care to read a book, they don't have time. They are trying to sell their house and frankly, we don't have time to write huge books either. Let's remember our passion is in doing the job, not just writing about it. Sellers won't be offended if you don't send it in an e-mail, they won't be mad because your handwriting isn't beautiful, they will be happy that you gave them IMPORTANT advise on what should be done to get their house sold fast! Tell them, hey! Get the most important stuff done and I'll come and make it look fab. for you for a reasonable price. It's a win-win situation, you get to do what you love and they get a small, not too overwhelming manual, in hand, to help them start their process. |
California Moods Inc - Selma, CA
ARTIST - A Home Stager/Sellers Best Friend!
Letitia - I like your approach very much. Some stagers like the consultations better than the actual staging and so the more detail, the better. But on a whole, the prep work is pretty common to all homes and if a generic list is provided and used, chances are the work will get done and the stager can come in and do the pretty stuff.
Mar 19, 2007 08:33 AM
Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners - Johns Creek, GA
Letitia, I agree. I try to keep my reports as lean as possible. I let the photos do the talking. In many cases, they might want to hire me to do the work, but just can't fit it into their budget, so I want them to feel like they can tackle this, and not get overwhelmed.
Mar 19, 2007 10:39 AM
Independent - Pickering, ON
Home Stager - Durham, Toronto, On.
Letitia,
I am glad to see the other side of this. As someone who has put a lot of effort into the consultation reports in the past I am now transforming my ways and trying to streamline my process to make this as quick and easy as possible. You are right sellers don't want to or have the time to read a book. They want the facts in a quick and easy to refer to format. They want to know what to do to get the process going and of course hire us to do the show casing to put it all together.
~Kimberly~
Mar 20, 2007 11:11 PM
Anonymous
The main focus of my business is staging consultations. I am a SAHM and have decided to narrow my scope of work to providing consultations as opposed to hands-on staging. So, in my case, the format of my presentation is very important. I strive to put together an attractive, easy to understand, and comprehensive report that gives sellers a plan for preparing their house for sale room-by-room. Since our business thrives on referrals, I want to make sure my clients receive a quality report in case they show it to friends and family who may also need my services. I use Microsoft Publisher to create my consultation reports and I love it!
Martha
Mar 21, 2007 08:38 AM
#4
Dressed for Success - Kingston, ON
I agree to a point, I think for me personally it's a fine balance. If I'm going to put my name on it, and my reputation on it, then I want a professional looking report. Not just for the homeowner but anyone they show it to as well.
I also want to give them enough information that they feel they are getting their money's worth, and have a starting point - but not enough that they don't need me at all.
Mar 21, 2007 02:41 PM
Rainer
14,209
14,209
Letitia Hodenfield
Making Rochester Beautiful One Home At A Time
Comments(5)