When you’re ready to sell your home, one of the most effective strategies for effective marketing is to stage it.
Investing in home staging is a surefire way to sell your home fast while maximizing its price, and it all starts with a home staging consultation.
To understand the home staging process, think about what goes into selling a vehicle…
When you want to sell your car, you make sure it’s in good condition, washed and waxed, and free of your personal items.
A home staging consultation is the first step in a similar process designed to get your home looking like new, ensuring that it appeals to the widest range of customers.
Just like a vehicle, a home that presents well will sell faster and at a higher price.
If you’re considering staging your home and are wondering how to begin, you’ve landed in the right place. Read on to learn all about what home staging consultations are and what you can expect throughout the process.
What is a Home Staging Consultation?
A home staging consultation is a very detailed discussion between a homeowner and a home staging professional.
During the consultation, the professional will review the home, consider what needs to be done before the sellers put it on the market, and give their advice to ensure the seller walks away with the best price possible.
Investing in a home staging consultation will cost much less than a price reduction during an offer, so it’s strongly advised that anyone selling a home consider setting up this essential meeting.
Contrary to what some people believe, realtors normally don’t do their own home staging consultations. However, most realtors offer consultation services by professional stagers, so if you’re working with a realtor (or planning to), be sure to discuss what they can do to help get you set up.
If you’re a home stager looking for new business, then networking with realtors is essential!
Introductions and Sit-Down Time
Before the walk-through portion of the home staging consultation, you’ll have a sit-down time with the stager where you’ll introduce yourself and go over some important details.
This is a good time to take notes as they will also offer some important information. Some of the information they’ll want to gather might include:
- Your list date goal
- Whether there are pets living in the home
- How many people live in the home
- Whether there are children, teens, or college-age kids staying in the home
- Major repairs or areas of concern
- Your staging budget (including cleaners, painters, window washers, and rental furniture if necessary)
The introduction and sit-down portion of the home staging consultation is necessary for putting together a timeline and hashing out other important details, such as budgets and repairs.
At the conclusion of this meeting, you’ll set up a date and time to meet for a walkthrough of the home, or if planned, get into it right away.
Walkthrough of the Home
The walkthrough of the home is the most crucial part of the home staging consultation.
During this time, the professional stager will go through each room and space in the home and take notes throughout the process.
They do this from a buyer’s perspective to get an idea of what their first impression would be like and observe the changes that need to be made to make the house more appealing to buyers.
The stager may also ask important questions during the walkthrough to gather essential information.
The walkthrough should always start outside, where a potential buyer would begin their critique of the home.
Professional stagers know how critical first impressions are, so they will scrutinize every detail, from the walk to the door through the entryway, foyer, and any other spaces that may catch their eye.
Working their way in, the professional stager will walk through the rest of the property, looking at all the rooms, in closets and pantries, behind doors, and at any other area they see, ensuring that no corner is overlooked.
Most average-size homes require approximately two hours for the walkthrough, while larger homes (above 3,000 square feet) may take closer to three hours.
The stager conducting the walkthrough should be available through email or text after the consult for any questions you may think of once the walkthrough is complete. They should be willing to answer any questions, whether you’re curious about paint color options, repair costs, or décor placement.
The more details you share with your stager, the better experience they will be able to provide.
Written Report
Once the stager has gathered all the information they need from you and the walkthrough has been completed, they will typically provide you with a written report after 12 – 48 hours.
The report should include detailed photos of all the rooms and spaces throughout the home and provide a detailed account of what the professional would do to stage the home.
Since first impressions start at the curb or driveway, the stager’s written report should begin with a curb appeal review, which will include everything they noted from the curb to the front door. They may suggest things like repairs or changes that should be made, paint color suggestions, and landscaping ideas.
The remainder of the written report should include a detailed assessment of each room in the home, covering everything from light fixture options to paint color choices and many other details that would make the home more appealing to the target market. It may include details about:
- Furniture arrangement
- Decluttering
- Cleaning
- Painting
- Décor styles/types and placement
While some rooms may require a little redesign, others may require more extensive changes and staging help to become impressive to potential buyers.
In some cases, the written report will be extensive and lengthy, while in others, it will be short and sweet.
It all depends on the condition of your home and how show-ready it is at the time of the walkthrough.
After you have reviewed the written report, the stager will be ready to carry out the recommended changes, including staging, redesign, and decluttering.
They could also help refer reputable vendors who can help with the rest of the work, including cleaning and painting.
To keep things from getting overwhelming, they will walk you through the process to ensure that everything is done just right.
