Home staging is all about the props, large and small. The impactful statement furniture and the detail of smaller accessories. From dining tables to wall art and ornaments, stylish kitchen gadgets to giant stuffed animals for the perfect child’s bedroom. The more homes you stage, the larger your inventory grows as you gather more pieces for each property. Over time you amass a wealth of items, to suit all situations, in a rainbow of different colors. But eventually, you discover that you have reached a limit. It could be that you’re running low on storage space, perhaps some items are not looking quite at their best, or maybe there are pieces you simply never use.
And so, it’s time for a clear out!
This can seem like a daunting task, but it’s well worth it in the long run, and if you plan it well, you can even turn your inventory warehouse sale into an incredibly beneficial marketing exercise.
The benefits of clearing out your home staging inventory
- By selling your unwanted inventory, you’ll have more cash in the bank
- You can discard items that are broken or tired
- It’s a great chance to reacquaint yourself with everything you have at your disposal
- After the clear-out, it will be easier to find the items you’re looking for
- You can get rid of sets that are missing a part, saving you time and annoyance later!
- It’s a chance to free up space for new items
- You can take the opportunity to get rid of items you just don’t use or that are no longer on trend
- You can turn the clear-out into a clever marketing event
Getting started with your home staging inventory clear-out
The first part of the process is going to take some time, but keep your end goal in mind, it will all be worth it! Set aside plenty of time, this isn’t a task that can be done quickly, and if you find yourself getting bogged down with it, take a break and come back to it. There really is no hurry. When it comes to sorting out your inventory, little and often may be the best way to tackle it if you find it hard work and stressful.
You’ll likely have a good idea of some items that you know you never use. Perhaps you once staged a huge manor house and picked up some enormous period furniture, but now you’ve found your niche staging apartments, you just know you’re unlikely to ever use it again.
Consider how often you use each item
If you keep a spreadsheet of every item you use and when you use it, generating a report to highlight all the items you’ve never used or are only rarely used will be incredibly useful. If you don’t keep such a list, perhaps it’s time to start, so next time you clear out your inventory, it’s all a little easier for you. This method makes the process a little simpler. You’re going to have to make a decision about every single item, and you don’t want to spend a lot of time considering whether or not to keep each individual piece. Knowing exactly how often you use an item, and when it was last used can really help speed up the decision-making process.
Look for broken, old, or incomplete items
Anything that has been damaged should be instantly discarded, and then you should assess the condition. Items for home staging, need to look perfect. You may have some key pieces that have been used for your staging efforts so many times that they’re starting to look a little shabby. While they may still have plenty of life in them for general use, they’re just past their best for home staging purposes, so make a note to replace them and add them to your sale list. Finally, check for anything that is part of a set and make sure you have the entire collection. There’s no point holding onto a large dining table and set of chairs if one of the chairs has gone missing and the setup doesn’t work without it!
Preparing for your home staging inventory sale
You can make the most of a warehouse sale by treating it as a marketing opportunity. Reach out to everyone you can. Get in touch with real estate agents, you may even find one willing to sponsor the event and provide drinks and nibbles. Refreshments will make people linger longer and be more inclined to chat. Remember, everyone who walks in the door could be a potential client, and a real estate agent could go on to recommend your services.
Be organized, work out how you’re going to manage inventory, how you’ll mark items that have been sold, and the terms for collection of items. You’ll also need to decide on your prices and whether or not you’re prepared to accept lower offers. You should also offer several options for payment. It’s wise to offer card payments. Most people don’t carry cash these days, so the ability to pay on a card is important and could bring you some impulse purchasers.
When it comes to arranging the items for sale, remember your staging skills! Artwork is going to be way more attractive displayed on a wall than stacked up in a pile, and make sure everything is visible and walkways are easily accessible.
Spread the word – advertise the event on all your social media channels and on your website. Send out an email to all your contacts giving them plenty of warning so they can add the event to their diaries. It’s a great opportunity to reconnect with past clients.
Post-sale – how to finish on a high note
As sale day draws to a close, there are still a few things to do. As your sale guests leave, invite them to sign up for your email list, hand over a business card, and encourage them to follow you on social media. Every person walking out of that door could be a client one day.
Then you have the task of deciding what to do with any items that did not sell. You may choose to return them to your inventory, or you could offer them to a charity. Many charities will collect items in larger quantities, saving you the time and effort of loading them up and transporting them yourself. Then you can sit back, admire those empty shelves all ready and waiting for fresh inventory, and count up how much profit you made!
