My Client Told Me She Was Afraid I Would Be Mean!

I just started a new staging job with a new client, a really nice woman who found me in her internet search for a home stager. We met for the initial consultation, she gave me a tour of the house, and all was going well. With a staging plan in place, as I prepared to leave, my new client said to me with such relief in her voice, "You are so nice! I was afraid you would be mean!"

Mean?

As I stood there (I'm sure with my mouth hanging open), she went on to explain. She had seen the television shows with the not-so-nice stagers who criticize people's homes and unbeknownst to me, she was nervous about inviting me in.

So, I've been contemplating this.

I've always known home sellers might be a bit anxious to have a professional home stager come into their home, telling them what they need to change in order to make their home more appealing to buyers. I always try to reassure my clients-it's not about good or bad design. It is very possible for a house to be perfectly, beautifully designed and still not appeal to the widest array of buyers. Staging takes out the seller's personal taste and lets buyers imagine themselves living there.

So, a little nervous about inviting me in, yes, I expect that. But, afraid I would be mean? I felt terrible she had this impression of stagers. I also began to wonder how many sellers (and real estate agents too, for that matter) hesitate to hire a stager because of this fear?

Don't believe everything you see on TV! The reality is this:

A stager's job is not to be mean and criticize; a stager's job is to tell you the truth about your home and its appeal to homebuyers, and then formulate a plan to make your home show as well as it possibly can. We all have the same goal: for your home to sell as fast as possible for the most money possible.

A good home stager will work with you in a positive way to bring out the best in your home and should be able to do it without giving you nightmares!