I received a call from a realtor who lives in Northern Virginia wanting to know if I would come out to the Baltimore area to stage her house. The realtor really wanted a stager from the Northern Virginia area, as she would potentially use them again for local listings. In essence, it was a trial run. Now, Baltimore is a bit of a drive for me, but I've staged a home in Annapolis, and the drive is really not much longer than what some people commute everyday, so I agreed.
This gorgeous house is located in Reistertown, Maryland, and was worth the drive. I did a 2 hour consultation, and then returned a few weeks later to do a hands-on staging with the realtor/owner. We also went shopping together at the HomeGoods in Owens Mills, and we had a great time. Not only did I have the opportunity to work in a stunning home, I also met a fantastic realtor who is a really nice person, too.
Here is just one set of B&A's of the living room:
For this opportunity, I can thank our professional policy of always returning phone calls and email messages. Of course, we all know that the call back is just a normal part of doing business. But it's amazing how many people don't do it. This realtor had told me that she called another stager who is based in Maryland, but they never called her back, so she called me next. And I called her back. And that got me the job, and potentially more projects in the future.
All the best,
Monica
Of all the phone calls and inquiries I receive, one of the most common comments I hear is, "I've never used a stager before... so I'm really not sure how all of this works".
Actually, the process is quite simple. Generally, you tell us what you need and want and we take care of the rest. Well, maybe it's not that simple, but that's not too far from the truth, and it really is quite painless.
Each staging company has their own menu of services and fees, so make sure the company can do whatever it is you want. Preferred Staging will do as much as or as little as your client wants, and we offer a full compliment of services, from consultations (walk-through or written), staging occupied or vacant homes with rental furniture and accessories, and hands-on staging. We also do color consultations, and provide Redesign services (a.k.a. Staged for Living).
OK, so now you have a general idea of what we can do for you. But what's the first step? When you call Preferred Staging, we ask a variety of questions about the house so we can have a better understanding of what's really needed, which in many cases leads to a cost savings for your client by avoiding unnecessary staging fees. Generally, a consultation is the first step, and if the client wants Preferred Staging to do the actual staging, then we prepare a proposal for them. For vacants, however, a consultation is usually not needed and we skip right to the proposal.
Whether we meet for a consultation or a proposal, we always take reference photos. Then we proceed with the consultation, or we discuss what's needed for us to stage the house, such as what rooms are to be staged, vignette or full staging or somewhere in between, and most importantly the budget. Proposals are usually ready within 48 hours.
You've probably noticed that I keep using the word "proposal" instead of "bid". We view a bid as a set price - this is what we're going to do and this is what it will cost - period. However, we've learned that a "bid" per se doesn't always work for every client. Time frames and/or budgets change, and the bid may not be what is needed anymore. So Preferred Staging prepares proposals, which we consider a working document. The proposal can be modified to meet the client's needs, and it's not done until everyone is satisfied.
Next post I'll tell you about the staging process once the proposal is accepted and we are good to go.
All the best,
Monica
I received a phone call the other day from a gentleman who owns a house in Maryland, not far from Washington, DC. He's preparing to move at the end of the month, and wanted his house staged to help facilitate a quick sale. But he also had a means of helping to pay for the staging, and that was to rent his staged house during Inaguration Week for visitors!
It's quite a clever plan. Hotels in the area are already booked solid, and of course it would cost a tremendous amount of money for a family of 4 or 5 to stay in a hotel - even one in the suburbs - and to pay for meals and transportation, etc. This house will be vacant and staged, and would certainly be more comfortable for a family or small group to stay there. There is a bus stop at the corner, and it goes to the local Metro station, which goes right into Washington, DC. Transportation issue solved.
I will be meeting with the owner next week, and with local rental companies such as American Furniture Rental providing all the necessities for such a situation, I'm sure it will all work out.
I wonder how many other sellers are considering the same? It seems to me to be quite a viable option on many different levels.
All the best!
I recently wrote a post about how 70%-90% of buyers don't "see" how a vacant can look with furnishings; basically, they see a big empty room.
As I mentioned in that post, I've heard numbers between 10%-30% of the population can visualize spatial relationships, but I couldn't find proof of those numbers. After a bit of digging, I found the following on Wikipedia about visual/spatial thinking:
"Research by Child Development Theorist Linda Kreger Silverman suggests that less than 30% of the population strongly uses visual/spatial thinking, another 45% uses both visual/spatial thinking and thinking in the form of words, and 25% thinks exclusively in words. According to Kreger Silverman, of the 30% of the general population who use visual/spatial thinking, only a small percentage would use this style over and above all other forms of thinking, and can be said to be 'true' "picture thinkers".
This is from a paper Silverman wrote titled, "Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner". If you're interested, you can learn more at www.visual-spatial.org.
With stats to back up the statement, I can now confidently include that information in furture staging presentations further demonstrating the importance of staging vacants.
I hope you find this information useful, too.
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