Although this is the last installment of a 4-part series on what home stagers can do, don’t be fooled – there is an infinite number of things we property presentation consultants can do to help you market your property! However, I had to end it somewhere, and I’ve decided to talk about the least expensive way to stage your house: the staging consultation.

First off, the staging consultation is different from the staging quote. If you’re looking to stage a vacant property or have someone do redesign staging for you, a staging consultation is not for you. Instead, you need a stager to come out to your property and put together a quote. Usually stagers will not give out actual staging information while they’re visiting to put together a quote – most stagers in our area offer free quotes, so they’re not getting paid for this time. Their goal is to get as much info about your property in the shortest amount of time so they can prepare a fair proposal.

When you hire a stager for a consultation, he or she will walk through your property and give you an analysis of what needs to be done to the house to make it look best for selling. The stager can give advice on everything from repairs to color schemes to furniture placement. Often, you will have the choice of getting a written report from the stager (which usually costs a little more), or taking notes as the stager walks through with you. Personally, I think getting a written report is worth the extra amount. Many stagers will provide diagrams along with a step-by-step list of “to-dos” and suggestions for showing. It’s nice to have the report to refer to as you go along.

A staging consultation is best for:

• ­ Sellers who will be living in the house while it’s on the market.

• ­ Sellers on a budget (pricing depends on the size of the property and whether or not the stager prepares a written report).

• ­Sellers who have time to do the work to stage themselves.

Not only is investing in a staging consultation a great deal for the do-it-yourselfer, but it is also a useful tool for Realtors. More and more often, Realtors are adding value to their services by providing a staging consultation for their clients. By bringing in a stager, Realtors demonstrate that they are invested in selling their client’s property. Furthermore, when a Realtor is faced with a client who doesn’t think fixing up or staging is necessary, a stager can provide a very helpful third-party evaluation.

Now that you know a little more about the major services stagers provide, feel free to post or e-mail any questions you may have about the process. I’d be happy to help!

Tags: Real estate
Possibly related posts

• What can a stager do for me? Part 1 of a 4-part series
• What can a stager do for me? Part 3 of a 4-part series
• What can a stager do for me - Part . . .It’s gorgeous outside!