Stagers Make Inroads on Interior Decorators
Wait a second.
Isn’t staging something that prospective home Sellers do, before they put their home on the market?
That, too.
But increasingly, home buyers are consulting with stagers after they close — and have to figure out where everything goes.
“Staging,” Defined
If you didn’t know, traditionally, staging is about getting a home in optimal condition for sale.
What stagers recommend is case-specific.
But in general, stagers try to correct whatever a home’s biggest negatives and turn-off’s are.
Depending on the home, that can be blunting a pink-tiled, ’50’s era Bathroom (maroon accents make the pink less conspicuous); having the owner pull tattered carpeting covering pristine hardwood floors, and refinish same; or recommending new, stylish carpeting in place of worn and dated carpeting.
It all comes down to, “what will give the seller the most bang for the buck?”
Part 2 of what a good stager does is make use of what’s already in the home, vs. having the owner buy new or rent.
So, cost-conscious stagers excel at re-deploying the owner’s existing furniture, wall art, accents, etc. to show off each room to maximum effect.
Expert, Disinterested Advice
Unsurprisingly, new owners can benefit from some of the same input.
How big a role the stager plays varies with the new owner’s budget.
At one extreme, the stager may simply offer some suggested paint colors and carpet styles.
Total time at the home: one hour (or less).
At the other extreme, they may make multiple visits over a few week period, guiding the owner’s new furniture purchases, whole room (or house) makeovers, etc.
A current client is even having a stager pick out an architectural shingle that complements the home’s new exterior color.
Unlike interior decorators, stagers usually charge by the hour vs. collect a % of the overall project cost.
So, they have much less incentive to run up costs.
Incidentally, that’s also the trend in financial planning, where advisors are moving from commission-based compensation to a fee-based model.
