Review of HGTV’s The Stagers and Lessons You Can Apply to Your Own Home Staging Business - Part 2 of 2
4) Do Keep in Mind Who the Prospective Buyers will be and Design the Staging Accordingly. This skill will set you apart from just being a "wannabe" stager to being a true Real Estate Partner and a Professional Staging Designer. There are many Real Estate Agents who are guilty of this as well. They don't keep in mind who the target audience is - who would be your prospective buyer? Is it a young family? Are they empty nesters? Are they young bachelors/bachelorettes? These considerations must be top of mind when designing your Staging. It's not about just adding artwork and putting furniture into a room. The personality that is added with accessories should portray the type of lifestyle that one would want to live in that home. This is one thing that the Designers on the show are good at exploring and working with.5) Build a Staging Team. This is something all of you should work towards. Just as on the show, they have the Staging Boss, Senior Stager, Home Stager, Staging Assistants, Movers, Handymen, etc., so should you. My role was a cross between the Staging Boss and the Senior Stager as I was never completely hands-off. Building a team to work with not only makes each project more efficient, it also makes it a lot of more fun because you can bounce creative ideas off of one another. I've had people on my team at all levels. Movers who just helped move inventory to and from the staging sites (mostly large pieces of furniture so we can totally relate to the sofa not fitting in the elevator or door - I dreaded getting those calls), Staging interns who actually did hands-on staging work, but can be the perfect team member to help wipe down furniture, clean mirrors and art, iron bedding, pump up airbeds, etc. I also strongly believe there should be a Team Lead so that there is someone who is in charge on-site, otherwise it would be too chaotic.Here are few other tips depicted on the show that I you should definitely keep in mind for your own businesses (if you're not already doing so):
- Incorporate feng shui principles in your staging (in some parts of the country, THIS IS HUGE - like So. Cal)
- Don't forget to address curb appeal issues
- Paint over unattractive, unmarketable wall colors
- Add dramatic art and accessories for high impact
- Bring rooms back to its originally intended purpose
- Don't fight with what's not working, like trying to use the homeowner's things
- Use scale appropriate furniture
