A day in the life of a vacant property stager

So, what does actually go into staging a property for sale?

I'm told all the time how much fun my job must be and how easy it would be to complete projects each and every time we go style a vacant property for sale.

Truth is, yes, it is a great deal of fun and we pretty much always have a great time doing what we do however the notion that home staging is an easy career choice is somewhat untrue.

The amount of time that has to be invested prior to the installation and after the installation is what most people don't see and this is the hard bit.

It is a creative process, and like any other creative career there are times when inspiration is hard and the output challenged by the brief (in this case the style, look and feel of the house) that you have been given.

To read more about a day in the life of a vacant property home stylist click here

Should a developer buy furniture to style a vacant display home???

One of the biggest competitors Shift by Design have in gaining new vacant property styling projects are developers who wish to buy their own furniture for their display home instead of renting stock for their marketing campaigns.

While I can completely understand their viewpoint, some furniture packages are quite inexpensive these days, there are many good reasons why renting stock is far smarter than buying outright.

In fact, there are 10 really good reasons why a builder, developer or property manager should look at renting rather than outright purchasing stock to stylishly present their property for sale.

Click here to read more about vacant home property styling top ten reasons why to rent furniture than purchase outright.

Time flys as home staging grows

As a student of the online world, I should know better than to not post a blog for almost two months, but things at Shift by Design home staging have been flat out over December, January and February. For the first time we have had to knock back work or advise of a minimum two to three week delay in order to style vacant Tasmanian property for sale with our hire furniture. We hate knocking back work, but we were running out of time to prep jobs and get them installed as well as removing stock from properties that are selling quickly (and yes, for MORE!).

We have put together an enormous amount of properties over the last few months, so much so that we recently HAD to attend the Australian International Furniture Fair (AIFF) to try and acquire more stock to keep up demand.

Our most recent installations have been added to our home staging portfolio on the website, check it out and let me know your thoughts on how we are performing.

On other news we are still working hard on our other project called homestagershq.com. This site has attracted attention from home stagers all over Australia and the world, with US and Canadian stagers starting to join which is great to see.

So all is busy in the land of property presentation and we certainly hope it continues.

Cheers

Adam

Home staging news website

It's no secret we have been involved in the development of homestagershq.com, but we recently upped the ante by creating a unique side website to this project to help share home staging news with the business community.

There are loads of sites out there offering advice, but what we wanted was an industry central website drawing in content from home stager's blogs, Twitter feeds, YouTube feeds as well as supplying an official homestagershq.com blog location.

The site provides links out to individual writers blogs and Tweets meaning there is a solid link strategy going on as part of this development.

The site is great for home staging industry news and home stagers blogs. If you have a home staging blog you would like seen exposed to potentially hundreds of people, why not submit your blog address to media@homestagershq.com to get your blog covered?

A new home staging site - homestagershq.com

Shift by Design been involved in a new home staging website called homestagershq.com which is a site aimed at providing a unique location for home stagers to get together to discuss major home staging industry news, trends and find out about new products.

More importantly, the site lets home stagers be found by the home sellers and real estate agents. The process allows someone looking for a home stager to go into the site, enter their location and find a home stager in their area. You sign up, get a profile page of your own (including the ability to write blogs, add a portfolio, join forums and promote your own website) and you are away.

While there is a cost for joining the site, it is so much cheaper than an ad in the local paper and less than a consultation for a home staging job. So if you only get three or four jobs form your listing, you are way in front.

We are now in on the site and loving the look and freedom the site gives.

Visit our Shift by Design landing page at homestagershq.com

Shift by Design home staging goes YouTube!

Finally, Shift by Design has video online to enable clients to get a taste of what we do in the staging of vacant homes for sale.

These videos reflect the style that home stylists from Shift by Design prefer, light, uncluttered and modern even in older property.

The aim of the videos are to show that Shift by Design are more than just furniture rental/hire, we take great pleasure in making sure the home appeals and speaks to people rather than just having a bed plonked in the middle of the room.

A room has to talk to the buyer, engage them emotionally and tell them that they could live here.

Our rooms are always more about how the buyer will interact with the property and ensuring that a positive first impression is taken away after the inspection.

Have a look at the videos and let me know what you think.

Home staging results by Shift by Design

Items used in home staging

Detailed home staging

Cheers

Adam

Home staging of the Clayton's variety

I recently submitted a post tin another forum in relation to the development of the home staging sub-industry of virtual staging.

Virtual staging is the Clayton's Home Staging, the home staging when you don't stage a home. It allows a home owner to have very specific photos taken of their home and then they can select from a range of furnishings and accessories which are then stylishly and digitally applied to the shots to use in marketing.

Don't get me wrong, I love what technology can offer us to make projects faster, more efficient and create better results for my clients. I think this technology is amazing and offers a great alternative to the client who may think that staging their vacant home this way is quick, simple and affordable.

Unfortunately though, this service is actually a disservice to home buyers.

Why? Well I am glad you asked (even if you didn't!).

Home buying is an emotional practice, we all know that. So you can imagine how a buyer FEELS when they look online and see the home of their dreams, gleaming with wondering fittings and furniture and ring the listing agent for an inspection. They turn up excited to see this warm glowing home that could be their next place of residence (that until now has been served up to them in hi-res photographic mastery) only to open the door to find a vacant, echoing and empty property.

What a kick in the ribs. There is nothing worse that creating an impression in a consumer's mind only to have it completely dashed in reality. That is a quick way to lose a sale and disappoint a prospective buyer.

The fact of the matter is a staged property provides the warmth that a buyer looks for. Even a badly laid out room is better than an empty one for the buyer to determine the scale and space in the home.

So while technology is a wonderful thing, it cannot replace some things that we humans need and want. Physically staging a property is the only true way to engage a buyer both in marketing and while inspecting the home.

Shift by Design are professional home stagers based in Hobart, Tasmania. We rent and hire furniture specifically to present property for sale.