Will the costs of staging be expensive?

I recently had a leading Hobart agent (who happened to be engaging my services for the first time) ask me about the value he would be getting for contracting me to stage his brand new vacant property. It was a beautiful location, quality fit out and finish but in order to truly display the potential of this property, staging was the way to go.

It is a good and fair question I think. This agent who had never dealt with me before was suddenly trusting me with his property to present it to the market as a quality home of distinction. Not only that, but he (like all my clients) was paying in advance to secure the rental goods. What would his money get? Would it be quality furnishings? Would the end result reflect his wishes for the property? It is hard to allow someone into your property to complete work on your behalf when you cannot really gauge the end result.

At the end of the day it comes down to trusting the stager and knowing they know what they are doing.

In valuing the worth of staging it is important to understand the costs associated with staging covers many different elements, especially in a vacant property where all you have to work with is the walls and windows. The costs cover the furniture, the rugs, the lamps, the linen, the pillows, the artwork and all the decorative accessories that make a home a home. Add to this the time it takes to select the right pieces for an individual property (as no properties are alike in any form or way) and then prepare them for transport to the site (plus the transport and hauling of heavy sofas and dining tables). The installation of the property takes considerable time. Despite some military like pre-planning to get a job just right even before arriving at the property, often plans need to change on-site. And once you are at the property you can be confronted with mess, furniture that was requested to be removed and many more obsticles that you need to work around. Then, once this is all sorted you need to measure up walls for artwork, you need to iron linen for multiple beds and then set and style each room to ensure it looks the best it can.

The work does not stop there. Once the rental period is over the stock must be packed away, transported, unpacked, cleaned and prepared for entry back into inventory in readiness for its next usage.

So although there appears to be a price involved in having your home or property staged, keep in mind the effort that goes into making a property look its best. And remember, the amount paid to a stager is an INVESTMENT in the sale price of your property.

Shift by Design ensure that all projects undertaken are priced accurately and fairly for the work and inventory required. We don't waste money by advising clients to install items not needed and keep installation costs to a minimum. For more information on property presentation or to arrange an inspection of your property visit www.shiftbydesign.com.au