Summary
Staging Diva and home staging expert Debra Gould, explains why a home stager should insist the homeowner be present for the home staging consultation.
Home staging consultation must involve homeowner
If the occasion has not yet arisen in your home staging career, you will likely be asked one day if you’ll conduct 
your consultation even though there will be nobody home. Staging Diva®, Debra Gould’s advice to stagers is that you always insist on having someone present when you’re doing your consultation, even if they say there will be a check there waiting for you.
Gould, founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program explains, “What value is the consultation to the homeowner if they’re not there to hear it? How will they understand what you plan to do? How committed can they be to this process if they won’t make an effort to be there with you for the initial consult?”
For a major home staging project where furniture will be brought in and painting will be completed, Gould always ensures the client is with her to hear the home staging plan. The Staging Diva suggests all home stagers do the same thing. She states, “It really can come back to haunt you if the client doesn’t like what you’ve done.”
During the initial visit, a stager should be paid for the entire staging project in addition to getting their home staging consultation fee so the clients must be present to discuss how that will happen, how much money you’ll need to go shopping for accessories and so on.
“If for some reason the homeowner simply can’t be there with you,” says Gould, “then at least ask for the real estate agent to be present and then, only if they’re willing to give you your checks before you leave.”
There are many dilemmas such as this that will arise during your career. To be as prepared as possible for conducting future home staging consultations, pick up a copy of Staging Diva Consultation Checklist with Room-by-Room Planning Forms. It will help you conduct room-by-room consultation with your clients, what to wear, what to bring and much more.
About the author
The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained thousands of home stagers to start and grow their own businesses. Gould created the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers to help home sellers and real estate agents locate staging services in their area
