I published a home staging business dilemma recently that had many of you thinking!
The question was, “What if your home staging clients hate what you’ve done?”
The dilemma I presented involved a home stager leaving a consultation with excited clients. But post-staging, while the stager and the real estate agent loved the transformation, the homeowners were devastated and seemed to hate everything.
(If you haven’t already done so, please click here to read the original post and to see all of the great comments that were left. A special thanks to all of you who participated and shared such great information for everyone to learn from.)
As you read through the comments that were left on that post, you’ll notice some readers were shocked that the clients could be upset assuming that everything was properly outlined during the initial consultation. That is a valid point, but sometimes, even though everything has been discussed in advance, homeowners still have a strong emotional attachment to their home.
Even if they know ahead of time what’s going to happen, that doesn’t mean they won’t freak out once the changes have been implemented.
I have been in this situation before. The most extreme case happened with an overseas client. She found my staging company Six Elements on the Internet and wanted me to stage a home that she had left behind tenanted when she was transferred to Hong Kong. After various emails back and forth explaining my services and how the process would work, we spoke by phone, and agreed to meet at the house for the initial consultation when she was next in town on business.
The consultation was a long one. The tenant had left her house in terrible shape with lots of painting, cleaning and repairs to be done. We reviewed all the changes and I took my measurements of the vacant rooms and developed a plan for her with a budget to stage her house with rental furniture and accessories. She was in agreement with the whole thing, but I ignored an important red flag.
She asked me if she would have final approval to the items that were brought into her now vacant home. It was ironic that the only client I’ve ever had ask me that was actually not living in the country and wouldn’t be there when I actually staged her house! Surprised, I explained that it doesn’t work that way and that the only way to see the items would be to come to the furniture warehouse and view everything I had set aside for her house before the delivery. I also explained that in doing that she would be looking at a pile of stuff, not seeing everything arranged in her space so it would be hard to evaluate anyway.
I reminded her that she was hiring me based on my expertise in decorating a house to sell, and explained that it would be completely impractical and very costly to have her approve (and potentially replace) individual items after the delivery truck was gone and the staging was complete. I also explained that this especially wouldn’t work when she was all the way in Hong Kong and would only be looking at photos, rather than feeling what it was like to be walking through the rooms and seeing them through a buyer’s eyes.
She seemed to be in agreement before she left town and the next steps were for me to source everything, have her sign the rental contract, and then I would be back there to stage her house prior to the agent’s caravan.
Her agent was there as scheduled on staging day to let me into the property. Then I spent about 10 hours there getting the whole place showing-ready. I also took all my “after” shots for my portfolio. Compared to my “before” shots from when I first met the client there, the transformation was amazing!
The Realtor returned at the end of my staging day to lock up. Proud of my work and anxious for his feedback, I gave him the grand tour and he loved it and said the transformation was fabulous. Had there been any issues at this point, I certainly would have tried to address them.
At the client’s request, the real estate agent subsequently made multiple visits to show the home to the owner’s various family members and friends; they loved it too and told her so.
Knowing all this, and as a courtesy, I emailed the client a selection of my after photos to show her the transformation. That was my big mistake. If I’d remembered that red flag from our initial meeting, I wouldn’t have sent her the photos and just let her see her agent’s feature sheet.
I was caught completely off guard by what happened next. After all, there she was on the other side of the planet and everyone who had seen her house loved it. I got an angry email back from her saying some rooms looked too bare, that she wanted certain pieces of furniture swapped out for others, and that overall she was not impressed.
I explained that the house had been staged for potential buyers to appreciate the space and that it would be different had I decorated it for her to live in it. I reminded her that “less is more in staging” and that she shouldn’t expect the rooms to be filled with props and accessories the way you’d see them in a decorating magazine; that too much stuff is actually distracting to buyers. I also reminded her that looking at a few photos was not the same as walking through the rooms and that people she trusted had done so and thought it was fine.
We went back and forth over multiple emails, she just couldn’t let it go. She wanted to maintain control over it all even at such a long distance.
With time ticking away and my stress level mounting, finally I had to tell her that I considered the project complete, and that if she wanted to change the rental pieces, she would need to do so directly with the rental company. (An excellent reason to ensure your client is the one signing the rental contracts!)
In a subsequent post, I’ll give you some tips to help avoid this situation happening to you by paying close attention during your home staging consultations.
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging
Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love. To learn the process she uses during home staging consultations, check out course 3 of the program.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Patricia,
Thanks for your reply. As I stated, its not everyone’s way, just my way: I need visual. It’s for me & not the client UNLESS the changes are extensive &/or there seems client hesitation or discord: this piece of paper [as my tool] then goes w/me to show the client proposed changes. In front of me, my presentation is professional.
. I do agree, a board was initially time consuming. With laptop, I save time, working from 1 or 2 data sheets w/photos: problems, final paint choices, changes; time on market, etc: my Plan B. It’s an easy-to-keep-file for referencing. We all have one, I’ve probably called it something “creatively” different. [cOnFuSInG]
. You & the client are correct. What’s a space w/o a living area?
Oh, and thank you very much Natasha!
Sherry,
I’m a certified interior designer, and I remember doing presentations including drawing renderings of my design. It was the hardest, most time-consuming part of the assignment. So, I would never offer them to a staging client. Never. Instead I rely on my people skills to persuade them to trust my skill along with great B&A pictures and tours, of course. And, in all I’ve been asked exactly once in 5 years what I was going to put in somebody’s home before the fact.
I did have a first lately. A client and REA were in a conflict lately on the room use in a condo. The REA wanted it to be a bedroom (even though it didn’t have a closet, only a bathroom attached). She had listed it as 2 bedroom/2 bath. The owner thought it should be staged as a living room. Legally, she was right, and I agreed with her and staged it thus.
Well, it didn’t sell, and the client paid me to restage that room as a bedroom. It’s currently still on the market. We’ll see. I’ll let you know what happens. It may just be overpriced.
Debra & Others,
I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Been unclear, and/or cut & pasted myself into oblivion? My explanation of “Story Board” was wordy & incomplete. (I’m working on it, people!) Truthfully, the visual aide isn’t to benefit a client, but assist me. I prepare a board for each project, a useful reference & professional check: am I “color & style” stale? It’s not everyone’s way, just my way.
. Since The Great Computer Crash in early 2010, when I lost years of Client Data, MLS Info, all resources, client, resource addresses, & years of “B&A” photos, *Plan B allowed me to finish works in progress. No; I had no backup to save $$$. Yes, I now have it to save $$$. (It only takes once!) Hopefully, you know why I don’t list a web site. [Miss Debra/others: like Humpty Dumpty, I don’t know how to put a web site together w/o photos. Suggestions, anyone?
. *Plan B is The Info Board. It’s proven a useful tool when showing clients proposed change(s), when updating/downsizing furnishings, or to explain why the budget should be spent this way, rather their preferred way. (Troubling, isn’t it??) The added benefit is the resource years of board projects have become: fresh ideas &/or color palettes when I pull my older boards & subtract or add a modern color, which pops - & with it - my creativity: most helpful when two of the three colors are the same in an older property I’m staging. (Boards aren’t really boards, but heavier 8 ½” by 11” or larger-sized paper: easy to organize & file, but keep handy.)
. I agree [that] most homeowners unquestionably trust their Stager: I’ve had many. It’s also true not everyone is DEBRA GOULD, world renowned Home Stager, gifted instructor, & approachable mentor w/fantastic staff. Thanks for telling us you, too, have questioning clients that can ruin your days.
… GRRRrrrr …
Debra & Fellow Stagers,
What happened to the story boards we once relied on to present to the client(s)? Am I the only one to use these religiously, especially when I anticipate drastic exterior or interior changes? Maybe it’s my real estate background, because never did I list a “ready to sell” property. [That’s how my love of color, design & never doing the same thing twice motivated me to become a real home stager.]
. Most clients need a strong visual to fully UNDERSTAND my intent to completely change their living spaces: this color paint in this room; this color palette throughout the house, used in this way; update the kitchen like this; swap their sofa for this style; personal photos exchanged for this art; etc.
. A story board shows clients my extensive staging proposal. I’d rather face a client’s valid concerns, pregnant pauses & uncertainties here than face them after I’ve finished the project. [I would observe undercurrents. I don’t need to be in the middle of a couple’s personal war.] I would mention how many days their home had remained unsold on the market, using their things, as it is. It’s my warning to take notice (a) we’re not AT ALL on the same page & (b) we discuss selling vs. their personal taste vs. why staging & neutralizing for the right buyer, right now is vital.
. I’d ask them to look over the board once more, suggesting they discuss the proposed changes between them. I’d gather my things – including my board – & ask them to give me a call. Then, I’d graciously leave.
. I’m a professional. I do not beg nor argue with a client. If they can’t see the need for staging, or are unwilling to agree to changes I’ve proposed, I want to know HERE, rather post-staging.
. I can’t tell you how many times the story board has rewritten their story & cleared up what might have been a bumpy ending. When in doubt, story board it.
I haven’t found the need to storyboard my staging proposals. Clients hire me because they trust that i know how to decorate their house to sell and they know they don’t have to live with my changes.
If I was redesigning a room (for the house they are going to continue to live it), then I might see a need for that. Although, I still haven’t created storyboards in this case either. If I’m suggesting paint colors, fabrics, tiles, countertop, backsplash for example, I just show them samples of each. I don’t draw a design of what it would look like (the way David Bromstead does on Color Splash for example), because to be honest, I couldn’t draw it that well.
The autonomy that comes along with being an independent home stager is wonderful….you decide who you want to work with. Thanks for the lesson learned and lesson shared!
WOW….I know these reality checks are going to be beneficial! Patricia- my mouth dropped when I saw your tour. How could someone not like that? The responses regarding this topic just show how essential ‘Proper Communication & People Skills’ are to the success of our business. Debra- what a situation that was with your overseas client. I know it was not a pleasant experience, but I like how you stood firm in the end. QUESTION: Let’s say the client was going to see your after-work regardless of you sending the photos. What would you have done differently to avoid the client’s reaction or was it inevitable? It seemed like you addressed her concerns before you started the work.
Natasha, To answer your question.. it was inevitable that she would have seen the staging eventually. Had I let it wait until her agent sent her shots or copies of the feature sheet it would not have been so far in advance of the agent’s caravan so she might have left it alone. I honestly don’t think I could have avoided the outcome except to insist that she be at the warehouse to see the items before they were delivered, or had her sign something saying that she agreed that it was up to me to decide what should be put in her home as long as I worked within our approved timing and budget.
But given the type of person she was, that would not have mattered. She needed to feel that she was controlling the outcome and having the last word. It wasn’t really about the staging at all! What I might have done, when I caught glimpses of her nature during our initial meeting was to decline to stage her home. Instead of going with my gut feeling about her, I said to myself, “how bad could she be, she’ll be all the way over in Hong Kong?”
Finally! I have been checking my emails everyday in anticipation of your response (: !
Now I will give it a week or two and start the process over again for the continuation of this interesting and plausible scenario. I hope you address this situation with regards to a staged home where the home owner is still living. Home staging is supposed to be a win-win adventure, but when your dealing with the rare “Cranky Frankie” or “Picky Vickie”, the effect on blood pressure can be unhealthy.
I enjoyed writing this comment WAY too much.
Have a sweet day…………
OMG Debra! Here’s my bad trip…young architect, just lost his mother, was jobless, but nevertheless flying across the country on some mission or other. Remember the article you wrote about me in May? His was the difficult to sell small old ground level 1 bedroom condo. Well, while out of town he saw the virtual tour I produced for him and loved it. Then, upon his return came to see and told the realtor that while I was lovely, he was not happy with the staging…thought it was pretty bare, thought it would be more decorated. The realtor and I knew that it was just enough for staging. I gave him a break on one month’s furniture and accessory rental (Here’s where having my own inventory really paid off!), he lowered his price $10k and sold immediately. We parted friends, but it was crushing at the time. Here’s the tour. http://firsthometour.com/virtual_tours/views/virtual_tour.asp?virtual_tour_id=8818 Enjoy!
I find sometimes that what the client agrees to and what they actually HEAR are two different things. I’ve learned to listen for hesitation or that blank look in the eyes. Women, especially, want to be agreeable when consulted. Recently I had to tell a client that the crib in the master bedroom needed to be moved to the kids room. Even though her RE agent had told her that weeks before, and even though I told her that again in the initial consultation, and even though we spent an entire day tossing out and organizing kids stuff so that room would fit the crib, she still didn’t “get it” that the crib would be moved. I consider those kinds of problems just fascinating insights into our human behavior. Thanks, AMY