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A-Z Vacant Home Staging

How to Prepare for a Vacant Home Staging Job...

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A-Z Definitive Guide to Vacant Home Staging
Video 1 - How to Get Started Offering Vacant Staging
Video 2 - Vacant Service Planning and Furniture Rentals
Video 3 - Vacant Accessory Shopping and HSR Member Photo Inspirations
Video 4 - Audra's EASY Vacant Price Model and Proposal Form
Video 5 - Older Price Model and Forms
Video 6 - How to Easily Take the Phone Order
Video 7 - Breakdown of the Vacant Agreement (Contract)
Video 8 - How to Store Your Inventory and Wholesale vs. Designer Discounts
Video 9 - How to Shop the Furniture Market - The Best Vendors and Discounts!
Video 10 - Managing Your Inventory Wisely and a Demo of StageForce
Video 11 - Total Design and Vacant Staging Project
Video 12 - Vacant Fixer Upper Project
Additional Vacant Staging Tools and Resources

A-Z Definitive Guide to Vacant Home Staging

By now you know there is a huge difference between how you handle homes that are lived in (occupied) and how you tackle homes that are vacant (empty).  I detail this process in our Vacant Home Staging Guide which is in your Training Manual but for the most up to date Vacant Guide, click on the link below:

Click to Open! This is also in the HSR Training Manual

**This Guide is in your HSR Training Manual but you can also download it here and read it online.

***Resources for each video or either below the video OR at the bottom of this page.

Video 1 - How to Get Started Offering Vacant Staging

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/oqKnrkA14as

Resources from this Video (Click on the Image to Instantly Download):

RESA Price Survey

Why Staging a Vacant Home is Critical

Video 2 - Vacant Service Planning and Furniture Rentals

Download my "Vacant Service Planning Checklist", so you have the action steps for this service.

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/_LcZoPoP0eo

Video 3 - Vacant Accessory Shopping and HSR Member Photo Inspirations

Here is a video on  and good resources links to inspire you on what to purchase and how to merchandise each space.  Remember, there are thousands of similar photos in our  Stagers Connect Facebook Group, so don't forget to take advantage of that great resource and search for the term "vacant" in that group!

Remember, for vacant staging you are simply "building out rooms" so keep it simple, be intentional in your shopping and get organized!

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/YyjMcgF1aOQ

How to Buy for Bedrooms Easily and Affordably

When you start building your inventory one of the hardest rooms to buy for is the bedroom.  Why?  Because mattresses are heavy and difficult to fit into homes.  They are also hard to store and the goal is to choose items that are lightweight, store easily and can fit into every space.

Here's a Design Board I Created as a Solution for You:

The Total Cost for All of These Items is $300!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF BOARD WITH SHOPPING LINKS

See it Now!

HSR Members Websites that Have More Photo Ideas...

Video 4 - Audra's EASY Vacant Price Model and Proposal Form

This video follows the pricing and process I discussed in the A-Z Vacant Guide which is in your Training Manual.

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/4rpLPJiEl3c

Resources from this Video (Click on the Image to Instantly Download):

Dang, I hate when the Internet changes on me!  The Link from Fixr for you to find your "Location Variable" is no longer available since they want you to fill out a long form, etc...never fear, as I have a fix...

I have a spreadsheet of areas across the country and their numbers, so pick the area most similar to yours in this Labor and Cost Spreadsheet to see whether your costs are typically higher or lower than the national average - Download the Labor and Cost Spreadsheet

This is a loose guide for you to follow and here is an excellent article that also helps you to understand comparative costs of living by state.  If the cost of living is higher in your area, than you will need to charge more as that is the direct correlation - https://www.patriotsoftware.com/blog/accounting/average-cost-living-by-state/

Easy Proposal in PowerPoint Format

Top Tips for Choosing a Stager in Word Format 

Video 5 - Older Price Model and Forms

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/4zDbZmZKmD4

Video 6 - How to Easily Take the Phone Order

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/HT2oXCqdnPo

Resources from this Video (Click on the Image to Instantly Download):

Here are Two Great Articles on the "Should Your Charge for Your Vacant Property Preview" Controversy:  

https://activerain.com/blogsview/4287054/why-yes-i-do-charge-to-preview-vacant-properties--here-s-why-?fbclid=IwAR0JrIWSALgbXMC4KO1ygFYk1FfSXlyJlao8-h2J89_JFt21SR1bQpdl7Kw

https://www.inc.com/aj-agrawal/3-ways-to-avoid-lowering-price-for-customers.html?fbclid=IwAR326bJC4FLKmrz0r25tvdtUbDKGqsc4v5ZyH-lkL6o7j7oS5sgBRBmgGj4

Video 7 - Breakdown of the Vacant Agreement (Contract)

Please know that there is no way we can provide a legally binding contract that would work from state to state BUT here's some items you need to consider when building out your vacant contract...

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/HF5_lDPJA9A

Video 8 - How to Store Your Inventory and Wholesale vs. Designer Discounts

This was a live webinar I gave that provides some tricks to the trade in storing and moving your inventory.  The video below this which shows you WHERE and HOW to shop the Las Vegas Market was the second portion of this live webinar...

This is also located in the Members Black Book Area

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/a6Xi64RwaGY

Video 9 - How to Shop the Furniture Market - The Best Vendors and Discounts!

This video is a continuation of the live webinar video above and is 72 minutes of pure shopping fun!

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/1khBWFMmsDs

Video 10 - Managing Your Inventory Wisely and a Demo of StageForce

If vacant staging is going to be a big part of your business (and it should if you want to make lots of alternative income), then begin shopping for items that go with the furniture at your local furniture rental company and keep them inventoried. You can start by using our basic example spreadsheet in Week One, Getting Started or better yet, use an amazing software subscription service from my friends Tori Prince (Stage Force) and Tammy (MyDarby)...

StageForce which is a newer inventory management company uses radio frequency technology to scan a whole room of inventory rather than each piece.  It is a bit more costly but I recommend reviewing both companies which are good and considering your budget.

StageForce won the RESA Most Innovative Product of the Year 2018 and we did a live webinar demo that you can watch by CLICKING HERE.  Make sure to mention HSR when connecting with these vendors.

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link:  https://youtu.be/lWG0ZvhPpJs

Darby Inventory Management costs very little and will set you up for success from the start! It tracks your inventory, sales, invoicing, etc.. and will save you tons of time in the process! There are so many benefits to setting your business up right from the start using Darby that the best way I know how to explain it, is to have you go direct to Darby and check out the benefits yourself...in fact, the offer a free trial to get you started:  Click here for your FREE TRIAL!

Video 11 - Total Design and Vacant Staging Project

This vacant home had a lot of phase three, cosmetic issues that needed to be addressed BEFORE it was staged and my sister created a design punch list that got these sellers 150K OVER asking price.  Corrine gives her total how-to, staging tips and pricing in this information packed workshop with before-and-after photos...

Video 12 - Vacant Fixer Upper Project

This vacant home had a lot of phase three, cosmetic issues that needed to be addressed BEFORE it was staged.  It was also worth about $300,000 on the high side, so return on investment had to be taken into consideration.

Additional Vacant Staging Tools and Resources

  • Floorplanner - Easy tool to use for drawing out room layouts to get scale correct.

The Resources and Downloads Mentioned in This Section Are:

Reserve Your Domain

The Most Important Thing You Will Do This Week...

Deciding on your business name will be the foundation of your brand, so choose wisely!  In the Getting Started Guide, I recommended doing a Google search of the name, checking to make sure it's not trademarked at TESS and even searching on Facebook for availability.  Once you've done your due diligence, you can reserve the domain (website address) for the name you chose.

You may have a great company name planned but if the website address is already taken, what do you do? We suggest working with the Internet to choose a company name and website address that corresponds to each other. In other words, you want a business name that is the same as your web address. How do you find one?

Go to www.godaddy.com in order to do a "domain search" and plug in different names (domains) to see what's taken and what is still available. Domains are very inexpensive (under $15.00), so please do not purchase anything else through Godaddy even though they will try and "up sell" you on hosting!

Here's a quick informational video on how to pick a name and register the domain:

 

If you are having trouble viewing the video above, please go to this private YouTube link: https://youtu.be/G1IVtZ9vNn4

Premium Website Package Purchasers!

You must have your domain reserved BEFORE filling out our short website form to order your gorgeous website.   Once you've done this step, feel free to order your website right away!

To review our various website template options, go to:  ​

https://www.homestagingresources.com/websites-for-stagers/

Open House Assessments

Furthering Your Training and Marketing by Going to Open Houses

This is an Optional Activity Which May Help to Market Your Business...

Here is an easy way for you to become familiar with using your Staging Reports/Client Action Plans while possibly developing some valuable Realtor contacts! Who doesn't love going to Open Houses!  Here's the plan...

1. Go to www.realtor.com and search for homes that will be having an Open House. Cherry pick the homes that you think have great potential and are represented by agents who have other listings.

2. Using our research and buyer demographic tips and video in the Consultation Section, prepare the Pre-Appointment Research Sheet and the beginning of your shortened Staging Report.

3. Go to the home, try and wait till there is no other "buyers" in the home and use the script below to introduce yourself and your project to the agent. Start by saying something positive about the architectural features of the home and then introduce yourself, business and project.

"What a gorgeous home! My name is ___________ from YOUR COMPANY. As part of an advanced staging training course I am taking, I have an "assignment" where I must assess a home for sale using a unique approach Staging Report. I don't want to keep you from any potential "real" buyers that may come in, but would love to see the home if that's okay?"

**Remember, DO NOT take up any of the agent's time if there is a potential buyer in the home with you. The agent is there to sell the home to those buyers, not chat with you...this is common courtesy and shows a strong understanding for the agent's business.

Use the Staging Report (or other Action Plan you have already customized) to easily walk through the home and fill it out as you go. Don't be surprised if the agent wants to know your thoughts on the home and discuss their ideas on the "buyer demographic," price and room merchandising. Act like they are fellow, expert stagers and assume they have had discussions with their clients about some of the horrendous, staging mistakes you see in the home. Listen to their needs and frustrations with this home.

Member Story About Her Open House Assessment:

Hey Audra, I did my first open house this past weekend--and the experience was wonderful! The realtor was very interested in my opinion on how the house could have been staged better. The home owner had refused to have the home staged, so it was in definitely in need of some TLC!  I was able to show the realtor several things that could be done immediately to improve the overall impression of each room.  By removing old, stained bathroom rugs, cleaning fingerprints from door jams, and placing the few pieces of furniture that the owner had left behind in a pile in the middle of the floor, we were able to immediately see a huge difference.

The realtor was very impressed and has already expressed interest in working with me as soon as my business is up and running.  He wants to put me in touch with some investors where I should be able to do some vacant staging soon.

The forms you provided for my walk-through were perfect and made my job so easy. Doing this open house was just the boost I needed for my confidence. The best part was that the entire time I was doing the walk-through and talking with the realtor, I was having the time of my life. I never have this much fun at my "real" job!! Thank you!!!!

Lynne Bouchard

Valuable Vendor Relationships

Valuable Vendor Partnerships

Choosing great vendor partners to use a "preferred vendor" for your business is an essential task for stagers and designers!  These are the vendors that will help you look great, so do your due diligence now.  Below is a quick video I created to help you research and identify key, local vendors to recommend to your clients. 

Here's a list of the links mentioned in the video:

Download the Vendor Research Sheet to help you stay organized!


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