Put That Away! Home Staging And Client Safety

As a certified Home Stager, I want to talk a second about safety. In doing consultations, one of the biggest challenges is that some clients tend to be emotionally attached to their belongings, even if it could mean jeopardizing the safety of their family. Having degrees, military plaques, wedding information or awards on the wall that identify our clients and include their personal information can be mined by thieves looking for a means to commit identity theft.

It is important that the community of Home Stagers explain to their clients that displaying memorabilia can be dangerous. Personal pictures and the names of their children should come down for the same reasons. Keys and garage door openers and knife blocks need to be put away and prepacked for their next home. We strive to keep our clients safe! One Home Stager shared that she had a client who explained they were robbed at their last move because they had a small calendar on the side of the fridge with their vacation dates and they left a garage door opener on a key holder inside the back door…. They lost everything.

This same Home Stager was robbed of inventory she had in a show home because the contractors working in the house had been given the combination to a contractor lock box.

We have no idea who is coming into a client’s home or what their motives are. It’s very important to be cautious and remind our clients that safety comes first. Besides, the goal of staging a home to sell on the market is to attract and allow potential buyers to see the fixed assets - specifically the floors, walls, ceiling etc. of the home. Personal items on display are distracting and the buyer will spend more time trying to figure out who the client is and instead, they should be looking at the actual house.

Here's to wishing you a speedy sale and enjoyable new beginnings.