This week there was a social media post about a local Home Staging company that included the following:
“There’s a Stager out there saying she can do something and is not able to fulfill her service and leaving Agents looking terrible in front of their clients. Absolutely NOT OK! DO NOT fall for this scam. She is offering $1500 staging (for 45 days) and when she gets the job, she says she doesn’t have enough furniture by text and at the last minute. If you have pictures scheduled, or anything else planned it’s a total mess. Don’t put yourself through any stress.”
In all honesty, I realize the person who posted this was doing their best to capitalize on the situation for their own company’s profits. It’s unfortunate these things happen, and people are getting what they’ve paid for. I tell people time and time again; Home Staging businesses are extremely expensive to run. It’s not a service you want to purchase, while being in the ‘race to the bottom’ to hire the cheapest stager. Of course, no matter how many times I say that, people are going to do what they want, and they have every right to do so.
As the old saying goes, "Experience is the best teacher."
At the time I wrote this article, the starting price for a basic package (which includes Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Primary Bedroom and Bathroom) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area is approximately $2k for whatever that Home Staging company’s initial term is. A starting price of $2k seems reasonable for the staging companies that stage homes under a million dollars. Of course, there are niche and boutique staging companies that purchase more expensive inventory and cater to the Luxury Market; their starting price will be significantly more than $2k because their aesthetic is luxurious and custom.
If you want to avoid having an experience of being scammed by a Home Stager, look for these basic things:
1. Make sure they have a Google Business profile with reviews
Why? Because businesses listed on Google have more at stake. If something goes wrong, we’ll go the extra mile to resolve it because we want the client to have a pleasant experience of doing business with us. If they do have a Google business profile, feel free to voice your experience via a review, that way, they can follow up with you to resolve the issue. If a company isn't maintaining integrity with their business, the public needs to know about it.
2. Call a few Staging companies listed on Google to get an “average starting price” for a basic home staging package. If you find a company that’s charging significantly less than that, that’s your red flag, especially if it's a newer company! I say "newer" because it takes home stagers years to refine how they price their services to bring in sufficient profit, due to market and season fluctuations. Seasoned staging companies that have been in business 10+ years, already have pricing figured out.
3. Check out their website. Why? Because incorrect grammar and misspellings translate to their level of professionalism. Do you really want to pay someone $1,500 if they can't write properly?!
I have compassion for those who think they’ve been scammed and to be honest, people have to take some accountability for themselves. Nothing in this world is free, and just like you, I would love to get some freebies every now and then.
Everything we place into homes when staging them, has an associated cost. If a Home Stager is charging cheap prices, they’re not reimbursing their out-of-pocket expenses, or covering their robust overhead costs, which leads to a failure in performance with their clients.
Those cute little decorations? They’re expensive when you total them up! The total cost can be just as much as furniture. Furniture – even when purchased wholesale – is still expensive.
If I were a home seller who wanted to stage and didn’t have the funds, I would do one of the following:
1) Rent furniture from a local furniture rental company. That way, potential buyers can see the possibility for living and existing in the space. It's not going to have the pinache of a professional home stager, and buyers don't "need" that to get an idea of how they can live in the property.
2) Leave it empty and price the property to sell.
There you have it, folks! Me being honest, while making sure fewer people have an experience of being scammed by a Home Stager. I hope this helps anyone reading this and please know that most of us are doing our best to run reputable companies that are also profitable. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out.
Thanks guys!
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