I just heard from my client Jean

One of the reasons I love being a home stager is that it makes such a tremendous difference in people's lives, and they take the time to tell you!

One client called to say she felt like she won the lottery thanks to me (she got an extra $100,000 when she sold her home). After putting three kids through college, she and her husband just bought a condo for their retirement. With what they made selling their family home, they'll be mortgage free for the first time in their lives!

By the way, if you're new to the Home Staging business and want to learn what to do in a Home Staging Consultation, I've put all the steps in the Staging Diva Home Staging Checklist. I even tell you what to do before you get to a client's home, what to bring, how to make sure you get paid and more. One of my Staging Diva students bought it and said, "it's like having Debra hold your hand throughout your appointment!"

I followed all the steps in the Staging Diva Home Staging Checklist for this client who called to say that her mother's condo sold to the first person that saw it after I spent two hours there rearranging all the furniture and accessories.

This was especially meaningful because I knew how hard the past year had been for her. When I met my client at her mother's condo for the Home Staging appointment, it was filled with her mother's possessions. She had lived there for 30 years before dying in a nursing home. Her daughter had to face all these memories every time she went to the condo to check on the place for 9 long months while it sat on the market without a single offer. It was a terrible burden financially and emotionally. Imagine how it felt to hear the relief and gratitude in this client's voice when she called to say that the condo sold only days after I was there.

Before launching my Home Staging company Six Elements, I spent almost 18 years consulting for Fortune 500 companies. Let me tell you, helping a corporation increase their profits by millions of dollars is not nearly as satisfying as helping an individual directly and making a difference in their lives.

I was away for a couple of days and look what was waiting in my email when I got back!

It is a while since you came to my home to help me "fluff" (stage) my townhouse for sale. You spent a few hours with me removing my knick knacks and clutter and moving various pieces of furniture around. I painted the 2 bedrooms the colors you chose and added fresh flowers as you suggested. I removed the final clutter from closets, basement, and removed one couch and chair as you recommended before calling my real estate agent who brought an associate with her to assist in determining the listing price.

The real estate agents brought all the sales histories in the complex from 2004 and 2005 to date. We compared numbers, then they did the customary 'walk about'. They were very impressed and said that the house "showed extremely well." They advised listing my townhouse for $11,000 more than the identical one on the other side of the complex even though I had an unfinished basement and theirs was finished and included an extra bathroom! I was skeptical about the price but agreed to give it a try. I truly expected my house to sit on the market for a few months.

Well Debra, I am happy to tell you I received an offer from the very first person that viewed my home. After first seeing my townhouse unit, she was shown several others and asked to see mine again. She submitted her offer just a little more than 24 hours after I had listed my home for sale. The closing date was yesterday.

The Real Estate Agent said we set a new precedent for prices in the complex. I received $7,000 more than the list price of the identical townhouse with the finished basement. After their sale (made just a few days later), I ended up $25,000 or approximately 10% ahead of the competing sale (if you assume their finished basement and bathroom only cost them $15,000 to build). AMAZING!

Debra, just as you said, HOME STAGING WORKS! Again, thank you so much, I am so incredibly impressed that I am telling everyone my great success story. Jean B. (Mississauga)

Imagine what Jean can do with the extra $25,000 she made on my home staging services? Maybe she'll get to start the new business she's always dreamed of, or take a trip of a lifetime, or take a year off to write a book... the possibilities are endless! I've put all the steps I took with Jean in the Staging Diva Home Staging Checklist. You can use it as a guide to help your own Home Staging clients.

If you want a better sense of what it's like to hear from your own Home Staging clients and know the difference you're making for them, you can read more testimonials from Six Elements Home Staging clients here.