Adventures of a Staging Diva

This week was quite the adventure in Home Staging. Imagine furnishing a house you've never been in with furniture you have to order by phone, all to complete a project in 24 hours!

About a month ago I volunteered to stage a house for a woman who had suffered a terrible stroke. I felt it was the least I could do considering her situation.

This past Tuesday I learned that the house was going to be photographed and put on the market within two days.

There was no way for me to go see the house that day and I knew I had to figure out a way to deliver on my promise. I called the painter to get rough room dimensions, the shipping department to see how they could manage to deliver furniture within 24 hours and my account person at the rental company to order everything from what was immediately available in furniture and accessories.

Everyone really pulled together for this good cause. By the next morning the furniture was on the truck and despite an awful rain storm, thunder and lightening and a tornado that touched down only miles away, we managed to get everything into the house by about 1 PM. When I left a few hours later, the furniture and accessories were all in place and the art was hung.

Cleaning and final repairs were completed later that day and well into the night.

By Thursday the house was ready for photography and went on the market as planned. Honestly I felt like we were doing one of those TV shows where they have to transform a house over the weekend, only we had only one day!

I always tell Staging Diva students that you need to be able to work well under pressure and be very decisive in this business. This project was certainly a test of my own abilities to do just that.

In my course "The Business of Home Staging" I discuss pricing strategies and caution my students against working for free. However, I do believe there's a place for worthwhile projects that help others who may desperately need our services but who aren't in a position to pay for them.

I got more satisfaction out of staging this house than many of my paying client projects because I knew it could make a significant difference in the quality of life for the homeowner. She can't work the way she used to and she needs ongoing medical care. Knowing my efforts can add $10,000 to $30,000 to the selling price of her house is very gratifying.

I'm especially thankful to my suppliers who helped turn an empty house into a showing ready home within a day!