The Staged Home VS Living a Natural Lifestyle

I often tell my staging clients that living in a "staged home" is not a natural lifestyle. Many homes can be brought up to show room ready in a relatively short time. However, keeping up appearances can pose a very real problem.

I provide my clients with TWO lists. The first one is the follow up of the consultation. This is a bulleted list that addresses each room with a set list of items that need to be addressed.

An example would be:
Living Room
Stretch and clean carpet
Replace broken blind
Remove large recliner to provide better traffic flow
Update and add additional lighting as discussed
And so forth...

Categorizing by space (i.e. Family Room, Billy's Bedroom) and keeping the list abbreviated in content, you will be providing your client with a doable plan of action. It also provides a handy checklist for the homeowner and helps them stay on track.

The second list is referred to as the Maintenance List. Start by discussing this at your initial consultation. Encourage your clients to enlist the help of the entire family, especially any teen-agers in the home. Explain that everyone should be involved and have the same game plan - which is selling the home quickly and for more money! Even very young children can be given responsibility for a chore or two.

Explain that by following the Maintenance List on a daily basis the home will always be presentable for realty showings. In addition, these action items need to be addressed in every morning before leaving the home for work and school.

Here is an example of how to maintain that unnatural lifestyle:

Bedrooms
Make beds
Hit the clothes hamper
Tidy surfaces
Empty any open trash cans

Bathrooms
Hang towels - do not leave on floor
Clear sinks and vanities
Store personal items away
Wipe down vanity countertop
(For quick clean up keep a glass cleaner and paper towel under bathroom sink)
Empty any open trash can
Remove all dirty clothes
Put toilet seat down

Family Room
Tidy all surfaces
Pick up toys, games, remotes, magazines and any left-over snack remains
Fluff any toss pillows
Fold throws
Close entertainment center doors
(For quick clean-up keep a small swivel type sweeper handy in coat closet)

Kitchen
Load dishwasher - do not leave any dirty dishes or pans out
Put small appliances away
Clear countertops and wipe down
Wipe fingerprints from fridge
Clear and clean up any eating surfaces
Sweep floor and wipe up any spills

Front Porch or Steps
Sweep debris
Keep any snow or ice removed

While this list covers most major areas of the home it actually does not require that much time to accomplish. Again, with encouragement on your part, a family can divide the chores and only forgo about 15 minutes of extra sleep!

As stagers it is our job to give our clients as many tools as possible to help them achieve their goal of selling. What is interesting is that I have had clients continue to use the Maintenance List after moving into their new home!

Victoria Palmer is the director and founder of National Redesign Institute which gives career training in Interior Redesign, Home Staging and Interior Decorating. Most recently she has launched the more cost-effective long distant programs for her student's pocketbooks and convenience.

Victoria also strives to offer members of the National Redesign Institute ongoing opportunities to grow their businesses through related resources, newsletters, conferences and professional listings. Victoria is also the owner of Urbane-Interiors, a full service design firm servicing the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. She has recently been invited by the Kansas City Home Builder's Association to speak at the annual Fall Home Show, Bartle Hall, KCMo.

Visit Victoria at http://nationalredesigninstitute.com or http://urbane-interiors.com

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