General questions
Homeowner Home Staging Questions
Real Estate Agent Staging Questions
Builder and Developer Questions

General questions:

How is a staging consultation beneficial?

After two hours of your time, you will be on the best path to preparing your home for resale. We review your property and discuss how staging can maximize your situation and fit within your budget, and at the end of the consultation clients walk away with written records of what to do and when to do it so the property will show (and sell) at its full potential.

How is a redesign consultation beneficial?

The first consultation interviews the client(s) and learns about preferences, lifestyle, goals and budget. We redesign with the client in mind, presenting options that will surprise them in a good way. It saves clients much time and frustration researching samples or trying things on their own. It reduces the number of design options for the clients, yet always presents them with options that can work for them.

How is an organizing consultation beneficial?

Being organized lets your lead a more productive and less stressed life, whether personally or professionally. We first discuss areas in the clients’ situation that are working and where improvement is desired, and then make plans from there. It is beneficial as we establish a relationship that gives clients trust and respect, yet also holds them accountable—sometimes people need someone to check up on them, as requested (either by phone or in person.)

How much does it cost?

All of our services are priced hourly. Design and consultation are the highest hourly wage as they are the most specialized. Redesign, refinishing and organizing labour are priced lower. Assistant labour (if we need to hire assistants) is the most economical cost.

Who are your typical clients?

All types and age ranges: young couples, single professionals, families, retirees, survivors after someone has passed away (estate sales, etc.) We frequently serve clients who are experiencing major life changes or transitions. With organizing, we serve both highly organized “type A” personalities as well as people who experience organizing as a daily challenge.

Why should we hire you specifically?

The competitive advantage of Goldmine Home Staging and Redesign is Sara Washbush and her creativity. Creativity as in: visualization and design skills, thinking of ways to save clients money, and adaptability in serving unique client personalities and needs.

Homeowner Staging Questions:

How can I justify spending money on a house I will be moving out of in a few months?

Staging puts money into your home as an investment, aiming to recoup money when your house sells. Making repairs and acting on informed design decisions raises the asking price for your home.

Buyers nowadays are well educated about design trends (from tv shows, magazines, etc.) and they want updated features without having to live through renovations. Marketing your home as “move-in ready” is on many buyers’ wish lists.

Staging aims to produce more serious offers sooner, limiting the time spent on the market. Each month your home sits on the market, you are paying for heat, electricity, property taxes and perhaps a mortgage, and not cutting ties with your old home. Cutting time on the market saves both financial and emotional investment, letting you move on with your life.

How long does staging take?

Staging always involves tight deadlines. Acting on repair or design recommendations may take days or weeks, depending on who does the work. Showcasing, or preparing the home for listing generally takes one full day.

We have already decluttered our home. Why do we need your services?

Decluttering is but one step of staging. Sellers may unknowingly get rid of items that could serve them well in other rooms, which is why our consultations lay out what to store and what to keep. Decluttering is important, but if you stop there a home can still look unfinished, outdated, or not arranged to fit the lifestyles of the majority of buyers. If you have already decluttered, you can still benefit by asking us to price out a quote to arrange your home so it shows the best with agents’ marketing efforts and online.

Which is better—to leave a house vacant or to have furniture brought in and staged?

We never recommend leaving a home vacant unless it is in 100% perfect condition. Even then, an empty home does not show as well as a furnished home as it makes it difficult for the buyers to imagine themselves living there. You cannot fully merchandise and market a home without furniture and décor (think of model homes—the reasons why they are furnished are the same reason as why a resale home should be furnished.) Furniture shows room purpose, what can fit in a room, plus selling elements such as ambience and lifestyle.  

Real estate agent questions:

Why should I recommend that my clients hire a professional stager or get a staging consultation?

Professionals always will do the job to a higher caliber and in less time than non professionals. We hold inventory that can be rented, we are fully insured, and make every attempt to work within the timeframe of agents and their clients.

Middle to lower end homes can benefit from staging, as staging makes them stand out as a “better” choice in their price class. We understand that clients may not have a huge budget in these price classes, so often consultations and rearrangement help to significantly improve the way these homes show.

Higher end homes should be staged. The higher the cost of the property = the smaller the cost (investment) of staging in relation to the worth of the home. As there may be less buyers in this price class (this depends on geography and buyer demographics), staging gives these properties advantage.

How much staging is “enough?”

It depends on budget, the price point of the property, and the area you are selling in. We recommend staging “enough” so that the property immediately stands out as better than other ones at its price point. We never make exaggerated recommendations or try to out price a home out of its neighborhood. We aim to make it THE choice to buy in its class.

Should I put my own personal furniture belongings into my clients’ home or use your rental inventory?

We recommend using ours. We maintain an inventory of trendy items, so you don’t have to deal with the upfront cost of purchasing items you may or may not use again.

It is never recommended to use your own belongings unless you maintain a legitimate inventory list and have it insured under your business.  Clients can damage or move with your items. Additionally, you need to remember to calculate the time it takes for you to select, package, transport, arrange, remove and maintain the items. Time is money…

Who pays for staging services?

Generally, the client pays for staging services and the agent is the referral link. Some real estate agents offer to pay for a consultation on behalf of their clients, using it as a competitive advantage in their business and as a way to attract clients, or as a way to make hard-to-sell properties more desirable. Staging benefits agents as well as homeowners, but it is up to each individual agent to decide what to do for their business.

My client wants several bids for staging. Is it okay if I refer you as well as other staging companies and they can decide who to go with?

Sure! Just like with home contractors, stagers should not be intimidated to bid on projects. We have had clients choose us over lower bids, so don’t think that price is the only consideration… creativity, availability, inventory, trust and communication are other factors that are important when selecting a stager.  

Which does staging help more: a sellers’ market or a buyers’ market?

Staging helps in any market.

Sellers' Market: You can anger your client if they see other houses selling locally when their home isn’t getting offers. Don’t lose your client when they switch to another realtor in this scenario. Show them you are being proactive by recommending a staging consultation at the beginning.

Buyers' Market: If there are more houses for sale then buyers, staging gives you a competitive advantage. Unstaged homes actually help staged ones sell. Enough said.

I have clients who could definitely benefit from staging; however, they don’t seem to see the value in it. How can I show them staging their home is beneficial to them?

Understanding and trust are crucial—have a chat with us or one of our clients to directly see how we work. The best way to prove staging or redesign is beneficial is to use an example, such as “We had Goldmine do a consultation in our home…” or “The first home Goldmine sold in this area sold in less than one month at full asking…” Otherwise, there are plenty of statistics to quote if your clients respond to numbers. Ask us to direct you to those if desired.

It is also important to protect the positive relationship you have with your client—you may offend someone if you suggest they repaint or change their furniture, yet your relationship with your client is safe when we do so. We are the impartial outside party, the expert on property styling.

Which is better—to leave a house vacant or to have furniture brought in and staged?

We never recommend leaving a home vacant unless it is in 100% perfect condition. Even then, an empty home does not show as well as a furnished home as it makes it difficult for the buyers to imagine themselves living there. You cannot fully merchandise and market a home without furniture and décor (think of model homes—the reasons why they are furnished are the same as why a resale home should be furnished.) Furniture shows general room purpose, what can fit in a room, plus crucial selling elements such as ambience and lifestyle. 

Do you have a loyalty program for agents?

New as of 2012! Contact us for details.

Builder and developer questions:

What types of properties can you do for either model home arrangement or for clients who are just moving in?

We can do model arrangements for condos, new homes, apartments or dorms.

For those moving into new developments, we can service people who are downsizing and moving into condos, or upsizing and moving into larger homes. We can help clients when they move into a new spatial situation, such as switching to an open floor plan with walled off rooms or vice versa.

Do you have marketing materials that we can give to our clients?

We have business cards and rackcards that can be requested. We can also include an insert to rackcards that list details or specials related to individual development projects.