The Power of Rapport In Building Your Home Staging Business
Author: Linda Barnett
Linda Barnett- Professional Property Stylist (Home Stager), Home Staging Mentor and Business Coach, Home Staging Instructor, Interior Decorator and former Realtor - founded Home Matters, Home Staging and Redesign in early 2004 and today operates one of the largest and fastest growing Home Staging-Redesign companies in the region, having serviced over 2,000 clients with 5 property stylists. Linda holds multiple certifications as a Stager and is a recent graduate of the Advanced Staging Course taught by Matthew Finlason, star of the HGTV series “The Stagers”. Linda is lead instructor for the Staging and Redesign (SAR) course and is an Indiana State certified instructor through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency and the Indiana Real Estate Commission. Linda served as Technical Editor for the Home Staging for Dummies book, which was released by Wiley Publishing, Inc. in May of 2008. Linda has received the RESA-PRO designation by meeting the 5 mandatory requirements the last of which was Passing the RESA-PRO Home Stagers Ethics Exam in August of 2010. Home Matters has received much media coverage from television segments as well as many newspaper and magazine articles. Linda’s extensive body of work has earned her a spot in the Real Estate Staging Associations (RESA) top 15 international Stagers for the last 5 consecutive years and has been named "Best in Class" Home Staging & Redesign Company by area real estate companies for the last 4 consecutive years. The Home Matters team was named 2010 “Best of Indianapolis Home Staging Company”, by the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. Home Matters also enjoys the highest of customer satisfaction rankings among all staging companies by Angie’s List and is the recipient of the Super Service award for 2010 and 2011 for Home Staging. Linda is President of the Indiana State Chapter of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), a position she has held since 2008. Linda has been asked to share her expertise in Home Staging on several occasions as a member of the Panel of Experts at the 2011 RESA Conference and again at the 2012 RESA Conference as a round table facilitator. Our Companies goal is quite simple; We create stylish…. warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property. We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, lifestyle selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, accessories and art that translates to a powerful marketing tool! With over 95% of buyers looking to the internet to search for their new homes, we understand the power of making your homes first impression work to your advantage. Photos of each staged room will give your prospects an idea of what to expect during their tour of your property. With your homes presentation in order, you will impress potential buyers right away! Whether your home is vacant or occupied we are ready to help you “set the scene” so you can “seal the deal”. Please visit our website: www.homemattersllc.com. To schedule an appointment with a Home Matters Property Stylist please call (317) 209-9801 or email linda@homemattersllc.com
Remember the old saying that how you say something is often as important as what you say? Well, that’s certainly true when it comes to the best and brightest home stagers. It’s not enough to have excellent design skills; you also need strong “people” skills to build the rapport that lets realtors know you can get the job done for their clients and allows you to guide home sellers through the often-delicate process of turning a household back into a house for sale.
The rapport you build with realtors allows them to trust you to care for their clients-whether you’re conducting a pre-staging consultation or a full-service staging-even in the stickiest situation. And we all know that realtor referrals are one of the best and fastest ways to build your staging business.
The rapport you build with home sellers not only allows them to be open to your guidance, but helps them begin to see their home as a marketable product. Before you ask home sellers to pack away their favorite collections, take down their personal photos and remove all traces of their beloved pets, they need to trust that you are an ally who has their best interest at heart. Strong interpersonal skills allow you to reach out to home sellers by discussing their needs and goals, educating them about the whys of home staging as well as the hows, and responding to their questions and concerns in kind, caring manner.
Top stagers never forget that depersonalizing a home is a highly personal matter. Every seller has a story that got them to the point of putting their home on the market. It may involve death, divorce, financial difficulties or a work transfer that has temporarily separated their family. Whatever the circumstance, mixing in a little warmth and understanding with your professional staging guidance can encourage home sellers to let go and move forward with their lives. No, we’re not psychotherapists, but our work does touch people’s lives in a very intimate way.
So, it’s important to remember that just as you can’t build a sturdy house without a solid foundation, you can’t build a successful home staging business without strong interpersonal skills.
© 2010, Linda Barnett. All rights reserved.
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