The smell hits you when you walk in the door. There’s a litter box somewhere nearby that hasn’t been changed in at least a week. The kitchen is filthy – there’s garbage and mail everywhere and dirty dishes are stacked in the sink, beside the sink and on top of the stove.
There’s a haze of smoke in the dining room and the smell of stale cigarettes has permeated the entire house. Mounds of dirty laundry cover the living room floor and where there isn’t laundry there are magazines and newspapers strewn everywhere.
This is not what you expected when you agreed to do this home staging consultation, but you realize now why you were referred by the real estate agent to help prepare this house to sell.
You don’t know where to start or what to say. The overwhelming smell and overall filthy condition of the house have you tongue tied. The home is in a great location, and from the curb you’d never know what was going on inside.
I know what I would do in this scenario, and I’ll post an article later to tell you how I would handle it. But first, tell me what you would do in the midst of this staging dilemma. Please leave a comment below telling us what you would do if you walked into this mess during a home staging consultation.
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging
Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.
[tags] home staging, home stager, home staging consultation, home staging clients, staging diva, home staging dilemma[/tags]
I would simply tell the owner (in kind words, if possible) that the first step in staging a property is cleaning and straightening it. I would still do a walk through and give suggestions of what clutter to remove, what to clean, what dishes to wash, etc., explaining that a clutter-free floor must be visible in every room before we can begin rearranging furniture and accessories. I would offer to come back after the house is cleaned (for another fee), and I would spend time chatting politely, but I would not dig in and begin cleaning.
As a Professional Organizer this is very common, and quite frankly I see it ALL the time. I explain to the client that in order for me to do what I do- and for the process to be “cost effective” they need to clean up or- hire some one to clean up for them. Sometimes the client will say “well I don’t know any one, or I don’t trust anyone, or I don’t have the money.”
Occasionally if I need the work- I have done it myself. Which is a nightmare.
Clutter-y spaces are usually dirty as well- because it’s hard to clean around all that clutter.
Cleaning services sometimes won’t take on a job if it’s too clutter-y.
So it’s a catch 22- as they say.
I had a client who had 22 large garage bags full of dirty clothing. Laundry is not a part of what I do normally. But when the end result is that laundry needs to be put away- I’ve done it.
On a good day i would suggest that the client hire a cleaning service- and come back and consult with them about the staging. You have to clear away the first layer of “stuff” before you can even get to the layer of why they called you in the first place.
In the past I have taken questionable jobs- and because of that I have become smarter, and better at what I do. Sometimes walking away from a job, or even running is the smartest thing.
I actually had a staging job not quite this bad but it still had the pet smells, dog crates and cat litter box, laundry piled everywhere and baby stuff everywhere along with lots of clutter, nasty bathrooms, etc. I gave my normal up front talk about my services, prices and timeline, then I did my walk through of the home alone making notes along the way. I then sat down with the homeowner and asked about whether they would rather ask family or friends to help them clean and declutter or if I could suggest a service that would be able to help. I really didn’t give them an option and presented it in a matter of fact way so they assumed that all homes I stage go through the same process. I then scheduled another session to help with moving furniture, hanging pictures, etc. for a week later. The house looked great and the homeowners were thrilled with the result.
i would tell the person that before i come back you need to hire a professional cleaner, and someone to steam the carpets etc…here is a good name for a company who will do this asap…… i will then make appointment to come back to her house in three days or so.
i have also been in situation before – then the woman had mental issues i told her if she wanted me to proffessiona orgainizing the house it would be fifty an hour. she said yes …… i made 3,0000. and the house was bango ship shop shape . i could only stay two hours and i gaged alot…… next time get a cleaner.
Martha, That’s interesting because I’ve also found the filthiest homes belong to people with health or mental disability issues.
Getting a cleaner is absolutely the way to go! I don’t know about you but I never want to be a glorified house cleaner, not why I became a home stager!
This scenario was the very nightmare I opened the door to several weeks ago. The home was in an expensive area of the city and the exterior belied the clutter and chaos that greeted me when the door opened and I was ushered inside. Crumbs, clutter, a cat, and kids! Ugh! After a brief introduction and a tale from the homeowner that the maid that was hired by the realtor refused the job, she broke into tears. Not knowing if I was up for the challenge, I decided we would just conquer one room….the master bedroom. Two hours later, it was transformed and so was her attitude.
I left her with a comprehensive list and a promise to return in 3 days. She and her husband tackled the list. I called her each of those 3 days to offfer suggestions and encourage her progress. The maid and I returned 3 days later, finished the cleaning, completed the staging, and the house sold two weeks later.
Not only was the house transformed but so was the homeowner…..I love this job.
Sometimes staging is also about offering hope
Oh boy. Been here! I did a staging a few years ago for a very nice family, consisting of two adults, two kids, 5 cats and 5 VERY LARGE dogs – all living in a very small house. The house wasn’t necessarily trashed, but the pet odor was horrible. At my initial consult, we toured the house and exterior (you can only imagine the pet “chisels” in the fenced back yard), and I proceeded to form a staging plan for them. Obviously, the very first order of business was to address the pet issue. The homeowners agreed to move all the pets (minus one dog that was ill) to her mother’s while the house was on the market. The second order of business was bringing in my crew and we moved a lot of furniture out of the home and into storage. The third order of business was calling in my carpet cleaning guy. He cleaned and deodorized the carpets TWICE, in two separate trips. We picked paint colors (and added scent to the paint!) and set a date to return after painting, cleaning and decluttering. When I returned, the house looked and SMELLED great. I rearranged furniture, hung wall art, added new bedding, window coverings, and accessories, and staged the home. Looked great. I scheduled an agent open house – got rave reviews! Within 2-3 weeks, I had several agents tell me the pets were back and hence … so were the pet odors! The house is still on the market. I wonder why? This whole scenario is a tough one. I did what I could, had the home looking great and got great reviews from the many realtors who toured the open house right after staging, but I can’t babysit a home to make sure it is show ready all the time. We can only do what we can.
Staging To Sell
Home Staging . Interior Design and reDesign
231.690.0398
Jill R. Monczunski
President/Designer
jill@staging2sell.com
staging2sell.com
Michigan USA