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I confess... We Use the UGLY "R" Word!
(This is Part 4 of a 4 Part Series on Home Staging Transformations. Links to posts 1-3 are below.)
I happen to know among clients, builders & developers, home selling professionals, and even stagers that there are polarizing opinions on a controversial topic in our industry. When asked… everybody is quick to chime in and share their thoughts about one side or the other, some even surprisingly have very strong opinions against the subject. However, these negative opinions, I feel, are quite prejudiced. I believe these people are misinformed and it is their ignorance that keeps the myth and controversy that surrounds the "R" word alive.
Quite recently, we here at Real Estaging lost a client because we began using the ugly "R" word. NOW… this really got my blood boiling. So I am on a campaign to... stamp out the ignorance and prejudice! This crusade will end, once and for all, what is been wrongfully labeled as "BORING" and "UGLY"... and what the “R” word is is Rental Furniture!
We started our company, having our own furniture in our prop library helped us get started and differentiated us from others in the market. But, as we looked at what we had invested in the furniture and the return on the investment we were attaining from THAT portion of our prop inventory... and we made a strategic decision. If we can not carry it (physically) we won't carry it (in our prop inventory)... instead we would rent it and roll that expense into the fee we charge the client.For us this strategy is the right decision for 2 reasons: 1.) It was getting WAY to expensive to first PURCHASE and then continuously transport to, move in, move out, clean, repair, store and insure the hundreds and hundreds of furniture pieces we now are placing in staged homes. 2.) We found that Brook Furniture Rental, based here in Chicago with locations in CA, GA NV, TX, and DC, had diverse and MULTIPLE furniture lines, and a strong willingness to work with us.
So, a few months ago, we began working with Brook Furniture Rental and using their furniture in our stagings. I have to admit I have been delighted, for MANY reasons, but the first and foremost reason is they share with us a common commitment to provide the best level of staging creativity and service to our shared clients.
So the next time we have a client that says anything anti-rental furniture... we here at Real Estaging will hold our heads high with RENTAL PRIDE!
Stage It Forward...
Me
POST SCRIPT: This is the 4th and Final blog in a series were rental furniture was "secretly" used. The other 3 blogs featuring rental furniture can reached by clicking on the links below.
2 comments:
Great job Craig!
Where would Home Stagers be without the "R" companies?
I'm with you, if we can't carry it, we don't want to store it. After all, we're not furniture retailers, we're stagers. Having the large selection and quantities that the big companies can make available to us when we need it is essential.
Putting it all together and making it work for each individual home is where we come in.
There is nothing to be ashamed of in making a good business decision, especially when it is to the benefit of everyone involved.
Well done!
OK, I've been reading you on AR for sometime. Since there aren't many stagers in my market, we just kind of do the best we can.
I'm going to test an all out stage and bring in some furninshings and see what kind of a difference it will make. I've got a vacant listing that would work out great.
I'll let you know how it goes.
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