What to Expect During a Home Staging Consultation

When you’re ready to sell your home, one of the most effective strategies for effective marketing is to stage it.

Investing in home staging is a surefire way to sell your home fast while maximizing its price, and it all starts with a home staging consultation.

To understand the home staging process, think about what goes into selling a vehicle…

When you want to sell your car, you make sure it’s in good condition, washed and waxed, and free of your personal items.

A home staging consultation is the first step in a similar process designed to get your home looking like new, ensuring that it appeals to the widest range of customers.

Just like a vehicle, a home that presents well will sell faster and at a higher price.

If you’re considering staging your home and are wondering how to begin, you’ve landed in the right place. Read on to learn all about what home staging consultations are and what you can expect throughout the process.

What is a Home Staging Consultation?

A home staging consultation is a very detailed discussion between a homeowner and a home staging professional.

During the consultation, the professional will review the home, consider what needs to be done before the sellers put it on the market, and give their advice to ensure the seller walks away with the best price possible.

Investing in a home staging consultation will cost much less than a price reduction during an offer, so it’s strongly advised that anyone selling a home consider setting up this essential meeting.

Contrary to what some people believe, realtors normally don’t do their own home staging consultations. However, most realtors offer consultation services by professional stagers, so if you’re working with a realtor (or planning to), be sure to discuss what they can do to help get you set up.

If you’re a home stager looking for new business, then networking with realtors is essential!

Why Home Staging Consultations Are Worth the Investment

Many homeowners wonder if hiring a home stager is really necessary, especially when the market is hot.

But the data tells a clear story. According to a recent Home Staging Institute survey, 84% of staged homes received offers at or above asking price – compared to just 63% of non-staged homes. And the average time on market was cut by nearly half.

The consultation is the first step in unlocking this advantage, setting the tone for a smoother, more profitable sale.

What We Teach About Consultations in Our Courses

At the Home Staging Institute, we have in-depth content related to consultations in our Professional Course. We break down exactly what to ask homeowners during that initial sit-down, how to prepare your consultation report, and how to price this service.

You’ll even get a consultation checklist you can print and bring with you.

This is one of the most valuable services a stager offers, and we make sure our students know how to handle it with confidence.

One of our recent graduates, a stager based in North Carolina, shared that her first paid consultation turned into a full redesign job, then led to two referrals – all within 30 days of certification. What made the difference? Her polished consultation process, which included a neatly branded printed report, a confident in-home walk-through, and a follow-up email with photos and recommendations.

Step 1 – Introductions and Sit-Down Time

Before the walk-through portion of the home staging consultation, you’ll have a sit-down time with the stager where you’ll introduce yourself and go over some important details.

This is a good time to take notes as they will also offer some important information. Some of the information they’ll want to gather might include:

• Your list date goal
• Whether there are pets living in the home
• How many people live in the home
• Whether there are children, teens, or college-age kids staying in the home
• Major repairs or areas of concern
• Your staging budget (including cleaners, painters, window washers, and rental furniture if necessary)

The introduction and sit-down portion of the home staging consultation is necessary for putting together a timeline and hashing out other important details, such as budgets and repairs.

At the conclusion of this meeting, you’ll set up a date and time to meet for a walkthrough of the home, or if planned, get into it right away.

Step 2 – Conduct a Walkthrough of the Home

The walkthrough of the home is the most crucial part of the home staging consultation.

During this time, the professional stager will go through each room and space in the home and take notes throughout the process.

They do this from a buyer’s perspective to get an idea of what their first impression would be like and observe the changes that need to be made to make the house more appealing to buyers.

The stager may also ask important questions during the walkthrough to gather essential information.

The walkthrough should always start outside, where a potential buyer would begin their critique of the home.

Professional stagers know how critical first impressions are, so they will scrutinize every detail, from the walk to the door through the entryway, foyer, and any other spaces that may catch their eye.

Working their way in, the professional stager will walk through the rest of the property, looking at all the rooms, in closets and pantries, behind doors, and at any other area they see, ensuring that no corner is overlooked.

Most average-size homes require approximately two hours for the walkthrough, while larger homes (above 3,000 square feet) may take closer to three hours.

The stager conducting the walkthrough should be available through email or text after the consult for any questions you may think of once the walkthrough is complete. They should be willing to answer any questions, whether you’re curious about paint color options, repair costs, or décor placement.

The more details you share with your stager, the better experience they will be able to provide.

Step 3 – Provide a Written Report

Once the stager has gathered all the information they need from you and the walkthrough has been completed, they will typically provide you with a written report after 12 – 48 hours.

The report should include detailed photos of all the rooms and spaces throughout the home and provide a detailed account of what the professional would do to stage the home.

Since first impressions start at the curb or driveway, the stager’s written report should begin with a curb appeal review, which will include everything they noted from the curb to the front door. They may suggest things like repairs or changes that should be made, paint color suggestions, and landscaping ideas.

The remainder of the written report should include a detailed assessment of each room in the home, covering everything from light fixture options to paint color choices and many other details that would make the home more appealing to the target market. It may include details about:

• Furniture arrangement
• Decluttering
• Cleaning
• Painting
• Décor styles/types and placement

While some rooms may require a little redesign, others may require more extensive changes and staging help to become impressive to potential buyers.

In some cases, the written report will be extensive and lengthy, while in others, it will be short and sweet.

It all depends on the condition of your home and how show-ready it is at the time of the walkthrough.

After you have reviewed the written report, the stager will be ready to carry out the recommended changes, including staging, redesign, and decluttering.

They could also help refer reputable vendors who can help with the rest of the work, including cleaning and painting.

To keep things from getting overwhelming, they will walk you through the process to ensure that everything is done just right.

Why a Home Staging Consultation Is the Key to a Successful Sale

By now, you’ve seen just how powerful a home staging consultation can be.

It’s the launchpad for a well-prepared, visually appealing property that connects emotionally with buyers and commands a higher sale price.

From the initial sit-down to the detailed walk-through and written report, the consultation sets the tone for a strategic, successful sale – and ensures every decision is driven by what buyers want to see.

If you’re a homeowner preparing to sell, working with a professional home stager will give your property the competitive edge it needs in today’s market. And if you’re someone who’s dreaming of becoming a stager yourself, mastering the consultation process is one of the most important skills you can learn.

That’s why we dedicate so much of our Professional Course at the Home Staging Institute to this exact process.

You’ll learn how to run consultations with confidence, what to look for during a walkthrough, how to present recommendations clearly, and how to price your service in a way that’s fair and profitable.

If you’re ready to take the next step, we invite you to enroll in our Professional Home Staging Certification Course – the same course that has helped thousands of students across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and beyond launch their own businesses and start getting paid for their eye for design.