For every person who has ever said they love shopping, I can show you 2 home stagers that hate it. It is the worst part of any staging for multiple reasons.Firstly, you never really know how a piece will work in a room until you see it in the room, sometimes at multiple times of the day. Artificial and natural light change the feel of a room and the color of paint, fabric and furniture. My colleagues and I joke, our standard mantra is, "Well--we can always take it back!" And secondly there are the returns.
Tip 1- When shopping for staging, buy more than you think you will need, that applies to colors, styles, and the number of items. When you start to put a room together you don't want to stop to run back to the store to pick up the the "other" green pillows or have to go to multiple locations to find one more to go with the 2 that you did buy that work.
Tip 2- Always save and sort your purchase receipts. Returns are a headache at best. I always take help, my assistant holds the line while I peruse the store to see what new merchandise has arrived and do any additional shopping. Time is money in this business.
There is nothing worse than standing at the return register with folks behind you who are in hurry too. As you are ransacking your purse, looking for that receipt that was there just the other day, they are planning your demise, sometimes not so quietly. Pay attention to return policies too, some sales are final, some can be returned for up to 120 days, some only give you 30 days. I have stood in the return line only to find that the item I seek to return can not be returned because I had it discounted for a flaw, which often makes the sale final.
Tip 3- Be sure to check the amount that is being credited back to your credit card to verify it is correct. Save the credit receipt in a file to make sure it really does get credited back to your account, things don't always work the way they should in our hurry up world and mistakes add up.
Tip 4- Don't throw those receipts away after your home is staged! The cost of staging your home as well the cost of hiring a professional home stager may be tax deductible as a cost of sale, be sure to keep a detailed record of all expenses incurred to give to your tax preparer.
