How fast can staging be installed?
“The photographer’s booked for later this week and we’ve only just decided to stage. Is that too late?”
Usually not. How fast a home can be staged depends on the company, how busy they are and the size of the job, so ask your stager what’s realistic for your date.
At Foxy, four days’ notice is plenty to get a home styled before photos. Once a quote is approved and you’ve committed, we can sometimes install within 24 hours. Same-day installs have happened a few times, but they’re rare and not something to plan on.
Whoever you use, the ideal is one to two weeks from your first call to install day. That leaves time for a stylist to see the home, talk it through with you and your agent, and line everything up with your photos.
We’ve staged more than 8,500 homes across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Here’s what a fast install looks like in practice, and how to time it.
How much notice do you need for home staging?
It varies between staging companies. Lead times depend on how many people and trucks they run, how much stock they hold and the time of year, with spring usually the busiest. Ask for their lead time when you request a quote.
The slowest part usually isn’t the install. It’s the decision. Most stagers can’t lock in a date until the quote is accepted, so the sooner you commit, the more options you have.
At Foxy, our preference is a week, or at least a few days. Four days is enough to quote, schedule and install a standard job. Once you’ve committed, we can often have a team on site within 24 hours. Same-day has happened a handful of times, but it depends on the trucks, the team and the stock available on the day, so treat it as the exception.
What’s the ideal timeline?
One to two weeks from first contact to install, whoever you use. In that window:
- A stylist walks through the home, or quotes from your photos and floor plan.
- We talk through the plan with you and your agent.
- The install is booked against your photo date.
- Any last trades and cleaning are finished.
- The install goes in, and the photographer follows.
When should staging be installed before photos?
As close to photo day as the schedule allows. The hire period usually starts on install day, so every day between install and photos is a day of hire your campaign doesn’t use. Installing close to photo day puts more of the hire where it counts, while the home is on the market. Check how your stager’s hire period works before you lock in dates.
At Foxy, it works like this:
- If your photos are in the afternoon or at dusk, we’ll aim to install that morning.
- If your photos are earlier in the day, we’ll install the day before.
On install day, our stylists stay on site after the delivery team leaves to finish each room. When they walk out, the home is ready to photograph.
What needs to be finished before the install?
A fast install only works if the home is ready. Whoever you use, expect to need these done first.
- Painting finished and dry. Stagers can’t work around wet paint, particularly in hallways and doorways the team carries furniture through.
- Cleaning done. If you’re moving out, it goes furniture out, clean, then install.
- Floors finished well ahead. Sanded and polished timber generally needs around two weeks before it can be walked on in shoes, so a floor job can rule out a short-notice install.
- No trades on site on install day. The team and the truck need clear access.
What can slow a short-notice install down?
Access, and it’s mostly apartments and buildings with rules about deliveries:
- Loading dock bookings
- Lift bookings
- Building manager approval
- Parking for the truck near the entrance
These can take longer to organise than the install itself. If you’re on a tight timeline, tell your stager about access when you first get in touch so it can be booked straight away.
Is short notice a good idea?
It’s possible. That doesn’t make it the best way to do it.
With more notice, you get your choice of install date, there’s time to sort out access and trades, and the plan can be talked through properly with you and your agent. In spring, when the schedule fills up, booking early is the difference between getting the date that suits your photos and taking the date that’s left.
If you’re already up against it, ask anyway. At Foxy, four days is usually enough.
The short version
Lead times vary between stagers, so ask yours. One to two weeks is ideal for everyone. Install as close to photo day as you can, have painting, cleaning and floors done first, and flag any building access early. At Foxy, four days’ notice is usually plenty, and 24 hours is possible once you’ve committed.
If your photos are booked and you’d like to talk it through, book a complimentary consultation. A Foxy stylist meets you at the property, walks through what your buyers need to see, and you get a plan and a full quote back within 24 business hours.
Facebook Comments