FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I do not as of yet have an accounts receivable department! This means I have to avoid spending unpaid time collecting payment for services I've already provided. So I keep it very simple: My fee for in-home consultations is due before I leave that day. I accept cash, check, credit card payments using my iPhone, bank transfers, & Paypal. I'll provide an itemized receipt on the spot. After those first two hours, I charge hourly to manage your project and pass on my designer discount to secure any furniture and/or accessories (rental or purchased.) I ask for money upfront for any purchases I am to make on your behalf, and estimated hourly pay for my shopping time upfront as well. Any miscalculations in this upfront pay are adjusted for on the final staging day or the next or final day of work. I can recommend and arrange the best contractors as needed, and they bill you directly. Sometimes I'll need your credit card information to arrange services on your behalf -- such as rental furniture when staging a vacant house. Contractors may also include cleaning services, handymen, floor and counter installation, cabinetry, painting and landscaping.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
When we decide to work together, I will come to your house for a staging consultation. Some clients decide to simply pay the fee for this consultation and do what is recommended themselves. Many want me to manage the execution of the whole plan. If you decide to hire me for staging services beyond the consultation, we will go over everything recommended and decide what you will do yourself, what I will do, and I'll recommend contractors for the rest. You decide how much help you want, and how much you are willing to invest.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have two and a half years of experience as a design consultant at a popular furniture retailer, helping people transform their living spaces through a successful in-home design program. In addition to being a certified life coach, I am becoming certified in Interior Design through the New York Institute of Art and Design and am familiar with Feng Shui principles of placement and energy flow. I'm a graduate of the Design Diva staging training, and a member of RESA, the Real Estate Stagers Association.