If you’re a real estate agent who specializes in selling, then you might consider having your own stash of staging items! Staging a home is essential when marketing a home, from capturing stunning listing photos to hosting memorable open houses and showings.
Some agents like to have their own staging inventory—you may be able to save money, and have more control over how a home’s marketing turns out. But staging inventory can start to accumulate fast, and keeping it all organized can become a full-time job.
Here are 9 tips for organizing and managing your real estate listing staging inventory:
- Take advantage of a storage unit or warehouse.
You’ll want to find a climate-controlled storage unit (or part of a warehouse, depending on your scale!) that you can back a truck up to for easy loading. A place with good security is also a plus.
- Invest in lots of open shelving units.
You’ll want to take advantage of the storage space that you have, and going “up” is the way to go! Plus, this will make it easier to find items when you’re on the hunt for that perfect accent piece.
- Use bungee cords to keep things in place.
Whether you’re storing vases or pillows on those open shelving units, you’ll want to secure things with a bungee cord to prevent things from falling. Wrap a bungee cord around the shelving—if a shelf gets bumped, all of your vases won’t go shattering to the ground!
- Invest in waterproof storage bins.
Storage bins are great for protecting things like towels and bedding (dust covers for certain fabric items can also be useful!), especially for when you’re transporting everything. Label the outside of the bin (especially if its contents are fabric items) so you can easily see what is inside. Are there enough towels for one bath, or two baths in this bin? What size towels are in here? How many sheet sets are in this bin, and will they fit a twin or a queen? This will ensure you know exactly what’s inside a bin without having to rummage through it or unfold anything.
- Color coding is your friend.
Organizing everything by color will help you quickly find what you’re looking for. Organize kitchenware, dining sets, vases, pillows, linens, planters, floral arrangements, artwork, etc. by color.
- Group things by type.
If you have a set of things that work well in a bathroom together, then it may be easier for you to group them all together into one storage bin. Have a dining set that goes together, or decor for a fireplace mantel that you keep finding yourself putting together as a display? Group it all into one bin to save time in the future.
- Have a large stash of packing materials on hand.
Your staging items are most likely to get damaged during transport, so you’ll want to do your best to keep them safe and secure. Blankets, furniture pads, bubble wrap, paper, and packing tape should all be readily available.
- Get in the habit of cycling out older items for newer on-trend items.
As your older items fall out of style, sell them and cycle them out of your inventory before they’re too old and people don’t want to buy them. Replace these items with newer on-trend things that will keep your staging and marketing looking fresh!
- Pinterest is packed with organizing ideas.
Pinterest is not only brimming with home decorating ideas, but you’ll also find a huge community of stagers here. There are tons of ideas for organizing on Pinterest, and more specifically, organizing your staging inventory.
