Ken Fain, Owner – Carpet Workroom of Newport
“I am really excited to talk to two friends of mine: Chris Paradis and Josh West from J. Allan and Paradise. Both of these gentlemen are involved in the business of staging houses for sale—something that is very important to designers.
First, is it expensive to stage a home for sale? And, what is the typical return on investment that we can expect?”
Chris Paradis, Partner / Co-Founder – J. Allan & Paradise
“Home staging costs less than the first price reduction on the property, so that you can get top dollar for the property.“
Josh West, Partner / Co-Founder – J. Allan & Paradise
“The truth is that it doesn’t actually cost anything. You wouldn’t have made that money if you didn’t stage.
Ken Fain, Owner – Carpet Workroom of Newport
“I imagine it’s often a big problem to figure out what to do with the seller’s stuff when you stage a house. How do you deal with that?”
Chris Paradis, Partner / Co-Founder – J. Allan & Paradise
“If the seller is moving, just get a head start on it. Sometimes they already have another house picked out and they’re waiting to sell the second house. Start moving everything and making donations.
Or, we’ve had clients get a Pod or a Mi-Box. Have it taken away so the box isn’t sitting on the property during the open house.
Then, when they’re ready to move into the new property, they can take their box and move their stuff into their new home.”
Ken Fain, Owner – Carpet Workroom of Newport
“How do you know when you’re successful? What kind of feedback have you gotten from sellers and realtors after you stage a house?”
Chris Paradis, Partner / Co-Founder – J. Allan & Paradise
“The best compliment that we get is when we get asked to design the interiors of their new homes. We have a client right now, she sold her house in South Kingstown. She fought us tooth and nail—did not want anything changed or anything moved. She loved her home the way it was.
A week after staging we get the phone call saying that she loves everything we did and she loves us. She wants us to stylize the new home. We’re going down there right after here and having a nice dinner with her tonight.
That right there is the best compliment and the best endorsement I can give—when the client wants to see us and become part of their life.”
Ken Fain, Owner – Carpet Workroom of Newport
“Thanks, Chris! Thanks, Josh! I’m really grateful that you came in and we were able to talk. Again these gentlemen are from J. Allan & Paradise—experts at staging houses for sale.”
