what a flat 2,650 per house staging deal actually took to hold
I stopped taking per-job staging quotes in the spring. Four flips since then on one flat arrangement with one stager, so I'll put the numbers down.
Before: three houses in the 240k to 285k resale band, five to six room scopes, quotes came in at 3,800, 4,150 and 3,600. Days on market were 38, 44 and 52.
Now: 2,650 flat per house, eight weeks included, 240 a week after that, agreed in writing before the first install. What I gave up is that she gets first look at every house I list for twelve months, and I pay inside five days of invoice instead of at closing. What I also gave up is labor. Two of my guys do the load in and the destage, she brings the truck, the plan and the decor box. That's roughly 28 crew hours per house at about 32 loaded, call it 900. So all in I'm at 3,550 against a 3,850 average before. The cash saving is small. The scheduling priority is the part I actually wanted, and the four houses went 22, 19, 34 and 26 days.
The part that nearly broke it was house three. Two of mine hit install week at the same time as a model home she was doing for a builder, and the mid-tier inventory was committed. She offered a downgrade package. I pushed photos nine days instead, which is why that one sat 34 days. Nine days of carry at about 78 a day plus a 240 reshoot fee ate most of the year's savings in one shot. My guy also caught an 1,100 sofa arm on a stair rail and I paid 415 for the repair rather than argue about it.
What I'd keep: the extension rate set before install, my own crew on the labor, and a calendar lock in writing. What I'd change: I committed volume and got no inventory reservation in return. That's a promise about my side only, and house three is what that costs.