Alabaster Staging + Design

unknown

I contacted Rebecca after reading all of the very good reviews she had on Angies List, and she didn't disappoint!  I had a client who decided to list his home with me on fairly short notice, and I had a very short time to prepare and stage his home.  Rebecca was very understanding and made herself available to come for a consultation within just a day or two.  She was very clear on explaining the details of the contract to me and my seller, everything was swiftly emailed and signed around, and on the appointed day, Rebecca was there in person with her assistants and spent the entire day staging the home and making sure that every little detail was perfect.  
Many of the buyers and agents who toured the home made specific comments about the quality of the staging and the home sold, as expected, for over our asking price, within the time frame of the staging contract.  Rebecca has a great sense of style and color, I felt her prices were extremely reasonable, and I look forward to having the opportunity to working with her again.

My experience with Alabaster and Rebecca was very interesting, somewhat bizarre to say the least.  When I first spoke with Rebecca, I was left feeling uncomfortable with her somewhat abrasive style hence our conversation ended with me being uncommitted.  So I continued my search for a stager and found one.  I believe it was Friday.  I even paid a deposit to this stager.  

Come Monday, I decided to do a courtesy call to Rebecca just to inform her that I had decided to go with another stager.  Rebecca went "off the deep end."  She started to call me bad things-this was all via text by the way.  She explained that she had staged over the weekend.  I was shocked!  Bottom line there was no signed staging agreement (and I have emails to prove it.)  I called my agent and he said to call the police.  Bottom line again she had entered the house illegally.  But I couldn't do it.  In the end I decided unhappily to just go with Rebecca since she had already staged.  

When it came time to remove her items, I asked her to please give me the date that she planned to remove her items so that I could notify my agent.  Not a word from her.  I'm giving 2 stars because I have to give her credit for a nice staging job.  Otherwise it would be 1 star!

Rebecca is an excellent stager and has a great eye for interior design.  She came up with solutions despite having some concerns (paint color).  She worked around it and the staging went great.  Went above and beyond with customer satisfaction and even offered to let us keep renting  free of charge for a couple of weeks to find renters as we were not able to sell.   Would use her again.

We listed our 4800 square foot Mercer Island home for sale and contacted Alabaster to stage it, asking that they incorporate some of our own furniture in order to save cost.  Rebecca Henderson, the owner/designer, did a fabulous job.  She is very artistically talented and took the time to think very carefully about the project.  She took many pictures of the rooms presumably to help in her selections from her own furniture and staging items, and the result was stunning.  It was so stunning that one of the offers we received for our home asked that the furniture be included in the sale! 
The Alabaster crew was very efficient and took care not to damage anything in moving furniture in, out and around the home.  I would definitely recommend this firm to any family and friends.
 

The whole process was surprisingly smooth and we were very happy with the results. I called Rebecca at Alabaster Staging and she came to look at the townhouse the next day. After that walk-through, taking photos, she got back to me to provide a firm quote (which leaves the furnishings in place for 30 days) and a basic written description of the types of furniture and accessories she was planning to put in each room. I made a few suggestions, which she took into account. She provided a contract which I signed. I provided payment at this point. Her crew delivered the furniture and Rebecca arranged it over the course of two days (an hour or two each day), to meet our deadline. She stayed in good communication throughout. She also gave me a helpful recommendation about paint color. The townhouse looked beautiful with her tasteful furnishings, which included not only furniture but also table settings, paintings on the walls, etc. There was color and interest without anything gaudy or otherwise overdone. I had spoken with two other stagers, and Alabaster's was by far the most reasonable quote.

In April, I contacted Rebecca to come take a look at a condo that was in the midst of remodel in preparation for sale.  She immediately knew what direction she would take to furnish it for sale.  We had a date set, and what seems to be the normal now a days, we had to keep sliding it back as the remodel was taking much longer than originally planned.  She was great about all the delays and never complained or made me feel at fault.  When the time came, she and an assistant and two husky movers were there working hard to get it done as the photographer was coming to take photos for the MLS listing.  They were very careful to not damage any walls or hallways, etc. and did a great job.  The realtor was surprised at the normal sized furniture, such as the sofa, that was used.  She told me that often times stagers use smaller items and not the more hardy furniture folks actually live with.  
When the unit sold, I called Rebecca and asked if she could perhaps remove the items within the week as the buyer wanted a fast closing.  Once again she said she would get back to me, which she did, and it was all gone within 5 days, and that was including the weekend!  
Rebecca is not only a great designer, but someone who really tries to work with here customers needs.  She has a good sense of humor and an attitude that is most accommodating whenever possible.  It really made me feel as if I was working with a friend.

Rebecca was very responsive from the first time I spoke to her.  She sent me some great examples of homes that she had recently staged.  We were on a tight time line and she delivered on time.  I didn't have too micro-manage the project.  She just jumped right in and did a beautiful job.

Rebecca and her crew did a great job staging the condo.  She was very responsive and professional throughout.  The price was very reasonable (much less than other bids we received), and we received offers less than a week after listing, in part because of how lovely the unit looked.

Alabaster  exceeded my expectations in the work done. Rebecca was professional, very responsive and  chose furnishings to show the home to the best advantage.  Had an offer within 4 days of appearance on MLS!

Rebecca was flexible, fun to work with, got the job done when promised and as promised and charged a reasonable price for her services. She was able to work with our living in the home while showing it and even gave us tips on how to get ready every morning. Best of all, we received multiple offers within the first two weeks of listing! Thank you, Rebecca!

Rebecca came over to our home to assess the space.   She gave us great suggestions.  She also gave us advice about which rooms to paint.  Once we signed the contract, she staged our house beautifully.  She finish in said time.  We are extremely pleased with her work. 

We had Rebecca meet with the seller at the house and walk us through her ideas.  She even offered paint color consulting which she would have normally charged for as we had many tasks to do on this home before listing.  We received her contract within a couple of days... and her fee was far more reasonable that many.  Because of how she expressed what she envisioned for the home, I decided not to get another estimate.  She started when she said she would and completed by our deadline.  The only comment I have is that the owner thought a few more furniture pieces were going to be added to bedrooms.  I am glad this didn't happen in order to show the true

 size of the room.  However - it may have been helpful to the seller to share that some decisions happen during the actual staging and need to remain discretionary as things do change once staging items are put in place - they may or may not work in the end.

My expectations were exceeded.

I had a good experience with this service.

She is very open to doing what it is you need and to stay in a budget of what works for you. So, from just meeting with my clients for an hour to tell them what they need to do. To spending 5 hours or more working with me while my sellers out of town to get the job done, and never gives up till the job is done! Or spending that time direct with the sellers. Bringing in wonderful furniture for staging if needed, or just a few little bits of pieces to finish of a bare home. I have priced out staging and stagers a lot, and she exceeds the value I get in return over and over again. If you want to get your home sold, you need to get Rebecca in to you home to make it look its best. If you are a realtor, for the price, it is a no brainer, I also promote it in my services to the seller that they get a one hour consulation from me! they love it. I love it, because then it is Rebecca telling them to move all their personal stuff and I remain the good guy, and the is then ready for photos and showings.