HOW DID YOU LEARN TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE’S HOMES SO WELL?

Story of event in someone’s home and scrambling to get food set up at the last minute

People think “The value of a home is how well you take care of it” – not necessarily…

Everyone’s home is special to them.

1. KEEP YOUR FOOTPRINT SMALL AND YOUR TIME IN THE HOME SMALL

GO FOR 1 SITE VISIT

• Story of event prep site visit
• Take photos if they allow
• ID staging and delivery area
• 30 minutes max
• Survey the space
• Get an idea of the layout

PLAN FOR SET UP TO HAPPEN QUICKLY

• Story of setting decorations all night before an event
• Preplan décor and locations
• Prepare décor ahead of time
• Stage everything in one small area – a garage or place outside the house so you can bring everything into the house from there quickly – maybe even a storage unit down the road

GET OUT OF THE HOUSE QUICKLY

• Story of a client’s coming home event
• Bring in extra labor at the end of the party to remove items and restore the home quickly
• Pay extra for weekend pickup of rentals to get it off the property
• Take all your own trash out with you

THINK OF THE HOUSE AS A MUSEUM

• Or think of it as the home of the pickiest person you know
• Ask before you move anything
• How clean are your shoes? Do not track in mud
• Story of rental vendor at client’s house
• Do you need to add protection to the legs of any of the rental furniture? We have put socks on the legs of tables
• Don’t lean on the woodwork
• Bring your own tools

IDENTIFY THEIR PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SPACES

• Which bathrooms to use, are bedrooms to be blocked off?
• What spaces can be used for staging, storage, coats or catering?
• Do all the restrooms work?
• Staff restrooms vs guest rooms
• Clear valuables from public areas
• Story of finding someone in someone’s closet – in the future blocked it off

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR VENDORS

• You are in charge of the vendors so communicate your expectations to them clearly
• Inspect the rental items before it is delivered
• Be there when rental items are delivered
• We are often the security for the house
• Put valuable items away
• Park down the street etc

LEAVE IT BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT

– Boy Scout motto

• Play the part of the trusted friend
• Don’t let the last thing the client thinks of be “I paid these people all this money and look what my house looks like”
• Pay extra for weekend pickup of rentals to get it off the property
• Story of dishes that were left at client’s house that started to smell