Start A Home Staging Business

Author: Julie Bastuk

Do you have a flare for decorating and an eye for design? When you walk into other people’s houses do you envision ways to realign their furniture and art works that would better utilize their living spaces and add warmth to their home? Consider harnessing these personality traits to start a home staging business.

What Is Home Staging?

Home staging is about bringing a living space to life, increasing its ability to sell, and sell faster. Home stagers go beyond just de-cluttering and cleaning a home-they seek to create an atmosphere that attracts home buyers and helps them visualize living there. Staging neutralizes a home by removing the distinct personality of the current owners and dressing it up to create an inviting mood. It also seeks to emphasize the positive aspects of a home and downplays less attractive features that could potentially distract home buyers.

Staging... Why Bother?

Professionally staged homes tend to sell quicker with better offers than those that have not been staged. This is especially important in neighborhoods where multiple houses that are similar are on the market. Stagedhomes.com revealed an average increase of 3% in final sale prices of staged homes over homes that had not been staged. A staged house will more often attract a home buyer than a house that is overwhelmed with the owner’s personality, is cluttered with unnecessary items, and lacks a sense of intentional design.

There are two aspects of home staging-vignette staying for empty living spaces and interior re-design for homes that are still lived in. For a home that is empty, stagers will bring in furniture pieces and decorative items from their own stored supply or from a rental company. These pieces are strategically arranged around the home to create areas of warmth, providing a more appealing visit for buyers than a cold, bare living area. If a home is still occupied by the current owners, stagers will take the furniture and decorating accessories already present and rearrange them to better utilize space, emphasize positive qualities of each room, and portray a model home feel. If necessary, a few extra pieces will be brought into the home by the stager, such as paintings, lamps, or greenery.

The Benefits Of A Home Staging Business

Home staging is a great business to be involved in for several reasons. First of all, it serves as a creativity outlet for people who have an eye for design and love decorating. Each house being staged offers its own unique palette, qualities, and design obstacles to challenge the stager. Second, home staging is largely about building relationships-stager and real estate agents, stager and clients, stager and third parties involved in the home selling process, etc. This aspect of the business is great for those who love to network and meet new people on a regular basis. Finally, home staging businesses offer a degree of flexibility. Rather than being a nine to five occupation, working hours can vary. Although jobs may appear suddenly which need immediate attention, stagers have more freedom to set their own schedules for when they are available.

“My business is very reactionary,” says Patty Salam, a professional stager from Denver, CO. “A realtor calls and says “I’m going on a listing appointment and I’d like to have an open house this weekend.’ I rarely spend more than two hours on a property so I can usually schedule right away and get everything done before pictures and open houses.”

Preparing Your Home Staging Business

Read everything you can about staging and interior redesign. Design magazines and resources are everywhere. By making yourself more familiar with current interior design trends you will have a better feel for the type of staged spaces that will appeal to buyers.
Visit model homes in neighborhoods where new houses are being built. These houses are decorated in simple and appealing ways with the aim of attracting future home buyers. Home builders want possible customers to be able to envision living in such a house, and strive to create an environment that is warm and inviting, and ultimately tempting to the buyer.
A multitude of home staging certificate programs and seminars are available for further training. Some of these will actually take prospective stagers through hands-on staging training and provide access to staging organizations such as I.R.I.S. (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists). However, no certification is required to start a staging business.
There are companies that will rent out decorative items and furniture to home stagers. These are convenient for people who are just getting started in the staging business and need accessories to decorate with. However, over time, it may be more profitable for you to consider purchasing your own staging supplies and gradually build a stockpile you can select from, without having to continually pay rental costs.
Determine how much you will charge per hour of staging and consulting. Before settling on a fee, consider your training and experience in interior redesign. Once experienced, it is not unreasonable for stagers to charge $100 to $150 an hour for their services.

Advertising Your Staging Business

Be creative when advertising your business. There are many venues for introducing yourself and your services to the real estate market.
Find a real estate agent in your area that needs an edge in the market. Offer your services at a reduced rate to the agent who is seeking to attract more clients.
Print business cards and leave them with real estate agents, condominium office managers, painting companies, and any other parties that may be involved in helping a home owner prepare their house to sell. Networking is essential in this business.
Build a business website describing your services, including before and after photographs of homes you have staged.
Advertise in local magazines. This can be an expensive option, but it provides good visibility for your business.

Home staging is great for anyone who loves decorating, design, and working with people. By taking you artistic talent and persevering with a little work, you can easily turn a hobby into a profitable business. And to help you get started today, check out the following resources: IAHSP, Interior Redesign Directory, and Staged Homes.