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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
