How to Become a Home Stager and Make Money

If you want to know how to become a home stager and make money, this article will come pretty handy.

It explains a lot about home staging, how to do things right and how to make money home staging.

 

Location, location, location!

This is the proven mantra for those looking to sell and buy real estate.

At its core it simply means the value of a home or piece of real estate is more valuable, for sale or purchase, depending upon where that property is located.

For example, a home located on the beach in Southern California is going to demand a higher price or value rather than a home that is located elsewhere in California.

 

Importance of Home Staging

Piggybacking on this mantra would be the importance of three words when listing a property for sale and presentation of that real estate.

When it comes to  making money selling real estate, for the seller it would be staging, staging staging!

Home staging is that process that captures the attention, imagination, and possibilities of a home that is being placed on the market for sale.

As the potential buyer enters the home their senses are stimulated as if this was their home and they were coming home from a long hard day’s work.

A properly staged home will speak and resonate with the potential new owner a warm greeting of welcome home.

With the motivation of selling the property, the stager’s role cannot be underestimated. If the home is unkempt, unwelcoming, or not outwardly appealing, the sale is less likely to be made.

However, if the lighting is warm, any furniture in the home well-proportioned in scale drapes or blinds well-kept, perhaps themed rooms, carpets, and floors clean, etc. will all add to the possibilities leading to the sale.

And the unkempt house will signal to the potential buyer a neglected home that will not bring the maximum selling price as it may speak to neglect, perhaps, not seen.

Whereas a home that is pleasant to the eyes and appealing may close the sale and maximize the asking price.

Related: How To Rent-to-Own Your Residential Home.

 

Becoming a Home Stager – My Personal Story

When we were in the market for a home we would often enjoy various open house opportunities in our area.

Specifically, we enjoyed touring various homes that were part of the annual parade of homes.

Although, the homes were out of our price range we relished the tour in that we would take in the different ambiances of the homes.

We would compare notes at the end of each of the individual homes that we walked through. Often some unique feature of the home resonated with us as the particular uniqueness was “staged” and complemented.

The staging process caused us to dream and imagine. Eventually, we were able to blend some of the beauty of the individually decorated rooms into our present home.

Also See: Tips to Help You Stop Being Broke.

 

How to Become a Home Stager – Is the Stage Set?

 

Stage Fright?

Stage fright is that paralyzing moment for an actor or entertainer who is suddenly overwhelmed at the thought of going out on stage and performing in front of an audience.

Show business is not for the fainthearted because sometimes the audience can be cruel and demanding.

For the money that is exchanged to be entertained the audience demands a performance that is flawless, enjoyable, and helps them to escape from their reality.

Through entertainment, they want to be transported to a world that helps them forget about their world.

Staging is also a professional career choice that is not for the fainthearted.

Therefore, it is important to look at yourself with a critical eye and see if this is a good career choice given your personality and experience.

Specifically, to become a home stager requires that the individual have a “good eye” and gift in presenting an aesthetically pleasing home to potential buyers.

It requires that the potential stager be able to present warmth, comfort and present a huge inviting “welcome home sign” to the new homeowner as they enter into the house.

It also requires that the stager be able to coordinate a room in keeping with the home’s design and the various intriguing ambiances that are displayed throughout the property.

Qualities that the stager should possess include a gift of interior decorating utilizing colors, thematic objects, and various accents blended to create the desired effect.

A stager is like an artist, making money with memes or other artistic stuff. However, rather than using paints and a canvas, they utilize decorative objects splashed onto the canvas of the various rooms within the home.

A bonus to the qualities that should be displayed in the personality and professionalism of the stager should be an appreciation for real estate. It is important to have an understanding of how property is bought and sold.

Understanding real estate markets and the potential clientele drawn by the available property is critical. This knowledge will inform the choice of decorations and decor in the various rooms that are being used.

For example, if the property is high-end and the home is large there may be an opportunity for the new homeowner to host various social functions.

Therefore, any particular room in the new home that could accommodate this type of interest should be decorated accordingly.

Related: How to Get Paid and Make Money Drawing.

 

License to Stage

Currently, there are no licensing requirements for this intriguing line of work. The staging industry and those known as stagers are completely unregulated.

This of course can be a good thing or could be a bad thing.

A good caveat is that no formal training is required and therefore no fees are required for the issuing of a license or obtaining of certification.

Being unregulated also means that just about anyone could advertise and present themselves as a qualified stager.

Therefore becoming a home stager is a wide-open career and business opportunity if the individual can assure any homeowner or real estate agent that they are capable of performing the needed staging professionally and pleasingly.

On the other hand, with no regulations in place, the downside is the reality that anyone could try to present themselves as a stager.

The cautionary note to those who are considering utilizing home staging with a stager is to be comfortable with their ability. This can be satisfied by looking at the individual’s portfolio of homes that reflect their decorative touch.

Also, it may be prudent for the stager to present some sort of assurances that they are reputable. This can be accomplished by presenting endorsements or showing proof of being bonded.

This, most likely, will satisfy the individual utilizing the services of the stager in minimizing their professional liability.

Ultimately, anything that the stager can do above and beyond the basic requirements of being considered and employed will set them apart from others within the industry.

This will result in additional recommendations and potential new employment opportunities.

Also See: Advantages of a Corporation for setting up a Business.

 

 

Stage Training

Like many other occupations, there are some jobs that one can learn. They go to school, take an online course, or learn as they go under the tutorage of somebody who is adept at that particular occupation.

In other words, there are skills that the individual can learn to satisfactorily complete the job or qualify for the job description.

However, there are certain characteristics to be successful at an employment position.

Take becoming a bookkeeper or even a Certified Public Accountant for example. If the individual is not a person of integrity or honesty, they would be hard-pressed to honestly evaluate a company’s financial records and offer a letter of opinion.

It seems, then, that the same need for inherent “gifts” is paramount to become a successful stager.

Those natural traits would include a flair for design, coordination of colors, artistic talent, self-motivated, engaging personality, etc.

Building on these personality traits and characteristics the individual can then search out training options to maximize and build on their personality and artistic skills.

Some of those stager training options can be online courses and if considering this training venue it is important to enroll in the course that will be beneficial to your career.

Therefore, it is important to research the online course and ensure that the course will meet your expectations and provide you the needed instruction.

This background research can include searching the online curriculum and looking for possible students and their review of what training was provided.

Also, it is important to research the instructors. The adage, although may not be true, of “teachers teach cause they can’t do” should certainly be in the back of one’s mind.

Therefore, research the instructors that will be presenting the online course and question whether they have had successful experience in the home staging business.

Also, the researcher can go to professional websites such as LinkedIn, and research the various instructors to find about their practical experience in the world of staging.

Also See: Best States in the United States to Form an LLC.

 

Enter Stage Right

Now we come to getting on the stage. You have the drive, you are a self-starter, you have the personality and you have within your hand a certification for completing online courses to verify your commitment as a stager.

Enter stage right and welcome to the stage the new excited stager that is about to make their mark on the real estate market.

So where to begin?

It would seem that the first step in getting noticed is starting to develop your portfolio.

To accomplish this, it is important to get out and meet with real estate agents and inform them of your services.

Using your personality and your certificate of completion, if they do not know about the importance of staging, use your “meet and greet as an opportunity to educate them.

Of course, emphasizing that staging is an important part of completing the sale which should be mutually beneficial to both them and yourself.

Another way to get in front of real estate agents is to ask to be a presenter at a meeting of a real estate association.

Often, these associations meet monthly to enjoy a good time together, network and make it constructive by discussing the latest issues and sharing ideas for realtors in selling property.

Equally important, it’s important to build a portfolio. You can stage your own home as a model of what you can accomplish and use that as part of an opening to get the real estate agent’s attention.

Additionally, if there are marketing dollars available, you can advertise your services in various periodicals that have appeal to real estate agents.

So get on the real estate stage and start playing the starring role of a stager.

 

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Conclusion

The business of staging is beginning to come into its own. The importance of employing a quality stager is both realized by the real estate agent as well as the owner of the home that is going onto the market.

In conclusion, it is also important to realize the reality of the statement that “you get what you pay for.” Therefore, a quality stager should be able to command top price within their geographical area.

Of course, what you can charge per hour or a flat fee to stage a home that is going on the market is dependent upon the housing market.

Some estimates boldly express that a quality stager can charge anywhere from $300-$800 per hour.

Regardless, it is important to remember that a staged home has a higher percentage of obtaining top dollar for the home that is going on the market.

Therefore, you must realize the importance of the role that you as a stager will play and that you should demand top dollar as well.

Remember, the top dollar offered to the homeowner for their home translates into a top dollar for the commission of a real estate agent and also for the stager.

Shakespeare famously said, “All the world’s a stage.” As a stager, it is your world especially when it comes to the world of real estate.

Enter boldly and play your important part when it comes to enhancing the beauty of a new home for a potential buyer.