5 Reasons to Start a Staging Business in 2014

What is it that you love to do and are passionate about?  Chances are if you love it, you are truly gifted at it.   Do you get goosebumps when you walk into a book store and head to the interior design section?  Do you anxiously wait for your design magazines to come in the mail or get “geeked up” over organizing your closet?  Do you notice every design detail when you walk into a friends house and then subconsciously rearrange the space in your mind? If you answered “yes” to any of these seemingly absurd questions then you definitely have what I call the “design sickness” and the good news is there’s never been a better time to explore the possibility of creating a business doing it.  There is nothing more exciting then doing what you love and getting paid for it!

Here are five reasons (with statistics) why starting a staging and redesign business is a practical and perfect idea for 2014:

• Home Values Are On The Rise – What a roller coaster it has been but now in almost every area of the country, home values are going up.  What does this mean for stagers?  It means there is value in the sale of the home, so staging becomes a “windfall” of sorts for sellers who really want to get all they can out of selling their most prized possession.  (The median price of a house in the United States is $197,100 which is up over 10% from last year’s median price of $176,800 according to the National Association of Realtors NAR) (According to the National Association of Realtors, almost 20% more home sold over 2012 numbers:  5,160,000 homes in 2013 vs. 4,660,000 in 2012)
• Remodeling Is On The Rise – What happens when people start to take an interest in their homes?  They look for critical expertise from a home stylist, color expert and designer! (In an HGTV Magazine reader poll over 25% of readers underwent a big renovation, like a new kitchen or bath in 2013)  (In a 2013 Houzz survey of over 100,000 people over 53% plan a renovation in the next couple years, think it’s a good time and plan to hire professional help)
• Home Staging Was Specifically Listed As A “Best Career for 2013 and Beyond” – In an article by career guru, Marty Nemko, staging was listed as a best job and fastest growing career for the future. (Link to Article)
• Sellers Are Now Staging Savvy – With the rise of HGTV, Pinterest and Houzz the average seller understands the value of professional, design advice for both living and selling!
• Agents Are Now Staging Savvy – It’s taken home stagers years to educate the real estate industry of the benefits of staging and now home stagers have become a de rigueur part of preparing a home for sale.

The most famous real estate agent of all time, Barbara Corcoran is speaking at our Staging Convention in a couple weeks, so it’s incredibly encouraging to see how our work over the years in educating the public on staging has Barbara as a huge supporter and advocate!

 

Timing is everything and building a business is a luxury but the biggest regret I hear our member stagers say is that they wish they started earlier.

Here are just a few quotes from our members I thought was worth posting to encourage others that a new year, can mean so much to you…or it can pass you by.

Home Staging Career Outlook

Career Outlook for Home Stagers in 2013

Did you know that home staging was listed in January of 2013 as “one of the best jobs for 2013 and beyond” by AOL career guru, Marty Nemko?  How Marty had even heard of our little industry is a wonder but I have to give him kudos…because he totally gets it!

See Home Staging Listed as Best Job for 2013 and Beyond Article by Clicking Here!

The Art of Great Staging

Anyone who has not had their head in the sand for the last few years understands that there is “no set price” for a home.  The real estate market is a roller coaster ride of highs and lows but one thing remains the same, buyers will always be looking for that “ideal vision” for their family AND will always be willing to pay top dollar for it!

You see, staging is NOT about de-cluttering and cleaning but at it’s essence, it’s an “art form” born from extreme expertise in merchandising and designing a “vision” that buyers will fall in love with!  Staging done correctly, provides the “props and vision” for the buyer to mentally “move-in” to each room while emotionally connecting them to the home as a whole!  Once connected, the offer is made and not usually broken.

Great staging starts with understanding first “the who” and merchandising for that particular vision.  Who is the buyer demographic for that home, what will they desire to see in each space?   HSR Certified stagers are trained to research six “cues” to determine the typical buyer demographic, as well as converse with the agents in the area.

Is this a “contemporary zen” home and lifestyle we are staging for?

What will our buyers be “hoping” to find when they step through that door and how can we create the lifestyle they dream about in each room?

I would argue that many homes on the market today are what I call “half way there” homes because they have been stripped down but not “dolled up”.  They are like a cake with no frosting and will never get the best price for their home in that condition.

Essentially, these homes are leaving money on the table!

An agent might argue, “who cares if they get the best price, so long as it’s sold quickly” but that’s short sighted.

I imagine most of us would not be too happy to see the competing agent down the street selling our neighbors house for $30,000 more than we got because they took the time to bring in a great professional home stager.  Agents build their reputations not only on quickly selling homes but on getting the BEST PRICE for their clients!

Based on the information we have for our buyer demographic, we are able to create a profile of what we are designing for and a plan for the seller.  The plan starts with taking the time to understand the benefits of staging and realizing that a little work today, saves you a lot of headache in the future.  For example, if my neighbor made $30,000 more than me on the sell of their home, how does that $30,000 translate to real earned dollars?  With capital gains it means that it’s pure cash, so I would probably have to make $50,000 to realize $30,000 cash realistically.

How many hours do you have to work to make $50,000?  Definitely more hours then the amount of time, energy and expense of correctly staging the home first!

Which brings me to another very critical aspect of staging and that is photos!  Correctly trained stagers know that it’s not only about the “walk-in” but very critically about the photo for online marketing!

If 95% of buyers are online first looking at photos before they decide to visit the home, how important do you think staging for the photo is in the sales process?  As an agent, how important do you think the photos are to your image and reputation?

Great staging involves the total package!  Starting with the research, creating the plan and communicating a vision that seller’s can understand financially, then finishing with marketing output that makes the buyers fall in love BEFORE entering into the home.

Three Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Business

Are you not getting the amount of business that you would like? Are your marketing efforts falling flat? I find that success in business comes from avoiding these five common pitfalls and thinking in “out of the box” ways to create additional income.  In the HSR Training I have an hour long video detailing these alternative income streams but before I get to those, I need to also detail the problems I see most people do in their business that keeps them from having success…

1.  Don’t Be A Copy Cat

One of the first things I have people do in my training is to list their strengths and how their background strengths can help their new business.  I also have people list their weaknesses which will be “threats” to their business if they are not careful.  The encouraging truth is that there are several ways to market yourself in the staging and redesign industry but what may work for one personality, may not work for another.

The key is to take your previous “life’s talents” and embed them into this new business and venture.  For instance, I have ex-teachers who focus on agent presentations and classes in order to market their staging business.  I have my outgoing personalities follow my “Open House Assessment” formula in order to market their business face-to-face.  For those who are introverts, I teach them advanced ways to market their business online so traffic comes to them.  The key is to focus on your strengths in order to market your business.

>>Know that whatever your background or current situation is, there is always a way to capitalize on it as a new entrepreneur!

Tori Toth of Stylish Stagers in New York used her prior experience as a TV Reporter to create video that helps to market her business and success!

2.  Don’t Be A Renaissance Business!

Would you go to a restaurant advertising great burgers, tacos and sushi?  Then why are we trying to be all things and talents to all clients and markets?  It’s okay to expand your business within the staging and redesign world but to also say you’re an expert in Feng Shui, Organizing, Windows, Upholstery and an Artist is a bit overdone and cheapens your core talents.

This same truth holds for real estate agents who also want to be expert home stagers.  Do you think your clients believe that you are awesome at both when each require very separate skill sets?

>>Pick One or Two Specialties  and Be Awesome At Them!

3. Don’t Be A Renaissance Market Specialist!

Many people enter into the staging industry believing they have to invest in lots of furniture and accessories to make a go of it which couldn’t be more false.  There is plenty of non-vacant business out there for everyone (I’ll list some ideas in my “Out of the Box” article).  The truth is, there are several different “markets” (vacant, investor, occupied, high end, cottage, neighborhoods, commercial, styles) that we can “specialize” in yet too many stagers tend to not pick a niche or specialty in any one market

>>Consider a Niche Market and Be Awesome At It!

Hopefully this article helped to add clarity to your business!

XOXO – Happy Staging!

Audra Slinkey