Start a House Staging Business
By Eric Hammer
With the economy the way it is and with housing prices still
pretty low, desperate homeowners are increasingly turning to
a house staging business to help them sell their homes. The idea
isn't really to lie about what the home looks like, but instead
to present it in the best possible light.
For example, if you were to run a house staging business,
you might bring in nicer looking furniture to replace the furniture
that's already there (or to put furniture in if there is no furniture
in the home to begin with). You would also advise homeowners
on the best way to make their homes look presentable.
For example, as a house stager, you might suggest to homeowners
that they arrange for the outside of the home to be painted and
for the lawn to be carefully manicured. Again, these are all
things that the new owners might be able to do themselves, however,
a house stager simply sets the scene so that the place looks
nicer than it might otherwise.
How Much Can You Make?
According to FabJob, a house stager may earn anywhere from
$35-$75 per hour for their services. Of course, if you also arrange
to rent out furniture and the like rather than simply setting
up what's already in the home, then you may be able to charge
more money for the rental as well.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
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If you like the concept of house staging but feel like you'd
rather have a longer term effect on a home, consider working
instead as an interior designer. This is similar to house staging,
though not identical. As an interior designer, you are trying
to make a home appear in its best light as the owner sees it.
As a house stager, the owner's personal tastes are not important.
What's important is making the home more appealing looking to
a broader subset of people so that they will want to buy the
place.
Remember that you will be working with people who are desperate
to sell their homes and as such may not have much money to spend.
Sometimes, you can offer a contract where you do the work for
free in exchange for a percentage of the sale price (typically
1 or 2% -- on a $300,000 home, that still works out to between
$3,000-$6,000).
Qualifications / Requirements
There are no formal requirements to start a house staging
business. Anyone can hang out a shingle if they choose to do
so. That said, it is often a good idea to take courses from your
local community college or online in home staging to help you
in this business.
First Steps
Start by reading about house staging. A number of books are
available on the subject (one is mentioned below). See if you
feel you could do this professionally. Then, walk around your
neighborhood looking for "for sale by owner" signs.
Contact one or two owners and offer to work on commission - if
they sell their home within a month of your efforts, you get
paid. If they don't, you get nothing. Assuming you know what
you are doing, you should get your first sale or two and then
you'll be on your way. You can then go to real estate offices
and offer your services and continue to contact owners who want
to sell their own homes.
Resources
Check out these helpful resources to find out more about starting
a house staging business:
Home Staging that Works: Sell Your Home in Less Time for
More Money by Starr C. Osborne Amacom, 2010 - While the book
was written primarily for homeowners rather than people who want
to start a house staging business, the advice here will benefit
you as well.
Decorate-Redecorate: How to Start a Home Staging
Business - While they are trying to sell you their courses,
there is some good information here as well.
eHow: How to Start a Home Staging Business -
Another basic introduction to becoming a home stager.
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