Staging Houses

[MrD]

I have a relative who is becoming a Stager for houses and I am curious if I may be able to help. She has a lot of experience in decorating and she is probably the nicest person you will ever meet. She will be extremely successful as a stager and I am sure of it, my main concern is networking and finding houses.


Any advice on how to get started in staging and what kind of venues work best? Cold call realtors? Website? She already is certified and is about to get the ball rolling. Any tips would be great.

[gooki]

Keep a good record of photos and sales results. I'd expect a slow start in this industry, but one you get established and can prove the difference you make, one could see great returns.

[mechanic baird]

Like all other small businesses, you need to figure out some numbers and decide what it takes to run it and how much you can make. Location varies greatly.
My close friend used to be a top stager in NYC, interviewed by HGTV and SmartMoney and made good money. That's because most of the properties were around a couple of millions and dropping $5000 for a staging fee didn't look so bad.
When she moved to Colorado, she found out there were no clients willing to spend that kind of money on staging. Normal fee is like 500 bucks a house.. That killed the idea.

A lot of people wanted to go out do a business cuz they like the idea. OH, I get to decorate houses all day long. No, it's a lot more complex than that. You got to know the market and know how it operates and how this business can pay.

Like all other sales related real estate businesses, you also need to figure out how to market your business and get clients and not go crazy with marketing cost. I made that mistake so I know..

[MrD]

Awesome advice guys, thank you so much!