Home Staging

interior decorating stuffy
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You can take courses. There are some that let you complete your training entirely online. Probably not absolutely necessary if you already have good fashion sense, but they would help you determine things like how to charge your clients, how best to advertise your services, what type ob business licenses you need, etc.

Initially, I would approach any friends & neighbors that are selling their homes & ask them to allow you to stage for them free of charge. Take before & after photos as to create a portfolio that you can show to potential clients. You’ll also want to include information like the original asking price, the selling price, how many days the house had been on the market prior to staging & how many days it took to sell after staging.

Then create a website & print up a slew of business cards & start visiting open houses on the weekends. Build relationships with several real estate agents & ask them to recommend you to their clients.
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I have been a Stager for almost 5 years and started by taking the courses through Lori Matzke and Barb Schwarz. I also took real estate classes and got my license. I believe that knowing as much as you can about real estate in general helps you help your clients. Make sure to really study everything you can about the science of Home Staging, and make sure it is something that you have a knack for. I have met many home stagers who are "decorators" and, although there is a decorating element in home staging, the two are completely different things, with two completely different objectives.

During the Staging courses, you will have the opportunity to Stage a home or two for class, providing you with a few Before & After pics for your portfolio. Also, stage some rooms in your own home, and the homes of your friends and families. This should provide you with a great starting portfolio.

After you finish your studies, of course, tell everyone you know that you are getting into the business, but REALLY make sure to market yourself to REALTORS!!! 9 out of 10 of my clients are Realtors. If they like what you do, and you can form a good relationship with the Realtor, they may offer your services as a part of their listing agreements. Also, teaching a 2-hour "Realtor Staging Class" to some of the local real estate offices really got my business name out there, shows the Realtors how much work really goes in to Staging a home well, and also shows them that you are worth the investment. (The realtors that hire you are usually way to busy to Stage their own listings!!)

After less than a year, I had to raise prices, because of demand from Realtors in my area.

Best of luck to you – It is a great business to be in!!!
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I’m a Home Stager