How to Start a Home Staging Business

The popularity of home styling surged in the past few years, and for a good reason. According to real estate experts, professionally staged homes sell faster and earn significantly higher prices in spite of real estate market fluctuations, which is why more and more home sellers are opting to have their property styled prior to showings. Judging by the market prospects, home styling will remain in high demand in the years to come, so if you’re eager to carve off a piece of the home styling cake for yourself as a self-made home stager, here are some guidelines that can help you set your business up for rapid growth and long-term sustainability.

Do your market homework

Before going into business, you should do your homework like a good home stager. This means conducting an in-depth market research to establish the demand-supply ratio in your area and learn what features home buyers want in their future nest. It may be the best way to write a narrative essay and inquire about average startup and running costs, profit potentials, competition, design trends, market prospects, and other relevant details. Valuable information on running a home staging business you can find online will help you avoid common pitfalls, max out profits, and ensure long-term sustainability for your business.

Have a business plan in place

With all the relevant info at hand, it’s time to devise a fail safe business plan for the venture. The business plan should include launch and running cost estimates, primary and secondary funding sources, marketing strategy, list of necessary equipment, growth and profit estimates and other critical aspects of the business endeavor. You should also create long-, mid-, and short-term plans with annual, quarterly, and monthly goals: it will help you monitor performance and make slight adjustments should the need for it arise.

Obtain certificates and licenses

Although home staging certificates aren’t a must in all states, having one to back up your service quality and business credibility won’t go amiss. You can obtain a home staging certificate online by completing various courses and workshops: it will give you an edge on the competitive local market and convince potential clients of your competence and expertise. On top of that, you’ll also need to obtain a license or another state-issued permit from local regulatory agency so that you’d be able to run your business in line with the law and relevant regulations.

Get the necessary equipment

As a home stager, you’ll need a few props, tools, and tricks of trade, as well as adequate storage facilities to keep them safe and ready for projects fate may throw your way. As a home staging newbie, you can keep your gear at home until your business grows enough to move into a piece of commercial property. You should also take steps to make sure your tools and equipment are safe from humidity, rust, stains, and other damage, and you can set up a separate phone line and email to facilitate and streamline communication with clients.

Time to market your services

With business essentials in place, it’s time to turn your attention to marketing. You can start by spreading the word about your home staging services by setting up a dedicated Facebook page, or by handing out promotional materials such as leaflets, business cards, and branded items to residential repair contractors, realtors, movers, and other enterprises which can send potential clients your way. If clients fail to start lining up on your doorstep right away, you can tap into the power of sponsored Facebook posts, newspaper ads, and email marketing.

Ready, steady, rise to the top

If you want to rise to the top home staging tiers and stay there in the years to come, you should start building a positive reputation from the very first project. If you want to attract clients fast, you should compile a portfolio of display homes you’ve set up, upload photos of your previous projects to your website, regularly update social media profiles with fresh pictures, and ask your friends, family and satisfied clients for referrals. A good word can go a long way in home staging, especially if you can get realtors and experts in related industries to spread it on your behalf.