The benefits of staging a home when trying to sell it are clear. According to the 2018 HSR Survey, which studied 4200+ homes, 85% of the staged homes sold for 6-25% more than unstaged homes. The real estate market has long been aware of the power of staging, but now, there’s statistical data to back up this theory. That’s why now is one of the best times to become a home stager. If you love decorating and see every room as a canvas, then that’s why you’re here. You’ve come to learn more about starting a home staging business!
Bringing your dream of starting a business to life can get overwhelming, and that’s why we’re here to help. In this guide, we’re going to offer 8 tips for starting a home staging business, and we hope these tips will help answer your questions and point you down the right path as you start your new career.
1. Define Your Target Market
You won’t want to generalize your business; instead, look for a specialty. For example, many home stagers like to specialize in working with house flippers and investors, while others might want to work with apartment complexes or office buildings. When you choose your target market, you can narrow down what you’ll be doing and work towards making your services as comprehensive as possible. You’ll become a go-to expert in your chosen field!
2. Get Insured
While running a home staging business is one of the more low risk entrepreneurial ventures you could embark on, it’s not without the potential for an accident to happen. For instance, if something was broken or damaged while you were at a client’s property, then you could find yourself in litigation. Having liability insurance will cover you in the event of the unthinkable.
3. Create a Client Contract
It’s just good business sense to have a professional client contract that outlines everything you cover, what you don’t cover, and what you plan on doing for them. Your client contract releases you from harm and offers certain protections for the client. You can find pre-made templates of such contracts online, but you might want to have sit-down with a lawyer to create a more specific contract that represents your wishes precisely.
4. Find Storage
In the home staging business, you can expect to collect a lot of random furniture, props, and décor. Rugs, curtains, benches, and tables will all need a place to stay while you aren’t using them, and perhaps the best place to look is with a storage unit or, if you can swing it, storage on your property. Having this storage in place will let you keep all of your staging tools in one place, waiting for you.
5. Look for Deals
When you start your home staging business, you will want to purchase a lot of furniture, decor, and accessories, but, like most startups, you probably are on a tight budget, with intentions of building your business as you go. While that’s a great tactic, another worthy strategy is to look for deals with a home decor supplier. Discounts and bargains can help you save a lot when you start up and assure that you have everything you need to “wow” your clients and their prospective buyers.
6. Create a Website
If you’re not sure how to start a website, do not worry! There are numerous ways to do this. You could create your own website using sites like Wix, Yola, and Weebly. It’s free to begin building your site, and you can easily upgrade when you’re ready to go live. Or, you could choose to have a web developer create your website on your behalf. Be sure to implement local search engine optimization (SEO). While that might sound complicated, it’s not! Just offer organic content that caters to your local area, and you’ll find that your search engine rankings soar to bring in even more traffic from your town or area.
7.Leverage Social Media
Using social media sites, especially Facebook and Instagram, is a great way to show off your work, tell people what you’ve been up to, and connect with prospective clients and fans. Social media can help with that SEO thing we talked about earlier, which means it can even help you draw in new prospective clients in your area. In addition, you can even host giveaways and contests with your followers to have some fun.
8. Ask for Referrals and Reviews
When you’re just starting out with your home staging business, it can feel awkward to encourage referrals and reviews, but you need this positive feedback now more than ever! Don’t be afraid to ask happy clients to share your business with others, and certainly don’t be shy to ask for a gleaming review. If you’ve earned their business and done a great job, then most clients will be happy and willing to share your company with people they know.
Takeaway
Starting a home staging business is a great idea for people who love to decorate but are looking for something to do part time. The great thing about this business is that you can scale it as big or as boutique as you’d like, and you can truly put your own touch on your business.
As you go about setting up and launching your business, remember to promote in your area with a website and social media accounts, and also be sure that backend priorities, like a storage solution and insurance, are squared away. If you have a passion for staging, are great at it, and love working with people, then just remember to always be consistent in your business to achieve the very best results!
