Jason, I am not a stager, so my thoughts don't apply. I do hope you have success with your new venture. Good Luck.

Staging in my area is not so hot. I do not reccomend it, I found that people want the house empty. I have had severl buyers say who do they think they are trying to kid?  Maybe in your area it is "the thing" to do, I just wonder if it is another fad!  Best of luck to you.

I deal mostly in foreclosed homes - sold "AS IS" and have never hired anyone to stage a home.  I think, though, that what you're doing is a good idea and I wish you much success.

Jason,

This sounds like a great idea.  The biggest complaint stagers have are trying to find good rental furniture and a good cost.  Especially different items that aren't the same as what we ususally stage with.

Good Luck!!

Best of luck to you.  Having a business plan is key!

I am a little concerned about the type of furniture you will carry in your inventory.  As a home stager I make sure that my inventory is not a distraction to the property. Keep in mind that we are selling the house "not the stuff in it."  Our inventory should enhance the space but not take away from it.  Does that make sense"  The "unique furniture" may be a bit too much.

I do not use any antiques in my inventory since that only appeals to a certain % of the masses.  Contemporary furniture is more attractive to the masses.  Make sure your inventory will appeal to the masses so that you don't box yourself in with inventory that will only work for a few.  Good luck!

Jason - Good luck with your new venture!  Are you only going to be local to the area in MN that you're in?  If so, the best market research you could do would be to pick up the phone and make appointments with local stagers, asking them to take a look at your inventory as well as catalogues of furniture you will have available to them.  Also, allow them to take a look at the storage facility you'll allow them to use.  They'll give you the necessary feedback - otherwise the 'market research' data you gather is going to be too broad and you might end up purchasing 'stock' that is not best suited for your geographic area.

Jackie

Can you come to SC!  this is a good business plan! and I agree with Janice- we don't use many antiques as stagers! 

I also think that unique and antique furniture is not appropriate for staging. I want nice "on trend" (think Pottery barn basics) pieces.  Really interesting pieces of furntiure distract buyers.

Take a look at the group Staging Before & After pictures. You will see some examples of typical staging there. 

The folks who commented on staging is just a fad certainly have a right to their opinion but they probably also thought the Internet is just a fad. Staging is here to stay.

Thanks to everyone that has responded so far, I really appreciate it.  Any other comments are greatly appreciated. Since I'm new to this area of business getting feedback from people who are in the industry is priceless to me. Thanks again!!

Jason -

I'm obviously unfamiliar with your market, but if it helps, I would not make a huge investment in the antiques.  Like Janice stated above, they are more taste specific than we would ususally look for.  However, you never know when you may need that one special piece for a historic property so having a few on hand may work to your advantage - even for those stagers who carry their own inventory and rearely need those pieces. Renting from you periodically is much better than making the investment themselves. Just know that this category in your inventory may not have a high turnover.

One thing most rental companies lack is high end furnishings. That would be worth looking into as well.  Good luck!