Thinking about becoming a Home Stager? Consult with the Pros first.

Great points Abby and anyone just starting out or thinking about this business would be wise to follow your lead.

Abby - An excellent post with fabulous advice.. It was a great thing for LuAnn to encourage you and now she can refer you.. God bless,

Abby: This is great advice for anyone thinking of becoming a stager. Thanks for posting it.

Awesome advice, Abby.  I especially liked the suggestion to consult with REA's before you start your business.  As you said, there's no pressure at that point and an excellent way to gain insight.

Kathy

Great advice and pointers Abby.  Researching the many forms of training that will best suit their needs is important. 

Abby -- this is excellent -- you should submit it to ezine articles.

Featured in the Group -- http://activerain.com/groups/RealWorldHomeStaging

LuAnn is my kind of staging Realtor.  Many of us touting that label are just like her.  We believe in staging but are smart enough to know where our expertise lies.  ANd, the client gets a little confused about who is taking care of their real estate, their signs, their contracts, their showings if I am schlepping furniture and can't take a call.  IF I stage, I bring a professional stager, I am the hobbyist, she is the professional in that arena.  I am a Realtor and I am clear about that.

The only disagreement I have is the education issue.  Actually as a Realtor, designations DO mean something.  They mean something to the Realtor who spends time and money getting their designations and the client who feels you at least took a course that had a criteria and in a regulated industry that's important to them.  I think it's even more important in an unregulated industry (although RESA is paving the way for self regulation which makes the public feel more secure too, but that's another blog post). 

Just my opinion of course.  Good thought provoking post and very good advice for someone wanting to start a staging hobby business.

Abby ~ Excellent post which should be required reading for anyone thinking of getting into the home staging business!  One thing I've noticed in our area that many realtors have taken that 2-day staging training class which makes them think they can "stage" properties, but all they do is add a few plants and towels and candles, etc. and don't have the expertise to stage the way fulltime, professional stagers do.  Unfortunately, they even offer their services to their office colleagues -- so their clients get the short end of the stick.  You can tell instantly from the online photos that the house was staged by a realtor and not by a professional stager.  As Terrylynn pointed out -- good realtors are too busy marketing and showing properties. 

Abby...Somehow your post should be at the top of EVERY goggle search for  anyone looking to get into this business!  There is a world of difference in trainings and that is why RESA is so important and something we all need to support and become involved in.

Terrylynn   You and LuAnn are Realtors and Real Estate Professionals in the true sense of the word and know what is best to help your clients get their homes sold.  It's no wonder you are so successful.

Maureen...Seattle has the same problem you do with many Realtors thinking they can stage.  You can spot those photos a mile away but they say they are doing their clients a service, when in actuality they are doing their clients a DIS-service!  Even other REA make comments about it.  And then they complain that they can't make it in the real estate business.  I saw a print-out some time ago that a Realtor had put together about how many hours it took to list and sell a home and it is mind boggling.  Sure don't know when they have time to "stage," if they are properly servicing their clients.

I'd love to see a post from our awesome Realtors with that breakdown again.

Thanks for the great post.  When I was looking into starting my business, I did try to research my area.  I didn't find too many stagers on the internet or phone book, so I thought it was pretty wide open.  Since then, I have found there are quite a few that are well-established.  However, there are literally hundreds of realtors in my area, so I believe there is still room for more. 

Abby - Well said!  Too few wanna be stagers actually do their research.  Some, when they do, forget to pay attention to what they learned.  It is all very important.. both the research and the actual paying attention...

I am sending emails and information to a new stager in New Jersey so this is very timely and helpful for me.  I sent it to her-thank you so much!!!  Great Post! 

I gave my neighbor a bid to stage her previous house which has been on the market for a year. I just found out tonight that I lost the bid, which by the way was very low as a courtesy to my neighbor....the maddening thing is I lost it to a Realtor who will "stage" it for free.  I'm too mad to comment any more tonight!  But I think I'll go out tomorrow and declare myself a realtor...and offer real estate advice for free if I can stage clients homes. 

I cannot wait to see the pictures once they are posted. (I'll be better by tomorrow.)

Thank you Abby, you are right. I just feel that respect is the number one criteria for being in business. I respect the training and qualifications of Realtors. I know they have worked to become experts in their field. But so have stagers, and the respect needs to go both ways. Glad I made you chuckle...I'm smiling now. Onward and upward I always say!

Thanks Abby,

Having a realistic view of what you're getting into is just as important for this business as it is for any other.

Research and the right training, then what Melissa says is so true..."paying attention to" what we learned. 

With regards to Peg, just another reason why we need to work for credibility and respect for our industry--look at the online photos of so-called staged homes and see all the missed opportunities and cold, sterile rooms...