25 Business Tips for Home Stagers

A home stager is a professional who uses their design skills to make certain homes appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers. Home staging businesses are brought in to help sellers prepare their houses for sale by decluttering, depersonalizing, and making necessary repairs and improvements.

Home stagers typically work with real estate agents and homeowners to stage vacant properties or occupied homes that are on the market. Staging can be done before the house is listed (pre-listing staging). Alternately, it can also be done after it’s been listed but isn’t selling (post-listing staging).

Home staging is an excellent business for individuals who have a natural eye for design and are good at marketing themselves. If you’re artistic, enjoy working with people, and have a entrepreneurial spirit, starting your own home staging business could be a great fit!

Starting your own home staging business offers many benefits, including:

Home stagers typically charge between $200 and $600 per day, depending on the size of the home and the scope of work. Some stagers also offer package deals that include an initial consultation, a walk-through of the property, a written report with recommendations, and one or more follow-up visits.

There are several factors that can impact your income as a home stager. These include (but aren’t limited to):

The cost of starting a business can vary widely, depending on the design services you offer and the equipment you need.

Generally speaking, you’ll need to invest in some basic office supplies (e.g. a laptop, printer, etc.). You may also want to purchase some furniture and decor for your own home or office space. Furthermore, you might want to consider investing in a digital camera and/or tripod to take high quality before-and-after photos of your projects.

If you plan on offering virtual staging services, you’ll need to purchase a quality computer program like Photoshop or Sketchup. And if you’re going to be traveling to clients’ homes, you’ll need to factor in the cost of transportation (e.g. gas, vehicle maintenance, etc.).

There are a few different ways that home stagers can get their hands on furniture and decor. The most common method is to purchase items from stores like HomeGoods, Target, World Market, At Home, or IKEA. You can also find great deals on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, garage sales, and thrift stores!

Another option is to rent furniture and decor from companies like CORT Furniture Rental or AFR Event Furnishings. This can be a great option if you don’t have the storage space for a large inventory of your own. Plus, it allows you to offer a wider variety of styles to your clients!

Lastly, some home stagers work with interior designers and/or have access to high-end furniture stores. If you have connections like this, you can get some truly unique pieces for your clients’ homes!

Don’t underestimate the power of marketing! Investing in some quality marketing materials (e.g. business cards, flyers, website, etc.) can go a long way in helping you attract new clients.

If you’re new to marketing, here are some additional ways you can get your name out there:

In order to be successful, you need to know who your target audience is and what they’re looking for. Are you targeting home sellers? Home buyers? Realtors? Investors?

Your brand is what sets you apart from your competition. It’s how you want people to perceive your business, and it should be reflected in everything you do.

From your logo and website design to the way you answer the phone and interact with clients, every detail matters when it comes to branding!

Never built a business brand before? No problem! Here are some valuable things to keep in mind:

One of the best ways to market your home staging business is by having a strong design portfolio. This will give potential clients a good idea of your style, eye for detail, and overall abilities.

Be sure to only include your absolute BEST work in your portfolio. And if you don’t have any professional photos yet, consider hiring a photographer to snap some shots of your staged homes.

In addition to pretty pictures, your website should also include key information about your business, such as:

A professional website is essential for any business nowadays, and home staging is no exception. Your website should be designed in a way that accurately reflects your brand and showcases your best work.

There’s no denying that social media is a powerful tool. Not only can it help you connect with potential clients, but it can also be used to generate leads and drive traffic to your website.

There are many different types of insurance policies available for home stagers, so be sure to do some research and figure out which one(s) will work best for you. In general, however, these are the most common types of insurance you’ll come across in your research:

No matter how big or small your business is, it’s always a good idea to get insured. This will protect you (and your staging business) in case anything ever goes wrong.

As a home stager, it’s important to have all the necessary supplies and equipment on hand to get the job done right. This could include items such as:

Joining professional organizations is a great way to network, learn from your peers, and get your business name out there. Plus, most organizations offer their members discounts on things like liability insurance and marketing materials.

Some home staging professional organizations include the:

One of the best ways to grow your home staging business is to network with other professionals in the industry. This could include real estate agents, interior designers, interior decorators, home builders, and more.

Not only will this help you get your name out there – you might also be able to snag some referrals! So, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and start networking today.

One of the keys to success in any business is staying organized. This is especially true in the world of home staging, where you’ll often be juggling multiple projects at once.

To help you stay on top of things, we recommend investing in a good project management system. This could be something as simple as a physical planner or a digital tool like Trello.

There are many different ways to improve curb appeal, but some common methods include:

After all, first impressions matter – and you want potential buyers to have a good impression of the homes you’re staging.

Curb appeal is the term used to describe how appealing a property looks from the street. And in the world of home staging, it’s one of the most important things to keep in mind!

As a home stager, it’s important to remember that you’re not staging homes for yourself – you’re doing it for your clients! This means that, when selecting furniture and decor for a space, you need to keep the client’s taste in mind.

Not sure what they like? Just ask! During your initial consultation, be sure to get a feel for their design style preferences. This will help ensure that the final product is something they’ll love.

Not only will you be able to interact with other like-minded professionals; you’ll also have access to a wealth of knowledge and resources. Here are just a few of our favorite online communities for home stagers:

One great way to connect with other home stagers, learn new tips and tricks, and stay up-to-date on the latest industry news is to join online home staging communities.

Some great resources for staying up-to-date on home staging trends include:

Another great way to ensure your home staging business is successful is to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. This way, you can be sure that you’re always offering your clients the most stylish and popular staging options.

While you’re not required to specialize in a certain type of home staging, it can be beneficial to choose a niche. This could be anything from luxury properties to fixer-uppers or even eco-friendly staging. Your niche could also be as simple as specializing in specific rooms of the home – such as bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms.

Another option is to offer multiple design services all under one roof! This could include anything from home staging to interior decorating, professional organizing, color consulting, landscape design, Feng Shui design, and even virtual staging.

Pricing your home staging services properly is essential to the success of your business. If you charge too much, you’ll likely lose out on potential clients. But if you charge too little, you may not be able to cover your costs or make a profit.

Not sure how to price your services? A great place to start is by considering your costs (e.g., inventory, marketing, etc.) and then adding a markup. For example, if it costs you $200 to stage a home, you may want to charge $400 – giving you a 100% markup.

Getting clients is one of the most important – and challenging – aspects of running a home staging business. After all, without clients, you won’t have any homes to stage!

There are a number of different ways to get clients, but some of the most effective include:

Client retention can be approached in a number of ways, but some of the most effective include:

Once you’ve landed some clients, it’s important to keep them happy! This will increase your chances of them coming back to you for more business in the future. Plus, a positive experience on their end will make them more likely to recommend you to other people.

As we just discussed, client testimonials are essential for any home staging business – both when you’re trying to land new clients and retain existing ones.

But what exactly is a testimonial? A testimonial is simply a statement from a satisfied customer that can be used to promote your business. If you don’t already have some client testimonials, make it a priority to get them!

There are a few different ways to go about getting testimonials, but one of the simplest is to just ask your happy clients if they wouldn’t mind writing a few words about their experience working with you. Another great way to get testimonials is by offering incentives, such as discounts or other freebies, in exchange for them.

One great way to promote your home staging business is to get involved in your local community. This could involve anything from sponsoring a local event or charity to hosting free workshops or open houses.

In the world of home staging, no two projects are ever exactly alike. This means that, as a stager, you need to be flexible and open-minded in order to be successful.

Being flexible doesn’t just mean being willing to work with different clients and properties – although that’s certainly part of it! Being flexible also means being able to adapt your plans on the fly, as well as being willing to try new things.

This one might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s actually easy to forget to renew your business license!

Finally, one of the most important business tips for home stagers is to keep track of all your business expenses. This includes everything from office supplies and marketing materials to travel expenses and professional development courses.

Finally, let’s talk about some specific business ideas you can use to get your own business up and running with little to no funds!

One great way to get started in the home staging industry is to offer your services for free (or at a deeply discounted rate) to family and friends. This will give you the opportunity to build up your portfolio and get some experience under your belt. Once you have a few projects under your way, you can start marketing your business to real estate agents and homeowners in your area.

Another great ideas is to start a mobile home staging business, where you travel to your clients’ homes to stage their properties. This is a great option if you have a knack for design and enjoy working with people. Plus, it’s a great way to get out of the house and meet new people!

Lastly, you can offer virtual staging services. With this type of service, you can stage homes from the comfort of your own office (i.e. no need to travel)! Plus, you can reach a wider audience of clients since location is not a factor. All you need is a quality computer program like Photoshop or Sketchup and you’re good to go!

There you have it – 25 business tips for home stagers! We hope this article has given you some helpful insights into how to start, run, and grow a successful business in the professional home staging industry.