As I prepare for the 2017 RESA Convention, I realize that there are a few things about the staging industry that is dramatically different than in years past.  Last year, I spoke with hundreds of home stagers who all had some interesting advice, learning lessons and business tips I wanted to share in this post since I'm seeing a shift in the staging industry and anticipate even more for 2017:

The staging industry is growing leaps and bounds and stagers who have a real design talent are busier than ever before! So many of the stagers that I spoke with said they have to turn down work or refer it elsewhere there is such a need for their services. 

2017 promises to be even hotter for the staging industry as homes still uptick in value, Millennials enter the market and Baby Boomers downsize...that means lots of positive movement in the housing market!

Stephanie Cutlip

Stephanie Cutlip of Beyond the Door Interiors in Tampa, FL sent me an email only 6 months after joining HSR telling me:

Hi Audra, my business is taking off so much I can't keep up.  All of the houses that I have staged have sold within a week.  I've quickly learned that I want to focus on interior decorating and redesign.  Staging has opened that door for me....Thank you for a wonderful training program. I wish I had more time to follow you.

Beyond the Door Transformation

Designers are losing business to the home staging industry.  Why?  Because the designer's number one target market is the "New Home Owner" and that market is working with a home stager FIRST as a Home Seller before they become a new home owner.  Home stager's get "first crack" at that market and in my training I go into detail how to position "Move-In Design" services to sellers, so that your business grows!

Stephanie mentioned above that the staging is what has grown her design business in less than 6 months...how awesome is that?

This is why going with a training company that covers BOTH home staging and redesign is essential to getting a full understanding of the industry and how to capitalize and grow your business.  I talk about discovering your niche in my free webinar on January 11, so if you're feeling like a hamster on a wheel, you will want to attend that free event!

It used to be that home stager's would spend quite a bit of time having to educate real estate agents on the benefits of home staging BUT now it's the agents who "get it" and are educating the seller.  I spoke with so many stagers who all said that their agent partners know the sales price of the home will never be as good if the home is not "dialed in" by an objective stager.

The staging industry is NOT a saturated market, so there’s plenty of business for everyone!  In fact, the Staging Mentor program that we introduced a few years back (and won the RESA Innovative Service of the Year Award) resulted in several Staging Mentors bringing their trainees to the conference! Our list of amazing Staging Mentors is growing because as an industry, we are all dedicated to our craft, elevating the quality of work and creating opportunities in staging, styling and design that you would not have found years back.

Michelle Minch, Me and Laurie

Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design a Los Angeles Mentor has connected with several of her trainees at the RESA Convention.  In the photo above, I'm with Michelle and Laurie Mattson an HSR stager   out of Twin Cities, Minnesota who won the RESA Top Ten Stager Award a year after mentoring with Michelle.

Here are some photos of Laurie's great work...get ready to drool...

Laurie Mattson of Rooms With Impact

Laurie Mattson of Rooms With Impact

Laurie Mattson of Rooms With Impact

Laurie Mattson of Rooms With Impact

The 2016 RESA Conference marked the third year in a row that the US Stager of the Year was a HSR Certified Home Stager and graduate of our program!  Just like "not all home stagers are equal", certainly not all home staging training companies are equal!  I've seen so many training companies come and go over the last 11 years, so don't short change yourself and DO YOUR RESEARCH.   If the training company doesn't do anything to build awareness (blog) and market you (have a directory of stagers), then don't invest in them.

Becoming a home stager takes a lot of time, education, resources, connections, knowledge and hard work. There’s a lot to know in this industry because staging is an EXTREME art form.  The "business" of staging involves many different types of needs from vacant to occupied AND great staging leads to design, so make sure to pick a home staging training that covers both business models.  A stager needs to be connected to continued education, designer discounts and resources to better serve their clients and that's why I'm always on the hunt for saving my members time and money!

This is an industry filled with generous, kind-hearted, smart, strong and artistically talented individuals that is such a pleasure and privilege to be a part of!  If you've been rearranging rooms since you were a kid, then consider joining me at the RESA Convention and becoming a home stager.  Don't put it off since there's never been a better time!

Some Beautiful HSR Graduates at the Last RESA Convention

I never get tired of hearing how my HSR members are doing and especially SEEING their incredible home staging photos!  I get quick emails daily about how starting a home staging business has changed their life, along with home staging photos and success stories of home's that sat on the market for months, now selling for a great price because it was staged. 

Seeing is believing, so in this post I'm going to display people's exact words and their gorgeous home staging photos...enjoy!

Michelina of NJ Home Staging and Design

Hi Audra, I just wanted to share some of my success! Since I started your HSR program 9 months ago I’ve done almost 40 home staging projects! I do almost 5 a week currently...steady each week now.

My business is exploding, I’m in NJ and a one woman show. I’m a little overwhelmed but do not want to slow down. I attached my website for a few of my projects for you to see...

Michelina's Home Staging Photos...

Michelina's Home Staging and Design

Me and Kristine at RESACon

Hi Audra - I'm so looking forward to seeing you at the RESA Convention and taking your seminar! I just received an email from one of your students.... I raved about HSR and YOU, telling her how much you care about each and every student becoming a successful stager. I also told her it's 6 years later and we are still in touch. I helped her out with some bar stools for a project she's working on. I love representing HSR, which truly put me on the road to building a successful staging company. I attached photos of my work for you to see...

Kristine Ginsberg - Elite Staging and Redesign

Kristine's Home Staging Photos...

Hi Audra,  

Thank you for reaching out to me about my business! I am certainly still just beginning to get my portfolio together but have made some contacts with other professionals and realtors in my area. I can’t thank you enough for having such a thorough course and preparing me for all the aspects of this industry. I have included just a few before/after photos and some design photos as well. I’m still working on my photography skills. 😉 - Heidi Neely, Heidi Elizabeth Designs

Heidi's Home Staging Photos...

Heidi Elizabeth Designs

Heidi Elizabeth Designs

Claudia Johnson - Model By Design

I can't even begin to tell you how thrilled I am with this program and my new endeavor in this field. I feel so prepared and confident starting my new business because of your program. Worth EVERY SINGLE penny!  Here in Utah looks like there is a void in the market when it comes to home stagers. There really is a demand for it and I am already having a hard time keeping up!

Thanks! from the bottom of my heart! You've changed my life! I am able to stay with my kids and make money doing what I love most!

Claudia's Home Staging Photos...

Darsie Cole - Arroyo Grande, CA  805 Redesign

Honestly, I have been shocked by my interest and desire to get set up with my business and Ive been absolutely swamped with the core material and as a result, I've hardly deviated from your main course information/tutorials.  I love it ...Cruising through life as I was when I found you, I thought this would be a little something fun for the side of everything else I had going. Well now, as I said, I'm consumed and totally committed to my business. Your training absolutely laid it out there succinctly for me to see that my interests absolutely line up with tremendous opportunities and potential that I'd probably would not have recognized without your detailed training and direction.

Darsie's Home Staging Photos...

805 Redesign

Audra, I've been so busy, I'm taking a three week Vacation in San Diego as of today 🙂  I have now 10 homes staged at the moment.  My husband is isolating the pole barn in our yard, so we can heat it. He's happy for my success, but not that I'm taking over his pole barn. lol  Here are a few photos of the latest house...The house was on the market all summer, I staged it and it had two offers in 1 day. 1 was full price 🙂 I am currently in San Diego, may daughter just gave birth to twin boys this morning!

Jeri Jo Meyer, Inspired Home Real Estate out of DeWitt, MI

Jeri Joe's Home Staging Photos...

Inspired Home Real Estate

Inspired Home Real Estate

What Will Your Story Look Like?

Do You Want to Know Something Crazy?

Most home stagers have no idea how easy it is to market their new business and waste a TON of time on outdated marketing practices that don't get their phone to ring.   I hate to see anyone get frustrated with this industry because it is such a fantastic business model and staging is SUPER HOT right now!  There is a lot to know for a home staging business to get started, so I'm revealing my number one secret for stagers to get noticed right away.

Do You Want to Know My BIGGEST Marketing Secret?  I Can't Believe I'm Sharing This But...

I just put together a 30-minute video on how to get your phone to ring and stay busy as a home staging business that I think you are going to LOVE! If you are super busy and don't need any more business, then this video is not for you...BUT if you want your phone to continue to ring with new business...then this FREE video will do that for you!

This FREE video will forever change the way you market  your home staging business!

I've gotten four emails in the past few days from dismayed people who invested in a Staging Training Company and what they thought was a "Staging Certification" course but got very little, REAL training! 

In fact, there is an increasing number of "staging training" companies out there aggressively marketing their business, so it's VERY hard to research which staging training company is right for you.  While some staging training companies are good quality...most do not fully prepare you for all you would need to know in this industry nor do they support you!

That's why I created a 50-Point "Staging Training Company Checklist" so you can simply go down the list and make sure the training you choose to invest in can meet your "Certification" criteria:

Go ahead and click on the image above to download this helpful PDF.  Use the checklist as you shop for the staging training company you want to partner your business with.  Make no mistake, this is a BIG Partnership, so do the research and choose your staging training company wisely! 

When I saw what the HSR training program was offering, I could have kicked myself that I didn’t find them sooner, never mind all the money I wasted prior! The HSR Certification program is the complete package.

Paula Frankline
HSR Certified Stager

Here's an email I received from Pauline who just signed up for the HSR Home Staging Certification training that I thought was really interesting...

Now Pauline is staging like crazy and has a beautiful website from HSR that she is customizing to her heart's content...great job Pauline!  Here is a link to her new website:  www.simplyputstaging.com.

The number one reason home stagers fail is because their website was slow, dated and not personal... 

In essence, their website doesn't "WORC" for them.  This is why at the Home Staging Resource we provide wholesale websites for stagers in our Premium Website package and are always updating this product!  Here's a quick video about our new amazing website technology that checks all the boxes in our "Website Checklist for Stagers":

If you're not sure what a website that "WORC"s looks like, here's a handy checklist you can use to make sure your website is not killing your business...

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Here are more things to consider to get your website working for you...​

Website Image Must ROCK!

Do you upgrade your cell phone every couple years?  Then why don't you upgrade your business website?!  Website styles and technology have evolved and what looked good a few years back, appears busy and dated today. 

At the end of the day, your website is the most critical marketing tool you own.  Taking the time to update and understand it will be key to your success!

I love creating things to help home stagers communicate the "art" of what they do better!  I had so much fun creating this new PowerPoint presentation to put in the HSR Certification Training that I had to share a video of it!  The video is about what can happen when a seller or agent picks a home stager based on price.  Staging a home based on price alone can be disastrous...

In the HSR training, I have quite a few different powerpoint presentations for stagers to customize and present to real estate agents or seller.  This particular presentation is meant to be humorous and given to sellers or agents who are seeking a stager for a vacant home project.

Staging a Home Based on Price Slideshow

Why You Usually Always Get What You Pay For...

The slide that shows the example price differences between IKEA furnishings and Pottery Barn is a good reminder that you can't pay like IKEA and expect Restoration Hardware.  You always have to consider the luxury level, style and scale of the home before thinking about furnishings.

Audra's Favorite Staging Accessories

I've started curating some of my favorite, staging ideas for universal staging accessories that seem to go with everything!  These tools and accessories follow my rules for buying which are:

4 Secrets to Success for REALTORS® Who Are Also Home Stagers

Lately I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from agents looking for "Realtor Staging Training". I get it, the market is hot and home staging works to get the price the seller is hoping for BUT…not all agents can be stagers. Why?  I’ve found in the over 10 years of training, there’s a formula to agents who have great success selling AND home staging themselves.

Living Room Before Staging

After Staging by Sinatro Real Estate, Staging and Design

I’m going to give you my secrets but also share a true, success story (with before and after photos) from an HSR grad who does both Real Estate and staging very successfully!

1.  They Have the "Staging Sickness”

What is the "Staging Sickness”? The sickness is those folks who have been rearranging their rooms since they were children. That's it.  I've found that the best home stagers ALL have been rearranging their rooms since they were children.  Now if you think that everyone does that, you are VERY wrong.  Trust me, most people never rearranged their rooms as children (my two teenage boys have never done this!)  The point I'm trying to make is this...

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Michael Sinatro of Sinatro Real Estate, Staging and Design out of Hartford, CT has the "sickness". He's not your typical stager as a young, father and husband with a background in selling high-end furnishings and textiles to designers.  Michael decided to quit that job and become a real estate agent who also stages and helps with move-in design which is a unique business model.

Michael and his adorable family

2.  They Know Their Limitations

You cannot be all things to all people. Being a 6-figure agent and a 6-figure home stager are usually two separate jobs, so unless you have the “sickness” outsource the work to someone who does.

In Michaels case, he outsourced the job of being an agent on this project to an agent who was more knowledgeable about the area. He staged the home beautifully but understood that he could not deliver the best to his client on the selling side, and sourced that portion out. By knowing his limitations, he created trust and lifelong clients in the seller and agent he worked with.

Bedroom Before

Bedroom After Sinatro Real Estate, Staging and Design

3. They Take Great Care of Their Relationships

I’ve heard some agents who stage say that other agents will not refer staging business their way because they don’t trust them not to steal their client. Trust is an issue and being trustworthy and recognizing that the agent is your most important client of all (for stagers) is essential to success.

The successful staging agents that I know are constantly referred staging business from other agents because they can A.) Trust them B.) Know they have extreme talent (the “sickness”) and C.) Know that they are qualified…which leads me to the fourth point...

Bathroom Before Staging

Bathroom After Staging by Sinatro

4. They Invest in Their Credentials & Education

Real Estate Agents understand almost better than any other industry the need to constantly educate yourself on your industry. Home Staging Certification when done right should NEVER end! Why? The art of home staging is closely aligned with design and the real estate market which are two constantly changing, evolving industries.

Realtor staging training should involve not only the "how to" but also the business logistics to serving other agents with your staging business.​

When you decide to become a professional home stager you are committing yourself to lifelong learning as an entrepreneur

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Is Staging a Career for You?

What other traits have you seen allow agents who also stage to be successful?