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...
Great home staging is an art form born out of an innate passion for design. You were either born with that passion or not.
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