There are countless details which go into creating a successful home staging business, but at the end of the day it all boils down to one simple question for an agent or seller: is home staging worth the investment?
As a stager, when you can successfully persuade prospective clients that home staging yields a positive return on their investment, you’re going to win the business. It’s simple math—of course a homeowner is willing to invest $2,500 into professional staging if they are confident that doing so will increase their sales price by $4,000. (These numbers are just examples, obviously, as every situation is different.) Fortunately, we know that home staging does pay. It is a sound investment, and there are plenty of studies that prove this. HomeGain study says there is at least 199% ROI for occupied properties which are staged and RESA said the ROI can be as high as 800%!
There’s another factor which must be considered – and that is the amount of time a listing sits on the market. No seller wants to have their property sit on the market for months on end—they want to sell and move on with their life. Home staging helps reduce days on market as well—as the excerpt from a recent Wall Street Journal article demonstrates:
The Real Estate Staging Association, a trade group with about 1,000 members who identify as home stagers and “redesigners,” says research proves that staging works. After tracking 174 unfurnished homes listed for sale across North America, in 2011, they found that the homes lingered on the market for an average of 156 days. When those same properties were staged and relisted, they sold in an average of 42 days.
This means, as a home stager, your “pitch” can boil down to two simple points. First, that staging property will raise the offer. And second, that staging a home dramatically reduces the time it spends on the market. Home staging services will help your clients sell their houses for more money, in less time than if it wasn’t staged.
If you put yourself in the shoes of a property owner wanting to sell, you’ll realize that “selling fast” and “selling for a great price” are top priorities. As a real estate stager, you are in position to deliver on both counts. Make sure your potential clients know this!
