Pricing your services can feel like walking a tightrope. Charge too much, and you worry about losing clients. Charge too little, and you risk working harder without seeing the financial rewards you deserve.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs, especially in creative industries like home staging, grapple with the fear of underpricing. Here’s how you can tackle this challenge head-on and confidently charge what you’re worth.
Why Women Tend to Undervalue Their Worth
For many women, underpricing isn’t just a business challenge – it’s deeply rooted in how we’re taught to think about money, work, and value.
Cultural Conditioning: Women are often raised to be accommodating, avoid conflict, and prioritize relationships over financial gain. This can make it uncomfortable to ask for higher rates or negotiate terms.
Discomfort with Money Discussions: Research shows that women are less likely to advocate for themselves in financial matters, often out of fear of being perceived as “greedy” or “difficult.”
Imposter Syndrome: Women are more likely to doubt their expertise or feel they need to “prove” their worth before asking for what they deserve.
This mindset frequently leads to undervaluing our work and charging less than we’re worth. But here’s the truth: you can’t build a sustainable business by underpricing.
The first step to overcoming this is understanding that pricing isn’t personal—it’s about the value you bring to your clients.
Why Do We Fear Underpricing?
Let’s start with the root of the issue.
Fear of Losing Clients: It’s natural to worry that higher prices might scare off potential clients. But here’s the truth: clients who value quality often associate higher prices with higher value.
Self-Doubt: A lack of confidence in your skills or the value you bring to the table can make you hesitant to charge your worth.
Lack of Data: Without a clear understanding of your costs and profitability, it’s easy to second-guess yourself.
Sound familiar? Don’t worry – this fear is something you can overcome with the right strategies.
Step 1: Know Your Costs
One of the easiest ways to build pricing confidence is to base your rates on data, not emotion. Start by calculating your true costs:
Fixed Costs: Rent, insurance, utilities, software subscriptions, and other consistent expenses.
Variable Costs: Inventory, subcontractors, and labor costs.
Your Time: Include not just billable hours but also non-billable tasks like marketing, admin, and networking.
With this information, you can calculate the minimum amount you need to charge to cover expenses and ensure profitability.
Step 2: Use Tools to Simplify Pricing
One of the biggest breakthroughs I’ve seen with my clients is using a pricing calculator. This tool takes the guesswork out of pricing by showing exactly what you need to charge to cover your costs and achieve your desired profit margin.
For example, one of my clients, Liz, thought her jobs were profitable – until we ran her numbers through the calculator. We discovered she was losing money on every job because she wasn’t accounting for overhead like rent, insurance, and inventory investments. After adjusting her rates, Liz transformed her business and started turning a real profit.
Ask yourself:
Are you including all your costs in your pricing?
Have you considered how many times an item needs to be rented before it pays for itself?
Profit starts only after an item has covered its cost, so make sure your rates reflect these realities.
Liz was busy – she was getting lots of jobs, and money was coming in. The trouble was, she didn’t realize that the money was flowing out faster than it was flowing in, and the company wouldn’t be able to survive if she continued this.
Step 3: Shift Your Mindset
Many of us undervalue our services because we’re afraid of rejection or feel uncomfortable asking for more. But pricing isn’t just about what you’re charging – it’s about the value you bring.
Focus on Outcomes: Clients pay for the results you deliver, not just the hours you work. Highlight the benefits of your services, like faster home sales or increased sale prices, and relate those benefits to how it impacts the clients.
Embrace Selectivity: If every client is saying “yes” without hesitation, it might be a sign that you’re undercharging. The right clients will recognize your worth and happily invest in your services.
Reframe Rejection: Hearing “no” is not failure – it’s feedback. “No” doesn’t mean “I don’t want to use your services”, it means they don’t have enough information to confidently move forward with you. And “if you’re not hearing no, you’re not asking for enough.”
Step 4: Build Pricing Confidence
Start with New Clients: Increase your rates for new clients and inquiries immediately, and work to increase your loyal clients’ fees over time.
Practice Presenting Your Rates: Confidence is key when discussing pricing. Avoid apologizing or justifying your rates—state them clearly and focus on the value you provide.
Track Your Results: Seeing how changes impact your profitability can reinforce your confidence in your pricing decisions.
Step 5: Reassess Regularly
Your pricing isn’t set in stone. As your business grows and your expertise increases, your rates should reflect that. Make it a habit to revisit your pricing every 6–12 months, especially if your costs or services have changed.
The Bottom Line
Underpricing isn’t just about the numbers – it’s about your mindset and how you communicate your value. By understanding your costs, using the right tools, and shifting your perspective, you can overcome the fear of underpricing and confidently charge rates that reflect your worth.
Remember: Pricing your services correctly isn’t just about making money. It’s about running a sustainable business that supports your goals and values your expertise.
Want More Help with Pricing?
If pricing is still a struggle, check out our Staging for Profit: Master Your Pricing Strategy course, where we dive into these concepts and more. You’ll get access to our exclusive pricing calculator, actionable strategies, and a system that ensures profitability for every project.
Do friends and family constantly ask you for home décor advice?
If you’re nodding along, you might have what it takes to turn your passion for home décor into a lucrative career in home staging. The best part? With the right guidance, you can build a thriving staging business that blends creativity with entrepreneurship.
Here’s how to make it happen:
1. Understand the Difference Between Decorating and Staging
Before diving in, it’s important to know that while decorating and staging share some common ground, they serve different purposes. Interior decorating is all about designing a space that reflects the homeowner’s personal style. Home staging, on the other hand, is about creating a neutral, universally appealing space that helps prospective buyers visualize themselves in the home. Your job as a stager is to create emotional connections between the house and the buyer.
If this sounds like a challenge you’re excited to tackle, you’re already on the right track!
2. Leverage Your Natural Skills
Your love for décor likely means you already have a strong eye for color, texture, and layout. These are the creative building blocks for staging. However, there’s more to it than simply making a room look pretty. Successful staging requires understanding how to highlight a home’s best features, how to downplay its flaws, and how to make spaces feel bigger and brighter than they actually are.
If you’re new to this, don’t worry. Many of these skills can be honed with the right training and experience. And guess what? You likely already have a good instinct for what works in a room. The next step is refining that skill into a powerful business tool.
3. Build Your Portfolio
To attract clients and build credibility, you’ll need a strong portfolio showcasing your work. One of the best ways to start is by working on a variety of spaces—either your own or those of paying clients—and documenting the transformation with high-quality before-and-after photos.
Your portfolio will be the foundation of your marketing efforts, so make sure it clearly demonstrates your ability to stage different types of homes and cater to various buyer demographics. Whether it’s staging a small condo or a large family home, your portfolio should highlight how your staging improves the look, feel, and marketability of the space.
4. Get Certified and Stand Out
Although home staging is not a regulated industry, certification can help you stand out in a crowded market. A home staging certification program provides you with industry-standard knowledge, tools, and business strategies that you won’t find by simply browsing Pinterest or watching HGTV.
Certification also shows potential clients that you’re serious about your business, and it gives you credibility when approaching real estate agents for partnerships. If you want to set yourself apart from hobbyists, getting certified is a smart move.
5. Learn the Business Side of Staging
Your creativity may have sparked your interest in home staging, but to turn it into a thriving business, you’ll need to understand the entrepreneurial side of things. That includes learning how to price your services, manage contracts, market your business, and build strong relationships with real estate agents.
In addition to your passion for décor, your ability to solve problems and deliver excellent customer service will be key to your success. Homeowners and agents alike will appreciate a stager who is professional, organized, and easy to work with. A certification course can teach you the business fundamentals you need to avoid common pitfalls.
6. Market Yourself to Real Estate Agents
Most of your staging business will come from referrals through real estate agents, so building relationships with them is crucial. Offer your services with confidence and showcase the value of staging for helping homes sell faster and for more money. As you grow, leverage testimonials and referrals to build trust with other agents and clients.
Real estate agents need reliable stagers who understand the market and know how to make homes stand out. Once they see the impact of your work, they’ll be more likely to refer you to their clients and other agents. And don’t forget to leverage social media! Share your portfolio, staging tips, and home transformations on platforms like Instagram and Facebook to increase your visibility.
7. Keep Learning and Growing
Home staging is an ever-evolving industry, and it’s important to stay on top of the latest design trends and staging techniques. Attend webinars, read industry blogs, and consider joining the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), the home staging trade association, to stay connected with the latest developments.
The more you invest in learning and growing your skills, the more successful your staging business will become.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
Color plays a crucial role in home staging. It has the ability to transform a space, evoking different emotions and make potential buyers feel welcoming, but it can also make a space feel dull and uninspired. The right color scheme can transform a room into a cozy retreat, a vibrant entertainment area, or an airy oasis. When it comes to selling your home, a well-executed color palette can make all the difference.
Let’s discover why color is crucial in home staging and how it can make a significant difference in the selling process.
It Sets the Mood
Color can create a mood or evoke a feeling in a space. For example, warm, earthy tones can make a room feel cozy and intimate, while cool blues and greens can create a calming atmosphere. When staging a home, it’s important to choose colors that complement the style of the space and create a welcoming atmosphere for potential buyers.
It Enhances the Space
The right color scheme can enhance the features of a room, making it appear larger, brighter, and more inviting. For example, using light colors on the walls and furniture can help a small room appear more spacious, while a pop of color on an accent wall can add interest and depth to a larger room.
It Helps Highlight Key Features
Color can be used to highlight key features in a space, such as a beautiful fireplace or a stunning view. By using contrasting colors or bold accents, you can draw attention to these features and create a focal point in the room.
It Creates a Cohesive Look
Using a cohesive color palette throughout the home can create a sense of flow and continuity, making the space feel more harmonious and put together. When staging a home, it’s important to choose colors that complement each other and create a cohesive look from room to room.
It Sets Your Home Apart
Finally, using the right colors in your home staging can set your property apart from the competition. A well-staged home with a carefully chosen color palette can make a lasting impression on potential buyers and help your home stand out in a crowded market.
In conclusion, color is a critical element of home staging. The right color scheme can transform a space, create a welcoming atmosphere, and help your home stand out from the competition. When preparing your home for sale, be sure to consider the power of color and use it to your advantage.
Here are a few tips for ensuring that you’re getting the most value from your new paint upgrade:
Consult with a professional to get the right color – professional home stagers have experience in selecting paint colors that will appeal to potential buyers. They know which colors are on-trend, which colors are timeless, and which colors will work best in your specific home. With their experience, they can help guide you towards the best options for your space.
Choose Neutral Colors: this will help to give your home that “move-in ready” look while ensuring that it will appeal to a wide range of potential buyers. Shades of beige, gray, and white are popular choices that will help make your home feel fresh and clean.
Paint All Rooms Consistently: To create a cohesive look throughout your home, it’s important to paint all rooms with the same color scheme. This will help make your home feel more put together and appealing to potential buyers. Mixing too many colors in your home can make it feel disorganized and confusing to potential buyers. Plus, the more colors you choose, the more expensive it is to paint. In home staging, we recommend no more than 3 shades of a particular color however, in most cases, we recommend using a single color throughout and enhancing it through staging with additions of artwork and decor.
Use Quality Paint: Using high-quality paint can make a big difference in the overall appearance of your home. Look for paint that has good coverage and is easy to apply. This will save you both time, and money, in the long run.
Consider Hiring a Professional: If you’re not confident in your painting skills, consider hiring a professional to help. A professional painter can ensure a high-quality finish that will make your home look its best.
Thinking of becoming a home stager?
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
The following information is provided by award-winning home staging industry influencer Shauna Lynn Simon. It’s backed up by thousands of clients, up-to-date and independent research, and over 15 years of real-world experience in the home staging industry.
As a home stager, you know the importance of showcasing a property in its best light but sometimes it can be challenging to convince homeowners and real estate agents that staging is a worthwhile investment. The best way to persuade even the most skeptical clients and create raving fans is by highlighting your value and emphasizing the benefits of staging. Here’s how to sell your value as a home stager in a buyer’s market:
1. Emphasize the importance of first impressions
In a buyer’s market, potential buyers have more options to choose from, and they may be more selective about which properties they choose to visit. That’s why it’s essential to make a strong first impression. Staging helps create a welcoming atmosphere and allows buyers to envision themselves living in the home. Emphasize the impact that staging can have on a property’s online listing and open house appeal, which can ultimately lead to a quicker sale.
2. Highlight the return on investment
Staging can seem like a significant investment for homeowners, so it’s essential to emphasize the return on investment (ROI). Many homeowners are hesitant to invest in home staging, especially in a buyer’s market where they may be concerned about spending too much money. It’s your job to educate your clients on the benefits of home staging and how it can help them sell their home more quickly and for a higher price. Make sure they understand that staging isn’t just about making the home look pretty; it’s about creating a lifestyle that buyers can see themselves living in. Share your statistics and reassure them that by staging the property, it will attract more potential buyers, increase the perceived value of the home, and potentially lead to a higher offer price. Homeowners and real estate agents will appreciate the added value that staging can bring to a property and will be more willing to invest in your services.
3. Demonstrate your expertise
One of the best ways to sell your value as a home stager is to demonstrate your expertise. Showcase your portfolio, highlighting before-and-after photos, and include testimonials from satisfied clients. Show that you have experience staging various types of properties and can create a tailored plan for each home. Highlight any certifications or training you have received, and share any success stories you have had with previous clients. The more confident you are in your abilities, the more confident your clients will be in hiring you. Use phrases like “in my experience” and give specific examples of how you have helped past clients.
4. Emphasize your understanding of buyer psychology
In a buyer’s market, understanding buyer psychology is key to success. You need to know what motivates buyers, what they’re looking for in a home, and what turns them off. Emphasize yo
ur knowledge of buyer psychology and explain how you use that knowledge to create a home that will appeal to a wide range of potential buyers. Keep yourself up to date with the latest market reports, listen to buyer feedback on all your staged properties, and study the specific demographics of each property to ensure that you are creating a staging plan that connects with the listing’s specific buyers.
5. Be personable and professional and sell with integrity
Finally, it’s essential to be personable and professional in your interactions with clients. Listen to their concerns and needs and provide personalized recommendations. Show that you are a reliable and trustworthy partner in the home-selling process. Some homeowners may want a full staging service, while others may only need a consultation and tips for how to better utilize the items that they already have. Sell your clients only what they need, and provide the best options for their budget.
Selling your value as a home stager in a buyer’s market requires a combination of expertise, experience, and confidence. By educating your clients, showing before-and-after photos, highlighting your expertise, emphasizing your understanding of buyer psychology, and being personable and professional, you will connect with more clients, build stronger partnerships, and grow your business.
Resources to help you get started
Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy has all the resources you need to be successful as a home stager. Unlike other training programs and academies, we also focus on business skills — our comprehensive training has helped many of our students grow a profitable business from scratch.
Check out these great resources to build your skills and connect with your best clients
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
The following information is provided by award-winning home staging expert Shauna Lynn Simon. It’s backed up by thousands of clients, up-to-date and independent research, and 14 years of real-world experience in the home staging industry.
There are many paths to becoming a professional home stager and, yes, a career in home staging can provide you with a good stable income.
With the right tools in your pocket, you can start (and grow) your business quickly and efficiently. I’ve personally helped thousands of home stagers from all kinds of backgrounds and economic circumstances to become successful home stagers in their local area.
Here’s what you need to know about how much home stagers make, and how you can kickstart (or rejuvenate) a career as one!
What does a home stager do?
Home staging is the art of furnishing and decorating a home to make it aesthetically appealing to anyone walking through the front door. A professional stager typically works with real estate agents or home sellers to prepare and stage owner-occupied and vacant homes prior to listing their property for sale in their local real estate market.
Professional staging is not the same as interior design. Interior designers work with clients and create an environment based on their personal likes, dislikes, personal functional needs and preferred home look.
A home stager, in contrast, is trained to turn open houses into future homes that potential buyers find universally attractive. Selling a home is about marketing to today’s home buyers.
The day-to-day life of a home stager involves:
Doing consultations with new clients.
Planning room layouts and furnishings.
Physically managing the movement and placement of ALL decor and furniture into vacant show houses.
Advising clients on how to arrange their existing furniture and decor
Helping clients clear clutter, clean surfaces and repair cosmetic defects
And much, much more!
Home stagers often work to make small spaces appear bigger and more attractive to prospective buyers.
Why do people hire home stagers?
Home stagers position homes against their competition so that they stand out to and attract buyers. With more buyers interested in a home, the property will sell at a higher price — often 5-10% above the asking price. In most cases, it also helps the home sell after spending very little time on the market (1-2 weeks). If you think about a $500,000 home, a mere 5% increase in sale price net’s the seller an extra $25k! Considering the cost of staging, their return on investment is five times more than the cost of staging.
Three types of home stagers
While estate agents have governing bodies like the National Association of Realtors ® as well as state/provincial licensing boards, there’s no formal roadmap to becoming a home stager. In a self-regulated industry, the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) provides standards and professional guidelines for members, however, membership is not mandatory to be a home stager.
As a home stager, your revenue is based on referrals from happy customers, partnerships with real estate agents, and the success of your marketing efforts within your area.
Here are the different ways you can run a home staging business.
Consultations-only
You help homeowners develop a DIY plan of action in your initial consultation. This business model doesn’t require much capital to start, but you will spend less time doing actual staging, and more time advising, planning, and building resources.
In-house
In-house stagers work for real estate agencies or home staging businesses. To find a full-time job in home staging, you need a portfolio of work, training, and experience. You may also start out as a staging assistant while learning the ropes.
Full-service business
A full-service home stager manages home staging projects from start to finish. They hold consultations, plan staging designs, arrange for furniture and decor to be moved or replaced, and physically set the stage of the house for prospective buyers. This type of business requires an inventory of furnishings that you rent to your clients or an agreement with a third-party furniture rental service.
Real estate agents are known to exclusively engage the services of a full-service home staging business.
A professional home stager makes spaces aesthetically pleasing and creates a blank slate for the new owners.
How much money can you make staging homes?
Data supplied by ZipRecruiter indicates that most people working as a home stager will earn between $26,000 and $42,000 per year. The top 15% of home stagers earn between $48,000 and $81,000. (Note: The average salary of a home stager works out to be around $48,000, thanks to these outliers.)
If you are running your own home staging business, you will likely bill a rate of anywhere from $100-$200 per billable hour. Alternatively, if you opt to own inventory, you would also make a rental fee on items you use in a staged home. If you choose to work for a home staging company, your pay rate will depend greatly on your role and responsibilities within their company, however, you can expect to make an hourly rate between $15-$50.
But stats without context don’t really give you the full picture.
Let’s dive into what your monthly income might look like as a solo business owner.
Consultation fees on average cost +/- $300. This covers a couple of hours in which you assess the current state of the house, the number of rooms you need to stage, what the future home will look like, and the amount of work required. This consultation usually includes an upsell tailored to the client with one of the following solutions:
Complete staging in each room with your inventory.
Affordable staging with their EXISTING household items.
A hybrid solution, such as staging key rooms only like the living room and master bedroom only, or providing a mix of your inventory with their existing items.
Each room staged with your inventory can be charged at an industry cost of roughly $500 per month. (It’s possible to charge much higher prices and furniture rental fees to clients if you work with luxury homes.)
Based on these numbers, the following monthly scenario could be what a 1-person business brings in every month:
6 x Consultations: $2,400.
2 x medium-sized staged homes for one month: $4,000.
2 x service-only stagings to stage the house with existing items: $1,000.
And that works out to a monthly gross revenue of $7,400. Next, you need to factor in your expenses to know how much you actually take home.
Understanding your local market
Different locations will allow you to charge varying fees. For example, stagers in New York and Los Angeles will charge a premium for their services due to increased expenses, cost of living, and luxury expectations. On the other end of the spectrum, stagers in a small town an hour outside of Ohio may find that their market won’t bare the same prices and may need to price their service fees far lower.
Factoring in your expenses
While most people will be happy to throw big salary numbers at you, they neglect to mention the costs of securing that revenue. I’ve noticed many people feel overwhelmed by the idea of expenses and operating costs, but it’s all part of running a business. And once you understand your expenses, setting goals and following budgets is as easy as pie.
When creating your business plan, think about the additional cost to do the following:
The purchase or rental costs of your inventory.
Training and certification in home staging and business skills.
Your finance and administration costs (e.g., a bookkeeper).
Movers, trucks, and storage fees.
Mobile phone and internet costs.
Marketing costs (such as a website developer, social media manager, and even Google ads).
General office supplies.
There are some clever ways to manage and curb your expenses while you’re growing your home staging business. Here are a few great options:
Option 1: Go all-in at the start
This is the method I personally chose. Because I purchased the bulk of Beyond the Stage’s furniture and decor upfront, I expected to run at a loss for a whole five years (home staging was an extremely new concept in my market at the time). In reality, that panned out slightly better, and it took just a little more than three years for us to become a profitable business. And boy was it worth it! I have enough inventory to stage several houses at any one time, and I was quickly becoming the go-to in my area.
This option is entirely possible, but it will take some upfront investment — so you need to go in with a clear plan for not only operating the business but paying your personal expenses (i.e. do you have savings, spousal support, or a second job that could assist in covering costs while you build the business?).
Option 2: Start slow with consults and furniture rentals
Instead of purchasing your large inventory off the bat, keep costs low and rent them from furniture rental companies. Running a consults-only business avoids the expense of moving furniture in and out of houses entirely. Recently, virtual consults have helped stagers reach an even larger market while keeping their running costs at an all-time low. If you wish to provide inventory to clients, invest in the small goods only and leave the big stuff to a furniture rental company to provide. Alternatively, you can assist your clients with shopping for the staging items they need, and since they purchase the items themselves, they get to keep them in the next house!
Option 3: Become a home staging assistant
This has a little less of the glory, but provides a close-up look at the ins and outs of a home staging business, without the upfront investment. You will help a home stager assemble furniture, clean surfaces, make and steam beds, arrange movers, and more. If you feel nervous about entering the industry, it’s a great foot in the door. I’ve trained many assistants over the years and have found it’s crucial to have some training before you start.
Get started with your career in home staging. Click here to check out our free resources.
Home staging tips for people looking to enter the industry
Passion for home decor is a must! On those days where you need to put yourself out there and give that little push to get yourself on the right trajectory… it’s passion that will keep you going.
Build systems from day one. It all comes down to the systems you create. If you have a strategy for virtual staging consults, traditional homes, and empty homes, you can free yourself from repetitive admin work and focus on getting new clients.
Get clear on your target clients from the start. Home staging is still a people game. Understanding where your clients will come from, and how best to interact with them, will be your secret to success.
Invest in professional photography. This is your biggest sales tool and poor quality photos (no matter how great your smartphone camera is) could turn off clients before they’ve even contacted you.
Resources to help you get started
Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy has all the resources you need to start a career in home staging. Unlike other training programs and academies, we also focus on business skills — our comprehensive training has helped many of our students grow a profitable business from scratch.
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
Staging a home is no longer just the purview of the elite. Eighty-three percent of buyers find that staging makes it easier to view themselves in a prospective home. As a result, buyers today expect homes at every price point to be staged.
Unsurprisingly, demand for home stagers is through the roof and projected to keep climbing. But for many would-be stagers, the prospect of getting started in the business can be intimidating. The costs of buying and storing inventory can be especially worrisome.
But how expensive is it to become a home stager really? Here are the facts.
Is Inventory Essential for a Home Stager?
Inventory can be a double-edged sword. As home stagers, we can get endless use out of the perfect piece. Having a collection of versatile pieces on hand can also make it quick and easy to add some style and texture to common spaces like seating areas and foyers.
On the other hand, inventory is an investment. It takes time and money to acquire it in the first place, and then more time and money to transport, store, maintain, and manage it over time.
Inventory can be especially difficult for new home stagers. No new small business owner wants to spend a chunk of their salary buying up and managing inventory. Many new stagers also need time to dial in their target market, the demands of their region, and other details before they can commit to investing in a storage facility and the staging items to fill it.
What too many of us forget is that we don’t need inventory to be a great home stager.
In fact, non-inventory business models can be more than just a thrifty way to get started in staging without breaking the bank. Done well, they can be powerful marketing and growth tools!
If you are interested in how to become a home stager, there are three great models you can use that do not require an investment in inventory.
Consulting-only staging
Client-funded staging
Hybrid-source staging
Consulting-Only Staging
In a consulting-only staging model, we as stagers help clients present their homes at their best using only items the clients already own. This model can hold tremendous appeal for both us and our clients.
A chance to show our creativity in unique ways with each client
An excellent marketing pitch
For our clients, this method often appeals because:
They do not have to worry about or work their lives and schedules around rented items during the selling process
They do not have to put as much of their stuff in storage as they otherwise might
It keeps their costs to a minimum
It shows them new, creative, and attractive ways to use or display their belongings that they can carry with them to their new homes
This method may also strongly appeal to clients’ personal beliefs in minimalism, simplicity, frugality, or eco-friendly living because it gets the job done with minimum “stuff” and fuss.
Client-Funded Staging
For those among us in the staging community who like to shop, client-funded staging can be a delight. We evaluate how to stage a home for sale, buy the perfect items using clients’ money, and then allow the clients to keep the items at the time of sale.
For us, this:
Prevents the accumulation of inventory
Ensures we can select the perfect pieces every time
Keeps business costs low
For our clients, this:
Provides personalized staging results
Makes it easy to see exactly where every dime of their investment goes
Results in beautiful spaces that they can pick up and take with them to their next homes
Under this model, clients often feel like they get home staging and interior design services all in one. This creates value that rolls forward and gives them the feeling of getting extra bang for their bucks.
The Magic of Rental Companies
Another option for how to stage a home with little or no inventory and minimal costs is to become a master of using rental companies for your large staging furnishings. Essentially, this gives stagers access to fantastic inventory without the costs and hassles of buying and maintaining that inventory themselves.
It may take a little more legwork to arrange delivery and pickup of items between the client and rental company, but the benefits often more than outweigh that minor inconvenience.
Supplementing With Small Items
Some stagers supplement the “use a rental company” model with a small personal inventory of favorite items or pieces that fit the hottest new trends. This allows us to keep versatile odds and ends that we always seem to need on hand without a huge investment on our part.
Staying Flexible
One of the most ideal things about low inventory and hybrid staging models is how flexible they are. If we as stagers find that these models are a perfect fit for our businesses and markets, we can use them indefinitely.
Or, if we prefer, we can use them as jumping-off points until we are more established and have a clearer idea of what inventory pieces will serve us best. Then we can transition to other inventory models that serve us better as our businesses grow and expand.
We know that launching a new career can be stressful and confusing, so our home stager certification training course takes the guesswork out of every step. We walk new stagers through:
The behind-the-scenes secrets of how the home staging industry works
How to competitively price staging services
How to write client contracts and handle client communications
The best staging techniques for every space
How to establish the policies and practices that make a business thrive
How to start a business without a big financial investment
Unlike many other courses, our course also sets you up for success by providing you with the essential tools you’ll need to get started right away. These include, but are not limited to:
Reference materials you can use on-the-job
A color wheel
An architect’s ruler
Our Consult Toolkit
A Sherwin-Williams Fan Deck
No matter what type of low-inventory or hybrid staging model appeals to you, we have the tools and knowledge you need to make it work.
Ready to Get Started as a Home Stager?
If you’re ready to take your passion for décor and turn it into a profitable staging business, sign up for our free home staging starter training. You’ll learn the insider secrets to building a successful staging career, from client acquisition to pricing strategies. Let’s take that passion and turn it into a career you’ll love!
