The post Stop Undervaluing Your Services: How to Rethink Your Rates appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

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!

The post How to Turn Your Passion for Home Décor Into a Thriving Staging Business appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

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 post The Importance of Color in Home Staging appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

1. Emphasize the importance of first impressions

2. Highlight the return on investment

3. Demonstrate your expertise

4. Emphasize your understanding of buyer psychology

5. Be personable and professional and sell with integrity

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

WEBINAR REPLAY: Mastering Branding – The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Brand

WEBINAR REPLAY: Attract Real Estate Agents

DIGITAL PRODUCT: Real Estate Partner Sales Booklet – turn your real estate agents into your sales team with this game-changing sales piece!

Home Staging Business Builders Training Center – Join a community of like-minded business builders

Not yet certified?

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 post Selling Home Staging in a Buyer’s Market appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

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

1. 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. 
2. 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. 
3. 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.
4. 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!

The post How Much Does a Home Stager Make? | 2022 Industry Guide appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

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.

It offers us:

• Freedom from the costs and hassles of buying and managing inventory
• A fresh challenge with each home
• 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.

Mastering Low or No Inventory Staging

Choosing the right home staging course is the first step to mastering the art of running a low-inventory or no-inventory staging business.

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
• Portfolio building
• The biggest mistakes new stagers make and how to avoid them
• 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!

The post How to Become a Home Stager Without Breaking the Bank appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

#1: Identify Your Ideal Client

In the spring of 2010, my dad was experiencing some health issues and found himself in the hospital for about a month. I drove the 3 hours to be with him and my mom and helped out any way that I could. I was back and forth for approximately a month while he was hospitalized, and my business took a back seat.

One day, while I was sitting with my dad, he said something to me that took me by surprise. He said, “You know what honey? You gave it a really good shot, no one can say that you didn’t try.”. I was confused! My dad had always been my biggest supporter, and here he was acting as though I was closing the business and giving up. The truth was though that for the month that I had been helping out him and my mom, there wasn’t exactly anyone missing me and my business. That certainly gave me pause, and I decided to do a little reflecting. I knew that I wanted to be a home stager, and I knew that I was good at it, so when my dad was released I headed home and went back to the business plan to see what I could be doing to grow my business. When I had initially created my business plan, I had identified my ideal clients as homeowners and real estate agents. While that was technically correct, it was not nearly specific enough.

This was where my marketing was failing. When you market to everyone, you market to no one. You need to dive deep and determine specifically who your homeowners and real estate agents are – only then can you identify what they will value, and how to craft your marketing message for them.

What characteristics do they have? And what in turn do they want from you?

Let’s take real estate agents for example:

• Do they work for a large brokerage or a small one?
• Are they an individual agent, or a part of a team?
• How long have they been in business?
• What is their personality?
• What other characteristics do they convey?

You may not have specific answers to all of these questions, but this should give you a guideline of the types of criteria that you w

ill want to examine in determining your target homeowners. This is probably one of the hardest things to do in your business, but it is also the most critical, or everything else that follows is challenging. By identifying who your ideal client is, you will be better equipped to find them. This is not to say that you will not provide services for other clients as requested, but it will allow you to better focus your marketing plan.

Once you understand who your client is, and what their needs are, you can position yourself and your company accordingly. This will

affect everything from how you brand your company, to the events that you attend, where you spend your marketing dollars, and of course, how you set your pricing.

#2 Evaluate Your Value

Now it’s time to do some evaluating. Take some time to reflect on your value, and identify what makes you and your company awesome. This is probably one of the greatest challenges when it comes to building your business – you’ve been taught all your life to be humble and modest, and now you need to be confident and boastful!

Your value is EVERYTHING that you do that enhances the overall experience for your client. Brainstorm, and write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind. Some examples may include:

• Formal training, including continuing education (i.e. events, market research, etc.)
• Insurance
• Registered business
• RESA member (are you a RESA-Pro, or a member of leadership?)
• Award-winning
• Photography
• A Client Care Package
• The Staging Risk Management (SRM) policy option
• A photo prep service
• A team of home staging professionals

Do not limit yourself to the above list. Even if other home stagers are offering these same value-points, it does not take away from the value that it provides to YOUR clients, and it helps to define your company’s overall brand. Remember, what makes you valuable is not just the services that you provide every day, but it also includes how you got to your level of expertise. Reflect on the path that you took to get to where you are today, and make that a part of your story.

Value doesn’t need to cost you a ton of money – if you feel that you are coming up short for where you want to be in your market, look at what may be added to your services for little to no cost, such as the SRM policy, a Client Care Package, or a unique upsell/upgrade service option.

#3 Create Your Value Proposition

A value proposition is a statement that summarizes why a client should buy from you. This is your foundation for creating your marketing material and will help you to establish your unique selling position (USP). Ask yourself these two important questions:

• Why am I here?
• What do I bring to the table that no one else does?

Identify how you solve your client’s problems. Be as specific and concise as possible for this. What makes you different and unique?

#4 Communicate your value

Now that you have identified what makes you valuable, and what makes you unique, you need to communicate this effectively to your clients and prospects.

Start with your mission statement – if you don’t have one yet, create one, and share it on your website and other promotional materials.

Review your logo – does it portray the image and brand that you want it to?

Your value points should be noted on your website, on printed promotional materials, and in your communications. Create bite-sized videos answering questions about your company’s processes, about your training, and more. Update your internal intake forms to list your value points so that you remember to note these items as a part of your initial call with clients. And most importantly, LIVE YOUR VALUE. The best and easiest way to communicate what your company stands for is to live it every day.

Ready to take your business to the next level? SLS Academy’s Business of Staging course provides you with the business strategies that you need to operate a successful and thriving home staging business. From setting your pricing and policies to sales techniques, understanding today’s buyers, and what motivates them. We will walk you through the steps that you need to take to create your business plan, plus we will help you to identify your mission statement, understand your value proposition, and run the day-to-day business. PLUS, you will get the tools and templates that you need to make running your business easier, allowing you to spend your days assisting your clients. We will even teach you proven sales techniques and strategies to help you to close more deals, and keep your cash flow…well…flowing. Learn more and get started today by clicking here.

The post 4 Steps to Discovering Your Awesomeness appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

1. Use baskets to hide cables
It’s not a fancy trick, but it can be incredibly effective. Hide routers, cables, and other messes using baskets. NOTE: some items (such as routers) need room to vent, so be sure to account for and allow for this.

Consider adding a shelf under your desk to get the cords and cables off of the floor.

2. Zip tie your lamp cords (and other electronics)
In staging, there is nothing worse than seeing a long dangling cord behind a table. By zip-tying these, they can be cleaned up and out of site. Wind up extra slack in the cable or cord not needed and tie. You can bundle the cord close to the table top and tie, or tie the cord to the table leg at the top and bottom, and bundle the cord at the base. It’s easy for cables and chargers to become a bit of a mess as well. Group your office or tv cables together and zip tie in a few spots to keep them from getting tangled. It’s also a great idea to label your cords (close to the plug) so that you can easily unplug one when you need to without needing to do serious detective work to find the right one to disconnect. There are a variety of cord labelling systems available for sale, but it doesn’t need to be fancy – you can these create with any labels or tape that you have in your household already.

3. Use painters tape or masking tape to hang art on plaster walls
This will prevent the wall from splitting when you puncture it with the nail. Simply place a small piece of tape (approximately ½”) where you want to hang the nail before hammering.

4. Disguise your everyday products
Hat boxes are an attractive way to hide your everyday toiletries, and come in sizes large enough to fit your lotions and sprays easily!

5. Freshen your furniture with touch-up markers
While it’s not the most glamorous fix, this is a trick that is often used in home staging, and works great for giving furniture a quick touch-up from nicks and scratches. When you’re selling your home, even though you are not likely selling your furnishings, showing care of these items will help to show pride of ownership in your home.

6. Get rid of your fireplace’s brass trim
One of the biggest things that can show a fireplace’s age is a brass trim! Pick up some black barbeque paint and cover the brass for an instant update!

7. Fix outdated backsplashes
Have an out-dated backsplash but can’t afford to replace it? Painting it will give it a fresh new look! This is intended as a temporary solution, but with the right paint, it can last for a few years. Not recommended for floor tiles.

8. Yes, you can paint brick!
Paint brick to give an instant update, whether on the interior or exterior of your house. Again, you’ll want to ensure that you are using a paint designed for this type of surface; you’ll be amazed by the finish.

9. Need a table runner? 
Create a “make-shift” table runner from an old drape with a few tucks and folds (if you don’t intend to use the drape again, you may wish to cut it and add some hem tape to create a proper seam).

10. Get a custom closet for less!
Hang all similar colours together with matching hangers and add baskets to your shelves. Use space saving hangers for best results – your closet will look and feel much more organized and spacious!

Have questions about becoming a Home Stager, or just starting out and need an extra boost in your business? Join our Facebook group, To Be a Home Stager – our very own Shauna Lynn Simon is live online every Thursday afternoon, answering your most pressing questions!

The post 10 Low Budget Home Staging Hacks to Use in Everyday Life appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.

1. Home Staging is Expensive

Absolutely not! A trained professional stager is skilled at maximizing their client’s budget, whatever it is. When preparing a home for sale, it’s likely that the homeowners will need to plan to spend some money to get it to move-in ready, but with the recommendations of a professional home stager, often the largest investment is their time. Accessory packages and other staging packages vary by stager, but all home staging projects will generally start with a full-home evaluation, providing a list of recommendations for preparing the home.

Did you know? Buyers are actively looking for a move-in ready home, and 63% of home buyers are willing to pay more for this!

2. A home stagers job is to remove everything in a home and replace with new stuff

A professional home stager will not recommend adding or removing anything unless they believe that it will contribute positively towards the sale of the house, and they will do their best to work with a homeowner’s items, wherever possible, to achieve the desired results. Often, a little re-arranging of what they already have can work wonders for improving the flow, and overall appeal of a house to potential buyers! The truth is, sometimes it’s just not in the budget to invest in a large staging package.

3. All rooms should be painted builder’s beige

When selling a home, neutrals tones are best for showing off the space, but your typical “builder’s beige” is not recommended. In fact, today’s buyers are drawn to grey tones more than browns, giving the home a more modern look and feel. Whatever you choose, ensure that you select a neutral shade, and avoid colours that are too light. By choosing a colour a little further down the colour chip you’ll add warmth and a cozy, welcoming feel to a room.

4. Home staging is only for vacant homes or homes with ugly carpet and wallpaper

Certainly some homes can use updating more than others, but the truth is that every home can benefit from home staging, and often a few subtle changes can make a significant difference, whether it’s simply re-arranging some furniture, or more dramatic updates and repairs, every home is unique and requires a unique home staging plan. Vacant homes can tend to sit on the market longer than occupied and furnished homes, since with these properties buyers will struggle to make the necessary emotional connection to the home, and the same can be true for occupied homes that are not styled to suit the target buyer market. Home staging will help to improve the overall flow of the home, and provide the final touches that buyers will be drawn to. 

5. Home staging is a way to fool buyers

Absolutely not! In fact, it’s the complete opposite! Our goal is to provide buyers with the home that they are looking for. Homeowners are still required to disclose any major flaws of the home that they are aware of, however home staging will help to minimize minor flaws by drawing the focus to the features of the home. 

6. Home Staging is just removing personal photos and de-cluttering

We all know that we need to declutter and remove personal items from a home before listing, but home staging helps to address so much more. A professional home stager will help to create a style plan for your home, and address where to invest your money in repairs and updates. Home staging focuses on maximizing a home’s space, lighting, flow, design and best features, not just decorating the space.

7. It’s best to list a property first, and address home staging when it doesn’t sell

Home staging should always, always, always be considered BEFORE listing the home for sale! Cliché as it may sound, you really do only get one chance to make a first impression. When a home is listed, it should be ready to show at it’s best, both in pictures and for showings. Any Realtor® will tell you that you get the most attention for a property listing during the first couple of weeks that it is listed – these are key buyers! Home Staging is an investment with proven results for selling a home in less time, and for the most amount of money possible.

8. Staging is just the latest real estate trend

Home Staging has actually been around since the 1970s, and is a real estate service that is as common today as home inspections!  Showing buyers that the home offers good value is always in style. 

9. Buyers should be able to see past the updates that are needed and the homeowner’s “stuff”

Here’s a fun fact for you – only 10% of buyers have the ability to visualize a space! This means that only 1 in every 10 people that view a home will be able to look past things, and see the home’s true potential. If you’re considering a career in home staging, you clearly fall within the 10%, which means that you can help 90% of potential buyers to see a home’s true value! Show them the best way to live in the home by showing optimal furniture placement, and eliminating anything that might distract them from seeing the features of the home.

10. Home Staging means living in a show home, and that’s just not realistic to expect clients to do

A professional home stager provides options and solutions to allow their clients to maintain the function that they need while the home is listed. It’s not easy to live in a show home, but by providing the right recommendations for preparing their home, they won’t have to do so for long! As their home stager, you will help to provide them with tips and creative solutions for the things they need every day.

Have questions about becoming a Home Stager, or just starting out and need an extra boost in your business? Join our Facebook group, To Be a Home Stager – our very own Shauna Lynn Simon is live online every Thursday afternoon, answering your most pressing questions!

The post Top 10 Home Staging Myths appeared first on Styled, Listed, and Sold (SLS) Academy.