 Jennifer Campbell CSP & ISRP, Home Stager & Décor Specialist I always knew I was supposed to have a career in the design field. My starting point was as a graphic designer, but I didn’t LOVE it. The company I was working for ended up going bankrupt so that gave me the option of continuing something I liked or taking a risk and starting a new career that I would LOVE. I’ve achieved some really cool things since I’ve become a home stager. I won the 2011-12 CSP® Most Promising – Rising Star Award. As far as results for clients, I’m proud to say I’ve staged quite a few properties with great results including 3 properties that sold in 1 day on the market, two of them over asking price. I just staged my first $1.5 million dollar property last month – that was also really exciting. Starting off I took as many courses as I could get my hands on: self employment courses, business plan courses, home staging courses (Certified Canadian Staging Professionals and QC Design School), sales courses, social media webinars, blogging webinars and self help webinars. Every single course I took helped and shaped my business to what it is today, three years later. I was very fortunate to have the skills to create my own website and marketing materials as it is important (and expensive) to create a professional looking brand. As with any new business, I realized quite quickly that having a professional brand doesn’t make your phone ring off the hook with clients wanting to hire you. I was given the 100-10-3-1 ratio – for every 100 people, 10 of them will be a lead, three of them will be interested in your service and one will hire you. From this I knew I had to speak with a lot of people. One of the coaches from my self employment course suggested I contact real estate agents. Feeling this would be my lucky break, I emailed, networked with and even cold called a few local ones. The response I got wasn’t the result I was expecting. An overwhelming majority of them were not interested in me at all – I wasn’t established enough. I wasn’t ready to give up from one this roadblock. Lots of people decide to become a home stager, then a year later realize it isn’t for them so they quit. What will benefit that real estate agent by hiring someone could possibly not be there down the road? Not only that, they would be trusting you with their clients – everything you say and do reflects on them. Of course you know you will be tactful, but how do they know that? Some aspiring stagers may be thinking they won’t need to do sales, they just want to be a home stager. There aren’t many large home staging companies out there, Set Your Stage – along with most staging companies are a home based businesses. In Calgary, I know of three that have employees. So if a partial career in sales isn’t for you, I would consider doing your research to find out which companies have employees, what education/experience they require and what wages you could expect. As with the modeling, acting and advertising industries, TV makes home staging seem glamorous. You transform a regular home into a show home and instantly people love your work and want to buy. If it was this easy to transform a home, everyone would do it. Not only are you bringing in “pretty” art and accessories, (which you will be packing and moving from your storage to your client’s house, and then back when their house sells), but you need to coach your clients on certain updates that will bring value to the sale of their property that they may not want to do. As we all can imagine, it’s very difficult to make a pastel purple room look appealing but some may not want to paint as they feel they don’t want to spend any more money on a property they won’t be living in. |
 Before: Living room before home staging.  After: This open concept space is perfect for entertaining or relaxing. |
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My favourite part of the job is the sourcing for accessories and yes, most stores will offer designer pricing. I have three 10×15 storage spaces full of art, accessories, bedding, lamps, rugs, trees and furniture. You don’t need to purchase everything at once, I buy inventory as I need it. You can also source from rental companies and other stagers. Team up with some local stagers who are at the same starting point as you. This is a great way to collaborate for ideas, get help with projects and double your inventory at a fraction of the cost (always pay each other for your time and accessories – if you don’t this could lead to resentment later on). Now the big question – is home staging profitable? As with any start up business it takes time to make a profit. When I decided to start my business, I though I was special and it would take me less time than the average 2 years I was told about. I was wrong. My first two years every penny I made from home staging went into my inventory, marketing and other business expenses. It wasn’t until after two and a half years until I was making money on my projects. To sum everything up, if you are willing to do sales, lots of packing and moving, learn and collaborate with your competition, stick with it as well as shop, paint and help people sell their homes, home staging may be a great career for you. If you have any further questions/comments, I invite you to leave a reply on this post, as others may enjoy your feedback. |
How To Become A Home Stager
December 15, 2012 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)
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