This article just appeared on Bankrate.com and can be located at http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/20080617_career_swaps_a3.asp. I was asked to post this on AR by the Board...
Home staging and redesign
Creative types, take note: The recent bursting of the housing bubble is fast opening opportunities in an easy-to-launch career known as home staging.
In home staging, professionals revamp properties so they look bigger, brighter and better in hopes they will sell faster and for more money.
"Because of television shows like 'Flip this House' and 'Sell This House,' the concept of home staging has really caught on," says Colorado-based home stager Sandy Dixon. "People understand why it works."
Unlike interior designers -- who work with clients to acquire new furniture and accessories -- home stagers primarily use existing furnishings their clients already own.
Some stagers charge for their time and make anywhere from $75 to $125 per hour. Others are paid per project, with rates ranging from $150 up to $350 to revamp a single room or several rooms.
Dixon, 58, switched to her new career after working 16 years in the mortgage business and as a part-time Realtor.
"The beauty of this job is that it can be done full time, part time or added to an existing career."
"I wanted something new, so I started looking around the Internet when I found out about staging," she says. "I had been setting the scene for potential buyers before, not knowing there was a word for it."
In addition to staging homes, Dixon founded Interior Arrangements, a staging training school that teaches students tricks of the staging trade and ways to grow their businesses. It resembles other programs with intensive workshops that last three to five days and generally cost about $3,000.
Ruthanne Hatfield is a Napa Valley, Calif.-based home stager who has redesigned rooms for HGTV's show "Decorating Cents." Her training program, Art of Interior Placement, attracts individuals who want to take weeklong workshops as well as those interested in her $30 two-hour seminars.
"We get a lot of people from corporate America, banking, nursing -- it runs the gamut," Hatfield says.
Once they finish training, students may qualify for membership to Interior Redesign Industry Specialists, a home-staging association based in Chicago that lists members online and hosts training workshops nationwide.
In addition to training costs, home stagers usually invest a couple thousand dollars in basic household items like lamps, rugs and artwork that are available to lease to clients while their property is being staged.
"There's a system to this and almost anyone can learn," Dixon adds. "And the beauty of this job is that it can be done full time, part time or added to an existing career."
To view additional 'fast, cheap career changes' (their term) please be sure to go here.
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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocate and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. Selling her successful home staging company in January 2012, Marro is now a full time speaker and instructor for Staging And Resign and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.
For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.619.1593 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com
Melissa,
I actually do primaril use the existing furniture and just add accessories. Unless the furniture is really bad and the sellers are willing to rent furniture from a furniture store we use regularly. As for cost, I have invested thousands as my business has grown. I don't purchase large furniture, just accessories, and small pieces like sofa tables, rounds etc.
I attended Sandy's course and there is a system she teaches that works great! With her system, staging doesn't have to be an 8 hour process. We stage most of our listings in 3 hours or less and they sell 50% faster than other homes on the market. Of course if the home is 3000 sq. feet it does take longer. But on an average size home 3 hours or less. I have sellers do homework before we come over to stage and that helps cut out some time. Due to our way of doing things we do charge a 3 hour minimum for hands on staging.
I have to echo Susan Peters's comments. "Easy to launch career"??? I think this article, and much of IRIS, is focused on benefitting the training schools. It is not a fast, cheap, easy career to launch. It takes more money than you would think, lots of time to educate the public and real estate community, and it is very difficult to deal with the ignorance and frustration. The successes seem to make it worthwhile, but these training programs and this kind of publicity have got to get real! Julie