Everyone's a Stager

The story of the evolution of a career from a pioneer in the staging industry.

Flipping houses was my job.

My family giggled that I would leave for work in a tool belt…

…And my husband left dressed in business clothes.

I loved the creativeness I could instill in a house by giving it a face-lift and making it appealing again. But there was always one thing missing…given all the new fresh paint, flooring, fixtures, etc., it lacked warmth, coziness, and invitation for buyers to fall in love and see themselves living in the space. All the hard work and detail needed to be drawn out and not lost in an empty shell. Hence…the birth of my Staging career!

My very patient and understanding husband didn’t say much to me borrowing furniture and décor from home, however, he did draw the line when it came to the bed. It only took a few successes in flipping homes and setting them up for Realtors to start asking if I could come help out with their listings. Sure why not, but it’s so much more than decorating and organizing. It’s an art, it’s a specialty, it’s a career. I researched and researched and found that there is this whole other world out there known as Home Staging and there is so much to it!

Before - “Building Off the Grid - Dakota A-Frame”

After - “Building Off the Grid - Dakota A-Frame”

I begin taking on-line training but that didn’t quite cut it. Part of being a professional is hands on and working in the field. I attended classes and training where I learned the different ways other professionals were doing it in the industry, what had worked, what didn’t, what made the differences between professional staging and hobby staging. I learned from Realtors what staging had done to help their listings and clients and how valuable it is to work with professionals such as themselves.

15 years later, I am still here doing what I love and loving what I do. I’ve learned and I’m still learning. I love continuing my education by attending conventions and classes, working with other professionals all over the world and having the opportunity to learn from each other. I have had the pleasure of growing my team and being able to educate and train others who want to make it a profession. This industry is continually changing and in order to stay successful and lead the industry, you have to stay in the know. It is not enough to read an article on line about the 5 things you need to know about Home Staging, and think that is all a person needs to make it work. I hear all the time how much people would like to be a stager. I understand, trust me, however, please let me help you make a career of it and do it professionally. In person, hands on training is the key to being considered a professional.

If you think you want to do more than just professionally stage and that you want to own your own staging business, please consider a few things from this industry veteran. Your skill in design and organization is the least important skills to be a successful stager. Do you know how to sell the idea? Are you helping the homeowner and Realtor have everything professionally set-up to compete with the competition? Can you source inventory well enough to still make a profit? What kind of insurance do you need to protect not only yourself and employees but your clients? Payroll, taxes, warehouse, movers, moving van…. Staging is a business like any other on Main St.

Thank you to the homeowners and Realtors that have trusted me to stage their or their clients biggest asset! My commitment to you as a professional is to continue to focus on doing this one thing at the highest standard of excellence. This is not my hobby. I do not have another job or another role in the real estate transaction. I focus entirely on the business of staging so that your asset or your listing achieves your desired result. Everyone may want to be a stager, but I am committed to being your professional stager and cultivating a team that meets this standard.

“Building Off the Grid - Dakota A-Frame”

Designing Impressions has been staging homes since 2004 and primarily serves the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Greenville, South Carolina metro markets. In 2019, Designing Impressions staged homes went under contract in less than a quarter of the average local days on market. Learn more at www.Designing-Impressions.com

 To find a professional stager near you visit www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com