Saturday, November 1, 2008

How, Why and When to become a Stager...

All of my life I have been in Real Estate. In some way, shape or form- I have been surrounded by Real Estate. See, my Dad has been a Realtor and has been running an appraisal business for decades. My sister and her husband went into the business after studying and working under my Dad. I have seen cousins get into the mix (working for Dad). After my sister and I were out of the house and on to starting our own families my Mom even joined the Real Estate Team. I've been with my husband for 12 years now. For most of those years he has been in the Mortgage business and is now a realtor himself. And what about me? Well I chose to go the route of education. I wanted to work with kids and use my second language...Spanish. Um, good experience, but bad choice. I have wonderful memories but unfortunately for me, I did not enjoy the job. At times it was rewarding, but face it, I wasn't cut-out to teach High School kids at 22 years old.

For as long as I can remember I've been considered a pretty creative person. I always soaked everything in as I watched my Mom around the house. I supose that is where I got my neatness, cleanliness, and organizational skills from...lucky me! But everyone has a God-given talent, right? When I was young it was my athleticism. Now that, well, I'm not so young, what is it? For so many years I just thought my total passion for decorating and reading and viewing Home Magazines was just a "hobby." Something that was "fun." And for years and years friends and family would ask me why I didn't get into interior design. I think I just always thought of it as my Mom's "thing." Well, I finally decided that after the experience of re-organizing, decluttering, and decorating homes of friends, family and even my own homes - it was time for me to get into staging. It was the best of both my talents (organization and decorating) and something I can manage while being home with my children. I get to advise people on how to make their own home look its best prior to being put on the market. Some of these people will even hire me to come into their homes, reorganize their furniture and decorate (to some extent). Why would I pass-up this opportunity?

I first had to acknowledge that this wasn't just something that was fun for me, but something that I could really do and be successful at...and who doesn't enjoy success? Then I decided to stop by the bookstore and read whatever I could about Home Staging. Then I researched some courses online and found that one doesn't even need an education to be a "Stager." Infact, as of now there is only Accredidation for those interested in staging. Therefore, I decided that instead of just going into the business without anything, I'd rather have something. Afterall, it will be more professional to do what I can when it comes to presenting myself to clients. So I received my certification online and that's how I became a Home Stager.

My experience comes from organizing and decorating (including painting) several homes and advising friends and family on what they can do to make their home more comfortable for their lifestyle. I've received rave reviews.

So, How? Read books, view magazines, be creative by nature and get your accredidation.

Why? Because you love to do it and you're good at it. There are a lot of people out there that take the course because they are in the Real Estate business...but they don't really love it and definately are not good at it.

When? When YOU are ready! Remember, there are start-up fees for stagers...make sure you're prepared to pay for the course and begin your own accessory collection.

No comments: