With the markets still struggling in most areas across the country finding new ways to respond and stay viable as a Stager is important. We are blessed with creativity but I think a lot of Stagers forget to use it when the traditional way of earning income dissipates.
When the going gets tough do you pack up and leave? I hope not. One of the great things about what we do is that we can Stage anything. It does not have to be a house for sale. Think about it.
Staging for Remodeling can happen two ways. When the foreclosure market turns to an investor market - and it is happening in many areas - they need our help to facilitate many of the changes that need to be made in the house prior to re-marketing the house and flipping it. Many investors do not live in the areas where they are buying up properties and have not ever seen some of them in person. Now we are not licensed contractors (most of us) and would not do the actual work, but we can act as a sort of "forman" on the job - help select materials, colors, and make sure the work gets done on schedule. We make sure the materials they put in are right for the marke and for selling the house - as many of these "flippers" have no imagination or they put in blobs of vanilla everywhere. And we get paid for our time and expertise. Then when the house is complete, hopefully they will also Stage it for sale using our time, talent and inventory!
How do you find these investors? Network with your lenders and keep your ears open.
The second way Staging for Remodeling can work is because the market is such that many would be Sellers are staying put to wait it out - they are now more interested in making changes to their houses rather than move. These changes can be as easy as painting to as involved as major remodeling. Again, we can act as the visionary that helps see the project through to completion. How do you find these homeowners - your personal referral network. People don't know what we don't tell them.
There are already Stagers that specialize in this exact process - and make a very good living doing it. It is not "new" to them - but to some of us it may be a new way of thinking about how to apply our skills to the changing tide.
So put on your hard hat and get away from the hard luck story that is being told out there! We can continue to earn income when we choose to develop other lines of business to sustain us.
