Home staging is also known as property presentation or property styling. It is the act of decorating and preparing a property to make it look presentable and at its best during an open-house presentation. One of its primary goals is to give the potential buyers an idea or a glimpse of how the house would look once they start living in it. If you have the knack for interior design, staging may be the next best thing for you and here, we will give you an idea of how to begin.
Identify Your Area of Expertise
At this point, potential home buyers are most likely done talking to reliable mortgage advisors and lending entities. The next step for them is to take a look at the properties and this is where you enter the picture. Once you begin looking at the real estate landscape, you will soon find out that there are tons of potential projects that you can take on. However, since you are just beginning, it is best to focus on a particular market.
You need to determine whether your area of specialty would be family houses, bachelor pads, or condominiums for young couples. Work on your brand and build a credible portfolio with one area of expertise and continue to work your way up as you go. You can always expand your service and your client pool.
Register Your Business Name
In this industry, you have to be identified as a legal business entity and to do that, you must register your chosen business name. There are three ways for you to register your name: sole trader, limited company, or partnership. Limited company or LLP is the most common way and with this, you need to register with the Companies House, the United Kingdom’s database of registered companies.
For you to do that, you first need to check if your chosen name is still available. You also need to make sure that you are using no sensitive expressions and words. Once you’re done with those, you need to register your business name as a trademark so that no other business can use your name.
It would take at least 24 hours for you to finish registering your business name and the cost for that is around 12 pounds or USD 17 if you are going to do it online. You can also do it by post which normally takes 8 to 10 business days and will cost you roughly 40 pounds or USD 60.
Get a Business Permit
Every legitimate business should have a business permit that proves that they are a legal entity. The specific requirements may vary based on your industry, your location, and the guidelines of your local municipality. To find out which specific type of license you need, you can use the UK government’s license finder tool. This tool will help you find the authority that will grant you your business license.
Furniture and Decor
Now that you have the legal paperwork in order, the next thing you need to do is to find your suppliers. With this type of business, finding the people who would supply you with your interior design needs is half the battle. In some cases, homeowners who choose to sell their homes remove all their belongings while others would let you use their furniture for the staging process. Either way, you would still need to have your own arsenal of staging decor and furniture.
It is not entirely advisable to buy new and high-end furniture when staging. In fact, you need to stick to a certain budget and you can do this by hitting garage sales and auctions. You will be surprised at the number of useful and beautiful pieces of furniture you’ll find in these places.
You can also consider furniture rental if you do not have your own storage space yet. Many companies in the United Kingdom offer affordable furniture rental and this is an ideal option since you are just starting. Using rental services is also convenient because they will deliver the furniture to you and pick it up once the staging is done.
Staging makes a property look more cozy and homey. In many cases, the selling chances of a house after the staging process increases by 10 to 15%. This side of the real estate industry is ideal for people who have a natural love for decor and interior design. Armed with imagination, style, and sheer hard work, it is for sure that you’ll make it big in the staging industry in no time.