Home staging is growing in popularity as a career choice at rates to rival those of real estate. The two industries commonly overlap, making it so they feed off one another and are both likely to be around for some time. Recessions certainly can affect the real estate and home staging industries, but for skilled workers in populated areas, it is much easier to find work even in difficult financial times.
Home staging is a trend-based industry in some aspects, and regardless of the economic state of the country, there will always be trends that certain populations can afford to explore.
Some people begin their careers as home stagers and go on to run home staging companies or simply have long, rewarding careers. On the other side, some work as home stagers for only a short while before moving on to another type of employment.
So what sets the first group apart from the second? Sometimes it is passion or interest, but it can often be that the first group worked to get their home staging certification and the second group did not. It is not a requirement to work in the industry, but home staging certification makes a difference for many people. Read on to see five reasons to get a certification in home staging.
1. Your Income Potential Increases
Having a solid portfolio of your work that showcases your skill level is a good idea, but it still does not measure up to a certification in terms of income potential.
A certification may cost money but once it is completed it can easily pay for itself in a short amount of time. When you become certified, you learn how to properly price your services and how to efficiently manage your finances and appointments, thereby increasing the income potential. Also, people and by default clients like something solid to look at as confirmation that a) you are who you say you are and b) you put in the work to be good at your job and more than one other person agrees that you are.
This allows you to charge more, as mentioned, and it increases the number of clients willing to pay for your services AND increases the amount each client is willing to pay.
Even if you feel your skills are top-notch and need no improvement, having the piece of paper to show to people can make a significant difference.
2. Business Acumen is Enhanced
Some people who go into the field of home staging already have degrees in business, marketing, or a related field. They likely have a strong background in business or real estate or even both, and they may feel that because of their experience they do not need an official certification to have a successful career as a home stager.
While it is true that the income potential of such a person is higher than that of someone without a degree in business, there are industry-specific points of knowledge and ways of going about one’s job that are not necessarily taught in every business school. Many people who earn an undergraduate business degree go on to specialize in something more specific for a Master’s degree and beyond.
A certification is like graduate school in that it builds upon a base of knowledge and experience that has already been established and enhances it.
3. Increased and Intensified Knowledge Base
Most people can figure out what home staging is when they hear the phrase. The industry and overall function of it are fairly straightforward, but there are so many different tastes and design schemes and subcategories that when it is fully studied in depth, home staging is just as complex as any other design industry.
For example, a region in which there is a lot of sunlight and warm weather may require a different staging scheme to live up to its full potential than would a high-rise loft in rainy Seattle. A hip, modern design in an apartment could require a much different approach than it would take to properly stage a farmhouse in the country.
Some of the home staging industry is easily navigable through instinct and personal taste, but certification can hone those instincts and refine personal taste or diversify it. It can also make the home stager more open to alternative styles and eclectic taste, enabling them to satisfy even the pickiest and most eccentric of clients.
Certification enhances knowledge that is already there and brings forth new ideas and techniques that the stager may not have even thought of before certification.
4. Exposure and Networking
In any industry, connecting with peers and those who have been in the industry longer than you is a great way to enhance your career and learn as much as you can about home staging.
However, networking can be difficult if you are only freelancing without any sort of paperwork proving you know what you are doing. This unfortunate truth is even more accurate when there is no certification.
Becoming certified will connect you to instructors and fellow students, and in doing so it becomes a highly useful networking tool. Bouncing ideas off one another and discussing strategies, conferences, and more is a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow as a home stager.
In addition, you may be able to connect with more clients as well as your peers and in doing so gain exposure that in turn will gain you more clients and more work.
Home staging is an industry in which word of mouth can increase your chances of success, and certification creates avenues to achieve this.
5. Client Potential and Credibility
While certification could be just a piece of paper or a digital image to some, the fact is that if there is something you can show potential clients to prove you know what you are doing and do a good job at it you are more likely to have a good career as a home stager.
It may not mean much to every person who enters the industry, but it tends to mean a lot to clients and potential clients.
Earlier we discussed networking, and networking’s ability to increase client potential. Networking also enhances credibility through peer reviews and the establishment of a good reputation. With a good reputation among peers, it is more likely you will obtain even more networking opportunities and a good reputation among clients is a benefit to your portfolio and your pocketbook.
Where Should You Get Certified?
While there are in-person courses available for certification in home staging, they tend to be more expensive and rigid with their schedules than online courses.
We offer smooth, streamlined certification in home staging and open the door to many networking and client opportunities. A little extra training can go a long way towards any career, and design careers are constantly evolving with trends and fashions.
Home staging can be a fun and lucrative career for creative people, people looking for something they can do without years and years of training, or even someone looking for a second income they can earn on the weekends. Whatever the reason to enter the home staging industry, certification will only help you and advance your career.
