With its abundance of home styles, Massachusetts is a veritable playground for a home stager. Across its 400 years of architectural history, you could have the opportunity to work with Cape Cod houses; one of America’s oldest house styles, intricately designed Victorian properties and sprawling single-story ranch homes.
Whether you focus your work within the larger cities of Boston, Worcester and Springfield, or you cast a wider net and take in a more varied selection of locations such as Nantucket, Lynn and Gloucester, is up to you, but the further you’re prepared to travel to work, the faster you’ll grow your business.
Set yourself a goal and aim for it. Learn all you can, expand your expertise and knowledge, and then, when you’re ready, put all that you have learnt into practice. Get your name out there, do an amazing job, and you’re set on a career that will bring huge rewards.
So, how do you become a home stager in Massachusetts?
We’ll look at this from the point of view of starting your own home staging business. If you want to start with getting a home staging job, read our articles on resume tips, how to get a home staging job, and our overview of home staging careers.
Do you think it’s going to be difficult to become a home stager in Massachusetts? Well, we’re not going to tell you it’s incredibly easy, but it may not be as hard as you think, and you could well find that there are fewer obstacles in your way than you first imagined.
For instance, did you know that you don’t even need a license to become a home stager? Plus, you can take home staging training in Massachusetts that will teach you all you need to know and result in a certificate that will prove your ability.
Steps to becoming a home stager in Massachusetts
Home staging is a dream career that you can make a reality. It’s such a worthwhile occupation, setting the scene, so potential home buyers can perfectly picture their life in the property. You’ll know how to make each house look at its absolute best in order to get that all-important sale. You’ll need drive, determination, talent and expertise, so the best step forward is to learn as much as you can about being a home stager in Massachusetts and about running your own small business.
Step 1: Take a home staging certification course in Massachusetts
Earning your home staging certification in Massachusetts is one the best first steps you can take when you’re embarking on this exciting new career. Your course will arm you with all the skills, knowledge and resources you need to become a professional home stager. When you’ve completed your course, you’ll have the confidence and abilities required to excel, and a certificate to prove it.
When you search for home staging courses in Massachusetts, you may find several results come up, but be careful, not all courses will result in certification. At the Home Staging Institute, we believe that certification is important, both to give our graduates a sense of achievement, but it’s also hugely valuable as a method of verifying a home stager’s credentials. Certified home stagers get more work than those who don’t go down that route, and that’s a fact!
Step 2: Understand the local Massachusetts market
Understanding the local market is key to everything you do as a home stager. When you know the types of people an area will attract, you can then theme your staging around their unique needs and desires. For example, families will be looking for entirely different home styles to that of a single professional. Trends will also play a part in your staging, so keep on top of what’s hot right now. When you are preparing for a career as a home stager, check out all the different types of property in the area, so you can get a feel for them and let the ideas flow. You never know when you might be asked to stage just such a house, perhaps in a hurry when a quick sale is needed. If you have the ideas at the ready, well you’re already a step ahead of the game!
Step 3: Learn from other home stagers in Massachusetts
Of course you’ll have your own ideas and style, but it can certainly pay to learn from the more established home stagers when you’re starting out. You’ll find plenty of inspiration online when you look for home stagers in Massachusetts. Check out the portfolios of other stagers in your area and try to pick up some tips. You could even visit some open houses to see other stagers’ ideas for real.
When you’re taking a look at your competitor’s websites, remember not only to take note of their staging style and ideas, but also the way they present and market themselves.
Step 4: Start a home staging business in Massachusetts
Armed with this knowledge, and your well-earned certification, it’s time to get down to business.
Follow our checklist to ensure you’re on track…
- Register your business
- Get some good accounting software and learn how to use it
- Be sure to have an up-to-date laptop with industry-relevant software
- Set up your website and social media (Unlock a 40% discount at StagingWebsites.com with the promo code HSIDiscount)
- Spread the word both online and via friends and family
- Get a dedicated cell phone for your business
- Take advantage of any advertising channels you can
- Check out local furniture rental companies, movers, storage companies and other suppliers
Step 5: Begin marketing
Marketing your business is essential, and you should follow as many avenues as you can initially, to see what works best for you. Of course you’ll need a website, and you’ll want to have a presence on all the most popular social media channels. If you don’t have time to keep on top of it all, you could consider outsourcing your social media marketing to a specialist company. This can pay off, they’ll know what they’re doing to get you the best results, but of course, this comes at a price, so you need to assess whether your budget can accommodate this.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool too, so never miss an opportunity to talk about your services with friends, family and anyone else you meet, and be sure to have business cards to hand. You never know who you might get chatting with who needs your services, but they may have forgotten the name of your business or your website address by the time they get around to looking you up. A business card serves as a handy aide-memoire.
Other facts about becoming a home stager in Massachusetts
How much do home stagers make in Massachusetts?
According to our research, home stagers in Massachusetts typically earn between $41,000 and $61,000 annually, with hourly rates ranging from $20 to $30. Those with extensive experience or working in high-demand areas can earn over $71,000 per year. Income can vary based on factors such as location, clientele, and the volume of projects undertaken.
Do I need a license to become a home stager in Massachusetts?
You can set up as a home stager right away, as there are no requirements for you to be licensed as a home stager in Massachusetts. In some ways, this is good news. Professional licenses can be expensive, and the process to get them can be complicated and take a long time. However, this does mean, that unless you are certified in some way, you have no way to prove your home staging credentials.
Do you need a degree to become a home stager in Massachusetts?
No, you don’t need a degree to become a home stager in Massachusetts. While of course any relevant qualifications are a big advantage, and some clients may choose not to work with someone who does not possess some sort of home staging certificate, qualifications are not compulsory to pursue this career.
