Work sure can be dull, boring and mundane! Are you stuck in an office all day? Is your creativity screaming to be let loose? If you’d love to pursue a more artistic career, that will let your talents shine, then why not consider becoming a home stager, right here in your home state of Oklahoma?
Whether it’s Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Edmond or Broken Arrow, there are homes all over Oklahoma in need of the skills of a professional home stager. Real estate agents throughout the state are hiring home stagers in order to maximize sales.
What does a home stager do?
A home stager gets a home ready for sale. They will make the property as attractive as possible, to as many people as possible. This could include enhancing curb appeal, decluttering, and hiring cleaners, or decorators. They are likely to rearrange furniture, perhaps replacing furniture with temporary, hired items. They’ll accessorise and use lighting to emphasise bright airy rooms or cozy nooks. Basically, they’ll transform the property to be at its most saleable!
A home stager has a great imagination and a lot of creativity. They are also incredibly practical and an excellent problem solver. Does this sound like you?
So, how do you become a home stager in Oklahoma?
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.
Becoming a home stager is actually not complicated at all. You don’t need to take a long and expensive degree course, nor do you need to be licensed. If this is a career you’re considering, you’re probably experienced in interior décor, even if that’s purely within your own home. That’s great, that’s all excellent experience. You know you’re an artist, you know you have both an eye for design and a finger on the pulse of the real estate market. Now it’s time to take things further…
Steps to becoming a home stager in Oklahoma
A new career is exciting, but how will you get started on this journey? Read on to find out what to do next…
Step 1: Take a home staging certification course in Oklahoma
Knowledge is so valuable in this industry, and there’s a lot to learn, so home staging training in Oklahoma is a great first step. With the Home Staging Institute, you can study at your own pace, and study when it suits you, so it’s perfect to fit around work or other commitments. What’s more, you can be fully certified in as little as four weeks!
Our home study courses are convenient and cost-effective. We’ve tailored our courses for convenience, and we’ve designed our study materials to be fun and interesting. Home staging is an exciting career, and we try to bring this excitement into the learning experience.
But what you really need to know, is that all our courses result in industry-recognised certification. Not all courses offer this, so do bear this in mind when you’re choosing your home staging course.
Step 2: Understand the local Oklahoma market
Once you’ve set off on your journey towards earning your home staging certification, you can then begin to research the local market. When you start working as a professional home stager, it’s going to be so important to have a full understanding of the market. A good home stager will know that homes in different areas require a different type of staging and that certain areas will attract a different demographic, and therefore, will have different requirements. A property next to the best school in the area is going to attract families, and an apartment close to the business district could appeal most to young professionals. All this you will incorporate into your staging designs. No two home staging projects are ever alike, and that’s part of the fun!
Step 3: Learn from other home stagers in Oklahoma
As we’ve said, there’s a lot to learn. You’ll gain a great deal of knowledge if you take a home staging course, but you can also pick up some tips from other home stagers. You can do this by making friends with other home stagers in Oklahoma, swapping design ideas, supplier recommendations and other tips, or you can research the competition by searching on Google. The results that come up should give you a wealth of material to pore through. Grab a notebook and make some notes.
Pick up tips for home staging website design, as this is something you’ll need to do yourself soon. Check out the details of the services they offer and see if they mention their pricing structure. Look at the types of images they use. Can you learn anything from this? Don’t forget to click through to their social media feeds too, as this is also something you’ll be wanting to get started with soon.
Step 4: Start a home staging business in Oklahoma
Now you’re well on your way to a successful small business, there are just some practicalities to get in place…
You’ll need to…
- Invent a company name and register your business (official details can be found here)
- Learn how to use accounting software or hire an accountant
- Get a decent laptop, you’ll need it for creating images and content for your website and social media as well as corresponding with clients
- Set up your website and social media channels
- Get a dedicated cell phone number for your business
- Compile a list of local suppliers, furniture rental companies, movers etc.
Step 5: Begin marketing
There’s no point being the best home stager in Oklahoma City if no one knows you exist! It’s time to get talking, it’s time to spread the word.
Call up all the local realtors and ask if they’d be happy to recommend you to their clients. Your home staging certification should confirm to them the legitimacy of your business.
Get a set of business cards designed and printed. Carry some with you at all times so you can hand them out to people, and look out for noticeboards that allow local businesses to display their cards. Take advantage of any advertising opportunities you can find.
Join local business organizations and take this opportunity to network with other local entrepreneurs.
Have a presence on all the social media channels and keep them up to date. Images speak volumes online, so don’t forget to get proof of your skills with a photoshoot of your best projects. If your photography skills are not that great, it could be worth hiring a professional photographer. This could pay for itself if the resulting images bring the work flooding in.
Other facts about becoming a home stager in Oklahoma
How much do home stagers make in Oklahoma?
According to our research, home stagers in Oklahoma generally earn between $34,000 and $54,000 annually, with hourly rates ranging from $17 to $27. Professionals with more experience or working in high-demand areas may earn over $64,000 per year. Income can vary depending on factors like location, client base, and the number of projects handled.
Do I need a license to become a home stager in Oklahoma?
No, there is no requirement to have a license to be a home stager in Oklahoma, but if you’re looking for a way to prove the credibility of your business, you can take a home staging course. The resulting certification is perfect for proving your credentials with realtors and other clients.
Do you need a degree to become a home stager in Oklahoma?
No, you do not need a degree to become a home stager in Oklahoma, and while there are no legal requirements for home stagers to have any qualifications at all, the benefits of having a home staging certification are huge, so it’s highly recommended.
