We get asked weekly how to become a home stager in Texas, and we’ve trained dozens of home stagers currently thriving with their own home staging business in Texas.
Each month people from throughout Texas sign up for our popular home staging certification courses to learn all they need to know about becoming a home stager, or starting their own home staging business. Take a minute to see if our certification course is right for you!
Home stagers play an essential role in today’s real estate market. When a seller lists their property on the market, it’s up to a home stager to offer professional advice and services to beautify their home, ensuring they get higher offers than they would without the support of a home stager. A well-staged property gives a great impression to prospective buyers, which leads to a higher selling price.
Home staging is a thriving industry in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and elsewhere throughout the state. Starting your own home staging business can tap into this hungry market. Sellers stand to profit by tens of thousands of dollars when they hire a home stager, which is why they’re typically ready to pay a premium for your expertise.
So, how do you become a home stager in Texas?
We’ll look at this from the point of view of starting your own home staging business. If you are wanting 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.
If you want to start a home staging career in Texas, there’s a general process you can follow that’s similar to other states. Once you get an understanding of the local market and receive your home staging certification, you can start your business, research your competitors, and begin marketing. Let’s take a look at each of these steps in-depth now.
Steps to becoming a home stager in Texas
Step 1: Take a home staging certification course in Texas
There are a couple of home staging training options in Texas, and a select few of these will earn you a home staging certification.
Here at the Home Staging Institute, we have been training home stagers in Texas since 2007, and dozens have gone on to start their own successful home staging business.
It’s worth noting, however, that you don’t need to obtain any specific license to become a home stager in Texas, but a certification does help fine-tune your knowledge and gives you credibility in the marketplace, which is of huge importance when starting a home staging business in Texas.
Step 2: Understand the local Texas market
Becoming a home stager in Texas means you need to fully understand the Texas real estate market. For example, staging a house in rural Texas is completely different from staging an apartment in Dallas.
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Similarly, if you’re staging a home in an affluent area, you should be ready to invest in your project at a higher price point than if you were staging a home in an area at a more moderate-income level. There, you would have to focus on making homes look appealing without spending too much.
Step 3: Learn from other home stagers in Texas
When you start a home staging business in Texas, it’s a good idea to do some quick research to look up other home stagers in Texas as well as the current home staging jobs in Texas. Consider joining a home staging trade association for a chance to connect with other professionals in the industry through networking events. As a member of a home staging trade association, you’ll also get industry updates and receive opportunities for furthering your education.
When you connect with other home stagers in Texas, you’ll be able to get a better feel for what businesses are thriving and learn about different niches they’re operating, various services, and maybe even pricing.
A quick Google search for ‘home stagers in Dallas’ or ‘home stagers in Houston’ will pull up dozens of competitor websites that you get look into and analyze. As you conduct your research, consider what you could do better and how you can make yourself stand out from the rest.
Step 4: Start a home staging business in Texas
Once you’ve taken a home staging course in Texas, researched the local market, and done market research, you can begin planning the launch of your own business.
There are some essentials that just about every business needs; starting a home staging business in Texas is no different.
- Register your business
- Set up a business phone number
- Set up a business email address (We use Google Workspace)
- Set up a business mailing address
- Open a business credit card and bank account
- Get liability insurance
- Set up software to track income and expenses (Xero is a popular choice)
- Trademark your company name and logo
- Design a website (Unlock a 40% discount at StagingWebsites.com with the promo code HSIDiscount)
- Connect with service providers (storage and moving companies, furniture rental companies, etc.)
Step 5: Begin marketing your new company
You need to get a significant volume of clients to call yourself a business and not just have a hobby. Connecting with real estate agents is one of the most effective ways to get client referrals. More than anyone else in the industry, real estate agents are in frequent contact with potential sellers. Working side-by-side with a real estate agent can be beneficial for everyone – you can make their clients’ properties more appealing, thus easing the job of the agent and getting business for yourself.
Connect with local real estate agents in your region by reaching out to them directly or joining the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and explain how your home staging expertise can complement their services. With over 1.3 million members, you’re sure to gain access to new clientele.
Even after you connect with some real estate professionals in your area, they’re unlikely to refer business to you right away. Make sure you stay in touch with them and contact them regularly. With their consent, you can include them in your email list and notify them of your portfolio updates. If you don’t already have an impressive portfolio, volunteer to work on some properties to build one up.
Other facts about becoming a home stager in Texas
How much do home stagers make in Texas?
Coming soon…
Do I need a license to become a home stager in Texas
No – you don’t need a license to become a home stager in Texas. Unlike other careers, such as engineering and accounting, there isn’t an official body that oversees licensing in the home staging industry.
However, there are home staging certifications you can get by taking courses from experienced home staging professionals. While you don’t need a license, taking a well-designed home staging education program can save a lot of time you’d otherwise spend on trial and error.
Do you need a degree to become a home stager in Texas?
No – you don’t need a degree to become a home stager in Texas. However, in addition to getting a home staging certification in Texas, you can complete college and university-level courses in real estate, interior design, and related fields to increase your credibility and grow your career.
