Home Staging & Interior Design Degrees

1) What Is Home Staging?

Homes stagers combine a blend of interior design know-how and real estate savvy as they prepare--or "stage"--a home or commercial property for viewing by prospective buyers. The ultimate goal of home stagers is to help the sellers achieve a timely sale of the property at the highest possible value.

Home stagers aim to show properties in the best possible light. Strategies for doing this might include removing clutter, bringing in furniture to maximize space, depersonalizing rooms, recommending important repairs that will add value to the property, or redesigning rooms to make them light and airy.

You can think of a home stager as a set director for a play or movie. However, the goal is not to create a space you would actually live in, but a visual space that conveys a particular message. In the case of a home resale, the message is essentially, "This is a beautiful, functional place where you'd love to live."

2) Interior Design Degree Programs and Real Estate School

Both interior design and real estate enjoy a long and rich tradition in education and practice. Most professional home stagers have backgrounds that include degrees and education in interior design or real estate, but the career does not have any specific degree requirements.

If you want to start with a foundation based on interior design, colleges and universities nationwide offer such programs and you can also locate interior design schools online. You'll find several levels available for an interior design degree. Most two- and three- year programs provide either a certificate or associate degree, while a four-year program provides a bachelor's degree and eligibility for a formal interior design apprenticeship.

You can obtain real estate training and licensure by attending traditional real estate school or by taking online real estate courses. Although programs vary, you may be able to complete your training in less than six months.

For those with a prior background in design or real estate, or if you just want to jump into home staging head-first, many traditional and online courses specifically focused on staging have become available in recent years. Several companies offer professional staging designations for completing their course, and most classes can be finished within several hours or days.

3) Career Paths for Home Stagers

Where do you start once you've completed your home staging education? Home stagers typically focus on either residential or commercial real estate since the markets are so different. Based on your interests, market, and skills, you can focus exclusively on staging, or diversify in other areas. Career options for individuals with interior design degrees or real estate training include:

• Home Staging Business Owner: with your independent business focused solely on staging
• Home Stager: working for an interior designer
• Home Stager: working for a real estate agent
• Interior Designer: with staging as part of the business
• Real Estate Agent: with staging as part of the business

4) Career Trends in Home Staging & Interior Design

Home staging has developed significantly over the past decade, spurred on by popular televisions shows such as HGTV's Designed to Sell and A&E's Flipping Out. As home prices skyrocketed several years ago, staging allowed home owners to obtain the highest possible price when selling their homes. With the subsequent down market, property owners have turned to staging simply in an effort to get the home sold while retaining as much of its value as possible.

According to a report from the Real Estate Staging Association, 2008 was a tougher market than the previous year, but staged homes still sold at a much higher rate than their non-staged counterparts. The report shows that staged homes spent 89 percent less time on the market than non-staged homes in 2008.

The facts show that home stagers can be successful in any real estate market. CNN recently included home staging as one of seven careers poised for growth. Increasingly, interior designers partner with Realtors to provide home staging services as a supplement to their primary design or redesign business. On the other hand, real estate agents with home staging skills should be able to sell their homes more quickly and with more value.

Overall, interior design should continue to be a growing career. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates 19 percent growth over a decade, citing an increased interest in interior design at all economic levels.

5) Salary Information for Home Stagers

As a fairly new profession, accurate salary information for home stagers doesn't yet exist. However, the BLS reports the mean annual salary for interior designers as $51,020, with the mean annual salary for a real estate agent at $54,410.

On the other hand, many stagers own their own businesses and set their own prices for services. Fees can range from $30-100 per hour for a consultation to $500 or more for staging an entire house or property.

6) Career Skills of Successful Home Stagers

As part of your course of study and training, you can learn many essential home staging skills. These professional capabilities will serve you well throughout your career, whether you choose to focus on the residential or commercial real estate market. Successful home stagers will:

• have expertise in local demographics and real estate trends
• understand which upgrades and improvements will add value to a home or property
• maintain relationships within the design and real estate communities
• be able to multi-task and coordinate a number of projects
• function independently and work well as an entrepreneur

7) Home Staging Credentials

Just as no specific education is required to become a home stager, federal and state officials have not developed any standard certification or license requirements for the profession. Several independent organizations and companies do offer credentials, and aligning yourself with them could demonstrate your commitment to the profession and your desire to learn the best and most up-to-date skills and techniques. Any interior design degree or certification can be helpful in developing connections and credentials in the field, especially for a home stager just starting out.

If you are planning to supplement your interior design or real estate career with home staging services, keep in mind that many states do require licensure for designers and real estate agents.