There’s never been a better time to become a home stager in New Jersey. With realtors ready and waiting to use your services to stage homes across the state, from Newark to Atlantic City.
With the right training, your eye for design, and the right level of determination and dedication, your dreams of becoming a home stager in New Jersey could be close to becoming a reality.
Home staging can be a difficult profession to break into, so it’s important to make the right choices when you’re starting out in this industry. The first step, before you begin looking for clients, is to ensure you have all the skills and know-how to be a superb home stager here in New Jersey. Taking courses will certainly give you an advantage. You’ll be armed with all the knowledge and tips and tricks you need to be a great home stager, and if you choose a course such as those offered by the Home Staging Institute, your hard work will be rewarded with a certificate that will prove to potential clients that you have what it takes to stage their home to maximize their profits.
So, how do you become a home stager in New Jersey?
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.
While New Jersey may be one of the smaller US states, it has a population of over 9 million, and with that, comes plenty of opportunities for the home stager. Your work will be interesting and varied, and you may even get the chance to stage some of the historic Victorian homes in the resort towns of Cape May and Ashbury Park.
Are you still interested in becoming a home stager? Well then, it’s time to find out what your next steps should be…
Steps to becoming a home stager in New Jersey
Once you’re an established home stager, you can decide whether you want to focus your efforts locally or offer your services across the whole state. Will you specialize in seafront properties along the Atlantic coast, or would you prefer a more diverse portfolio? New Jersey certainly has a variety of property styles to ensure an interesting career for any home stager.
These are decisions you can perhaps leave for later, but first, you need to get on with the important tasks of gaining the relevant skills and setting up your business.
Here’s how to get started…
Step 1: Take a home staging certification course in New Jersey
If you’re looking at the possibility of becoming a home stager, you probably already have a creative streak and are good with design. Perhaps people comment positively on the interior décor within your own home. This is an excellent start, but to become a professional home stager in New Jersey, you need to take it to the next level. One of the best ways to do this is to gain certification in home staging.
By taking a course, you’re building valuable knowledge that you can put to good use both in your staging efforts and in the running of your business. When it comes to being a professional home stager, the behind-the-scenes admin, accounting and marketing are all equally as important as your home staging talents. When you’re choosing a course to take, be sure to choose one that includes home staging certification in New Jersey. This proof of your ability can be a great reassurance to potential clients that you are indeed a true professional.
Just ask Jasmine from Jersey City. She completed the Professional Course from the Home Staging Institute and started by staging her aunt’s home before it went on the market. The listing photos turned out so well, the agent asked her to stage two more properties. Within her first month, Jasmine had three clients and was able to reinvest her earnings into a brand-new staging inventory. She now services clients across Hudson County.
Step 2: Understand the local New Jersey market
Your home staging training in New Jersey will teach you so much about how to understand the market in your city, and the state as a whole. You’ll learn that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution when it comes to home staging properties in New Jersey, and you’ll need to adapt your style based on several factors such as location, property type and property size.
Step 3: Learn from other home stagers in New Jersey
While you’re studying for your home staging certificate, take time to check out the other home staging businesses in New Jersey. These businesses will soon become your competition, so it’s important to see how they are promoting themselves and the type of services they offer. Gaining an overview of other home staging businesses will give you ideas, and you might even spot a niche gap in the market that you can step into.
From websites to social media, every home stager needs an online presence in order to gain clients and build a successful business. This will be one of the next steps you’ll take, so if you have some great ideas in mind to pass on to your website developers, it will be a huge help. While you may hire others to help you set up your website and create winning content, only you know your own business and your goals, so you need to convey this, along with the ideas you’ve gathered, to anyone you hire to assist you. Everyone needs to have a clear vision of your goals and aims.
Step 4: Start a home staging business in New Jersey
Now you’ve completed your studying and done your research, let’s take a look at what’s next.
Setting up a home staging business in New Jersey may require…
- Registering your business (details here)
- Opening a specialist business bank account
- Ensuring you have liability insurance in place
- Setting up a business postal address and phone number
- Having a website and social media accounts created (Redeem voucher HSIDiscount at StagingWebsites.com for a 40% discount)
- Advertising in the local press
- Researching good suppliers and tradespeople (we provide a supplier list as part of our home staging courses)
Step 5: Begin marketing
Marketing can make or break your business. Fail to market effectively and you’ll fail to get any work. With an excellent marketing campaign, you’ll gain that all-important experience and then you’ll begin to benefit from word-of-mouth recommendations.
Obviously, the internet will feature heavily in your marketing endeavours. Embrace social media, posting regular, useful content. If you’re handling your social media yourself, rather than having a third party deal with it for you, be sure to think carefully before you post anything. It needs to be relevant, interesting, and 100% error-free. If you make mistakes in your social media posts, people may think you don’t pay attention to detail, and the details are very important when it comes to home staging!
Whether you’re staging coastal homes in Cape May or downtown condos in Hoboken, following these five steps will help you launch your career with confidence. And if you’re ready to get serious, our Professional Course will give you everything you need to build your brand, attract clients, and succeed as a certified home stager in New Jersey.
Other facts about becoming a home stager in New Jersey
How much do home stagers make in New Jersey?
From our research, home stagers in New Jersey generally make between $40,000 and $60,000 per year, with hourly rates ranging from $20 to $30. Those with significant experience or working in high-demand areas may earn over $70,000 annually. Earnings can fluctuate based on factors like location, client base, and the volume of projects completed.
Do I need a license to become a home stager in New Jersey?
No, there are no licenses to be applied for when you become a home stager in New Jersey. You can simply set up your business and get started!
Do you need a degree to become a home stager in New Jersey?
While qualifications will always put you at an advantage, there is nothing to say you must have a degree in order to set up a business as a home stager in New Jersey. Home staging certification will give you an advantage, and it’s very useful to prove your credentials, but it is not a necessity.
