Definition from Sun On My Back Redesigns:

“Home Staging encompasses everything involved with preparing a house for selling. The end objective is that the house has broad buyer appeal so that it will sell sooner and for more money than a house that is not staged.”

How I Got Started

I went through the same process and stages that many of my students who are looking for a career change have gone through. My previous work experience included a very successful 20 year corporate career but I always had ‘hobbies’ that involved decorating and provided a creative outlet for me. When I was approaching my 50s I decided I wanted to change careers and do something that I really really loved. So, I got my interior decorating diploma and became a certified Redesigner. I built my client base by starting part time and those initial clients not only wanted decorating and redesign advice, they wanted me to help them get their houses ready for selling. It was a ‘no brainer’ for me! And the rest is history…

FAQs Home Staging As A Career

There are many common questions that I get asked when people are looking into this as a career change for them. I would like to share their questions and my answers with you.

1. How do I know this is the right career for me? You will know if you have a gift for this type of work or not. It is something that will bring you joy and you are most likely doing it for family and/or friends for ‘free’ right now. They all tell you how good you are at it. Sound familiar?

2. How do I get started? The very best way to get started is to do some RESEARCH. Research can be done through a variety of resources. A very good one is the Internet. You can do a www.google.com search or a www.yahoo.com search and get great information on line. Another method is by conducting Informational Meetings with home staging business owners. Attend Networking Meetings – find out who knows someone in the business or a related business. Talk and meet with Realtors and other real estate professionals such as Mortgage Brokers, etc. Email or talk with graduates of Professional Home Staging Training programs.

3. Do I need to have a degree or training in interior design or interior decorating? Absolutely not. I do recommend that you continue to educate yourself in related fields. The more services that you can offer your clients the more revenue streams you will have. Your strategic alliances can be another source of revenue for you as well.

4. How do I know if I will be successful or not? My standard answer comes from a professional development course I took a few years ago – “How you do anything is how you do everything; how successful you have been in the past is a good indicator of how successful you will be in creating your future.”

5. How much money can I make? This is the million dollar question! When asked this question I put the questions back to you – How much do you need to earn? Will this be a part time or full time business? How willing are you to put forward a 100% commitment to grow your business? Do you have a business plan? Currently a professional home stager’s earning potential is being compared to that of an interior decorator. Because this is a fairly new profession there are not statistics to support what a Home Stager will make annually.

6. What kind of start-up costs will I have? The wonderful thing about this business is that the start-up cost is very minimal. You will incur some costs for registering your business as any new business would. Your main expenses will be for tools which can be as low as $150. There are many things that you can do for ‘free’ such as getting your business cards, creating a website and advertising. Other costs can be reduced by belonging to a professional redesign & home staging association.

7. Are credentials and a designation important? YES! As this business grows awareness about home staging is getting the recognition it deserves. Many home sellers and realtors will ask a home staging what their credentials are and who they took their training through. You can become accredited and certified and obtain a designation through investing in a professional training course.

8. What professional training courses are recommended? Selecting the right course for you will be a personal decision. Do your research and determine what you want your outcome to be from the course you are taking. There are several types of courses now being offered in Canada and the United States. Some involve classroom theory and business start up learning, some are all teleclasses and offer no hands on. Some of the 3 day courses offer limited hands-on while the 5 day courses offer 3 full days of hands-on experience in real client’s homes.

9. What happens after I take the course? Many instructors offer mentoring to their graduates formally and informally. Many associations have monthly meetings and networking events for graduates. If business coaching is offered after the course this is something worth looking into.

10. Any other questions? Email or phone me and I will answer them for you. Remember what the Law of Attraction says “Focus on what you want, speak about it and act upon it; have faith and believe it is possible and you will achieve it.”

Around 40 is often an age when people take stock of their lives and a niggling fear starts to creep in…….”If I haven’t achieved my dreams now maybe I just have to give up on them.”

However this attitude fails to recognise just how many wonderfully transferable skills you have built up through your life, through work, through life experiences and through formal and informal learning. These skills can be used in your new career, and if you have made a good career choice for yourself your skills will undoubtedly be highly valued in your new role.

Career change for people in the midst of their career is a specialty of this practice. You deserve to have work that fulfills you and provides you with more than a salary. There is a Chinese proverb that says “If you love your work you will never work another day in your life.” That should be your goal – to find the work you love and then do everything you can to make that your work.

To help you achieve this goal, career counselling is required. If you have a deep knowledge of yourself and have some ideas about what you want to do, then we will move straight into career counselling. However if you are feeling very confused, sometimes we use CareerWorks, an amazing holistic computer based career development program which analyses your responses to many questions and provides a comprehensive report that considers all aspects of you in relation to work. This provides the basis for our ongoing deep career counselling.

Once your future direction has been decided upon, career coaching can support you as you journey towards your new career. Career Coaching often makes the biggest difference to clients who make their career decision, but then feel alone as they try to implement their action plan. By continuing the coaching relationship a little you

Changing careers after 50 is not easy but it is possible.  Over 50s know they have a lifetime of transferable skills and experience that can be applied in different contexts. The challenge is to convince others that those skills and experience are just what they need.  To make a successful transition it is important to realise that you are marketing a product and that product is YOU.  Like any marketing, the perception of the product must be carefully managed to give it the best possible chance of success, and you need to be certain that it is being marketed to the right people.

Clearly defined goals

Being really clear about your career goals is the first step.  Your reasons for changing careers after 50 are undoubtedly complex and usually indicate that you have not been completely happy in your previous occupation.  For this reason you need to make time to consider what you liked and disliked in previous work; the type of work, the type of people, the environment, the level of responsibility, the context and the purpose of the work.  Recognising your interests is important at this stage, because the things that interest you, not just in your working life but also in your personal life, often provide a strong clue to the sort of work you will enjoy.  Similarly, acknowledging your values may provide a key to the type of organisation you would like to work for, or perhaps the sort you would not be happy to work for.  This creates a list of criteria by which you can evaluate the suitability of work opportunities for you at this time of your life.

Carefully crafted resume

When you consider all the life and work experiences that have made you the person you are today, you realise how much you have to offer.  However you need to convince other people of this, and the best way to do so is through a resume that highlights your transferable skills in a powerful way, demonstrating what you have already achieved in your career.

To prepare this sort of resume (a “functional” resume) start with a list of the jobs you have done, and examples of advertised jobs that you find interesting.  You will notice that many of the job advertisements are seeking someone with generic skills such as Communication skills, Teamwork, or good Technology skills.  Create a possible list of these headings, then look through the jobs you have done and decide which of the headings will be most helpful in marketing you as a potential employee.  For each job you have had, write down some statements to show how you have demonstrated the chosen skills in your work.  Start each statement with a strong verb because this gives a much more powerful image of what you have achieved.  This exercise will show you just how many transferable skills you have and will provide the basis for your functional resume.  Suggestions about how to prepare a functional resume is readily available online at all the major job-seeking sites, but if you do not want your age to be an issue in a job application then be careful of the prominence you give to your years of education or your earlier jobs.

Networking

The people who know you and who believe in you are the most likely source of links to work that will be of interest to you.  Ensure that they know what sort of work you are looking for.  A large proportion of jobs are not advertised, yet people hear about them through the people they know.  Prepare a 15 – 30 second description of the work you are seeking and then start telling people, requesting that they keep this in mind if they hear of any work that may be of interest to you.  Networking is not about using people you barely know, but it is about making genuine connections with others who you believe would be happy to assist you.

However beware the well-meaning friend or family member who thinks they know what is best for you!  Despite your carefully considered description of the work that you are seeking they  may try to persuade you to apply for other types of work.  Evaluate each job opportunity according to the criteria that you decided on, and don’t be persuaded to apply randomly for work.

Attitudes

Younger employers may be inclined to discard applications from those who they perceive as being “old”.  Whilst you must be true to yourself, it is important that a contemporary attitude and willingness to learn is demonstrated in the tone of your resume and cover letter.

Resilience

It hurts when you are unsuccessful in obtaining a job that you want.  However that is the nature of the job-hunting game, and it is helpful if you can develop a level of resilience that enables you to move forward with no bitterness and no blame.  Candidates who have experienced many rejections often destroy their chances of obtaining work by exhibiting a negative and defeatist attitude.

The secret to successfully changing career direction after 50 is to believe strongly in the skills and experience that you have and what you can offer to an employer.  Market this belief with confidence and pride, and enjoy the next stage of your career.