The hottest trend in real estate also happens to 

be one of the oldest. People have always tidied 

up houses before trying to sell them, but only 

recently have professionals turned what was once a doit-yourself job into a popular occupation. 

Home stager Becky Fimbres says she first saw the 

need for professional home staging when she worked as 

a real estate agent. She had to sell homes that, she says, 

“looked just dreadful but had the potential for so much 

more.” Now, using a combination of practical advice 

and artistic talent, she helps clients give homes a wider 

appeal. 

Home stager

by Drew Liming

Home stagers believe that buyers decide how much 

they like a property by picturing their own possessions in 

the house. But homeowners don’t always make that easy 

to imagine. For starters, owners usually arrange furniture 

to fit their needs, not those of buyers. And homes usually 

contain years’ worth of clutter, which makes it difficult 

for potential buyers to imagine their belongings in the 

same space. 

This is where home stagers like Becky step in. 

“My job is all about using space,” says Becky. “I try to 

emphasize the room, not the accessories, to highlight the 

best qualities of the property itself.” She tours the house 

and writes suggestions for improving the appearance of 

each room. Then she gives homeowners a detailed plan 

that shows how to make the house impressive to potential buyers. 

It’s up to the owners to implement Becky’s ideas. 

For an hourly fee, however, she will make the changes 

for them. Becky offers this service to her clients because 

she recognizes that “some have more time than money, 

and others have more money than time.” 

But successful staging doesn’t require vast amounts 

of either. In fact, the core principle of home staging 

can be counterintuitive: The simplest changes bring the 

largest returns. Becky says that adding common items, 

such as greenery or unlit candles, can subtly alter buyers’ 

perspectives and create a positive ambiance. It’s what 

she calls the “wow factor.” 

Professional home stagers can also identify potential problems that home sellers may never consider. For 

example, Becky once staged a house that had a garage 

filled with junk that covered useful workbenches along 

the walls. Becky directed her client to clear out the clutter and focus attention on the workbenches. That kind 

of change could make the difference between a quick, 

profitable sale and months of waiting.

Becky’s job extends beyond recommending that 

someone clean a messy room, though. Other changes 

are more dramatic, like making a decision about what 

a space should be used for. Sometimes, it’s obvious 

what a room is created for—it’s hard to convert, say, 

a kitchen to serve many other purposes. But in other 

cases, a room’s function may be open to interpretation. 

By emptying a crowded space and adding a simple desk, 

You’re a what?

Drew Liming is a contributing editor to the OOQ, (202) 

691–5262. 38 Occupational Outlook Quarterly • Summer 2008
for example, Becky can make buyers see a study where 

there was once a bedroom. 

Stagers also occasionally work to make vacant 

houses seem more livable by adding items such as furniture, throw rugs, and lamps. On these jobs, Becky works 

closely with a rental company to get exactly what she 

needs. Other stagers keep their own inventory of supplies 

and furniture. 

Becky first got involved in home staging after 

working as a real estate agent, and many other home 

stagers come from a similar background. She, like others, received her initial training through a program that 

combined seminars with hands-on work. In most programs, students stage a room and receive feedback from 

instructors. 

There are no formal requirements to work as a home 

stager. Many certification programs exist, but their duration and teaching methods vary. Experience, says Becky, 

is the best teacher. 

Achieving success as a home stager requires a balance of artistic and customer-service skills. The stager 

needs to see beyond what is present and into what is 

possible. Usually, the job is accomplished by removing 

unnecessary items from a room, a task that comes naturally to Becky. “Staging is about minimalism,” she says, 

“which has always been an interest of mine.”

 But just seeing improvements isn’t enough: A good 

stager must be able to convey this vision to clients in 

clear, simple steps. Tactful communication is essential. 

“If someone is struggling speaking to clients,” Becky 

says, “this probably isn’t the best career choice.” Although Becky says she is naturally shy, her enthusiasm 

for home staging makes it easy for her to communicate 

with customers. 

Becky’s chief frustration is with people who seek her 

advice but don’t understand that home staging is not a 

one-size-fits-all assessment. She knows many universally 

helpful tips, but much of Becky’s work must be tailored 

to a specific home. “Sometimes I’m asked for advice or 

a consultation over the phone, but it doesn’t work like 

that,” she says. “I need to be able to see and absorb the 

place.” 

Most home stagers are self-employed, so they must 

also be adept at managing their own business. Their 

success requires having some knowledge of marketing and finance. Home stagers must also build strong 

relationships with real estate agents, whom they rely on 

for referrals. Some real estate agents supplement their 

business by working as home stagers. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not collect 

data on home stagers, but anecdotal information suggests 

that earnings vary significantly, depending on location 

and expertise. Home stagers set the fees for their service 

in different ways. They might charge by the hour, by the 

room, or by the size of the overall structure; fees may 

range from $75 for an initial consultation to $500 for an 

entire house. Any additional expenses, such as renting 

furniture, are usually passed on to the client. 

The length of time required for each job also varies, 

but experienced home stagers can usually complete a 

house consultation in several hours. Many home stagers 

begin their careers working part time, but successes and 

satisfied customers can easily increase their workload. 

The need to meet on clients’ schedules may require 

home stagers to work odd hours or on weekends. Although some home stagers dislike sporadic scheduling, 

Becky enjoys the flexibility of setting her own appointments. 

The hard work of running a business is rewarded by 

an opportunity to be creative and address people’s challenges every day. “After making a suggestion,” Becky 

says, “you can see the light bulb go on in people’s heads, 

and they say, ‘I never thought of that!’ It’s such a fantastic feeling.”

When Becky Fimbres finishes her work, home is where the money is.

Summer 2008 • Occupational Outlook Quarterly 39