Housing market is on the brink of repair; homeowners lean on home staging and design franchise to sell homes faster

With the housing market rebounding, future home sellers are often found searching for a competitive advantage to snag would-be buyers. Many are turning to home staging and one-day makeovers for cost effective enhancements. According to the Real Estate Staging Association, homes that are professionally staged and updated will spend up to 81 percent less time on the market than a vacant home or one without a desirable interior.

With an increased interest in home staging and redesign, Showhomes, the 28-year-old leader in the space, experienced a 25 percent sales increase in Q1 of 2014 for continuously operating locations.

“When the economy dipped, many would-be sellers feared that their home value would decline. To offset decline owners had to identify cost-effective areas of improvement to make the home more marketable. We were able to leverage this through our services while adding homes with a combined list price total of $490 million to our national inventory last year,” said Matt Kelton, COO of Showhomes.

Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Showhomes is the only home staging and one-day makeover franchise in existence and has more than 61 locations in 20 states. Throughout the company’s history the range of services has evolved from a sole focus on home management, to include Traditional home staging and one-day makeovers.

“The evolution of our brand has positioned us for continued, sustained growth,” Kelton said.

Showhomes is focused on reaching the 100-unit mark within the next two years through its aggressive growth strategy, including a focus on California and the Pacific Northwest, and the Northeastern region of the U.S.

With a healthy growth goal to add 20 new franchisees to the system in 2014, Kelton and his team are projecting another significant revenue increase of 30 percent this year for continuously operating locations. A niche business model with a variety of revenue streams, Showhomes is a home-based business offering an incredible opportunity for entrepreneurial-minded individuals with a passion for design and real estate. Showhomes offers an unprecedented start-up investment starting at $45,300.

In 2013, Showhomes also launched its new quick service approach to home design with its One-Day Makeover redesign for currently occupied homes. A One-Day Makeover consists of a team of professionals who can update and stage a home turnkey. Showhomes provides Traditional Home Staging services including on-trend furniture, artwork and accessories to vacant homes from their national inventories to turn vacant homes into a Showhome. The Home Manager sector of the business matches high-end vacant homes for sale with people who have beautiful furniture and need temporary housing. Home Managers provide a staged, lightly lived in and impeccably maintained home for buyers to view resulting in a win-win for the company, home sellers, and the Home Manager.

Kelton adds, “The Home Manager program has great profit potential and while it still makes up a good portion of our revenue, homes that are listed today are not sitting as long as they once did. For those that do stay on the market, subtle signs of life appeal strongly to buyers and the new additions to our service offerings allow us to maintain revenue streams during the ebbs and flows of the real estate market.”