Vacation Rental Design – What’s The Fuss About?

Posted by Christine Rae Articles, Blog

The vacation rental industry experienced a 33% increase in business from 2019 to 2021 at $75billion there was speculation the bar was set high for STR owner growth. According to a report from HUBSPOT the global vacation rental market is valued at $97BILLION for 2023 and over a $400 Billion for 2024.

As the economy continues to experience it highs and lows more and more people are looking to save money yet experience fabulous vacations. The STR industry is totally upsetting the traditional hospitality industry and these projections indicate there is no let up in sight.

Investors in these properties are betting the farm they will develop their own wealth portfolio while having the best times of their lives, running their own business.

What does it mean to you as a stager or decorator?

When those seeking to experience the magic of one-of-a-kind type property be it a week in a yurt by a river, or a bubble home in the woods- rustic they may be, but the vacationer wants everything luxury. After COVID lockdown the most searched word on HOUZZ was LUXURY – we are worth it and life is too short, so we want it now. So, if your idea of designing for STR is like a cabin in the woods of yester year- think again. Just like staging your own house/listing is tough — so investors are finding the challenges of set up and design beyond their scope of ability. Cheap and cute will not get your nights fully booked.

As in staging we know most of the population cannot see beyond what they see so more and more are turning to the experts in design and procurement, for the guest to have a seamless, trouble-free experience.

I recently interviewed Amy Powers, from Georgia who is a pioneer for VR design which started after a casual comment from a client for whom she had staged a condo. There was a big ball game happening in Atlanta and he wanted to know if he could rent out the condo to some friends for a few nights. Being an entrepreneur, she figured out how to amend her contract to accommodate any damage which may occur, added useable towels and items to make the stay pleasant and little did she know that would lead to such an amazing career in short term rental design. Fast forward a few years, stagers were approaching Amy with questions galore on “how to do it, who to do it for, what do I need to get started and what about pricing. The end of that journey resulted in the development of a five-hour training program which she delivers live & on-demand at the CSP International™ Business Academy. She is the only person doing this work daily and teaching live. You are learning right from the horse’s mouth. Read more about what is taught here:

Not totally convinced?

Well vacation is not the only reason this market is exploding. A pandemic fueled trend with staying power is a business and part leisure trip. “Bleisure” traveling is poised to take over the traditional travel business, as remote workers, now post covid restrictions are lifted, are realizing they can work from anywhere hence the “digital nomad” has developed. Stagers & Vacation/STR/MTR designers need to add a comfortable, well-lit workspace, away from mainstream living, in order to have Zoom calls and spread out their work. The driving demographic are Millennials who are growing in power and numbers & going on more business trips than past generations. Millennials are known as a generation that values experiences over things.75% of young professionals now view being able to travel for business as a perk, to them.

bleisure graph

another bleisure graph

Work-Life-Balance is a priority; employers are constantly grappling with this new workforce trend and eager to retain personnel being opening to new ideas and policies to prevent burnout and encourage loyalty. In the US, it is estimated that 243 million business trips (60 percent) turn into bleisure trips.

One thing for sure is the world of staging is evolving and CSP International has a plethora of professional development programs to assist all who want to have their own business. The world awaits you.

There is no better time than right now to take the plunge if you are interested in starting a home staging business or training a team member to be your in-house stager at your brokerage. Contact me, Christine Rae today to learn more! Or learn more & get our 65 Steps to Starting A Successful Staging Business ebook.

About Christine Rae

Christine Rae influenced the staging industry from the beginning of her career, through the innovative development of a business training and certification program.

In a non-regulated industry where “anything goes” she established value for education, maintaining a steady, clear message that ethics, professionalism, systems, training, actionable knowledge and continuing education count, especially when dealing with the largest investment most people make. An industry pioneer, bestselling author, multiple award-winning entrepreneur she is most proud of the thousands of Academy’s graduates’ success and the quality of the certified trainers who travel North America and Australia teaching the CSP process, systems and proctoring the “in-field” examination.

When Christine was named as one of the top 100 Elite women who are shaping the real estate industry, she said, “staging is a serious business, not one to be treated lightly. Stagers are charged with the responsibility of not only securing the equity of the property but also visually supporting the value of it. Real certification for stagers is as important to a real estate transaction, as a license is for real estate agents. Within the next three years there will be a tsunami of need for this work and tremendous change will take place regarding how stagers work in this field”

Is Staging Certification Necessary?

The home staging industry is unregulated and there is no “governing and regulating association”. Don’t let this alarm or dissuade you from pursing your dream. The Home Inspection industry is non- regulated also, in fact many industries are rooted in non-regulation. What it means is simply anyone can say they are a stager and anyone can provide a training course, online or in person………….. without ever having staged a home! Shocking isn’t it? We believe as a new business starting out you need as much ammunition and information as possible to position you as an expert instead of a newbie. Certification for a stager is as vital as a license is to a real estate agent.

Read More:

HIGH PRAISE

Yesterday I was listening to and reviewing some of the information from the “FastTrack Business Package”, it occurred to me how much thought went into putting this package together. I felt I needed to say Thank You to you and your Team. All the information taught in the class and provided in this package has given me the confidence I need to start this new chapter in my life.

Cynthia Delve
CCSP Victoria, BC
“Having gone through my first CSP training class years ago, and then taking a refresher class recently, I still feel that you cannot get a better staging education than CSP.”

Robin LeVine
“If you are looking to start your own staging business or want to get into the industry, CSP is what you are looking for! Christine Rae has developed a stellar turnkey program for anyone who is serious about this business.”

Stephanie Matthews

Vacation Rental Design – What’s The Fuss About?

Vacation Rental Design – What’s The Fuss About?