Memphis Business Journal: Home Staging is the New Normal as Real Estate Franchise Stays Hot

Home-staging franchise Showhomes has a strong presence in its native Tennessee and has been helping residents stage, update and manage homes on the market for decades. COO Matt Kelton says this is the company’s most successful year yet.

With the rising popularity of HGTV and similar channels, home-staging has become mainstream.

Local franchisees Jeff and Heidi Ross have found great success in the community, especially with the brands unique home manager program, which the company defines as "a person or family with beautiful home furnishings who lives in a vacant home for sale,” according to Memphis Business Journal.

Basically, Showhomes allows people to live in and care for a property while the house is on the market. In exchange for maintaining the house, the monthly rent is significantly reduced. The homes are usually higher-end properties that sell in the $400,000 to $900,000 range. Franchisees like Jeff and Heidi also partake in traditional home staging, such as updating homes and helping sellers differentiate themselves in competitive markets.

The Ross's stumbled upon the business by accident as they were transitioning into a new community. Now, years later and with many success stories under their belts, the Ross’s consider themselves the local experts in getting a home ready for sale.