{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Risky Assets","title":"The 1% That Sells Your Home For 20% Higher - EP025 with Melissa Diaz","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3802,"description":"She went from nearly 20 years at Hot Dog on a Stick to building a multi-seven-figure home staging and interior design firm. In this episode of the Risky Assets Podcast, Charlie Deaver and Daniel Clarke sit down with Melissa Diaz, founder of Stunningly Staged Homes, to talk about building a real business out of a creative skill.\nMelissa breaks down the numbers most people never hear: staging can return 300- 500%, homes that are staged tend to sell roughly 80% faster and draw offers around 20% higher, and her listings have moved in about 29 days against a Los Angeles average closer to 55. Beyond the staging stats, this is a candid founder conversation about the slow climb, hiring your weaknesses, building a business that can run without you, pricing your worth, and the unglamorous, inventory-heavy reality behind a business that looks effortless from the outside.\nChapters\n00:00  The numbers behind home staging\n00:22  A female founder breaking the mold\n01:16  What Stunningly Staged Homes actually does\n03:46  From Hot Dog on a Stick to her own firm\n05:16  Three years before her first hire\n06:13  Staging vs. interior design, and why they balance\n08:01  Knowing when to let go and delegate\n11:16  Can your business run without you for six months?\n15:34  $250K to almost $5M: the slow climb\n16:04  Why staging is so inventory-heavy\n19:42  Why interior design is regulated in California\n20:45  “I'll just ask ChatGPT”: why DIY usually fails\n23:21  Being a female founder, and pricing your worth\n28:13  The staging ROI: 300 to 500%\n30:07  “Staging costs less than your first price reduction”\n33:47  What staging a 2,000 sq ft home actually costs\n37:13  Her biggest challenge, and Covid hitting\n50:06  Team, ownership, and hiring for behavior\n57:25  Grass isn't greener: the real cost of working for yourself\nABOUT THE GUEST\nMelissa Diaz is the founder of Stunningly Staged Homes, a Santa Clarita based home staging and interior design firm serving Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, and the...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/rGdlIJHPs4VZV6pxPe21X7IU9nGHtqGwOty3tYKwCY4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzMzNDc0LzE2NjE1/NDQ2NDktYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}