Today we’d like to introduce you to Simon Saran.
Hi Simon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Hi, my name is Simon Saran and this is my story.
Back in 2009 during college, I was furniture shopping for a place I was going to move into. As a college student at UCSD, I didn’t have much money. My parents couldn’t afford to help me through school. I bought furniture off of Craigslist with the little money I had saved from working at Radio Shack. While working at RadioShack I was also getting my real estate license.
I remember buying furniture for cheap compared to huge department stores. People were constantly moving in and out of San Diego so finding good quality second-hand furniture was quite easy. I would the. Scout Craigslist often and buy furniture and resell it. Sometimes I would get stuff from the free section, retake nicer photos and sell it for $100-$200 more than I paid for it.
I then had to move out of my place and wanted to downsize to a place that was already furnished. Instead of selling it, I decided to go onto the MLS and search for homes that were vacant and sitting on the Market. This was during the time the short sale market was huge. Nearly every house listing on the MLS was a short sale.
I cold-called agents and asked if they would talk to the seller and see if they would like their home staged for free. In return, I would rent the house out month-to-month until the property sold and I would give the. Owner a flat fee each month. Sometimes that fee would be $500 a month and sometimes $2000 a month depending on the listing.
I would then rent these houses out as corporate rentals for the 5x to 10x the amount. Short-term rentals helped yield higher returns and I would 10-fold on my money every month. At times I would have these homes for 6-12 months before they got short sale approval to sell. I soon had about 30 rentals going at once and it was all smooth sailing until the market took another turn.
The short sale market was coming to an end. Every house that I would furnish would sell within just a few days. I needed a plan quick and it was make it or break it time. I jumped back on the MLS and started cold calling again. Instead, I looking for investors that were flipping and those I knew would be the majority buyers of these homes.
I remember calling one investor I won’t mention their name that changed the game for me. I literally went from 0 to 10k in one week. I gave an unbeatable deal to stage his house for $999 until it Sold. He sent me homes to stage every week 5 to 10 at a time. I must have been 23 at the time now.
Fast forward 10 years later, we have Universal Staging Company.
We stage over 600 homes a year between LA and San Diego and will soon be opening up another branch in San Francisco! But the $999 package is no more lol.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Some of the obstacles I came Across were those I considered team members that weren’t quite there for the team. I have a few very trusted members on my team still today and some that have been a complete nightmare and are no longer with us. Yea
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our style and uniqueness we bring to the table sets us apart from our competitors. Our team is very reliable and ultimately, we continue to carry that with us everywhere we go. Whether on the clock or off. The job isn’t done until it’s done and we take pride in that.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Please send us a DM on our IG page universalstagingco
Or visit our site at
www.UniversalStagingCompany.vom
Call or text at 619.844.4645
Pricing:
- 2,499.00 to 19,995.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.universalstagingcompany.com
- Instagram: Universalstagingco
