Searching for a home stager? Do your homework. Because the field of home staging is not governed, literally ANYONE can call themselves a home stager these days. You can take a course that ‘certifies’ you are a home stager and boom! You’re ready for business!
Realtors, home owners and builders – do your due diligence. Check the stager’s portfolio. Ensure it is their work, not stock photos given to them by the same course that ‘certified’ them. Ask for client references or better yet, go see one of their staged homes. Their portfolio, business presence and experience will tell you which stager is the best choice. Be wary of stagers offering their services too low as well – this usually cues the ‘desperate’ sign and is indicative of a stager with little experience. Choosing to go with a stager simply because they are cheap usually results in having to hire an experienced stager after you don’t get the desired results (sold home) and poor feedback from the first stager’s efforts. I know this – I have been called in to repair bad staging jobs and the saddest part is that the perfect buyer might already have visited but then opted not to buy because the house wasn’t appealing.
So, if you’re selecting a home stager, pick based upon experience, talent, business presence and portfolio.
Thank you for your post. Your header is a bit misleading because the body of the post doesn’t discuss “green” at all. Your post is focused on the Real Estate Home Staging hiring basics. Absolutely, in our unregulated business it is always great to reminder the buyer to be aware so that they do indeed receive a professional Home Stager.
In regard to “green”, I have to tell you that the course I took and am now a trainer is no joke. We learned about everything from soil maintenance, wall barriers, air control, products that help us age in place and so much more. We had a classroom test and had complete a textbook & an independent study w/in 30 days following class.
Yes, our clients need to be aware to avoid receiving a Stager who is a greenwasher – someone who says “I use cotton” when traditional cotton is one if the least green fibers. Or, “we use recycled products.” That is a great start but truly NOT a green Home Stager.
A true green Home Stager is educated on additional ways that our clients can save money through energy efficiency, native plantings & removing toxins from the home (to name a few). I’m proud to be a solution driven company delivering green guidance at no extra charge to my Home Staging clients. The information they gain will assist them far into the future.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your comment. Congratulations on your green certification – its a valuable thing to have. We agree that being an eco-friendly stager is definitely a positive thing and offers clients another great wealth of information.
Our post was geared towards the other meaning of ‘green’ which would also be ‘newbie’ or an aspiring stager. As our field is unregulated its vital for home owners and realtors to do their homework before hiring a stager. We have seen too many instances where a green stager did more harm than good for her clients and it ended up costing them a sale. A home is a person’s single greatest investment so trusting it to someone who doesn’t have the experience, skill and talent to get it staged to sell is not only a poor investment but it could also have far reaching financial repercussions as well.