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Home Stager says you don't need training to stage homes

By Cathy Dick

Home Stager with Final Touch Designs, Inc.

May 08, 2009 01:39 PM

I was looking at some sites and came across one today that really bothered me. About 16 months ago someone by the name of Rusty Phillips submitted an article on Hubpages entitled, "Home Staging Changed My Life". She/he says that you don't need any certification or training to become a Home Stager. After reading the many comments that followed, I decided to go ahead and submit a comment of my own. I'm sure you will agree that this article needs more comments submitted to uphold the intregrity and standards of this industry. Even though this article is over a year old, people like myself are still going to run across it and possibly get the wrong opinion if they don't read further through all the comments.

Please read this article and feel free to express your own opinion so those who want to get into the industry, have a clearer idea of what to expect and what will be expected of them. I'm sure I didn't cover all the points (it's been a long tiring day), so I hope you will fill in the gaps that I may have overlooked. It's articles like these that hinders accurate education for homeowners. It's no wonder we must continue to educate, educate, and educate the public.

The link is as follows: Home Staging Changed My Life http://hubpages.com/hub/homestagingbusiness

Please let me know your thoughts.

Cathy Dick

http://www.final-touchdesigns.com

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Michael Fontana

Round Rock Home Stager Austin Home Staging - Round Rock, TX

@ The Stage Coach

hi, Cathy:
I saw some familiar names in the comments section... You were spot on, and were our other A/R friends.

Thing is: I think it was apparent to every one that this was written by some one plugging their own business, and then being commented on by themselves or people instructed to do so. It happened to one of my A/R blogs about a similar group. I had questioned their integrity as a whole because they recommended calling a Home Stagers to find out pricing and service info by pretending to be a seller.

Any ways, after a few months, some unregistered persons started posting about what a wonderful course this group offered, and started putting down other courses. I had to lock the blog down 'cause it got a little ugly. Too bad for them - it's frozen on A/R for all of Google to find now!

Thanks for sharing - it was... Shall I say, "Funny"?
The Stage Coach Home Staging

May 08, 2009 02:24 PM

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA

Michael, It's sad to know people would go to those extremes, but they're out there and will continue to be out there. It's sad that you had to lock down a blog. Thanks for sharing that. I continue to be amazed at what people will do....and post.

So, onward we go....and educate others we will......

Cathy

May 08, 2009 03:02 PM

Gary Barnett

Home Matters - Indianapolis, IN

Home Matters Property Stylist Group, Indianapolis

Cathy, I thought the response you left was excellent.

May 08, 2009 11:52 PM

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA

Hello Gary! Thank you for your thoughtful words.

May 09, 2009 01:52 AM

Wendy Timmons

Move Home Realty - Temecula, CA

Temecula Realtor

Scary! I just got an e-mail from a "national" trainer offering to partner with stagers to sell their training courses. Then you make a commission on the sale...... I would rather spend my time building MY business than someones training course :)

May 09, 2009 02:33 AM

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA

Yes, I've run into that as well. For some that may be a good choice as a start-up, but in order to really learn all aspects of running a business, you need to be at the helm driving the ship....through the rough waters and calm. I've learned soooo much through this whole experience and it has given me a large appreciation for other Entrepreneurs. The greatest gift is that it has made me so much more aware of how I can make an impact on people and the environment. Through a lot of research on how to make my business different from others for example, I've learned so much about the everyday products we use and how many of them can cause harmful effects. This has made me stop and think twice about certain purchases I make and to read labels ALL the time. But it has also taught me how to communicate with people more effectively, to listen to my clients, and learn from them as well. It's nice to have your own rules and know they are good for your business, not someone elses. So in my humble opinion, they can take their commission and...... *wink* Cathy

May 09, 2009 02:22 PM

Sheila Kennedy

J29 Project - Rochester, NY

Cathy - I thought your response was great. There was another Stager in my area for about a year and she had not gone through any training. She continually went around town saying that accreditation was not necessary and that there were no industry standards. As a matter of fact her AR profile says the same thing.

At one point we were both at the same realtor expo, I had gone up to introduce myself and meet her. Over the course of the conversation, I had mentioned about becoming accredited and that I could forward her info about the course I took. She blanketly said that she didn't need it, she knew everything there was to know. Interesting thought - I can't soak up enough education and here was someone who didn't need any.

I don't think she is in business anymore. It does go to show that there needs to be more education to the public about what professional standards are. I am glad that you brought this to our attention. Thanks!

May 10, 2009 09:15 AM

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA

Thank you Sheila. I agree, I can never get enough ideas and new or updated information. There is still so much we can learn and use and goodness knows I don't have all the answers.

I've been trying to get the stagers in our area together to meet as regularly as possible so we can continue to work on educating the public. I feel that we can work more effectively together than against each other. Why not? The whole idea to get the word out how beneficial it is to home sellers. Why not share resources and help one another when we get into a situation where we need help. The great thing about being creative and right-brained is that we are people oriented and we don't mind asking others for help (unlike our more left-brained husbands). Ha

I can only assume the lady you know went out of business because she wasn't able or willing to keep up with the standards? Or perhaps she was just out done by people like you who love to soak up as much as you can to learn new tricks of the trade.

You go girl! This industry will prevail in the end! And I hope one day it be the norm when selling a home or business.

Cathy

http://www.final-touchdesigns.com

May 10, 2009 09:30 AM

Terrylynn Fisher

Dudum Real Estate Group - BuyStageSell.com - Walnut Creek, CA

HAFA Certified, EcoBroker, CRS, CSP Realtor, Etc.

Ulterior motives are often found if you look deep enough. But the reality is that the comments are educating more than her post. THANKS for taking the time to give a terrific response and for sharing with all of us. Good post.

May 10, 2009 06:37 PM

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA

Isn't that the truth. Today's technology has given us all a new, informative way of communicating. I think what scared me was that in my consistent search for green home stagers, somehow I came to a google page and that article was the first one listed! I hope that if someone is really interested in getting involved in the industry, they would read as much as they could -- all the way to the bottom of the page. :-)

Thank you for the kind words.

May 11, 2009 05:21 AM

Sandi Gerrard

Toronto, ON

Interesting - thanks for pointing out the article Cathy.

May 11, 2009 11:55 PM

Beverly Carlson

Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX

Abilene's Staging Realtor

I just saw this post and I will add my 2 cents for what it is worth. If people could just stage without training or some careful thought to a project, then every home on the multiple listing service would be clean, decluttered, purposefully arranged and show gorgeous photos.

On a personal note I staged a couple homes before going to some hands on training and that training inspired me with a heightened level of confidence. Things have not been the same since. I have gone on to stage every listing, every home I manage, every apt I lease. I have staged one bedroom apts, one bedroom lake cottage, several 2-3 bedroom bungalows clear to upper range executive homes. Every property for sale or rent or lease needs to be staged to market at its best. I have a read a few of the self-help books looking to glean ideas, but the best refresher training is the hands-on gathering with other stagers! Two heads are better than one when it comes to creativity. My strengths are in my humble opinion are overall flow, theme and balance. I have teamed up with a lady who used to own her own drapery shop and she does amazing things with windows. Another is very particular about the exact placement of art. Thus, a team of stagers is even better than one or two.

May 13, 2009 01:29 PM

Cathy Dick

Final Touch Designs, Inc. - Roanoke, VA

Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA

Beverly, YES! I agree completely! I thoroughly enjoy a team effort. Not only, as you pointed out, do you get more creative ideas, but it's a heck of a lot more fun. You learn something new with each and every project--no project is the same. I will admit that flow, theme and balance aren't concepts that you're born with. I'm sure your training and experience have fine-tuned those strengths. That is where I believe the training is of great value as it helps you (us) understand different decorating syles that complement different archectual styles. I also agree, if was so easy, all homes would pass the "white glove test" and so many are a far cry from that.

I hope that our area stagers will continue to get together to learn from and work with each other. I believe it is so important to network as a team. We've met only once since our Round Table meeting so I'm not quite sure if they feel the same as I do, but I think they would agree.

Thank you for your comment. You made a very good and valuable point. If we could all work together.....

May 13, 2009 02:45 PM

Sheridan Corrie

Upstage, LLC - West Linn, OR

Cathy, I think this is a touchy subject, because so much of this business is based on talent that cannot be taught. I completely agree that standards of professionalism are what should bond us together regardless of training or background. People should spend their energy on supporting a person's individual path, and not trashing viable options. Training and education are vital! That's exactly why I constantly keep current with local association meetings and events.

May 14, 2009 04:07 AM

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