Recently I have been asked quite a bit about home staging training and what “Certification” means. At this point in time there is no governing body in the United States, Canada or Australia that gives out or approves a license for Home Staging.

What does this mean to you as a future Home Stager, Real Estate Sales Person/Broker or Homeowner?

Christine Rae, founder and President of Certified Staging Professionals (CSP™) decided to address this issue by creating and providing a 3 Day, 30 hour in class Home Staging Training Course that would not only teach home staging, but also the business practices on how to stay in business and make a living. The course is not just about making a home look good for pictures and viewings, but also how to bring the condition of the property up to today’s standards by using a proven 3 step process.

Graduates must sign and adhere to a strict Code of Conduct and ethics; those that do not follow the conduct & ethics are no longer allowed to be part of the organization. In order to graduate from the program, students must achieve 75% or higher on two written exams and stage a home on the market with their class and the CSP™ Instructor.

The CSP™ program is constantly being updated to meet today’s market requirements, graduates are encouraged to come back to class at anytime for a small nominal fee to refresh and update themselves. Much like what Realtors® have, there are also continuing education classes that are provided through the CSPI Training Academy.

Who Teaches the Program? The CSP™ Certified Staging Training Classes are only taught by instructors who have an active home staging business and know what is happening in the field. Each Trainer must also go through an intensive Instructor Training Program where they are audited by the President and other instructors before they are allowed to teach the program. They are a team who work together with Christine and each other to constantly keep the program current. CSP™ has instructors in the United States, Canada and Australia. You can find out more about each of them and their companies by clicking on their names: Christine Rae, Nairn Friemann, Lynelle Hartman, Joanne O’Donnell, Melissa Marro, Janne Petrie, Jackson West and myself Duncan Scott.

Certified Staging Professionals™ was the first Staging Training Company to offer an affordable insurance package to their graduates in Canada. Is this important? Would you want any other trade coming into your most expensive investment that did not have insurance?

So back to my earlier question: “What does this mean for you?”

As a Certified Home Staging Professional, you can go out confidently into the market knowing that you have the extensive hands on training on how to provide the best service to your customers and how to succeed in business. With the added support of on going training, you also know that you will always be on top of today’s trends.

As a Real Estate Professional, you know that every CSP™ Home Staging Consultant has been through hands on training on bringing the properties condition up to standard and on merchandising your listings, much like what you had to do to in order to get your license. Knowing that each CSP™ must adhere to a Code of Conduct means that you have the added security of contacting the CSP Head Office should any complaints or issues arise.

As a Homeowner, you have the piece of mind that you have a professionally trained home stager who has been taught how to get you the maximum return on your investment by consulting you on the condition of your home and then showcasing it to get the most buyers through the door.

CSP has made it easy for you to find a Certified Staging Professional near you… you can be rest assured by Clicking on the FIND A STAGER button that you have a trained professional who is in good standing with the organization.

So while there may not currently be a governing body on the Certification of Home Staging Training, don’t you feel better knowing that CSP™ is Raising the Bar on what is expected in Home Staging?

Please don’t hesitate to contact the CSP™ head office at 1-888-STAGING (782-4464), visit the office in person at 36 Hiscott Street, St. Catharine’s ON (9-6pm Mon –Fri), or contact any of our Certified Instructors via their websites.