If you have been staging for any length of time, you may have come across a home that requires your services that may be "occupied," and I am not talking about the present owners or renters.
It has happened to us, and I've heard from other stagers that it has happened to them. It doesn't matter if you believe in the supernatural or not, when something outside of what is considered normal (paranormal) happens to you, you might not know what to do.
Real Estate comes on the market for a variety of reasons, including death and despair, and while it is our job as stagers to reset the energy of the house to appeal to a buyer, the past does not always stay in the past. Additionally, many believe that renovations and changes don't always sit well with the dearly departed, if they are attached to a residence. So, stagers who are working could be asking for a little interaction and they won't even know it. 
So, here's some nifty tips if you ever find yourself in a pickle with a pesky paranormal entity:
1. First of all, remember that ghosts were people, too, and they might just miss being treated with a modicum of social courtesy. Nobody ever says hello or goodbye to them - they are largely treated as non-persons, because well, we usually can't see them. So, if you think you are experiencing a visitation while staging, disarm them by saying hello, and introducing yourself.
2. Ghosts are curious about the living who enter their space. Telling them why you are there, and what you are doing goes a long way toward satisfying their curiosity. Sometimes this is all it takes to get them to go back to whatever it is they were doing before you showed up.
3. If you still feel watched or pestered, ask them kindly to understand you don't wish to be rude, but that you are very busy and working against a "deadline," for lack of a better word, and you must get back to work.
4. If you hear noises, as them to please keep it down. If you hear actual words, tell them you hear them, but that you don't have a whole lot of time to talk, because you have so much to do.
5. If you are particularly religious, carrying a religiously significant object may make you feel more secure when working, and that is ok! Just don't go flicking holy water all over the place and burning stinky substances. I know if I was haunting a house, I'd be rather offended by that type of activity in my residence.
6. Don't panic. Running away when you realize you have been approached will only get you hurt or hurt someone else. Stay calm, and if you feel you must leave, simply walk of the house out calmly, excusing yourself, and come back as soon as you are ready. You can freak out later, with a fifth of Jack Daniels.
7. Don't rebuke them or tell them to leave. You are a guest in their home, and just because they are invisible (usually) doesn't mean they are out to get you or are inherently evil. Sometimes, they are just dead folks who simply like where they are. Think of how you'd want to be treated, or how you'd want a dearly departed relative to be treated if someone encountered them. And sometimes, it is just a residual energy linked to the house, like a tape, that gets played over and over in the house, and not an "intelligent" spirit at all. You might be talking to a video of sorts. Just don't presume it's evil or demonic, maintain your civility and don't let your fear or what you see at the movies determine your behavior.
8. If you feel very uncomfortable, leave and come back with someone else in tow. If the presence does like scaring folks (and some do!), there's sometimes not a whole lot you can do about it, but it's more fun to be frightened as a couple.
9. Don't dwell on it. We have no idea why or what caused a spirit to want to stay in the realm of the living, so there is no use trying to figure it out. Just chalk it up to another whack-o staging day, and enjoy the rest of your week. They normally won't follow you home unless you ask them to or show them you are open to that idea. So, saying goodbye is a great way of, well, saying goodbye.
10. Don't mention what happened to you to the neighbors, or go screeching out of the house and leave tire marks in the driveway as you rip out of there. Disclosure about haunted houses it something that is different from state to state, and most do require that the past of the house, or the fact that someone died in the house, be disclosed to the potential buyer.
That's it. If you can remember to be unfailingly polite, you can stage any house, haunted or not.
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