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Staging Diva...

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Home Stager with Designology Interior Design
Just wondering how many of you have taken her courses or are considering the courses? I myself am considering them. Any advice for those others out there like me on if it's a really good program and worth it to take all courses?

Comments (8)

Kimberly Uksik
Independent - Pickering, ON
Home Stager - Durham, Toronto, On.

Hi Christine,

I didn't take it but did consider it.  From what I can tell from her website and from speaking with others who have taken it it is a business program.  Debra goes into the fundamentals of running a staging business from her own experiences.  It is great that she runs her own successful staging business so you get to learn from her and her mistakes she made a long the way.

Her course will NOT teach you how to stage,  I am not sure if she goes into the fundamentals of staging and how it differs from decorating/design.  I will let other's who have taken her course comment on this.

~Kimberly~

Jul 03, 2007 11:25 PM
Mary Seferian
DIVA DECOR DESIGN - Montreal, QC

OK Here goes:

It definitely is a business course. There is absolutely nothing in teaching decorating. It is more of a booster to get you to go out there and market yourself with confidence. I had asked Debra Gould exactly these questions before signing up. She told me upfront that she will not teach decorating, that there are other courses out there and books on the topic. She wanted to teach about what worked for her, and also what mistakes she made. She also mentioned that you either had the talent to decorate or not.

Is it worth it? It is pricey, but I don't know if these other courses offer any marketing help. I think if you have the talent to stage and just need to apply yourself to grow your business, then it may be worth taking a look.

Jul 04, 2007 03:54 AM
Christine Craig
Designology Interior Design - Santa Barbara, CA
Allied ASID & NKBA
Personally I think this would be the best one for me only because I am an interior designer and have also worked on model homes and through AR I think I am good on the actual staging part. It's the business end that I would like more advice on.
Jul 04, 2007 07:40 AM
Debra Gould
Staging Diva / Six Elements Inc. - Toronto, ON
The Staging Diva

You can read comments about the course from many active rain members on Kathy Somer's Stage It First blog.

It's true that I don't teach you how to decorate. My feeling is that if you have no natural talent in this area, you shouldn't be looking at becoming a stager. The people who take my course and benefit most from it are those who already know they have natural talent. They know this because:

  • they've been decorating ever since they can remember (some started with doll houses, others with their first bedrooms or apartments)
  • friends and relatives have been asking them for years for decorating advice
  • they've been glued to HGTV ever since it came out, read lots of magazines and books about decorating

The reason I focus on the business side of things is because there are far too many home stagers and aspiring home stagers out there not making a living because they don't know how to take their passion and turn it into a lucrative business instead of a creative hobby. They don't know what to charge or how to make sure they get paid, they don't know how to avoid running around giving free estimates, they don't know how to market themselves, talk about what they do with confidence, etc. These are the areas I focus on and I do it based on my actual experience of growing a successful home staging business and supporting myself as an entrepreneur since 1989. I also happen to have an MBA in marketing which doesn't hurt.

No matter what field you are looking at, a big determinant of your success is marketing. You can be the "best" stager, singer, agent, designer, writer, etc. But if no one knows about you, what difference does it make, if your goal is to make a living?

If you want to know specifically what is in each of the five Staging Diva courses and listen to a free sample of each one, check out this link. For those of you wondering, the total cost of the program is $895, an amount that you can make back with your first client.

 

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva

 

 

 

 

Nov 06, 2007 08:14 AM
Toronto's 2 Hounds Design: Decorating + Staging
2 Hounds Design + Home Staging - Toronto, ON

Hey Christine, I see you're still considering Debra's course. As I've told you before, I am further ahead by at least a year because I've learned what does and what doesn't work from a professional stager.

Unless you've upped your prices since the last time we chatted...take Debra's course!

Jan 06, 2008 06:02 PM
Kathleen Lordbock
Keller Williams Realty Professionals - Baxter, MN
Keller Williams Realty Professionals
Took it and what I needed was the business end of staging - not how to stage, so this worked for me.
Mar 08, 2008 04:08 PM
Anonymous
Veronica

Hello! I have just finished a staging course, that focused mainly on the "design"" part of it. Great... I have that, now what? I am venturing on my own but feel totally lost as to where and how to start. I feel I need to have certain tools and knowledge before I go into that first clients home. I am researching the web, but there are so many courses out there that promise you ther world. The staging diva sounds very exciting, but is it really a course that is worth it? I just paid $1000 for a course  and would hate to invest in something that is not beneficial.

Any advice or suggestions?

Best,

Aug 25, 2009 07:12 AM
#7
Debra Gould
Staging Diva / Six Elements Inc. - Toronto, ON
The Staging Diva

Hi Veronica,

I advise that anyone considering a home staging training program investigate it thoroughly before signing up. There are many programs out there in this totally unregulated field. Just as anyone can call themselves a "home stager" anyone can offer training whether they know what they're talking about or not.

If you've already got decorating talent, the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program will teach you how to turn that into a profitable business, it will not duplicate anything you may have already studied. That's because I don't teach you how to move furniture around, I teach you how to make money moving furniture around, and how to get the client to let you in there in the first place so you can move furniture. This is a very different approach then what else is out there.

No matter how talented you are, if no one has ever heard of you and no one is willing to hire you, then all you have is a creative hobby not a business.

I can certainly understand why you'd be reluctant to invest in yet another program if you've already spent $1000. But if you don't have what you need to move forward, you have two choices:

  • get what you need, even if that means investing a bit more time and/or money in learning what you need to know
  • give up on your dreams of becoming a successful home stager and do something else instead

I wish you much luck in whatever path you choose to take and I encourage you to order this FREE report about what the current housing market and economy means for home stagers.

 

 

 

 

Aug 26, 2009 12:34 PM