As Home Staging has become more popular, it's getting more common for sellers to seek professional help when preparing their home for sale.
Many of the calls I receive regarding home staging are from home owners who understand the importance of preparing their home prior to listing, but they don't personally know any stagers.
Although many real estate agents have a home stager on their team, most agents do not.
Whether you are a seller looking to increase the visual and emotional appeal of your house, or a real estate agent looking to add a valuable member to your marketing team, finding the right home stager is worth the effort.
So, how do you find and choose a professional home stager?
Option 1: Check with friends, relatives, and business associates to see if anyone can recommend a stager.
Ask friends on facebook and Twitter if they can recommend a professional stager.
Option 2: Google search. A professional stager who has been in business for any length of time should have developed an online presence.
Simply search " home stager insert your town or state here. "
Option 3: A very good place to search for a stager is RESA, Real Estate Staging Association.
RESA® members are a global community of professional home stagers, redesigners, and decorators who are committed to advancing professionalism and excellence in real estate staging.
There is no independent organization that certifies or licenses home stagers. There is no government regulation of home staging business practices. RESA is about as close as you will get to a governing board.
You can use their FIND A STAGER page to search by state/province.
Regardless of where you find them...
It's a good idea to talk with three stagers and visit their websites.
Read their client testimonials.
View photos of their work (confirm they are not stock photos).
Questions to ask a Home Stager include:
- Do you specialize in occupied or vacant properties?
- How long have you been in business?
- Are you familiar with my market and do you know the target buyer for my home?
- Do you have a portfolio of your work?
- Are your photos of your actual work, or do you use stock photos?
- Do you provide digital photos of your completed work? What is the cost?
- Are you registered with the state?
- Are you fully insured?
- What are your service rates?
- Can you provide references?
Any designations after a home stager's name come from the training courses that they have taken and are not necessarily an indication of skill level.
As with any professional, you shouldn't make your selection based on their fee. Consider what you get for the fee charged.
Your selection should be based on how they answer your questions
and how comfortable they make you feel.
Comments(57)