Your Home Staging Business - What certification did you get to become a home stager?? Would it be beneficial to me to get this?
Here is the first question and answer in my blog series Your Home Staging Business - You've Got Questions, I've Got Answers!
Q: What certification did you get to become a home stager?? Would it be beneficial to me to get this? from Marlene Pellegini
A: Marlene, thanks for this question. I took the on-line classes provided by Home Staging Resource and I am "certified" by them. I thought it was a great program for what I needed. 'What I needed' is the key phrase here. I had been staging for a few years for my interior design clients whom were putting their homes on the market. We didn't call it 'home staging' though. We called it 'getting a house ready for sale'. I already understood the nuts and bolts of how to stage a home. I really needed help with setting up my home staging business - contracts, forms, etc. I wanted to make sure all my i's were dotted and my t's were crossed. Home Staging Resource was perfect for me in that regard because signing up for their program gave me access to a ton of staging business forms and marketing materials, as well as hints and tips for growing my business. HSR will also build a stand-alone web site for you and get you business cards rapidly (I didn't avail myself of this offer as I already had a web site and cards). They do not provide hands on training, but Home Staging Resource was perfect for what I needed. If you choose to pursue staging training there are many reputable training programs out there. You need to do your due diligence and determine which program is right for you.
Regarding 'certification', there is no independent national organization currently that is certifying Home Stagers, as far as I know. All 'certifications' are currently issued by the training providers, again, as far as I know, and there is no governmental or regulatory agency standard for what these certifications mean. I personally prefer to "stage naked" meaning that, until there is an independent national organization certifying home stagers (RESA is working on this), I don't use any letters after my name. I have never had a single client ask me if I was 'certified', and to my knowledge, I have never lost a job because I was not 'certified'. There are a number of very talented and successful stagers that are 'certified' by their training provider(s), have multiple 'certifications', or "stage naked". For me, until there is certification issued by an independent national organization, my portfolio of my work and my referrals are my best 'certification'.
I'm sure there are many established professional home stagers that have an opinion about these 2 questions. Please feel free to respond to Marlene's questions in the comments below.
Question #2: Your Home Staging Business - How do I grow my home staging business?
Michelle Minch is an award winning designer and home stager. Please visit our Los Angeles home staging web site to learn more about home staging and how we can help you sell your home faster and for the best price. You can also call Michelle at (626)441-8975.
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