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To Certify or Not To Certify: A Home Staging Newbie's Opinion of Training Programs

By April Greenwood

Home Stager with Greenwood Creatives Home Staging & Redesign

February 21, 2009 03:47 PM

Most people investigating the field of Home Staging and Redesign as a career have learned by now that there are no national, state, or local governmental requirements for licensing or certification. Anyone who wants to can hang out a shingle claiming they are a Home Stager or Interior Redesigner.

So why are there dozens of training programs offering certfications if the certification is meaningless?
Why is the "Alphabet Soup" after a person's name on their business card so important to some people?

I chose to take a Professional Certification Training Course for the following reasons:
1. Even though I've been told I have a natural talent, the course gave me information and skills I did not previously have.
2. The course taught me business and marketing skills that most creative people lack.
3. The course provided both classroom theoretical learning and hands-on practical experience.
4. The course is approved and backed up by an international association serving Interior Redesigners and Home Stagers, and I am now eligible to join their nationally recognized group.
5. There are a myriad of benefits and support available to alumni of the course, all for an unlimited time, and all at very reasonable prices or free.
6. The course did offer a "Certification", with alphabet soup to go along.

Although meaningless to government agencies, a "Certification" which represents a degree of of training, effort, and commitment does mean something to me. And I believe that it means something to our customers. Hopefully, it means they can rely on a certified professional to actually have trained with professionals. When I put "IAI Certified" after my name, I am proud of what it represents.

Think about hiring a family financial planner. The government does not require financial planners to be licensed or certified. Planner One taught himself from books and "natural talent". Planner Two went through many hours of rigorous study, internships and had to pass a certification test. Planner Two has "CFP" behind his name on his business card and is a member of a national professional association. Who would you hire?

This is not meant to put down training programs who do not offer the "alphabet soup." All offer more or less valuable information, and some out there are excellent. Ultimately, the knowledge a student acquires from any training program depends on their own effort and commitment to learn.

I believe that our customers do care if we have certifications. They do care if we are members of associations. They may not know what they represent. Hopefully they will do their research.

I hope you will too.

NEXT TIME: Are all certifications created equal?

~April Greenwood
Greenwood Creatives Home Staging and ReDesign
"Designing to Sell and Re-Designing to Dwell"
Consultations and Full Service Staging and ReDesign
303-980-5407
www.GreenwoodCreatives.com

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Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging

Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR

"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

April ~ I've taken several of the nationally-recognized staging training courses, and what I can tell you after several years of operating a successful staging company is that the "certification" is mostly meaningful to the person who took the course. Not once has any client ever hired me because of my training ... they tell me it's because of my professionalism and my portfolio of actual projects that I've staged, and word of mouth referrals. However, the training definitely helps a stager get started in the business, i.e. contract info, marketing ideas, etc. I also strongly believe in continuing education and keeping up with all of the latest trends, however this is to fine-tune my skills, not to impress any potential clients with more "letters" on my business card.

Feb 21, 2009 03:59 PM

April Greenwood

Greenwood Creatives Home Staging & Redesign - Lakewood, CO

Hi Maureen ~ Thank you so much for your great input. I've heard other professionals say the same. I checked out your website and blog and obviously you are very talented and successful. I hope I can continue to learn from experienced stagers like you and establish myself as an expert in my local area.

Feb 21, 2009 04:14 PM

Joanne O'Donnell

Chic Home Interiors - Oakland, CA

April, I teach one of the programs (and previously taught another one) and I agree with Maureen - the best reason to take a staging training program is to learn something that will help you to succeed, the knowledge it provides is the greatest value of any education. I know when I started, I needed some help with learning the business, I'd never done anything like this, and I needed the validation... I already had a Master's Degree and 25 years in business working for someone else. That didn't teach me how to charge for staging services or what was expected in a consultation or what clauses to put in a staging agreement. While I agree with Maureen that my clients now don't hire me for the letters after my name, in the beginning when that was all I had, when my reputation did not yet precede me... It was valuable. In the end, it is the quality of our work that matters, but how do we get there, who has an easier road? I hope and believe that the program I teach helps people along that road.

Feb 22, 2009 12:01 AM

Connie Tebyani

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. : RESA-Pro - Calabasas, CA

Platinum Home Staging, Los Angeles and Ventura County

Hello, April, and welcome to our little puddle in the rain.

Although I personally have never taken a "certification" course, I am a strong believer that continuing your education in any chosen field is imperative to being successful. Design trends change, business trends change, the Real Estate market has definitely changed and these are just a few factors to consider regularly and what you will do to adjust in an ever-changing marketplace. That being said, I have never had ONE single customer ask me where I was "certified" or where I received my training. They hire me because they see I have an extensive portfolio of homes on my website, with results in today's economy, and because my company has received numerous referrals and testimonials. Good luck !

Feb 22, 2009 01:26 AM

Ginger Foust

Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA

Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

I am actually happy to report that lately a few more potential clients HAVE asked about my training. To me that says staging and redesign clients are becoming more educated. They do not asked me who trained me or when or any of the other questions that WE may think important. I too consider myself to be a lifeline learner, always wanting more and always in search of answers. I truly believe that proof of experience is what sells us and our product.

Feb 22, 2009 03:19 AM

Melissa Marro

Keller Williams First Coast Realty - The Marro Team - Orange Park, FL

Jacksonville Real Estate and Home Staging

As a staging instructor, I guess I would say that I think any time you can learn new distinctions that help make your business successful it's probably been worthwhile. There is more to learn that simple design basics, and when and where to place a sofa..... a good course will also offer much in the way of business and marketing ideas and tools and hopefully a bit of mentoring after the course - or at least someone you can ask questions of when you are getting started.

As time progresses and staging becomes more popular I do think the alphabet soup will become more important.

Likewise many assume that because you say you are a professional that you've been professionally trained. Unless they do their research, they won't know the difference. Even then there are varying levels of committment to any profession - just as there are Realtors and real estate agents. A real estate agent took a test and must maintain a certain level of ethics. A Realtor belongs to an association with a higher standard of required ethics and training.

Feb 22, 2009 07:52 AM

Nancy Robertson

Signature Style Staging - Dallas, TX

RESA

I took a training course after my first potential client asked if I had a training certificate. I chose a course that offered the business and marketing tools that I needed and I joined two home staging groups to keep up with the industry. The alphabet soup has been beneficial to me in my first year of business. Since I received my "certification", I've had other clients ask about my training. It doesn't matter to them what training course it is, just the comfort of knowing I have taken a course. Having the designation of a certificate has proven valuable in gaining new business.

There have been a lot of discussions on AR about the various training courses. It seems ones who took one brand of home staging course tend to bash those that took another brand's course (like college rivalry). I think training and education are important and trade associations bring us together with industry standards.

Feb 22, 2009 11:15 AM

Anonymous

Donna Ross

It's an interesting discussion you have going here. I wondered about the certification issue too while looking for a training program. I didn't have to do any training at all as the industry isn't regulated anywhere in the world. I chose to do some training, because I felt there was more for me to learn about the business of home staging (and I was right) and I wanted to be able to show that I was committed to my business and providing a professional service to those I came into contact with.

The program I did, didn't offer certification because it would not be truly recognized. I did my research and felt the program was of a high standard. My expectations were exceed when it came to course content and student support- in any industry bar none. I'd done business studies before and compared that to what I'd done before.

I've worked in an industry that requires certification and it's been my experience that the course provider and the certifier are not the same organization. The training course I did then, had to have its own educational accreditaion to certify that it met a specific standard in adult education, after I finished the course, I sat for the certification exam with the industry certifier. I too had to meet a minimum recognised standard. For me this is where Home Staging certifications can lose some of their shine.

Another point about certification is that very often it's not permanent -for either the student or the course provider. I had to demonstrate continued professional development related to my (then)industry, every 2 years. Course providers must also demonstrarte improvements to their programs. If I didn't I would lose my accreditation. Same for the place I studied with.

Still I believe that home staging training programs are a worthwhile investment. Back yourself by getting professional training, but don't be sold on the idea of certification alone, as that can turn out to be irrelevant to you, as many have already said here. Look for course content and student support. Your self confidence, professionalism, and experience will do more for you in the end than certification.

Feb 22, 2009 03:23 PM