How do you find your stager?

You have done the research and decided you need to stage your house to sell. Congratulations, you are going to substantially increase your chances of selling quickly and at a better value.

So, how do you find your stager?

1) Begin with family and friends who live locally and used a stager. What do they say about that stager? Are they willing to make a referral?

2) Go to the "big" staging websites where certification training is offered or pre-certification is required and check their directories for stagers who service your city or cities near you.
These websites include (but are cetainly not limited to)
http://stagedhomes.com/
http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/
http://www.homestagingresource.com/?gclid=CMWkjpTa6JkCFQIwxwodP0lTpA
http://decorate-redecorate.com/
http://www.canadianstagingprofessionals.com/ (in Canada)

********* If you have alternate website suggestions, please send them to me. I will update this blog and keep a record for future distribution. *********

3) Do an internet search on "home staging" combined with the name of your city, or a nearby city.

Compile a list of staging companies and investigate their websites. As I said before, you may want full-service staging and you may find some stagers only offer Staging Plans. Look for your best potential matches.

Contact those potential matches. Interview them.

Ask for references and to see photographic examples of their work. Ask about their training. Staging is a young profession. Generally speaking, look for someone who attended one of the nationwide, or international, training programs. These programs encourage consistency and enforce standards. However, some stagers never get formal certification but do enough independent study that they work to the same standards. In the same way, the person you interview may be new, may not have references or examples yet, but may be a very, very good stager. If you feel this new stager is a possible fit, ask more questions. Find out more.

If you think you want a Staging Plan, ask to see an example. Have them tell you, step by step, what will happen if you hire them.

One rule of thumb I suggest you follow is, be very careful about stagers who stress their design background and talent. We will discuss this in another blog, but, staging to sell is not interior design. Staging to sell is marketing. Ask your potential stager to explain the difference between interior design and staging. Do they explain staging usually removes things by depersonalizing, neutralizing, and decluttering, and interior design personalizes and, frequently, deneutralizes? If they are not able to communicate this fundamental difference, they might not be your stager.

If you are a home owner, your stager is going to come into your life for a very brief time. But, in that time they are going to make profound changes to your life. And, like I said yesterday, it is likely any three stagers will make the same, or very similar, profound changes. So, include their history and your feeling of trust, in your decision to hire a particular stager.

Tomorrow, I am going to talk about what you can do if you look, but cannot find a stager.

Have a wonderful Saturday!