This is the second to last post in this ’5 Massive Mistakes Homeowners Make When Hiring a Home Stager‘ blog series. The first post was about focusing on price, the second about focusing on credentials and the third was about not looking at a portfolio or website before hiring a stager.
Today I’ll focus on the mistake homeowners make when they neglect to look for someone with practical experience as a home stager.
The first thing you should do is read through the testimonials you’ll find on most home stagers’ websites. If there are none available (or they only provide initials and not full names), contact the stager and ask if they have any references.
You should learn about others’ experiences with the home stager before hiring them to decorate your house to sell on the real estate market.
Because home staging is not a regulated industry, there’s nobody out there making sure every one claiming to be a home stager actually knows anything about it. It’s up to you, the home seller, to do your homework!
Every stager has to start somewhere.
If they haven’t staged a client’s home yet, they should at least be able to tell you about the many homes they’ve bought, staged and sold of their own and be able to provide names of real estate agents they’ve worked with for their own homes. The point is to look for practical experience.
There’s one more mistake I’d like to warn homeowners not to make, and that is hiring a home stager who isn’t knowledgeable about the local real estate market. I’ll talk about that on Wednesday.
Until then,
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging
Home Staging expert Debra Gould also known as The Staging Diva is president of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company that is frequently profiled in the media in both the US and Canada. Debra Gould developed The Staging Diva Program to create opportunities for others to grow their own profitable home staging, real estate enhancement businesses.
Searching for an expert home stager? Visit the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers.
If you’re interested in becoming a home stager, check out the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program.
Technorati Tags: home staging, home stager, home staging business, real estate staging, make money in home staging, Debra Gould, Staging Diva, advice for homeowners, mistakes homeowners make, hiring a home stager, home staging credentials, home staging portfolio, Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers, home stager directory, home stager references, home stager experience
Related posts:
- 5 Massive Mistakes Homeowners Make – Part 3: Not Looking at a Portfolio or Website
- 5 Massive Mistakes Homeowners Make – Part 2: Looking for Credentials
- 5 Massive Mistakes Homeowners Make – Part 1: Focusing on Price
- Real estate agents make their financial situation worse
- Stage yourself to sell: Image is everything (Part 2)
Home Staging Resources |
|
|---|---|
|
More about Color Guide |
More on Design Guide |
