When you decide to hire a home stager to decorate your property to sell faster and for more money, you need to make sure you’re investing in the right person. After all, you’re trusting someone with the sale of your largest asset–your home–so you have to be careful to put that trust in an experienced professional.

Having operated a successful home staging business since 2002, and having trained over 4,000 people worldwide about how to become a home stager, Staging Diva^® Debra Gould is well aware of what a homeowner or real estate agent needs to look for when selecting an expert home stager. Here are the five biggest mistakes Gould says that homeowners make when looking for a home staging professional:

1. Focusing on price

The last thing you should be focused on is how much the home stager is charging. Saving a few hundred dollars in fees and getting bad advice will cost you thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. You have a budget in mind, of course, but you stand to make a huge profit from effective home staging. That’s why you should consider hiring a home stager as an investment in the sale of your largest asset. For optimal results, invest in the highest quality stager you can find.

Professional home stagers expect to earn anywhere from $250 to $500 for the initial consultation. Beware of anyone willing to work for significantly less for doing work that you stand to make anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000 in profit from.

Rates will vary depending on your geographic location and the stager’s experience, but you shouldn’t hire someone just because he or she charges a ridiculously low rate. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

2. Looking for credentials

Another common mistake is to look for “credentials,” since none exist in the home staging field. There is no governing body or official organization ruling over the home staging industry. There are no official home staging accreditations or certifications in this completely unlicensed field. The letters you see after some home stagers’ names simply come from a particular home staging training company that pushes them as part of their marketing strategy. Instead of relying on unofficial credentials, look at testimonials from past clients, before and after photos, and real estate knowledge.

3. Hiring someone without looking at a website or portfolio

It is recommended that you work only with home stagers who have a presence on the Web. Because you’re hiring a professional in a visual field, you want to see how they express themselves through their biggest marketing piece: their website. As an alternative to building their own websites, many graduates of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program list their businesses in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers at www.stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com. These listings are like mini-websites, allowing potential clients to view online portfolios and learn more about home staging businesses in their area.

A professional portfolio full of before and after photos is a must. How else will you know what kind of results you can expect from a real estate stager? Because some companies provide ready-made portfolios to home stagers as part of their training programs, it’s important to ask questions about the photos that are presented as a home stager’s own work. If the stager can’t provide details about the property or you’ve seen the same shots on another stager’s website from the same “school” or training program, this should raise a red flag.

If you can’t find a particular home stager’s website or any online proof of their existence, you have to question how serious they are about their business. Alternatively, if they have a very unprofessional website, you have to wonder whether they’ll be capable of staging your home the way you expect from a professional.

4. Not looking for references or a proven track record

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 shouldn’t hire someone to stage your property without hearing about others’ experiences with them.

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 of their own that they’ve bought, staged and sold, and be able to provide the names of real estate agents they’ve worked with when selling these homes. The idea is to look for practical experience.

5. Neglecting to hire someone with real knowledge of the real estate market

You’re not looking for someone who just knows how to decorate. Make sure the home stager knows the local housing market. A home stager is as much a part of the real estate industry as a real estate agent, and they should have a good grasp of the market they’re in. If a stager doesn’t know how much homes usually sell for and how long they typically sit on the market, you should look for another stager in the area.

Because there isn’t an independent organization or association monitoring whether or not a home stager is operating professionally and providing a high-quality service, it’s buyer beware. If you avoid these five common mistakes as you search for the perfect expert home stager for your needs, you should be pleased with the professional you choose.

Happy “House Stager” Hunting!

Written by internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva^®, www.stagingdiva.com. © Copyright Six Elements Inc. Used with permission.

Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with over 4,000 students worldwide. Gould is the author of four home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. To learn more, visit www.stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com

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There are many reasons why your house won’t sell. Common reasons include condition, buyer appeal, price, marketing, market conditions and you!

To sell a home fast and for the price you want, it has to appeal to buyers!  Buyers want a move in ready property that is clean, modern, well maintained and that they make a connection with and can visualize themselves living in. It has to be at a price they can afford, and they have to know it is for sale!

Condition-Does the house appeal to buyers?

Is it move-in ready?

• Does the home need repairs?
• Does your house smell due to old carpeting or pet odors?
• Are your appliances ancient and barely working?
• Is your lighting out of the 70’s?
• Is your flooring cracked and chipped?

Don’t try to hide issues from buyers like covering odors with freshly baked cookies or other silly tricks. If your house won’t sell, fix the problems and be honest and disclose any issues with the home.

Is it clean?

• No-one wants to buy your dirt. Get it professionally cleaned.

Is it professionally staged?

• Do your paint colors appeal only to a limited number of people? A professional stager can make recommendations on paint colors that can actually increase your selling price.
• Is your space so cluttered it is hard for buyers to see the space? If so, your house won’t sell. A stager can help you determine what is important to keep and what should go. Homeowners that do their own staging often take out too much, making the house feel cold and uninviting.
• Are Buyers making an emotional connection and able to visualize living there? Home stagers are professionals at seeing your house objectively; highlighting the homes best features to make that connection with your target buyer.
• Is your house vacant? Vacant houses do not connect with buyers, appear smaller than they are and buyers have a hard time visualizing how their stuff will fit in the space. A stager can take an empty house and make it look like a home.
• Are you living in the house while selling? A stager can work with what you already have, making sure the house does not retain enough personal items to distract buyers
• Do you have good curb appeal?
• Was the house staged by a trained and experienced professional stager? Staging done by home owners, realtors or friends often fails to connect with buyers. Non-professionals often stage with too little or too much furniture which is distracting to buyers, or does not appeal to the right target market. Silly staging tricks are often used which makes it look staged and un-natural or it is decorated to their personal taste rather than to appeal to the greatest number of buyers. A professional stager may be a greater investment up front but will more than pay for itself in your final sales price. Professional staging always costs less than your first price reduction.

Price- Is it too high?

• Is your price too high? Listen to your realtor.
• Is your house in the upper price range for homes? More expensive houses usually take longer to sell because the pool of buyers that can afford it is smaller.
• Have buyers viewed the property, made positive comments, but no offers?  Your price may be too high.
• Have you made the mistake of pricing it based on what you need to get from it rather than market value?
• Are you worried about pricing it too low? If the price is too low, and the house looks great, buyers will bid up the price to market value or beyond with multiple offers.

Marketing

• Do you have professional photos? Great photos of a properly staged home online are the first step to attracting buyers to visit your for-sale property.
• Has Your Realtor done sufficient and effective marketing? Not all Realtors are created equally. If your Realtor can not find the time or money to properly market your home, find another Realtor.
• If you are FSBO, have you done sufficient and effective marketing?
• Has it been on the market too long? If you have made some of the mistakes listed above and the house has been on the market a while, buyers will wonder what is wrong with the house and will no longer consider looking at it. It may be worth taking it off the market, fixing the problems, taking professional photos and re-listing so it appears as a new listing.

Market Conditions

• Is it a Buyer’s Market?- Regardless if it is a buyer’s market, if your house provides what buyers want, you can sell it fast and for a good price. If your house is outshining the competition and has a reasonable price, buyers who usually take more time to make a decision in a buyer’s market will realize they need to get an offer in fast.
• Is there an economic recession?-Sometimes economic conditions can make buyers reluctant to spend money on a home. In this situation, the only options are to make sure your property outshines the competition, wait it out, lower your price or offer other incentives to buyers.

You

If your house won’t sell you also need to consider your role in the problem.

• Have you been willing and available to show your home when buyers have been interested in seeing it?
• Have you kept your for sale home clean, de-cluttered and looking at its best for showings?
• Are you hanging around and making buyers uncomfortable during showings?
• Have you been honest and disclosed any issues with the home?

Here is an example of a home staging project I did that had many of the problems listed above, had been on the market for many months and was not selling or generating interest.

1. The house had some repairs and updates that were needed.
2. The house was not professionally staged.
3. The price was too high compared to similar houses in the same location.
4. The market conditions were poor, and it was a buyer’s market
5. The house was in a higher price range.
6. There was an economic recession in the area.

After the house was taken off the market, repaired, properly staged, new photos taken and the price was lowered to meet prices more in line with the location, the house sold within a few months.

Need Help Getting Your House Ready for Market?

Why not get things right before you list and save yourself time, money and stress. Get a home staging consultation to learn everything you need to know and the you can stage it yourself or have it professionally staged.

Get your Free Report

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 info@northernlightsstaging.com

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Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!

Join us for a free home staging workshop on March 12, 5:45-6:45 pm at 12*100 Cpffee and Communitas in Anchorage located at 12100 Old Seward Highway.

Thinking of selling your house? Stop by for coffee and learn how to sell quickly and for top dollar in any market with home staging. Potentially increase your selling price up to 20% and sell 79% faster.  Learn what you can do yourself, and how a home stager can help you. Learn how and why home staging works and how to find a great home stager. Find out about the process and what it costs.

Your home is probably your greatest investment. Home selling is a stressful process. Make sure you get the most for your home and learn the tools to sell fast, reduce stress and costs.

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Looking for Helpful Tips on Finding a Great Home Stager? Watch this video to help you consider what to look for.

Selling a home today often comes down to first impressions. People want to know how to sell their house fast and for top dollar!  What’s the secret to making a property outshine everything else on the market?  A house needs to first attract buyers online with great photos that make them want to see it in person. Once inside, a buyer can then make an emotional connection with the property.  The secret… is home staging!

Finding the right person to stage your home is easy if you know what to look for!  Hire a professional stager with education, training, experience, and a great reputation.

Here are a few tips to finding a great home stager to make your house look fabulous, both online and in person so it will sell fast and for more money.

Visit their website and social media pages. They should look professional and project a dynamic business with frequent updates on current work. Not having a web presence could mean they are not an industry professional.

Verify their education, training and experience.  There are no legal requirements for education or training in the home staging industry. “Certifications” only mean a person has taken a course and is “certified” as having completed it.  Do they have extensive training in home staging? Do they have an education in Interior Design? Do they have experience? If a realtor offers staging, are they trained to do so?

Ask to see their portfolio.  Look at before and after photos from their past staging jobs. Is there a big difference?  Do the after pictures convey a home that is warm and inviting? Would it be easy for a buyer to picture themselves living there?

Check out their online reviews.  Were other home sellers or realtors happy with the results, and did they enjoy working with the stager?

Finally, understand the costs. Staging typically costs less than 1% of a home’s value, providing a nearly 300% return on investment.  A low-cost stager may cost you tens of thousands of dollars in your first price reduction—much more than you will ever spend on the best home stager.

Northern Lights Home Staging and Design is an award-winning company that specializes in home staging and Interior Design in the communities in and around Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. I’ve received the Best Customer Service Award in 2016-2020 from Houzz, and have many glowing reviews from realtors and home owners.

I have a B.A. In Interior Design, am a graduate of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program, and am a Certified Color Strategist. I love to help home owners make magic happen by combining my marketing skills with home staging to sell a home fast and for more money.   

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