The Home-Staging Cheat Sheet

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Great article! Especially in this housing market, a house needs to stand out from all the rest if you want to sell it fast.

Monique Pfeffer 12:55PM August 23, 2012

This makes so much sense and I'm reading "Home Staging Business" by Barb Schwarz right now too! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. There is a lot of work to be done before a house can go on the market and the seller needs to make a really good first impression so the house is not sitting on the market for so long.

Wanda, WW Design Studio 7:46PM August 21, 2012

i think this article is great and very helpful. i've always thought the first impression is just that. the first impression! or you may lose them. i go to a lot of open houses. and i always ask,was this home staged? sure helps to get us stagers known. also pretty good responses. thank you

jayne yalch of MI 5:57PM August 21, 2012

The points made in the article are excellent and are the very least that a homeowner should attend to when prepping the house for sale. An experienced stager can work wonders on a home and polish its image so it stands out in prospective buyers' minds, but not if the house is in disrepair. The best staging plan is built on the best foundation, and that means everything clean, repaired, and decluttered inside and out. If the homeowner doesn't have the time to do this, getting professional cleaning and handyman help can be the answer and money well spent. No amount of staging or organizing will off-set the effects of neglect and grime.
Too many homeowners put off maintaining their home until it needs to be sold, then expect it to be market ready in two weeks. That can be a costly mistake. Reading these staging articles can be a wake up call to everyone who owns a home or who may be helping a relative sell their home one day. Better to regularly maintain and update a home so that it can be enjoyed by the current owner than to have to race to do it under a tight deadline for the next owners.

Pam Faulkner, Faulkner House Interior Redesign,LLC of VA 12:26PM August 21, 2012

How should I arrange my living room to sell since we don't own a TV. I know it could be a problem if people think there's no room for a TV. We have an upright piano on one wall and on the other an antique curio cabinet. I have the couch facing the sliding doors so I can look at the garden. thanks for your help.

Lucinda of SC 7:44PM December 30, 2009

How much does a home stager typically get paid?
Is it by the hour? If so how much?
Or by the job?

William of NJ 1:44PM August 06, 2009

It sounds like you have already started a staging business. I suggest you put together some professionally designed brochures using your former friends/clients as references. Hopefully you have some before and after photos to include in the brochure. get some professional business cards, too. Send these to the local real estate offices and mail them to people who look like they could use your services (tired looking homes for sale in your town). Don't forget a local business license and liability insurance. Do a Google search to find an insurance company that sells liabiity insurance.
Like others have stated, there is no official accreditation for this profession yet (i'm sure its coming in the next few years). But it wouldn't hurt to take a course to brush up your skills. Home staging and interior design have different goals.
This is a good time to get into the profession with all the homes on the market. I wish you luck.

Barbara Cox of NC 7:35PM June 28, 2009

Ethical professional home stagers do not conceal major flaws in the homes we stage. As the Ethics Chairperson of the Real Estate Staging Association (www.realestatestagingassociation) I can tell you unequivocably that our members do not engage in the unethical practice of hiding major structual or condition flaws or they risk expulsion. All our members adhere to the Real Estate Staging Association Code of Ethics which is modeled after the National Association of Realtors Code of Ethics. I cannot speak to the code of ethics of other staging organizations as I am not familiar with them.
I have personally walked away from 3 different situations where either the home owner or the listing agent asked me to hide or cover what I considered to be a substantial defect, such as buckled hardwood floor due to water damage, mold, and a cracked granite slab countertop. I don't want to work with anyone who will try to trick an unsuspecting home buyer. I ALWAYS recommend that structural or condition defects be repaired (not masked) before the home is put on the market.
Obviously home stagers have no control over the behavior of the home owner or the listing agent once we have staged the home. It is unfortunate that there are some home sellers and listing agents (and a few home stagers) that willfully hide defects in a home. I just won't work with them.

Michelle Minch, Moving Mountains Design of CA 12:37PM February 22, 2009

Please be aware that there are other designations for Home Stagers. Accredited Home-Staging Specialist, or AHS is the designation I have through RealtyU. There is no official National Realtor Association designation.
What makes me laugh is that I and many others have been doing this for home sellers for a long time, before it had a fancy name like "staging". Some called it Feng Shui, or Decorating to Sell. Yes, there is an art to it: it's not just re-arranging furniture and setting the table. I have professionally staged 5 homes and the very next showing on 4 of 5 homes went to contract and closed; the 5th couple decided to stay, the house was so transformed! It's a good adjunct to my real estate business.

Muffie Hendricks of NH 5:42PM February 17, 2009

One of the 15 “secrets” from MyPhoenixMLS.com article 15 Insider Seller Secrets: Don’t Try to Sell Your Home without Them, is “Paint prospective buyers a picture.” Over-personalized decorations can hinder a buyer’s ability to imagine your home as their own. So put away your knick-knacks and replace them with well-placed, neutral decorations. Buy some home decorating magazines for ideas. Or, if you’re not the decorating type, consider hiring a home staging consultant who can help you get your home ready for showing.
When you’re decorating your home for showing, think about the type of buyer that may be coming through your house. If your prospective buyers are mostly young families, leaving out the kids’ decorations is a good idea. If your buyers are more likely single professionals, a few coffee table books or a well-placed vase are better ideas.
Once you’ve cleaned, repaired, and decorated your home to make a good first impression and to help prospective buyers visualize themselves in your home, invite a few friends over to give you their honest opinions. Your real estate agent will be able to give you a good objective opinion, too.
For more information on home staging, check out www.MyPhoenixMLS.com

MyPhoenixMLS.com of AZ 12:56PM January 28, 2009