Guest bloggers from The Staging Studio shared their blog about how to hire the best home stagers, find out the questions they insist you ask when interviewing a home stager to work with!
Let’s face it. Selling your home can be a stressful time and a hassle, so why not sell it in the shortest time possible? Who wants to keep their kitchen spotless and beds made everyday? Some do–bravo to you! But the rest of us…well, let’s just say it’s clean when we know company’s coming, and we don’t have company everyday!
So what’s the fastest way to get your home sold and receive higher offers? Hire the best home stager. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) latest 2017 statistics show that 77% of buyers’ agents say that staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize the property as their future home.
Here are 10 questions to help you hire the best home stager.
- Do you have a Portfolio? Make sure you are seeing photos of their work and not stock photos. This will allow you to discover how the stager has handled different styles of homes, what quality level of furnishings they use for a vacant staging, and view before and afters of occupied listings.
- How long have you been in business? Separate the experts from the dabblers/novices. Stagers with experience have stood the test of time and will have referrals and testimonials. Which leads to your next question.
- Can you share several referrals or testimonials? You typically wouldn’t purchase something, even at a low price point, off of Amazon without reading reviews, so be sure to find out what their clients are saying about them.
- What is your training? Home staging is an unlicensed industry. However, the international Real Estate Staging Assoc. (RESA) has accredited 3 training providers who have met the highest standards in the industry. We are the founders of Staging Studio, which provides accredited certification to stagers throughout the world. You want to be sure your stager received proper training and is not just offering another opinion, like your neighbor or sister-in-law.
- How do you determine what style to use? Does your stager have inventory in different styles available to match the architectural style of your home. You don’t want dark heavy traditional furniture in your modern home.
- What are your results? Hire the best stager in your market – the one who gets results. An experienced stager should know the stats for their own company, as well as the home staging industry. How many days on market for their staged homes vs. days on market for the local board of realtors.
- Are you covered by insurance? A professional stager will have insurance coverage for any damage to your home or any injuries that could happen in your home.
- What are your rates? Your stager should provide their rates and a contract. This will clear up any questions and get everyone on the same page. Keep in mind, the cheapest is usually not the best.
- How soon can you stage my house? A professional home stager will have a system in place for getting you scheduled as quickly as possible. This can vary greatly due to the time of year and market demands.
- How will you help market my listing? Staging Design Professionals™ are trained to strategically market your home by placing furniture, color and accessories to highlight its assets. They understand the psychology of the the target buyer in your area, to know what will connect with them and prompt a buying decision. Promoting your home on their social media is another offering that should be available to get the most buzz going once your home hits the market.
- What services do you provide? There is a wide range of services offered by home stagers. The most common are Occupied Home Staging Consultations and Vacant Staging. If they offer vacant staging, you should also ask if they rent or own their own inventory. Some may also offer design services. Find the stager that best suits the service you are needing.
Now that you’ve done your homework, you should be working with the best stager in town! – Someone who is knowledgeable in design principles that can overcome any unfavorable aspects from a buyer’s point of view, and who can clearly communicate the plan of action!
Our passion is the education, inspiration and growth of others who choose to get on the fun, crazy train of Staging!
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