5 Things to Ask Any Home Stager You’re Thinking About Hiring

Angie

2 years ago

If you’re selling a golf course home in Scottsdale, your real estate agent will probably talk to you about the importance of home staging. Some people prefer to stage their own homes, but others prefer to hire a professional to tackle the task. If you’re considering hiring a professional home stager, this guide explains the five questions you need to ask before you make a final decision.

5 Things to Ask a Home Stager You’re Thinking About Hiring

In addition to asking a professional home stager about their fee structure, you’ll want to get answers to these five questions:

Have you earned any certifications or gone through any special training?
What’s the list price for most of your clients’ homes?
Do you have a portfolio?
How quickly do most of your clients’ homes sell?
Is there anything I can do myself?

Here’s a closer look at each.

Question #1 for a Home Stager: Have You Earned Any Certifications or Gone Through Any Special Training?

Though home stagers don’t need formal training to practice in the state of Arizona, you most likely want to find someone who’s been through special courses and really knows their stuff. At the very least, a professional home stager that you hire should be a member of the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) or a local association. In order to be part of RESA, professional stagers must pass an ethics exam and have at least one year of specialized staging experience. Members of RESA must also carry home staging business insurance.
Related: 5 simple landscaping tips that can help you sell your home

Question #2 for a Home Stager: What’s the Average List Price for Most of Your Clients’ Homes?

Ideally, you’ll be able to work with a home stager who’s very familiar with homes similar to yours. That’s because different in different price ranges have different preferences, so a stager who’s familiar with homes in your home’s price range is most likely better-equipped to stage yours properly than one who isn’t.

Question #3 for a Home Stager: Do You Have a Portfolio?

And established home stager should have a professional portfolio that includes high resolution photos of homes they’ve worked on before. Often, these stagers have detailed websites that offer staging advice, as well. Sometimes professional stagers bring portfolio books to consultation appointments, as well. One thing’s for sure, though: you shouldn’t work with a stager who doesn’t have some form of portfolio that lets you evaluate their past work.
Related: 5 signs you’re ready to sell your home

Question #4 for a Home Stager: How Quickly Do Most of Your Clients’ Homes Sell?

Though a home stager isn’t the only factor in how quickly a home cells, you want to work with someone whose work helps homes sell quickly. Naturally, you have to account for other factors when you ask this question, such as the value of the homes the stager works in (multimillion-dollar properties tend to take longer to sell than those under $1 million do), the area the stager works in (some communities have slower markets than others do), and what type of homes the stager usually works with.

Question #5 for a Home Stager: Is There Anything I Can Do Myself?

Some people are interested in taking on some of the tasks associated with home staging themselves, and if you’re one of those people, that’s OK. Ask your stager if there’s anything you can do yourself (or hire out to a contractor yourself), such as repainting the walls. handling these tasks on your own could save you a significant amount of money.
Related: 5 super-easy living room staging hacks that can help you sell for more money

Are You Buying a Golf Course Home for Sale in Scottsdale?

If you’re selling your home and buying another one, call us at 480-405-4228 or fill out the form below to talk to a REALTOR now.
While you’re here, you can also check out:

Don Matheson
REALTOR® | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Pro