What people are saying about Home Staging as a Career

...Last year, I staged over 45 vacant homes alone and I hope to increase that this year! I have my own inventory, truck, and a small staff. Being creative, inventive and really pushing myself to give the customer the absolute best that I can give them for what they can afford to invest is my favorite aspect of this job. It really doesn’t feel like a job at all! It's so exhilarating to take a blank, sterile area and make it feel like a warm home. Every house that sells after I stage it, I feel a validation... ~ Melissa Charney, ASPM, Bel Air, Maryland

I loved the idea of starting a business that had good income potential and seemed fun. But I was totally unprepared for the experience of JOY. I love walking into peoples homes, every home being a different culture, and helping carry some of the stress. I love giving them guidance on how to let go of the home and let it be sold...Staging is about shifting energies in a home to create something new, a house on the market, and free the sellers to begin anew. Very rewarding!!!”

Being part of the corporate world, watching people around me being let go due to outsourcing departments to other countries, I am very thankful that I have something to fall back on. I am still working full time and am fortunate enough to have flexible hours so that I can build my business. Just this month, I found myself facing the possibility of not having a job at the end of the month, but knew that I had my Staging! It means so much to know that I am not dependant on anyone but myself! I love Staging!

I LOVE this job. I love taking a space and transforming it into something that will appeal to the majority of buyers...I love helping someone sell thier home and move forward with their dreams...I love marketing the property and the pyschology of staging. I can't believe that I get paid to do something that I love so much.

I've always enjoyed decorating homes for friends, family and of course my own home. Barb's program opened the door for me and allowed me to flourish in my talents. Her program gave me the confidence I needed to start my own business and really encouraged me to sell my talents in a productive way! I had decorated for years, never thought I could make it a business! The ASP program gave me the confidence I needed to take that first step in making my dreams a reality! ~ Yvette Mahoney, ASP

As the owner of Margie Gregori's Home Highlights, It gives me great pleasure to be able to make a difference in someone’s life. Staging provides people the result they need to sometimes start a new life, or financially make a necessary change. After two years of being in this amazing industry, I have learned something from every project. However, what is most important is that working for people who appreciate and respect your time and talent, is very rewarding. Changing people’s life situations, is a ministry in itself. I get excited about every project, and I take each opportunity and embrace the challenge that comes with each project. Using your creativity, can lead you in the paths of many open doors, and makes life very exciting. I LOVE THIS BUSINESS.

Being an ASP Home Stager allows me the freedom to have my own business, use my own creativity and those skills learned through my initial ASP course and continuing education courses I have elected to take. I am helping others move on with their lives for whatever reasons they may have and it is such a good feeling to know I am doing that!

Home Staging embodies all the things I love best...creativity, beautiful homes, helping others, unlimited potential financially and personally, flexible hours.

...I've come to realize that I actually like "running" the business just as much as the actual Staging. I have learned a lot (some by trial and error!) about myself and about the business world as I've developed my business. I love the flexibility of being able to run a business and have time for some of my volunteer work, bible study and my grandkids! I love the friendships that have resulted from the Symposiums and IAHSP meetings/service. I loved being a homemaker and now I find it wonderful that I'm still in the "home"—just other people's homes! ~ Linda Lanci

I have been an agent for 22 years. Home staging is important to selling homes. I am a real estate agent and purchased and used Barb's systems for listing presentations, staging, and buyer books. The staging by far was what sold my listings during the 1990-1996 real estate market crash. Every listing that I staged got a contract. Staging gave me the marketing advantage that I needed to go from just another agent to Top Producer. ~ Karen Ricciardi, RE/MAX

It is a great feeling to know you can create and deliver something good and helping some one to have there house looking good.

It is very rewarding to see the before and after difference staging makes. I was an on site agent for builders and I know first hand the power of a staged home. In this market, sellers need the edge of making their homes stand above the competition.

I like the flexible hours.

This is one of the most valuable tools in the real estate industry today.

I have a BA in Foreign Service and an MBA in International Business. After kicking around in these fields for a while, then working at home for my husband in a web marketing and administrative capacity, I hit that mid-life crisis period where I wanted to find my passion. Like other stagers I know, I for many years denied my creative impulse. When I staged my father-in-law's townhome for sale, I discovered that home staging was my true passion. It combines my business knowledge and web marketing skills with shopping, design and decorating. I especially love staging vacant properties and I now specialize in this area. I feel like I have found what I was meant to do.

I enjoy Staging very much, It is so very different from the Interior Design projects I work on. People who hire me for Staging are very grateful for the objective opinion I can bring, and once they see the work done, They have an even greater appreciation for the work we do. And most importantly, IT REALLY DOES HELP SELL HOMES! ~ Julie Johnson

I love going to work every day. The support I have received from stagedhomes.com has be great. I learned so much from the convention last year and plan on attend this year. I have been an ASP for 1 1/2 years. ~ Gloria Rollins

I love the challenge, and the rewarding feeling I always get when I see what a difference I have made in a property

I like to be CREATIVE and this is my outlet compared to my corporate job. I've been staging for a little over a year. I only do it on the side and have only completed about 12 "jobs" all together...but it's fun for me. I love visiting others homes and assisting them in transitioning from a home to a house concept. My true joy is really in helping others.

Home Staging is hard work, but so rewarding. It is a field where literally everybody wins... seller, buyer, agent & me! I have been Accredited for nearly 3 years with my Masters for 2. I love the creativity, the honest help we provide, and the friends I have made through the Association of Stagers. I love this business! ~ Laurie Bunnell, ASPM

We just started our staging business at the end of last year. The first home we staged made the owner scream. Seeing her reaction and that of her family and realtor as well as helping her sell her home in 2 weeks after trying for 13 months is why we will continue doing it.

I love to see the look on my seller’s eyes after I am finished with the project. I love making a difference in people's lives. Staging is one way we can make help sellers, sell their home fast and for more money!

After being a stay home mom for 12 years, I was very unsure what to do with myself once my children grow older. I like the flexibility that comes with owning my own company, the satisfaction of seeing my company grow, and the beautiful results that staging makes for my clients.

What people are saying about The ASP® Designation

I think the ASP designation is huge-there is a great website that clients can look at, a great website that I can use, resources at my fingertips, examples to follow etc. The plan was laid out for me with all the how-to's in opening the business. I have emailed other ASPs with questions and have sent 3 people to take the course. Without the guidance of the ASP program I would not have known where to start.

Why go off half-cocked in some rogue fashion without the knowledge from people who have experience in any arena? I chose to become an Accredited Staging Professional and enjoy the benefits of a local chapter full of creative people. What a benefit to have this organization available! It's a long, lonely road to starting a business, attempting to educate everyone along the way as to what it is you do and why they need it. I see ASPs as having already paved the way for those of us who just want to get on with staging. I considered other alternatives as to how to go about educating myself and I am happy that I chose Barb Schwarz's program. I am especially thankful that God has given her the energy and desire to share this legacy with the world. Lucky us. Lucky, lucky us! Thank you Barb!

ASP beats all others hands down, the on going support, the blog, the University where we share ideas, and suggestions. The information Barb has gathered is so useful when you come across another of the 100s of uses for WD40, it makes you look good, and the entire layout as to how address issues you may not have encountered before, how to approach home owners and agents so they understand what Staging is has been a major help in presenting my business.

The training and support system (University, website & othere ASPs) make the difference. Knowing you are not alone and have others you can call upon for their knowledge and support.

I have received several jobs from the Staged Home web sight. I encourage anyone wanting to go into staging to train to be an ASP.

Being an ASP means being a professional. It means that all ASP's are trained under the same standards. The course is precise, proficient, and provides individuals with enough backing to start and become successful in their own staging businesses. The Staged Homes support and backing along with affiliates provide the professional presence required to succeed. These are the most valuable asset to being an ASP.

I like the backing and support we receive. I have taken some of the "other" courses, and truly appreciate what StagedHomes does for its stagers.

I feel that being an ASP gives us an advantage over non-ASPs because we have the power of the corporation that is Stagedhomes.com behind us. We may be a small company but we come across as polished and professional because of the relationship we have with Stagedhomes.com whether it be through our marketing materials, our proven system for staging or the ability to offer our clients discounts because of Stagedhomes.com's corporate relationship with many vendors. These are the things that set ASPs apart from the others.

ASP Stagers have the best network of affiliates, partners, and fellow Stagers that are the best people in the world to work with. We are a truly professional organization with focus and commitment to our craft. That's what sets us apart from our competition.

People sit up and take notice of this designation. It does mean something to the folks I talk to The organization feels on fire with passion and forward movement. I love the comraderie of ASP's engendered by the training.

I have benefited from the network. I stage for my own clients as well as other stagers. We learned in class that we are not in competition with each other. There is so much business and so few certified, trained and competent stagers that we can team up and help each other. I enjoy working with other stagers, the brainstorming, creativity and sharing that comes with the work process is invigorating.I've been told I should teach a course!

I appreciate the other ASPs and the fact that we all help each other out. I appreciate the fact that ASPs have Stagedhomes.com as a resource; especially the web presence we get with being an ASP.

Clients have found me through the ASP system. I enjoy the energy that the network gives me and further education. Also, the confidence of being a member of a large organization.

ASP's are clearly the best in the industry! I feel as though I have an entire team backing me up even though I've never met any of you. The training you provide, materials that are shared, the conference calls and all of the resources are truly invaluable!

While I was doing my own thing, it was fine...but with an ASP designation, I feel more validated that I'm in a PROFESSION vs a hobby, a pursuit, a fun activity, etc. Everyone's a stager...I hear it a lot...but when asked are you an ASP, they look blankly. And that sinks that.

Being an ASP Stager is preferred by realtors in our area. Being an ASP Stager gives me an advantage because of all of the information and discounts available to me through StagedHomes.com.

The edge is having a framework to follow and tried methods being used by ASP stagers. Barb is to staging what a personal trainer is to your fitness routine.

I feel that the ASP designation is probably the most well recognized designation for Home Stagers. They offer the highest level of training and support to their designees.

Being able to show a homeowner your certificate is huge. They understand that you took the time to go to class to learn more about how to get THEM more money for their home. It adds so much value to your already expertise as a Real Estate Professional. You can take courses about short sales, relocation, on and on but being an ASP will help every single property that you sell. It can be the single one outstanding thing that covers low-income properties to multi million dollar homes it doesn't matter — they all need to be staged.

I like the professionalism of the organization and I have had the opportunity to meet other ASP Stagers who I have learned from and utilized to assist me in my Staging career.

The ASP program gave me good solid advice as to how to start my business as a home stager. The training and hands on experience is something each stager should experience! After having completed the program I walked away with an abundance of literature, a sense of belonging to the ASP family and most importantly an affirmation that I can do this. I'm proud to announce to everyone that I'm an ASP Stager!

The recognition of the ASP designation offers credibility over other stagers, and I refer people to the Stagedhomes.com which also reinforces who I am and what I do.

Being an ASP Stager gives me confidence. Confidence that I would not have had if I tried to start this business without training. I believe ASP's set the standard for the industry. We are serious about what we do and we are not just "Design to Sell" wannabees!! I believe our networking and sharing of information helps us all to grow and stay on top of our game to continue to be the First and Best!!

To be an ASP Stager puts you at the Top of this industry. Hands down, homeowners will want to hire someone who has been taught by the person who created and started this business. When I tell my clients that I have been taught the techniques that have been proven to work for the past 36 yrs., I know it makes them want to hire me. I am so very proud to give my designation when people asked me if I went to school for staging. When staging becomes a "household" word in every home, homeowners will learn the difference from one stager to another. This designation is definitely the one that people will want to hire. I am honored to be an ASPM.