8 Tips to Hiring the Right Home Stager

So you listed your home on the market with your real estate agent. Now what?
First impressions are important to impress buyers. You want to make your home look warm, inviting, and stylish. Hiring a home stager makes your home more attractive to buyers.
Staging your home means that your home will sell quicker at a higher selling price.
In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, staged homes sell 80% quicker, and for up to 11% more money than non-staged properties.
Here are some things to look for when hiring a home stager:
Find someone you feel comfortable with. Are they easy to communicate with? Ask them why they feel the suggestions given will make a difference for you. Do you feel confident about their abilities?
Rapport is important. You want someone who is calm, confident, and easy to work with. Don’t be afraid to interview several people till you find the right one.
Schedule a Staging Consultation or Quote. During a staging consultation the home stager will go through every room of your home offering suggestions of what needs to be minimized, decluttered or in some cases renovated.
A home staging quote is for the physical staging of a vacant or occupied property, these are typically homes that do not require a lot of preparation prior to selling. In an occupied property (if rentals are required) it can usually be tied in with the consultation.
If you are living in your home during the sale process or if you want to know what types of things need to be updated or renovated prior to listing your home, a Staging consultation is definitely the route to go.
Based on their expertise within the market and your community, the staging company will show you ways to improve the saleability of your home in the priority areas, while keeping within a budget to maximize your Return on Investment.
During a home staging consultation, you can ask if the home stager plans to use your existing furnishings, buy new pieces, or if you will you need to rent. Keep in mind that if you are staging a vacant home you will need rental furnishings.
Will you have to paint or get new carpet? Can they redesign your home to have a fresh look using existing pieces you have? After a walk through, the home stager will create a plan for what changes they will make to your home.
What is their approach? Ask for the typical steps they go through in a home staging. Find out costs, timelines, and what they will expect of you.
Remember that cheaper is not always better.
See what you can find out about them on Google. See if you find any good or bad reviews. What do others say about the home stager on Yelp or Google Reviews?
Also look what clients say about them on their website.
Ask for some references. If they have a proven track record they won’t be shy about sharing the names of satisfied clients whom you can contact.
Call them to see what it was like working with them and how they felt about the quality of their work.
Check out their online portfolio. Most reputable staging companies have a portfolio on their website that you can review before making an appointment.
Seeing before/after pictures of the work they do will give you an idea about their skill.
Will they be available to you during the process? Can you text or call them with questions? Are they super busy and hard to reach? What is the best way to contact them during this process?