Home Staging Standards are Important

The Olympics are nearly over - and my familly and I have enjoyed watching all the competitors. We have cheered for winners and felt badly for those that had unfortunate episodes where they were defeated. Whether they win or don't place in the top 3, the athletes all have one thing in common - they had to qualify to be considered in the top for their country.

For Home Staging - we have to have standards as well. There are those that don't believe this in practice even though in theory they may spout the need for standards. The International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP) is a professional association open to all Stagers. However, to join IAHSP a Stager must meet standards of education and quality. They must first gain education and earn a professional designation and then agree to the code of ethics.

The designation IAHSP chose as the one Stagers needed to have in order to join is the Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) Designation. It is the longest standing designation with the most history and credibility behind it. It boasts over 14,000 graduates from classes that have been taught since 2,000 and was developed by the Creator of Home Staging, Barb Schwarz.

Just like the National Association of Realtors (NAR) requires members to first be licensed real e state agents, and then get additional education, and join at the national, state, and local levels in order to be a member, IAHSP does the same. In fact most associations for a professional group require some sort of education and standards in order to join. The American Medical Association is only open to MD's, and the National Speakers Association is only open to professional speakers that have to meet certain criteria.

In the world of home staging, there are groups that allow ANYONE to join - regardless of their background - education or not. Is this helping to serve the Staging industry? No. By allowing just anyone to join, it waters down the quality of service and membership of the group that becomes only as strong as the weakest members.

Opening up a "professional association" to anyone that calls themselves a Stager means I could wake up one day after watching a bunch of HGTV shows and proclaim myself a Stager and join this group. I would be in the same category in the eyes of the public that does not know better - even though I have professional education, a designation, and adhere to a code of ethics that is enforceable. I am not interested in belonging to a group that waters down the importance of professionalism in Home Staging by allowing hobbyists and un-educated people to join.

When looking at selecting a home stager, it is important to find out what association they belong to - and make sure that the association itself is one that serves the industry with a higher expectation of performance - not only in how a Stager interacts with their clients, but also in their overall quality of work.

As an ASP Master Stager, I do belong to IAHSP - and am a proud member of the first and best association serving our industry.

- Jennie