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A: Staging is a marketing technique used to enhance a house for sale and secure the most money in the shortest time. Certified Staging Professionals use a three step process that begins with a consultation using their unique Room Ready Handbook and Staging Safe Colors to complete the first two steps and get the home ready for the final step, showcasing. This final step uses lifestyle selling techniques to merchandize the home creating a positive impact on buyers the minute they walk through the door. The CSP course provides you with all the knowledge, tools and techniques necessary to get on the fast track to success in this exciting career.

A: The CSP Home Staging Course is not offered online. We do not believe the online method is an effective way to learn home staging. As a training provider we have a responsibility to our students to give them the best training possible. Although, it would be very easy and very profitable for us to put our course online, we feel those who take our training will have a better understanding, gain more confidence and have better success in the home staging industry if they attend a classroom setting with a qualified instructor who owns and operates their own successful home staging business. With classroom learning through the Certified Staging Professionals course, participants also get an opportunity to practice what they have learned and stage a property on the third day of class. This gives the participants before and after photographs for their staging portfolio, of work they actually participated in.

A: Staging works because it eliminates any negative distractions a buyer may fixate on, presents the home in the best possible light and gives the prospective buyer ideas on how they could live in and enjoy the home themselves. Buyers often do know a home has been staged and appreciate the knowledge that part of staging is getting the home in tiptop condition so that it is move-in ready. Many also use the ideas on placement and décor they learn from the staged home, frequently calling on the home stager to stage the home for living after they purchase it. An educated buyer prefers to have their real estate professional show them only staged listings. So, as a CSP you will find opportunity before and after the sale of the home.

A: Redesign, decorating, and interior design are all geared toward the individual taste and lifestyle of the homeowner. A Certified Staging Professional has been trained to combine design and lifestyle selling techniques to create a marketable product that appeals to the widest possible target audience. CSP's have unique tools and processes to ensure the recommendations they provide get results and are cost effective. The staging objective is to make the buyer feel at home - not like a guest in the seller's home! So, as a designer, this means that your work is informed by your knowledge of what sells in the current market, it does not rely on the clients taste and therefore your staging plan is created independent of the client. It has a very fast turnaround, you see the result almost instantly which is very different from some design projects which can drag on for months with indecisive clients. It is a fun, fast-paced, self-directed specialty in the design field. One of the most exciting things about staging is the opportunity it provides to promote your business at every open house and broker's open - other types of design can be more difficult to grow without that built in marketing advantage.

A: All businesses begin with an initial investment. This is your first investment, in your new venture. Where else can you learn a new career and get everything you need to start a business in three days and for an annualized cost of a specialty coffee drink every day. A franchise would be a much larger investment and you wouldn't have as much support. The tuition for the CSP staging course could seem significant to some, especially if you are thinking the instruction is similar to something you could take at community college, it is not. This is a turn-key business solution - a tried and true method of conducting business in a rapidly expanding marketplace. It's 30 hrs of instruction with hands-on experience, as well as immeasurable benefits after class. The tuition equates to $55 per hour; less than you will make for your staging work. The investment is quickly recouped once you start billing for your services, and is a deductable business expense. If you want to start a staging business with confidence and experience then becoming a Certified Staging Professional, is for you! Check our student testimonials here . Many students have said one of the benefits they didn't factor in, but sure are glad to receive, is the network. It is great to know others who are at the same place in life and business growth - who understand completely what you are going through and are there for you. In addition to having the support of others in the same industry, you begin your business with solid principles and guidelines, including the opportunity to be mentored by other successful staging business owners.

A: Certified Staging Professionals has a team of seasoned professionals working together to help our graduates grow their business. The CSP program has been developed from grass roots experience by professional, successful stagers and not only in one area. Our president, Christine Rae, is an acknowledged leader and innovator in the staging industry, co-writing the Home Staging for Dummies book and earning the Real Estate Staging Association's Innovator of the Year Award. You can be assured CSP training and resources will always be on the cutting edge and keeping our graduates on the cutting edge as well. Significantly, the CSP program delivers AFTER the program so much more than you can imagine - resources, support, answers, branding, marketing and work! The list goes on. The final choice has to be yours; listen to your intuition - consider all your options, if you have any questions or concerns we are here to help and we can provide you with credible references.

A: Everyone has a different starting point; it depends on what knowledge, experience and skills you come into the program with - your comfort level in talking to people. We will teach you what you need to get started, your confidence, work ethic, and existing contacts will determine how fast you apply what you learn. This course is designed to provide you with the knowledge, tools and support to begin your staging business - you have to bring the rest! We do have available many optional tools that will help you to hit the ground running and get on the fast track to success. Ask your student advisor when you call to register for class.

A: Ahhh! - the perennial question. This will depend on your local market and your ability to capture the business. There are many stagers making six-figure incomes, but your income will depend on your skill, your work ethic, your adherence to our training and the real estate market you live and work in. Consultation fees can range from $50-500. Bidding on consultations and pairing up with REALTORS® in your area will ensure success. Some stagers find they need to hire other CSP to help with the overload. Pricing models and strategies to increase income potential is an important part of the training.

A: Please send an email with your inquiry to Christine, and include your State, Province or preferred location; new locations are being reviewed daily. Most people are anxious to get started so are willing to travel to take the program. Just remember, if you are one of the first in an area, the opportunity for growth is exponential.

A: Anyone can say they can do the work of a professional stager. Only a graduate of our program can officially call themselves a Certified Staging Professional. People take the program for many reasons: skill sets, knowledge, process, network, visibility and the credibility of the designation. All of this will give you an advantage over your competition. There are some who suggest you do not need credentials to succeed in the business. We feel it is shortsighted to say this and it is up to the individual to make the choice which is good for them. As the industry grows and develops, the professionalism required to succeed will increase and those with credentials are more likely to be chosen for work assignments by the public. More importantly, the knowledge we provide would take years of hard knocks to accumulate - this is truly the fast track to success. If you have any question which is not answered here, please do ask Christine: christine@stagingtraining.com