An accredited home stager is misleading term often used to describe a real estate marketing professional who has graduated from a home staging training program and has been certified by the learning institution which provided their education. Certification of individual stagers is not regulated by any municipal or governmental agency and is only as good as the reputation of the home staging school which provided the credential.
There is currently no standardization for certification of home stagers, so each educational program is free to come up with its own requirements and regulations.
This treatise tackles the common problem of incorrect credential terminology is the home staging sector.
Accredited Home Stager Terminology
Being certified as a home stager shows that you have successfully completed training in a particular real estate staging course. Most working stagers who have earned this credential use the term certified home stager, since it is better known and understood.
Some institutions may require continuing education or ongoing testing in order to maintain the status of certification, while others will certify their graduates once only, upon completion of the study program. Make sure to contact your home staging school to determine what their exact requirements are to gain certification and to maintain it year after year.
Accredited Property Stager Misconceptions
Although many home stagers claim accreditation, this is actually an incorrect use of terminology.
Schools are accredited, while individual stagers are certified.
In essence, the training institution is the place that receives accreditation by a private organization or governmental agency, then uses this credential to certify stagers who graduate successfully from their programs.
It can all get a bit complicated for laymen. This is why I still see many incorrect uses of the title “accredited” by individual property stagers. However, you can not fault these individual stagers. You can fault their educational institutions for not issuing the universally accepted title of “certified”, rather then “accredited”.
Anyway, a rose by any other name still provides the same incredible benefits for property sellers, so let’s not argue too much about nomenclature here.
Accredited Home Stager Editorial
It is certainly not necessary to become an accredited-program educated stager in order to be successful in the industry. Many of the best staging professionals were in business long before formalized education was even available for property stagers, forget about accreditation. However, for new comers to the industry, I highly recommend studying in an accredited course, online or in person, to demonstrate your commitment to your new career.
To learn more about the many varied educational opportunities you have as a real estate stager, please read my section regarding home stager training. If you are already certified, make sure to continue to fulfill your requirements to maintain certification under the guidelines set forth by your particular school.
