What to Look for When Hiring a Home Stager

It's always a little challenging deciding who to hire when you need professional help. Most often you ask your friends and relatives for a referral. But what if they can't help you? How can you be sure that the person you are hiring is the right person for the job?

When it comes to hiring a home stager there are several factors that should be considered. Although price is most people's primary consideration it can be misleading for the consumer when comparing bids. Here is a list of questions you should ask when interviewing a home stager and why their answers could impact your choice.

1. Are you full time home stager and how long have you been in business? Full time stagers offer more flexible schedules, resources, furnishings and experience. They are not "hobbyists" who dabble in the business. It is important to select someone who has been in the business at least 2 years and can show a track record with references.
2. Do you own your own inventory of furniture and accessories? Stagers who own their own furnishings can bid the jobs more competitively because they don't have hard rental costs to add onto the bid. Although they will charge you a rental fee, it will be less than the rental from a commercial furniture vendor. Also these stagers have a larger inventory of accessories and art than the smaller staging companies that do not own furniture and can more readily meet your style needs.
3. If they do own their own furnishings, do they rent from an outside vendor as well? This is important because you want the stager to place the furnishings that are most appropriate for your home rather than what is in their current inventory. Inventory fluctuates with market demand and it is very possible that your needs would be better served if the stager designs around the needs of your home rather than the current furnishings in her inventory.
4. Who will be delivering the furnishings and working in my home? It is important that anyone working within your home is properly insured and the stager carries workers compensation insurance on them, to limit your liability exposure. You do not need someone getting injured and a claim being filed against you or your homeowners insurance. Ask about the delivery personnel and whether they carry liability insurance.
5. Does the home stager have a website and a portfolio to show you? If the stager you are about to hire does not have a website I would advise you to keep looking. A website reflects the quality and professionalism of a home stager. If it looks skimpy or "homemade" than it can be assumed that their inventory is like-wise. A professional, polished website which shows an extensive portfolio will best reflect their work and professionalism. You can also view the quality and style of their furnishing inventory in their vacant home portfolio.
6. Is the home stager installing the design herself ? Having the owner of the business on the job site is always a good idea. Owners take more care and customer satisfaction is essential to their business. It is also easier to bring up any concerns or questions to the owner directly.
7. Compare apples to apples when looking at bids. This is where it gets tricky and requires some detective work. Pricing alone is not a good comparison. A lower bid may reflect a thinner amount of furnishings and accessories.  By obtaining a list of furnishings per room from the stager it will be easier to compare the quality and fullness of a staging. Then you can view their portfolio to see a sample of the quality and style of their inventory. Often you get what you pay for.
8. What time period does the initial price cover? Home stagers can offer various time periods for the initial fee. Usually these time periods can not be pro-rated  should your home sell quickly. For example: if the $2500.00 initial fee covers 60 days and your home sells in 25  days you can not recap any of the initial fee. If, however, you had selected an initial time period of 30 days for a price of $1800.00 then you would have saved the difference. All stagers charge an initial fee and than a subsequent monthly fee. This subsequent monthly fee should be able to be pro-rated.
9. Does the home stager offer a deferred payment plan or payment through escrow? Not all stagers offer either. If this is a consideration ask around and find reputable stager that offers such services. Be prepared to pay a little extra for this service. The stagers is assuming some risk and a small mark-up is customary. Ask this question before the bid is made.
10. Can I select the furnishings or make final design choices? Talk with the home stager about their policies. It is important that everyone have realistic expectations about their experience. Most stagers I know have these policies written in their contract. View a contract before placing a deposit down.