I’ve been offering staging services for a long time but I only just recently got the “official” stamp of approval by being given the designation of Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS). Actually, quite some time ago I took the class from Andy Capelluto but it only recently was created as a competing designation to Barb Schwartz’s “Accredited Staging Professional” designation.
Andy and I met when I took her class and we’ve been in contact with each other ever since. She appreciates my approach of providing staging services to all my clients who request them. Granted, each one will have a different need and some barely need help at all – but I have yet to find a house that the owners knew everything they needed to know to prep the house. I appreciate Andy’s no-nonsense approach and her very keen design sense. She is also able to convey the right messages in a class she’s teaching on this subject despite the occasionally obvious “pooh-pooh” attitudes of some of the people in the class (typically from men but I don’t want to start a gender war here). She uses realistic tools to help her class attendees sort out ways to incorporate the new information into their business and she also provides some great resources – a must for anyone teaching a subject.
My background for staging comes from the fact that very early on in my career I worked in the retail sector as the manager of 3 children’s furniture stores in the Greater Seattle area. As part of my job I was responsible for purchasing soft goods (bedding sets, wall decor, and lighting) and ordering hard goods (furniture pieces) that were to be used for our showroom floors. This also meant being able to do the merchandising set up for the displays. Little did I know way back almost 20 years ago that I’d be doing this again in a new career.
As Andy moves on from staging homes for clients to teaching agents how to do it on a national basis – I applaud her and I wish her well! Agents out there, I really recommend her class. You’ll get plenty from it and spend less doing it too!
