When Investing in Home Staging Training Keep Both Eyes Open!

As a society, we are a skeptical bunch. Today's consumer almost instinctively sees sales pitches as scams and are afraid those products that do sound worthwhile must be too good to be true. There are thousands of valuable and reputable products available to us thanks to the power of the Internet. Yes, there are bad products out there, and those that overpromise, but there are also genuine resources which end up being even better than you had hoped for. The best way to avoid purchasing something that will end up disappointing, is to simply do your homework before you buy. Google is a powerful tool to research your options – use it!

Many students who enroll in home staging expert Debra Gould´s Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program come directly from other programs to get the business skills they still desperately need.

Gould says, "I´m surprised people aren´t more careful when investing in training. When I hear people tell me they have completed home staging programs but still don´t know how to start a business using those skills, I always wonder if they thoroughly researched what they were getting into before pulling out their credit cards."

What differentiates the Staging Diva Program is the emphasis on building a profitable business. Gould´s program is the only home staging training program taught by someone with an MBA in marketing who has built their own home staging business into a success.

Gould says, "Given that home staging is a completely unregulated field, where anyone can offer training, I advise anyone planning to enroll in a home staging course to do their homework before handing over their hard-earned money."

Before enrolling in a home staging training program, Gould suggests looking into the following details before committing to anything: 

Who´s the teacher? Is the program you´re considering being taught by someone who has built a successful home staging business? If not, how will they teach you to build one? Are they quoted anywhere in the media as home staging experts? What happens if you pick up the phone and call them, will you actually get the trainer?

Home staging credentials don´t exist. If you´re trying to decide which program to take depending on the weight their credentials hold, you´re wasting your time. The home staging industry is not regulated and there are no official home staging credentials. Any home staging training company, or private individual for that matter, can offer you their own set of initials to put after your name. You also want to find out if you'll be charged an ongoing licensing fee to say that you have these so called "credentials." 

What are people saying? Spend lots of time going over testimonials from graduates of the program and contact some of them directly to make sure they really exist. Do a Google search to see what people are saying about the program in discussion groups and elsewhere on the Internet.

What is the quality of the information the company or trainer gives out for free? Are there ways for you to sample the program? Are there any resources for you to read or audio clips to listen to before signing up? If what you can get for free doesn't seem very informative, how do you know the quality of the paid material will be any better? If what you can access for free is of high quality, it's reasonable to assume what you pay for will be even more informative. 

Is there a refund policy? Find out what happens if you aren't happy with your purchase. Do you get any or all of your money back? 

What happens after you complete the training program? Is there any ongoing support available to you or does the company just offer one product and once you've got that you're on your own? If job guarantees are being made, be careful to read the "fine print" and find out how it all works. 

If the state of the economy has you ready to take control of your own employment destiny by starting a home staging business, you´re making a great move. There is already lots of demand for real estate staging services and it will continue to grow as more homesellers realize the profit they can make by hiring a home stager. But be sure to find out if the training program you´re considering will provide you with the tools you need to grow a successful business. In this, as in any unregulated industry, buyer beware applies.