A few years ago, when I decided I wanted to be a Stager, I thought it was important to be properly trainined and to be Certified. After much research, I chose a program by Barb Schwarz. Barb created the Home Staging concept and I was lucky enough to be trained by Barb Herself.
She always says that “The investment of Staging your home is always less than your first price reduction!” 
She also has some basic rules of staging that she calls "The 7 C's of Home Staging". I'm starting 2010 out with those rules as they can help everyone begin the Staging process.
7 C’s of Staging
1. Clean. When Barb talks about clean, she means a clean that many sellers have never seen before. Barb calls it “Q-tip Clean.” Clients go so far as to take Q-tips around the faucet, the sink edge, the light switch plates, the doorknobs—everywhere. The property must be extremely clean on both the inside and the outside.
2. Clutter-free. We all have a lot of… stuff. And that stuff can interfere with a buyer’s ability to see the home, including furniture, kitchen counter-top appliances, pictures, and collections.
3. Color. People tend to have strong, emotional reactions to color. And as you probably know, dark paint colors make a room seem smaller, while light colors push the walls out. So Barb recommends using whites, creams and beiges.
4. Compromise. In a perfect home Stage, every minor dent or ding would be fixed and every room made up for maximum results. But for the sake of money or time, it’s sometimes necessary to compromise. You can’t change everything in the house, so find and improve the areas that make the biggest impact.
5. Creativity. A room can really come together using a few small, creative items. An example is using black towels—Barb is a big fan of black towels—to neutralize a pink-tiled bathroom. The seller may already own them, or they can be purchased inexpensively. Roll them up for a “spa” feel. A bow made of black-and-white ribbon tied to each shower curtain ring will tie the look together. All can be done very inexpensively, using your own creativity.
6. Communication. Barb said it best: “The words we use, the tone we use, the passion that we have and the energy—your clients really feel it. That’s what Staging does, too. It communicates this feeling with the buyer about the room.”
7. Commitment. You must be committed to staging a property so that Buyers can visualize themselves in the home. Barb says that an agent must be committed to the process too.
