If you’ve been researching online home staging courses, you’ve probably come across the term “accredited home staging certification” and wondered – is it necessary?
It’s a great question, and we want to give you a transparent, honest answer:
No, your home staging certification doesn’t need to be accredited to be valuable or respected.
In fact, not all of the best home staging certification courses are accredited. And many students are surprised to learn that some of the accreditation requirements are outdated, unnecessary, or focused more on checking boxes than delivering real value.
What Does “Accredited” Mean in Home Staging?
In the home staging world, the main accreditation body is the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). RESA was established in 2007 to provide oversight and standardization in the industry, and offers an accreditation program for training providers.
To become RESA-accredited, a course provider must:
- Submit an application and meet a checklist of standards
- Pay a $750 application fee
- Pay a $500 yearly fee to remain listed as accredited
In return, the course provider can use the RESA Accredited logo and appear in listings on the RESA website.
Why Some Excellent Courses Are Not Accredited
It’s important to understand that not being accredited doesn’t mean a course is low quality. There are several valid reasons why a reputable course provider might choose not to pursue RESA accreditation:
1. They Want to Keep Prices Low
The cost of accreditation, while not extreme, can add up over time and often gets passed on to students. Many accredited courses are priced between $999 and $1,300, while non-accredited options often offer the same (or better) content for a fraction of the price.
2. They Prefer to Let Their Students Speak for Them
Rather than pointing to an accreditation badge, many providers rely on real student feedback and testimonials. If a course has hundreds or thousands of positive reviews, a low refund rate, and a long-standing reputation, that’s often a stronger endorsement than any seal.
3. Some Accreditation Requirements Are Outdated
RESA’s published criteria include items like “course manuals must have space for handwritten notes” – which doesn’t make much sense for modern, fully online programs that provide downloadable resources and encourage digital workflows.
Other requirements like avoiding “get rich quick” language or responding to emails promptly are things that any legitimate provider should be doing anyway.
4. Accreditation Standards May Not Align with Real-World Skills
RESA publishes a list of 61 required topics for accredited courses. While many of these are useful, others are arguably unnecessary or outdated – such as teaching how to check if a domain name is available, or covering basic listening skills.
Meanwhile, some of the best modern staging courses focus on things that aren’t on the accreditation list – like building your own website, getting started with SEO, or marketing yourself as a home stager in today’s digital world.
The Bottom Line: Accreditation Isn’t Everything
Accreditation can be helpful in some industries where legal or regulatory requirements exist – but in the world of home staging, it’s completely optional.
What matters more than accreditation is:
- The quality and depth of the course content
- Honest, recent reviews from past students
- Transparent pricing and refund policies
- The relevance of the material to today’s home staging world
Final Word
Accreditation may sound impressive, but it’s not a guarantee of value, and it’s certainly not a requirement for becoming a successful home stager.
Don’t be afraid to explore non-accredited courses, especially if they offer strong content, fair pricing, and great student feedback.
Before choosing a course, take a look at what’s actually being taught, what others are saying, and how much it costs. That will tell you far more than a badge ever could.