THE BEGINNING

In 1999, Lori Matzke wanted to explore a more creative field than her accounting background had to offer.  After running a small, one-line ad under ‘home organizing’ in the local newspaper, it wasn't long before she rolled those skills into home staging under her original business name, Center Stage Home.  Over the next several years, she took the time to hone her skills.  While maintaining several clients on a regular basis kept her motivated and in business, home staging was still a bit of an unknown.  No one was really sure what home staging was at the time, so new clients were far and few between.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Realizing that educating homeowners on the benefits of staging to sell and persuading Realtors® to embrace the concept was paramount to her success, Lori was instrumental in propelling the home staging industry forward on a national level with her endless pursuit of publicity. Appearing in numerous newspapers, periodicals, and newscasts across the country, her tenacity and perseverance paid off when she was invited by the National Association of Realtors® to fly to Chicago and stage both an occupied and vacant home.  This was the first feature story on home staging the NAR® had ever published which landed on the cover of Realtor® Magazine in 2003.  That article was the turning point that finally launched the entire industry into mainstream!

THE BRAND

This was just the beginning of a series of firsts for the company when Center Stage Home, Inc. released the first book ever dedicated to home staging that same year, introducing many practices and guidelines that are now considered standards in today’s industry.  With her expertise as a working home stager and after so many requests, the company started offering home staging training and founded the Home Staging Expert® Certificate and Designation, changing the company name to coincide. This course was the first to integrate the business and marketing aspects of staging into the curriculum, proving to be a winning combination that confirmed their reputation as the #1 authority on home staging methods, techniques, and business in the now-growing field.

THE TEAM

The careful selection of our professional, talented instructors has been a driving force behind the success of the Home Staging Expert® brand.  Our HSE Certified Training Team have been extensively educated in our methods to ensure they are well-versed in all HSE guidelines, follow the same rules, and teach the same materials and techniques in their workshops. Just like agents in a Real Estate company, our instructors work independently under the Home Staging Expert® umbrella and have been carefully chosen to guarantee the training you receive will not only meet but actually exceed the highest level of standards available in the industry!

Meet the Team