In 1972 Barb Schwarz entered the world of residential real estate as an agent in Bellevue, WA. Prior to real estate she had owned her own interior design business. Barb immediately recognized the challenge that existed for all agents of how to help Sellers prepare their homes for sale without upsetting or offending the owner.  Barb started educating her sellers on how to set the scene and how to set the Stage® to get their properties sold for top dollar. Barb Schwarz coined the phrase "Staging the home for sale." This was truly the first time the word Staging had been used in the real estate industry and at that time Barb had to explain the meaning of the word over and over to both agents and sellers everywhere.   Now, after teaching over 600,000 agents and decorators about Staging all over the United States from 1985 to present time, Barb's term is accepted and understood nationwide and homes that are Staged have an immediate advantage in any market. Barb received the Stage® US Federally Registered Trademark with the United States government in 1990 and with the Canadian government in 2004. Now she's developed the "Accredited Staging Professional™ (ASP™) Course" and the “Master Accredited Staging Professional (ASPM™) Course" for professionals in the industry to earn the ASP™ and ASPM™ designations. Accredited Staging Professionals™ have the training and the skills to effectively Stage® homes for their clients and give them the Staged Home advantage.