Living Room Before

Here was the living room in its original state. The piano took up so much of the space that there was no room for a proper seating area. The furniture was not in scale with the size of the room and did not draw your eye to the beautiful fireplace or the high ceilings.

Living Room After

By removing the piano and adding two large sofas flanking the fireplace, we focused the buyer’s eye on the features of this room that we wanted them to notice. A rug and throw pillows warmed up the space and added some much-needed color. We used the homeowner’s coffee and end table that were originally in a different room.

Family Room Before

This room had a perfectly good sofa set, but the coffee table and end table blended into the rug and didn’t pop at all. There was also no cohesiveness between the colors in the rug, throw pillows, and art.

Family Room After

By adding new occasional tables in a dark espresso finish, the light sofas didn’t feel as washed out. We tied in the black and gold in the rug with the art and throw pillows to create a finished elegant look. New lighting and accessories finished the transformation.

Bar Before

This is how most occupied homes look when I first come to see them – they are chock full of family photos and personal items. Remember sellers… we are not selling your stuff, we are selling your house. And with all that stuff everywhere, buyers won’t be able to see the features that DO come with the home.

Bar After

By removing the clutter we were able to see the added functionality of this wet bar. We also tied this space into the adjoining family room by using the same colors in the art.

Master Bedroom Before

This master bedroom felt anything but restful. The bedding did not fit the bed properly and the extra lamp and chair felt out of place.

Master Bedroom After

We added a chest dresser to show buyers there was plenty of room for storing their clothes. Then we moved the seating area to the opposite wall (you can see a chair and end table peeking out in the foreground of the above photo). We updated the bedding, art and pillows and used a plant to create this luxurious and restful space.

Guest Bedroom Before

This headboard and matching bedding felt like they belonged at grandma’s house, not in this elegant and updated home.

Guest Bedroom After

We switched out the headboard and bedding for more neutral ones, added updated lighting, a reading chair (the same one you saw in living room “before” shot) and a plant. That’s all it took to transform this room.

But the proof is in the pudding.

According to the Realtor,

“I got an offer on my sister’s home at the first Broker’s Open…The wife came on Friday, she brought her husband on Monday. They fell in love with everything in this home.”

Now that’s what we like to hear!

Recently a client called me about Staging his designer decorated 2-bedroom condo in West Hollywood. The catch was that he only needed one bedroom and a patio Staged. The rest of the home had beautiful furniture and looked great. The 2nd bedroom, however, had become a sort of catch-all storage room and lacked the appeal of the rest of the home.

So we brought in a daybed and desk setup, as well as art and accessories, to show buyers how this room could be used as either a guest bedroom and/or a home office. We were even able to use a couple of the seller’s own pieces as accents in the room so he didn’t have to put them in storage.

Here are the before & after photos of this guest room and the small patio we Staged as well.

Guest Bedroom Before

Guest Room After

Patio Before

Patio After

*Did you notice how I said that the “short answer” was yes in the first paragraph above? Well, here’s the fine print… The rental companies I use have a minimum monthly rental amount. So, for instance, if you just needed a sofa and nothing else, we probably wouldn’t be able to Stage it for you (well we could, but you’d still have to pay the monthly minimum even if you only needed 1 piece). However if you need at least two rooms worth of furniture, we can make it work! Incidentally if it’s just a bed that you need, we do carry camping beds that we stack on a frame and dress to make them look like real beds. These are in our own Staging inventory, so we don’t have to go to an outside rental company…hence no minimums!

The townhome had been painted and remodeled, so we had a great canvas to work with! Unfortunately the awkward layout of the living room, a not-so-neutral paint color, and a seemingly unusable loft space above the second bedroom were making it difficult for buyers to fall in love with the home.

Living Room Before

Without furniture, the living room felt tiny. The awkwardly placed fireplace didn’t help. Our first order of business was to make this space feel large enough for a regular living room set so buyers could see themselves entertaining in the space.

Living Room After

Properly scaled furniture made the space feel open and inviting and didn’t shut off views to the dining room. Relocating some installed surround sound speakers in the niche above the fireplace allowed us to put in a 46″ faux plasma TV so buyers could imagine themselves snuggling up in front of the TV for a relaxing evening at home. And with furniture in the space, the built-in wine cabinet didn’t feel like an afterthought.

Master Bedroom Before

This bedroom was fairly large and had beautiful built-in cabinets (not shown), but the purple color on the walls felt a bit too taste-specific for most buyers.

Master Bedroom After

Since there was no budget to paint, we brought in a black, white and silver color scheme to neutralize the space.

Guest Room Before

The guest room was small, mainly because of the spiral staircase that took up a good chunk of the usable space.

Guest Room After

By using a daybed with a smaller footprint, this guest room now feels spacious and functional.

Loft Before

What buyer wouldn’t love to have a bonus room in a 2-bedroom townhome? Unfortunately the sloping ceiling made this room feel like its only possible function could be storage.

Loft After

Luckily Stage to Sell came to the rescue with some properly scaled office furniture that gave this space a whole new lease on life!

Well our hard work has paid off. This townhome is now in escrow with a backup offer!

Congratulations to the owner and Realtors on a quick sale.

There are some Stagers out there who refuse to work with anything but a completely blank slate. I once did a consultation for a guy who had a beautiful view home and completely workable furniture. His place just needed some updating and new accessories to make it appeal more to today’s buyers. He told me that the last Stager he interviewed told him she’d only take the job if he removed ALL of his own belongings and let her start from scratch…to the tune of over $30,000 in Staging fees! No wonder there are agents and homeowners out there who have yet to hire a Stager to help them prepare their home for sale!

Not only is it bad business to waste someone’s money on unnecessary furniture rental, but in my opinion it’s just plain lazy for a designer to say that they won’t work with a homeowner’s own pieces. Of course it’s easier (and more lucrative) for us to start from scratch because we can pick every last piece down to the art, rugs and plants and know that it will all coordinate beautifully. But if a homeowner has furniture that’s in decent shape and is properly scaled for his home, why would we ask them to get rid of it?

Though my company does lots of vacant home Stagings and model homes, I work all the time with families who are living in their homes while they’re on the market. For these clients, we start with a Consultation. We spend 2-3 hours on site determining what needs to be done in order to get the property sold quickly and for the best price. Recommendations might include de-cluttering, rearranging, reconfiguring or repurposing some of the furniture, updating paint or light fixtures, replacing worn or filthy carpets, and reaccessorizing. After our meeting, the seller receives a written Consultation Report, which gives them a room-by-room check list of what needs to be done. Often the seller takes this list and runs with it and we never hear from them again (until they call to let us know how happy they are that the property SOLD)! Sometimes, however, the client hires us to bring in the recommended accessories or additional furniture pieces that we’ve noted in the report, and to put the finishing touches on the Staging transformation.

As an example, we were recently brought in by a Realtor to do a Consultation on her client’s 4-bedroom home in Tarzana, California. The client had a gorgeous home with beautiful furniture, but she had seen some Staged properties on the market and knew that her home had a couple of trouble spots that needed to be addressed before it could compete with those Staged homes. One of those trouble spots was her college-aged son’s bedroom. Since the son no longer lived in the home, the family used his room as a junk storage space. It was crowded, cluttered and awkwardly arranged with no unifying style to tie it in with the rest of the home.

BEFORE: Teenage Son's Room

BEFORE: Teenage Son's Room

As you can see, this room needed some serious help. First, the layout was awkward with a TV that felt out of place and dominated the room. Second, there was just TOO MUCH STUFF in here. There were desks, bookcases, console tables, chairs and a bed. Too much clutter doesn’t allow buyers to see the potential in the space.

Now check out the After photos!

AFTER: Beautiful Guest Retreat

AFTER: Beautiful Guest Retreat

We were able to use the client’s bed (we brought in a headboard to give it a more finished look), their chest of drawers, nightstand, floor lamp and leather reading chair (which we moved in from another room). The client did the recommended work (cleaning the carpets, removing the TV and everything else except a few pieces of furniture). Then we brought in new bedding, art and accessories to complete the look. I think you’ll agree that the “AFTER” will be quite a bit more appealing to buyers!

The next trouble spot in this home was in the master bedroom. This was a large room with lots of potential. There were French doors to the yard and a large seating area with built-in bookshelves. Unfortunately that seating area was taken up by a treadmill.

BEFORE: Master Suite or Home Gym?

We simply replaced the treadmill with a cushy loveseat and placed a tray with mugs, a French press and a book on a leather ottoman to help buyers imagine themselves cuddling up with a good book and a cup of coffee.

AFTER: Now this is what I call a master suite!

Now this home is ready to sell. And the best part is that the sellers don’t have to move out! They can actually live in and enjoy these new rooms while their home is on the market. And since we used mostly their own furniture, the Staging didn’t break the bank.

So to all of you who were afraid to call a Home Stager because you couldn’t afford to move your entire home into storage and pay someone else to bring in all new things, there is hope! We’ll be waiting for your call.

We recently completed Staging #4 for American Communities. Like the previous building, this one was designed in a contemporary Art Deco style, so we chose furnishings and art that fit with this theme. But at Stage to Sell, we always have to try something new! So this time we added a graphic element to the walls with vinyl decals. Though these gave us the fun design element we were looking for, their large size made them quite difficult to install (more on that in a separate post).

Below are the “after” photos of this beautiful property. Enjoy

Entry & Conference Area

Notice the creative use of a vinyl wall decal as an accessory. The “candelabra” sits atop the console table as a welcoming accent as residents enter the space.

Conference Area

These low income buildings are required to offer certain types of free classes to their residents, so the conference area provides a space for these courses.

Kids' Area

While their parents attend classes, the younger children have a place to read or play.

Computer Area

Older kids and adults can make use of one of three computer terminals to access the internet, do email or look for work. (Due to theft in past projects, three laptops will be available for check out in the manager’s office).

Conversation/TV Area

Conversation/TV Area 2

The conversation area allows residents to mingle, read or watch television in a group setting.

Entry Wall

Notice the two vinyl wall decals in the photo above. The first is the custom lettering with the name of the building. The second is the clock. The best part about this clock is that it actually works! The company sends you both the decal and a working clock mechanism that you apply after installing the decal. Very cool.

Bathroom

And last but not least, the bathroom! I like how the plane decal adds a touch of color and whimsy to this often overlooked space. But tell me the truth, does it look like the plane is about to crash into the person who is sitting on the john?

I am a proud board member of the West Los Angeles IAHSP chapter and have been lucky enough to participate in this wonderful event for the last several years.

This year our chapter chose the Richstone Family Center’s Transitional Living Program as our beneficiary. The program serves young women (ages 18 – 24) from LA County, who have been emancipated from foster care. For the young women in the program, this is often the first time they have experienced a safe, stable and healthy home environment. Richstone’s program provides housing, case management, counseling, life skills, referrals and 24-hour support for residents.

Much of the original furniture in the main house was ripped and filled with holes and the art and furnishings were a mish-mash of hand-me-downs. The walls were stark white and the ceilings were damaged. Thanks to very generous donations from Brook Furniture Rental and Fashion Furniture, paint and supplies from Sherwin Williams and Lowes, fabric from Beach Drapery, cleaning services from Ready Clean, and labor from local painters Carlos Lopez and Albert Hernandez and contractor Brad Erwood (as well as about 10 of our members), our chapter was able to pull off an amazing transformation in record time!

Though the planning took several months, all the work was done in the course of a single week. Chapter members Kevin Htain, Adrienne Sherlock and Karen Keating handmade the window treatments from donated fabric. Our contractor repaired damaged ceilings and installed new ceiling fans to bring in air and light to dark and hot rooms. Our painter painted almost every room in the main house. And Brook and Fashion delivered all their donated items, all before our chapter members arrived en masse this morning!

All the chapter members donated items from their own inventories to add the finishing touches. I brought in art, throw pillows and plants, vases and kitchen decor. Others helped with miscellaneous decor items, even running out to purchase a few last minute items we were missing.

The result was nothing short of astonishing! The board members of Richstone Family Center and a few of the residents arrived once every last piece was in place. As they toured the new house, you could see the amazement in their faces. They noticed every detail, and all agreed that the changes in their environment would make residents take pride in their home and work harder to maintain it.

There is nothing like the feeling of giving back in your community. I encourage each of you reading this post to reach out to a local soup kitchen, battered women’s shelter or senior center – whatever gets you excited about helping. Even a small gesture can bring smiles you will remember for a lifetime!

Entry Before

New paint, art, lamp and accessories and now this entry says "Welcome Home!"

Living Room Before

Paint, art, throw pillows and some new ottomans warm up what was a lackluster rarely-used space

Dining Room Before

Once again, paint, art and accessories completely transform this space

View from Dining Room into Living Room (notice we added a small 2-seater table in the niche to the left of the larger dining table to allow for more seating options)

TV Room Before

New furniture, paint, art, drapes and accessories add life and color into this much-used den

TV Room After

Kitchen Before

Paint, drapes and accessories make this kitchen feel more inviting

Notice the homemade art above the microwave. It was made from leftover donated fabric that matched the curtains in that room

Kitchen After

Counseling Room Before

Counseling Room Before

This may be the most dramatic transformation of all. The counseling room was so drab and uninviting, filled with mismatched furniture and functional, but ugly, file cabinets. New furniture and some creative use of the existing pieces allowed for the necessary seating and storage. Paint, window treatments and accessories created the warm and calm feel that we hope will encourage residents to open up in their therapy sessions.

Working in the kitchen

Dan Keating and I hanging art above the sofa

We almost couldn't fit the new loveseat into the counseling room

Unpacking

Kevin & Adrienne even Stage the Scrabble Game

Stagers never forget the details!

“How long did it take for you to know that the last home you purchased was right for you?

and

“Who ‘wears the pants’ in the relationship when it comes to making major financial decisions?”

The results of this survey are important for all Realtors, Stagers and home sellers to understand, so that they can make sure the property they’re selling will appeal to the right audience.

Interesting Finding #1:

“Both men and women are increasingly concerned with having a space to work in their homes.”

At Stage to Sell, we always make sure that homes we Stage have a clear space set aside for a home office. In today’s world everyone (whether they work from home or not) needs a space in their home for a computer to pay the bills, do homework, check email and update their Facebook status! Staging the home to include a work space is especially important when you are selling a small home, which may not have  room for a full office.

This home was just over 900sf and had a tiny room, reachable only by a spiral staircase, in the spare bedroom. Because of the sloped ceiling it ended up looking like a storage area when it was empty. But with the correct furniture this small space is now a big feature!

Interesting Finding #2:

“Women may be inclined to make up their mind more quickly than men …”

Almost 70% of women made up their mind that the house they purchased was “right for them” the first day they walked into the house (versus 62% of men). Thirty two percent of men (versus 23% of women) needed two or more visits to be sure.

This is why it’s so important to create an emotional connection as buyers walk through the home. It’s not just the furniture, but all the small details, that make us (and by us, I mean the women) fall in love with a home. When my company Stages a home, we always have the buyers in mind. We ask the Realtor who the prospective buyer is so we know who we’re trying to appeal to. If it’s a family, we often create an adorable child’s room that will make the mom & dad imagine their own child living in (and loving) the space. If it’s a young professional, we might shoot for a more contemporary vibe, with a high tech home office space. For retirees, we might use a second bedroom as an office, but we’d include a small daybed too, so the grandchildren can spend the night. These are just a few of the subtle ways that we make sure to tug on the buyers’ heartstrings with each home we Stage.

This children's bedroom was designed to make mom imagine her own children living in this home.

Interesting Finding #3:

“Couples say that no one ‘wears the pants in the relationship’ in terms of major financial decisions …”

Close to 70% of respondents said that when it comes to major financial decisions (such as the purchase of a home) it’s a mutual decision.

Now this one surprised me a bit because from what I’ve always heard, women tend to influence the home-purchasing decisions more than men. Of course both have input, but generally women tend to feel more strongly about buying one home versus another, and this is where proper Staging can distinguish one home from another. When comparing two homes, both may have the same square footage and number of bedrooms, the same hardwood floors or granite countertops, but the one that “feels like home” is the one that will get the sale (price being equal of course)! Creating those special details that make a buyer fall in love with a home is what Home Staging is all about.

Staged homes create an emotional connection with buyers

It was very timely since I encountered this very issue while previewing a beautiful new construction home in Sherman Oaks just last week. The developer built 2 gorgeous, side-by-side, high-end homes with luxury upgrades and beautiful finishes. The homes were identical in layout, but the builder wanted to Stage only one – the less desirable one. Why was it less desirable? Was it smaller? Did it have fewer rooms? Ummm…no. This one was less desirable because of the next-door neighbor.

I didn’t take a photo of the neighbor’s yard, but you can probably picture it. It looked like a junk yard, filled with old appliances, lumber and debris. And the home itself looked like it should’ve been condemned. It hadn’t been painted in decades, the yard was overgrown and it looked a bit like, well, a crack house. Hardly the sort of neighbor the buyer of a brand new luxury home would be excited about.

photo courtesy of yoyogod

Of course my Staging plan included large potted plants and window treatments to block the view of the neighbor’s home from the bedrooms and patios. But at some point a potential buyer will open the curtains or peer over the fence, only to find that their future neighbors live in a dump.

So what do you do if you are trying to sell your home and your neighbor’s house isn’t quite as presentable as you’d like?

1) Approach your neighbor about the issue in a non-threatening way.

Attempt to solve the problem amicably (I find this is always the best way to deal with any issue). The article suggests that it might be a good idea to tell the neighbor that a Realtor or potential buyer made a complaint.

2) Offer to help.

Have a solution in mind and offer to help with any labor or costs involved. Simply offering to rake leaves or take a bunch of old junk to the Goodwill may be all it takes to solve the problem. If you don’t want this to seem too personal, try organizing a neighborhood cleanup with all the families on your block. Rent or borrow a truck to take everyone’s extra items to the dump or donate them. Tackle unfinished yard projects and pick up trash around the neighborhood. If everyone is taking part your neighbor won’t feel singled out.

3) If you are uncomfortable talking to your neighbor, ask your real estate agent or home staging professional to make the initial contact.

It may be less threatening if the news comes from a third party. You could even ask your agent or stager to say s/he is speaking to them without your prior knowledge. I am not one to condone lying, but if you are trying to preserve good relations with a neighbor, this type of white lie may be unavoidable.

Once again, make sure your representative addresses your neighbor respectfully (without trying to pick a fight) and offers to help in any way possible.

4) If all else fails and your neighbor refuses to comply, contact the local code enforcement office or neighborhood association. This should be a last resort, as it’s much more pleasant to get a friendly call from your neighbor rather than a complaint.

Just know that you may not get any satisfaction going this route. Oftentimes what may seem like a code violation is actually not against any rules. And filing a complaint doesn’t guarantee a quick fix. Your neighbor could file an appeal or simply drag their feet.

Another important recommendation from the article:

Ask the homeowner before doing any work yourself!

You don’t want to be accused of trespassing.

Living Room Before

Do these blinds scream luxury home to you? No, they didn’t to me either. First thing on the list to go: vertical blinds. For budgetary reasons we could not install custom window treatments (especially on the large bay window in the front of the room), but simply removing the dated blinds helped immensely. We used inexpensive tension rods to add drapes to the side windows and left that beautiful bay window free and clear so buyers would be able to see the Observatory when they looked out.

Living Room After

On a side note, there was an issue with buyers having to look at the busy traffic passing by out the bottom half of that front window. Solution? We brought in two ultra-high-back chairs to block the lower half while opening up the beautiful hillside views above.

Bay Window View

As I continued my preview of the home the next thing I noticed was the powder room and its dueling vanities.

Powder Room Before

See that cute built-in vanity? Now granted it’s not the latest in bathroom decor, but it was clean and had some charm. But what’s up with the other vanity that butts up against the first one? It makes this room look like a botched makeover. I suggested they rip out the wood vanity and replace it with a pedestal sink. After all this is a powder room – no storage required.

Powder Room After

Now isn’t that better? We used the homeowner’s stool that had been relocated to the kitchen, some art and decorative accessories to bring out the room’s charm.

If you follow my blog, you may already know one of my many mantras: “Paint the paneling!” So you can imagine what I thought when I walked into this bonus room near the pool. This was a huge room with an attached bath and laundry room and a separate entry. A perfect place for a mother-in-law, a guest or a renter. But with all that dark paneling and the outdated ceiling fan it was completely unappealing.

Guest Suite Before

They painted the paneling and replaced the fan with a ceiling mounted light fixture and voila! Now, I would never have chosen white as the color – too stark. But hey, at least they painted! With furniture, art and accessories, we’ve just added tons of value to this space.

Guest Suite After

These were all relatively simple and inexpensive changes that made a HUGE difference in the saleability of this home.

The result?

We finished Staging on the Sunday of July 4th weekend. They had their first offer by that Wednesday and another shortly thereafter. We have already picked up our furniture less than a month after the initial Staging because the buyer was so anxious to move in!