Case in point: our latest Staging job at 1533 South Point View.

The Realtor (who is flipping this home) called me after reviewing – by her estimation – 15 different Stager websites! I was very flattered that she chose Stage to Sell.

She is a huge believer in Staging (don’t you LOVE clients who already “get” us and what we do??) and knew that this home would sell quickly and for top dollar only if it was Staged.

Here are the “after” photos of our work.

When I visited the home, I fell in love with it. Sure there was some deferred maintenance that would have to be addressed, but the height, the light and the materials were to die for!

Now the only problem became what type of furnishings to use with this style of architecture. I needed inspiration. Luckily the agent, Mary Young of Prudential in Santa Monica, tracked down these amazing pictures of the home in 1975 when it was photographed for a magazine!

Now the gold shag carpet in the living room probably wouldn’t appeal to today’s buyer, but seeing the home in its former glory really got my creative juices flowing.

Here’s our modern interpretation of this 1970s classic. According to the agent, 200 Realtors came to yesterday’s Broker’s Open House. Looks like this one won’t last long!

Photography by Michael McCreary

Built-ins provide a wonderful storage solution, but if they are bursting at the seams a buyer will get the impression that the home does not have enough storage.

We want to give buyers the idea that “there is SO much storage space, they can’t even fill it all!” Now of course we know that the longer we live in a home the more cluttered our bookshelves, closets and cabinets become. It’s just the law of accumulation — I think I just made that one up, but it’s true! So when a home is on the market it is crucial to highlight the built-ins by Staging them like a pro:

1) Keep some shelves EMPTY!
Remember the idea here is to show an abundance of storage space. So if you have a built-in or bookcase with lots of little shelves, it’s a good idea to leave a couple empty to show your buyers they have room to grow.

2) Create balance.
Try to balance each side of the built-in or each shelf on the bookcase. Don’t put all your books to the left of the fireplace and all your vases or statues to the right. Spread them out to achieve balance. When you stand back to look at your work, the overall weight should feel about equal on both sides.

For bookshelves, my rule is that no shelf should be more than 1/2 full. I alternate which half I will fill on each shelf. For instance, on the top shelf I might put a plant on the right side. Below I would set out a stack of 3-4 books on the left. Don’t forget to use the middle of the shelves to create variety. A low bowl or a tray with candles in the center of a shelf can be the perfect decorative item.

3) Remove personal items.
I see many homes where the built-ins are chock full of family photos and the kids’ trophies. Remind your sellers that buyers want to picture themselves and their family living in the home. If they are bombarded with photos of the homeowner’s family, they get too involved with your personal life (“Oh, look, they vacationed in Hawaii! Oh, their son plays Little League!”) and forget all about the home. We want buyers to start “mentally moving in” as soon as they walk through the door, but it’s hard for them to do that when the personal photos and belongings of the current homeowners are so prominent.