Home Staging & Curb Appeal

Extreme Makeover - Furniture Edition

Home staging involves using the home owner's existing furnishings if possible.  However, when dated furniture depreciates the appeal of a house, additional action must be taken.  Below are "quick fixes" to expensive problems to help you with selling a home:
  • Dated/Worn Furniture:  If your furniture has seen better days or is just plain ugly, slip covers offer an inexpensive solution.  Stretchy furniture covers, described by some as "Spanx for your sofa," eliminates the shiftiness of loose fitting overs.  These wonders can transform wing-back chairs, love seats, and full couches to a like-new appearance. (CLICK HERE to watch a "how to" video)
  • Scratched/Knicked Tables:  Scratches in wood furniture pieces can be minimized by using stain pens available in any home improvement store.  You...

A Time for Reflection

This post is a sequal to a previous blog addressing art placement.

With the wide variety of frames available, mirrors are excellent ways to add a decorative element to your walls, brighten a dark hallway, or visually enlarge a room.  As with other wall art, it is important to apply the principles of size, height, and space when choosing where to place a mirror; however, there is an additional factor to be considered when hanging mirrors:  reflection.

Improper mirror placement is regarded by some as one of the deadly home staging sins when it comes to selling a home.   So many sellers are afflicted by reflections of ceilings, floors, and blank walls... never knowing the truth of proper staging principles.  Fortunately, redemption is...

"Your kids aren't THAT cute" and Other Things Your Realtor Won't Tell You

In the world of real estate, a seller has control over two things:  the price of their property and condition of their home.  While Realtors help sellers determine a price, many agents count on home stagers to deliver the "bad news" to their clients about the appearance of their house.

  TOP TEN THINGS (some) REALTORS WON'T TELL YOU

  1. "Your kids aren't that cute... pack the photos." 
  2. "Multi-colored carpet does not include stains."
  3. "Hummel collections are not considered focal points."
  4. "Toilet seat covers do not qualify as 'spa-like' accessories."
  5. "Mint green is not a neutral color."
  6. "Your dining table should never be used as long-term storage space." ...

Home Staging - Size Does Matter

Adding art requires more consideration than picking between a nail or a screw.  

When selling a home, proportion and placement of home accents are just as important as choosing the style.  Improper placement of an art piece will cause focal point confusion; furthermore, choosing decor that is out-of-scale with the space will leave buyers questioning the quality of the home.  Take a look at the examples below:

Many amatuer decorators are under the impression that art work needs to be hung at eye-level; the problem with that theory is that what is eye-level for you isn't necessarily eye-level for the buyer.

In the photo to the left, the art pieces (hung at eye-level) leave too much space between the pieces and the furniture.  The...

Home Staging Tips for Fall

The transition from summer to fall signifies more than just back to school and football.  Individuals who are selling a house should use the changing of the seasons to re-evaluate the showing condition of their home. Home Staging Tips for Fall:
  • Curb Appeal:  Don't be too eager to winterize the lawn mower.  Even in cool weather, regular yard care should be exercised; a lush, manicured yard translates into a well-cared for home.  Be sure to cut back dead or dying perenials and replace with fall blooms such as mums.  Fallen leaves, sticks, and other yard debris should be gathered and moved to a compositing collection site.
  • Fall Decorations:  Both indoors and out, keep your fall decorations to a tasteful minimum.  Setting out too many (or too large) yard displays will not only decrease the visual size of your yard, but it will distract the buyers from what they really should be...

Home Staging De-Clutter Series, Part III


Home Staging Physics: Clutter attracts clutter.

Unorganized papers on your desk... Your children's toys pushed into the corner... Overflowing magazines and newspapers on the kitchen table... What is the common thread in all these scenarios? Once one of these piles have been establish, it multiplies overnight! (Hence the home staging physics lesson for today.)

When papers, toys, or magazines do not have a proper storage place, it turns into clutter. If you are selling a home, the piles of "un-stored" items (aka clutter) needs to be removed.

The example below shows a master bedroom that is being used as a storage space.  In this state, buyers will not see this room as a restful retreat.

  After a staging consulation by...

Home Staging De-Clutter Series, Part II

"How you live in your home and how you sell your house is two different things." In staging circles, this sentence is uttered to clients daily. However, it is widely under-appreciated by those who have not experienced staging in their own homes.

While living in your house, function usually precedes form. Translation: even though it may not look pretty, it works for our family. When selling a home, it just needs to look pretty. Take a look at the example below:  In this photo, the dining room is being used as a storage space.

For the family, this area was not being used on a daily basis, so it was convenient for them to place their unneeded items on the table.

In this condition, buyers could not imagine eating a peaceful meal or entertaining in this room.

Knowing that changes needed to be made, the family had an in-home staging consultation to prioritize the assignments.  After removing...

Home Staging De-Clutter Series, Part I

Attention Sellers: What does hair gel and room decor have in common? The answer: A little goes a long way!

When selling a house, rooms should appear uncluttered and stylish. If a room has too much decorations or stuff of any kind, buyers will miss seeing the room itself. Take a look at the example below:

In this photo, the overwhelming decorations are distracting to the room.

The wide variety of colors, patterns, and textures make this area feel smaller than it should.

Too many pieces of art work ornate the walls barely leaving any visual wall space.

The vanity is covered with daily products thus decreasing its visual size. While the floor is hardly visible amongst the rugs, shelves, and other miscellaneous items.

In this condition, buyers will remember a room that is chaotic and small instead of appreciating the full bath tub and large vanity. 

After an in-home...

It's all in the Details

Small details in a house can make a HUGE difference in how the house is perceived by buyers. If your house is in pretty good shape but you still want a more polished look, consider replacing the outdated light fixtures, faucets, and window treatments.

Take a look at the example below: 

The room in the photo shown above has out-dated light fixture and old-style window treatments. Even though the hardwood floors were in excellent condition and the large windows have an amazing view to the back yard, the house felt like it was stuck in the 1980's.

After an in-home staging consultation for selling a home, the home owners changed the light fixture and updated the window treatments. The result was an immediate leap from the '80's into the 21st Century! See below: 

Updating a few key elements allowed buyers to appreciate the features of the home. The elegant window treatments now frames the amazing view, while the new light...

Home Staging - Shopping at Home.

One of the goals to preparing a house for sale is to highlight the features in your home, such as a fireplace, granite counter tops, bay windows, or a jet tub. Placing decor by these areas can help draw the eye so buyers will remember the features.

Home owners do not need to run to the nearest home decor store and spend hundreds of dollars to make their home look great; they can shop for decor in their very own house. I don't mean online shopping, either. Using accessories from other rooms in a new and interesting way can give focal points the emphasis that it needs.

This photo to the left shows a jet tub with no accessories. Although nice, there is nothing memorable about this area. The lack of decor leaves this area feeling cold and uninviting.

Buyers who may view several house in one day may not remember anything special about this master bathroom.

This photo to the right displays a pedestal and vase with flowers taken from the living room....