As I mentioned in my last post, I recently staged a home in SE Portland… and it has already sold : )
After having sat on the market for 3 months, the staging did wonders : )
Also, an update on the quick selling home I blogged about in my Craftsman Bungalow post, Andrea Dufresne, the Realtor I worked with just sent me a wonderful testimonial:
“I recently had a vacant home with an unusual layout and some other space ‘obstacles’. Michelle was sensitive to cost and was very thoughtful about which rooms really needed staging and which ones could do without. Michelle’s suggestions were different from what I was anticipating but she really convinced me. She and her team spent several hours installing the furniture and décor; the results were amazing. My seller (now living out of state) even commented that her home had never looked so ‘appealing.’ Michelle’s work really paid off. My decision to have Michelle stage that house was well worth the investment as we had an offer within 2 days on the market!”
These are the kind of days that make me really love my job : )
I recently staged a home on 3134 SE MORRISON ST Portland, OR 97214. The home had been cleaned and decluttered. The look was comfy, and functional – if you were living there, but it wasn’t set up for being sold.
There were some basic errors being made. You can see how the flat screen was competing with the fireplace over what the focal point of the room was, and the placement of the furniture wasn’t directing attention to the living rooms’ highlights.
I used the rug to create a visual path for the potential buyer, a diagonal line that draws their gaze back to the fireplace. The furniture creates a frame around this focal point as well. I also worked to showcase the bright and airy feel of the room by drawing attention to the multiple windows. For any pest issues, make a call to the pest control dayton oh who are available 24/7 and have been professionals in this field for a long time.
I’ll post some more pics from this staging next week, can’t wait to share this wonderful home with you guys : )
One of the most popular styles of home in Portland, Oregon is the Arts and Crafts (especially on the East side), so I have staged many a Bungalow and a Craftsman. There is a unique process in staging these types of home. These homes strive for cozy -they were designed mostly from 1900-1930, and they were quintessential middle class with functionality outweighing the earlier ornate style of the Victorian Era.
While these characteristics make a wonderful warm home, some of the layouts and home designs can be confusing to buyers. An empty room in a Bungalow can seem far smaller then it is, because buyers are used to gauging space based on a more “traditional” floor plan.
I recently staged a home on 733 NE Mason ST, Portland Oregon. It was built in 1906, and was warm, bright, cozy, and built with that kind of space efficiency that made wonderful use of every one of its 2,000+ sq ft. But unfortunately none of these features were being showcased. It’s amazing what a little staging can do. This home sold on it’s first day with multiple offers : )
What color to paint your walls (okay so not that big of a controversy…but still). Traditionally a stager would, nearly always, say neutral –and NEUTRAL ONLY.
So, stagers will recommend eggshell, or cream, or latte-foam-whatever color that is a variance of the same. This isn’t bad advice, and it most cases it is still wise. Wall color can overpower a room, a buyer can be distracted by a color they dislike and it can (pardon the pun) color their experience.
But, though I tend to recommend subtle tones, I have seen from experience that sometimes color is the better choice (and carefully picked can add a unique “life” to the home that will keep it in the buyers mind). Part of understanding when colors will work is understanding the buyers for your area and more localized – the neighborhood.
A recent home I staged on 3914 SE Schiller ST Portland, OR was an interesting case. Already sitting on the market, already painted punchy colors, and without a budget for “neutral.”
When empty, the vibrant wall colors became the vocal point, and distracted from the features of the home that should have been showcased. This gave me the wonderful opportunity of using the memorable colors as an asset.
Carefully staging in a way that both complimented the coloring, and drew attention to the highlights of the home -I was able to create a visual experience that was memorable partly because of the bright colors that in other circumstances could have been seen as a detriment.
I’m pleased to say this home sold within two weeks of the staging : )
I am lucky to be someone who receives much of my business from word of mouth. It is very rewarding getting repeat clients, and building a repertoire with agents. Recently a Realtor I work with asked me to stage her own home for sale. It’s nice to see how seriously she believes in staging (and how much she trusts my expertise!). It has been so wonderful working with her, and creating the perfect staging plan for her home.
Here are some pictures of this gorgeous house:
To see more pictures of the staging, or for more info on the listing, click the picture above.
I worked on emphasizing the homes natural cozy feeling, and in the livingroom showcasing that warm woodstove.
This home was located in a cute neighborhood that is just a a few minute walk to Belmont, a pedestrian heavy street that features many eateries and shops, like the local classic Movie Madness:
An independent movie rental store that has a “museum of movie picture history” alongside the movies to rent.
And just down the way there is also the delicious (and Portland famous) Pine State Biscuits:
A restaurant revolving around their fresh baked biscuits and a southern slant (think fried green tomatoes and sweet tea).
It made me think about how lucky we are in Portland at how our neighborhoods are built. Apparently it started in 1972, when the City Council decided to expand and strengthen the connection between neighborhoods and the city. Growing from 60 neighborhoods in the late 70’s to the now 95; each official neighborhood is part of a volunteer association that are ambassadors from their small community to the greater Portland community (and the city government). This connection has helped build neighborhoods around having local stores and restaurants nearby (often within walking distance), it also means that each little community has their own unique flair.
To check out the listing for this home and more staged pics, click on the above pictures : )
As you can tell by these beautiful Realty Imaging pics, this home had wonderful natural lighting; which was one of the features I emphasized with the staging.
The first thing you saw when approaching this house was the vibrant blue door accented in red. It inspired me to use these colors to create a subtle visual pathway for the potential buyer.
Accessories in blue and red created a gentle recurring theme that helped lead a potential buyer from room to room. It also unified the home by mirroring the same colors they first saw when standing on that welcome mat.
This home had been on the market for 6 months with another agent. The new agent, Trish Bannings, understood the value of staging and paid for it herself. I worked with her to create an inexpensive plan that would meet her needs.
It was important to get the maximum results, while keeping the cost at a minimum. We got rid of the dated window dressings, which instantly opened up the whole room. Also, instead of staging every room, we decided on a few rooms that would have the strongest impact. 10 days on the market, and the house sold : )
