When you stage a home you are helping to sell the house’s attributes. Normally this involves placing furniture in ways to highlight things like the fireplace, or decorating to show off the wood paneling. Sometimes we stage to help show an entirely different attribute: the view.

This home had a gorgeous one, and though the house itself was lovely, it was the view people were going to buy it for.

Inside we staged with colors that were the same palette range as you could see outside. In this way, we presented the view as an integral part of the home: reflected in the pattern of waves on a throw pillow, and the stormy blue of a mug.

We also celebrated the coastal community in our subtle decorations. Things like a shell on the table and in a painting on the wall.

To check out the listing click HERE

I’ve talked before about partial staging, but a recent home I staged made me think about how important functional staging is. In partial staging, a vignette of furniture will be placed in a portion of the rooms. I’ve seen staging jobs done, where very attractive vignettes are staged, but they aren’t actually telling you anything about that space. When partial staging is done, it is so important that every aspect of it is showing the potential buyer the functionality of the room. A partially staged living room should be as equally recognizable as a fully staged one.

Here are some pictures from the staging. We did partial staging of the home, with some partial and fully staged rooms. Scroll down, or click HERE to see the listing.

I can verify that the housing market is truly beginning to turn around, and this summer we have seen the most business of any year so far. To give some examples, we at one point last month had 40 different houses staged at the same time. In a twenty-eight day period we staged 27 homes, destaged 13 homes and had 16 different housing appointments. I’m so happy for all the business, and thank goodness for the gorgeous weather we’ve been staging in. I’m looking forward to taking a long weekend though after all that hard work. Hope everyone has been enjoying their summer.

Here are some pics from a recent staging:

Click HERE to check out the official listing for this home.

I worked with Realtor Lois Oliver-Miesbach staging this gorgeous home. It was in a 55+ community, recently remodeled and off a golf course. Because of the target market and the type of community this home is a part of, we worked to show the luxury elements of the home, giving a classic but cozy feel. The living room and dining room I focused on a more warm but elegant feel, while in the kitchen I had fun with some kitschy cute details (like a rooster figurine) tying it together with yellow and blue tones. I had so much fun with this staging, and who ever makes this house their home is going to be very lucky.

for more info click HERE

This 3 bedroom 2 bath house was located on 36 NE STAFFORD ST, in a wonderful residential neighborhood with a  community atmosphere. This home was built in 1916, it had all modern plumbing, electric and other updates – but it managed to retain it’s classic feel. I staged to emphasize the homes natural flow and “modern classic” feel.

I recently staged a wonderful 2 bedroom home in a 55+ community. Though the home was built in the sixties, there had been a full remodel, so it had a very modern but cozy feel that I tried to emphasize with my staging. It also had some really nice details like the built in bookcase near the fireplace. Check out the listing HERE, or scroll down to see some before and after pictures.

This house sold in 2 days 25k over asking

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

When this house was listed in 2012 it was almost unrecongizable to how it appeared in 2013. Major renovations had been done. The home looked modern, fresh, and now had a gorgeous wood flooring that spread through out. Everything that could be done to bring this home to its top market prise had been. So, it probabley not a surprise that when it came time to sell, they decided to stage it.

2012

2013

I still run into people today who are doubtful that staging could help them sell. People who look at the monthly cost of staging, and can’t see what it is they are paying for. Or people who understand what staging is, but not how it works.

Now, my normal preface when I go into these sorts of talks, every home is different, every person is a unique case (that’s why we like to do a walk through first and get acquainted, and figure out the perfect plan for you). But for all those out there who wonder if staging really works, I’d like to ask: ever been in an IKEA?

For those who really have never been in an IKEA – it is a multi-billion dollar international company that sells furniture. And one of iKEA’s primary marketing strategies is staging.

Whether it is there mobile show rooms (staged rooms driven around town), staging metros  and other public spaces, virtual staging , or (their most common) in store showrooms, in which entire home layouts are created and staged. IKEA stages – and they stage to sell.

Of course there is a logistical difference in the way one stages to sell furniture, vs. how one uses furniture to stage and sell a home, but the reasoning behind it is the same.

In a recent study that Ikea did on their female market, they made a statement, that I think universally applies: ““It’s not kitchen cabinets that matter; it’s how they make a cooking session with the kids go smoother. It’s not the sofa that counts, it’s the pleasure of relaxing together after a long day. Furniture is a means to an end.”

Staging helps your potential buyer visualize. Instead of a warehouse of furniture, they see individual items and how they would fit into their lives. Just as a staged home lets a buyer visualize not just how their furniture would fill the space, but how their lives and dreams would flourish in their new home.

Summit Mortgage Corporation resently wrote a wonderful blog with tips for selling your home. The first thing they suggested was staging, and they recomended working with us.

“Our friend Michelle Seidelman, owner of Staged to Sell, is where you should start when thinking about staging your home. Home staging is simple, cost effective, and can help decrease your house’s time on the market.”

It’s always great to hear good things, and I would like to plug Summit Mortgage Corporation in return. Their blogs have a lot of great advice, and they are wonderful people to work with : )