Monday, January 2, 2012

Does staging make a difference? See for yourself!

I recently staged a home north of Nashville.  The video is now on YouTube and I thought I'd share it.  After the video, take a look at the pictures of the home before I started.   Will staging help?  I'd love to know your thoughts!

If you have trouble loading, try this link...   
Click Here


OK... here are the before photos.
The living room...  the worn carpet was making a terrible first impression.  The new hardwood floors are gorgeous!  We also added some furniture, removed some things but mainly tried to keep that view the focus.

The Dining area needed some life.  We removed the rug, set the table and added art.  Ideally, there should be a chandelier above the table rather than recessed lighting.  
The kitchen was a little cluttered with rugs and things so we had the homeowner pare things down  to the bare minimum.  Everything is still a bit white and plain but the homeowner will be painting the walls soon and that will add a little more life.
The first bedroom was quite cluttered.  We pared down the items and  placed the bed in the corner with a simple night stand.
If you need shelves, adding the fabric box type containers (as in the after video) make a huge difference!
The hall bath flooring was very dated so we encouraged the owner to update with tile.  Much better!  We also added some color and coordinated art, shower curtain, etc.
 

The master bedroom didn't have a luxurious feel and the focal point should be the view from the window.  We switched the bed location, removed some of the items on the wall and added a little lux!
 
The master bath needed flooring updates too and to have a more spa-like feel.  The video shows the "after" with  calming gray-blues and browns.
Of course... the dirty laundry had to go!
The basement.  Plants are great. No...healthy plants are great.  It's better to put them in groupings rather than spreading them out.
By the time we staged, the sofa and many other pieces had been sold or moved out.  The shoe rack  and the shelving units remained and we moved to the garage.  We used a few pieces to create a seating group around the fireplace and the owners card table for a game vignette.
The owner did a  lot of work to clean up the patio area.  
 Well... now that you've seen the "before" photos -  maybe you should watch the video over again?   I think it's much more appealing.  I'd love to see the curb appeal improved and add a few more  touches but I believe the home will now hold more appeal for buyers.  In this market, a home like this on 10 acres in a private setting could be hard to sell but the owner has a great agent and the price is very competitive.  Someone will have a wonderful property!!

Thanks for stopping by!~
Lori

3 comments:

Tanna said...

Couldn't get the video to load. :(

Do you think you might do another post with after photos??? ;)

Happy New Year!! blessings ~ tanna

Carmella said...

I can see that this house has so much going for it...I love the light. I would love to see after photos of your staging, I know it must have made a world of difference!

Tanna said...

FABULOUS job, Lori!! I could load the video this time and you increased the appeal of that house immeasurably! Again, great job. blessings ~ tanna
ps I could go for that neighbor thing and coffeetime, too! ;)