Ready to put your house on the market? Heard about Home Staging but don't know where to start? I can help!
What is Home Staging?
Before Staging - lacking warmth and comfort
After Staging - Accessories add colour and focus
Most Realtors will offer you good advice on how to 'show' your home - de-clutter, clean, get rid of pet odour, repair any obvious problems but they are not necessarily 'design savvy' and they do not have time to help you make changes that will really make your house shine! If you want to take the presentation of your home to the next level - give it 'the WOW factor' - and get more money for selling your home, you need to 'stage' it!
A Professional Home Stager can show you where to concentrate your efforts and a reasonable budget for maximum return - Transforming your house into a buyer's dream home - they are buying into the lifestyle that a warm, stylish, clutter-free, clean house seems to offer them.
Before Staging 
After Staging
It is difficult for you to see your house in an objective way - the way a potential buyer will. A buyer's mind is made up almost instantly on entering the house so you want to create a first impression that really grabs their attention, then 'flow' to draw them into the rest of the house - a Professional Home Stager can help you to see your house as a product on the market and will create a dazzling presentation - think of the power of a great store display! - Staging your home to sell!
A Home Staging consultation is a great place to start and will show you exactly how and where to concentrate your efforts and staging budget so that no money is spent unnecessarily on a house that you will soon be leaving!
A professional Home stager will work on a budget set by you the home owner to show off the potential of your house- de-cluttering and cleaning are only the tip of the ice berg! I will use De-personalizing, furniture editing and re-arrangment, colour theory and interior decorating techniques (sometimes called 'fluffing') that will create a magazine home look rather than the bare, empty shell that is often left when homeowners 'de-clutter' and strip their home of personal items - I will create a wonderful 'stage' - that buyers will be able to see themselves living in and importantly want to pay more for!
Before Staging 
After Staging
Talk to your Realtor today about the benefits of hiring a professional Home Stager to show your home off to it's full advantage!
I know from personal experience how much staging can affect a buyer's feelings about a house. When I first walked into what is now my home, my husband and I knew that we wanted to live there - the decor was calm, warm and there were wonderful touches such as a beautifully laid dining table with a bottle of wine just waiting to be opened, that made us feel at home - even though we were only viewing the house! There were no photos of the owners, nothing that jarred with our vision of us living there, no rennovation work that needed doing - we could even see our own furniture in the rooms as they were uncluttered, spacious and neutral! Out of all the houses we saw that was the one that we couldn't let go to someone else (and it was the only one that was staged!)
Home Staging Consultations:
A Home Staging Consultation is ideal for those who know that there is a lot to do and don't know where to start - also for people who know that they will do all or most of the work suggested themselves - perhaps you are looking for outside professional advice. A consultation involves a thorough walk through of the property - inside and out - appraising the house the way a potential buyer will. This is a great first step as it will help you to identify what needs to be done and what the priorities are.
A recommendation report presenting Staging options - from the basics - important areas for de-cluttering, de-personalizing specifics, to the 'biggest bang for the buck' options - where to concentrate for maximum return, any paint changes or furniture needs, and curb appeal suggestions will be given to you within 72 hours of the consultation.
You can choose a level of staging you feel comfortable with - balancing the time and money spent on the desired return for your investment.