For this project our clients were moving to Halifax and would be working in Halifax, but then travelling for months for work as well. Therefore their home would be used as an airbnb while they were travelling. We wanted to give them a space that they could enjoy themselves, but would appeal to airbnb renters as well.
We went with soft earth tones, lots of texture, and of course some wicker and we love how it turned out! Here are a few of our favorite photos.
We’re in love with the sectional from Article.com with it’s thin arms and tapered legs. It’s not our first time using it and we have to say we love the quality as well!
For our pillows we selected warm earth tones again and added in some blue that we pulled out of the area rug.
We love to add tons of plants. Even if you don’t have a green thumb there are some great fake plants available now. And of course we need some macrame thrown in there.
And check out those mix and match stair runners we incorporated from Wayfair!
We knew this gem wouldn’t last long! We fell in love with this property even before staging it. Our client renovated this property from top to bottom, removing all interior walls on the main floor. During the renovation they unveiled the chimney and decided to keep it. What character it adds to the space! Our client’s vision was modern rustic, which we agreed was perfect for this property! It was listed on Friday and they had an accepted offer on Sunday.
We were so excited to hear from our clients and realtor that they had an offer the first day of going on the market! We loved this house too so we weren’t surprised. What’s interesting about this one is that we’re told the buyers were looking out in Tantallon and other outlying areas of the city and had viewed over 40 homes at the time. This home is located in the Purcell’s Cove area, near the Dingle. The day this one came on the market the buyers viewed it and offered immediately. We’re told they offered $5,000 less, but the sellers countered at full price and the buyers agreed! We love what we do!
We were so happy to hear our clients received multiple offers and sold in 6 days! The owners had already moved into their new home leaving this property vacant. We worked with the clients existing walls colours and brought in furniture and decor that transformed this small living room space into a modern, yet cozy hip space that had people bidding against each other. Home staging really does work!
It’s time to sell your home. You have a friend that is good at decorating, so you think you’ll have them help you with staging your home. Good idea or bad? First of all there is a difference between staging your home for sale, and decorating your home to live in it. What does a home stager bring to the table that your friend can’t? Lots! Although we do both at Staged for Upsell, decorating is very different from helping a home owner prepare their home for sale. A home stager is trained to know exactly how much furniture a room should have amply show its space to the fullest. Space is money when selling your home. A home stager also knows how to arrange furniture to optimize flow and functionality in a home. Oftentimes home owners are using their home in the best way that ‘functionally’ suits their personal needs. Unfortunately when selling your home, it’s no longer about you, it’s about the buyers. Therefore, sometimes there is some adjustments that need to be made. A home stager can quickly access a room to determine the level of de-cluttering and exactly what needs to be de-cluttered, grouped, sorted, re-arranged, etc. to show the room at its best. Less is always more when selling your home. Whereas with decorating we’re often adding accessories and filling the space. I’m always telling clients if it’s not adding value to the room, take it away.
A home stager knows what’s important to buyers and what’s crucial to modify. An example? I often find clients using a spare closet in a room outside the kitchen as storage for some of their food. This is a red flag to buyers! They’re immediately thinking “there’s not enough kitchen cupboard space!” and they’re immediately back in the kitchen fretting over this. This could be a deal breaker for many buyers. This is just one example of the value a home stager brings in their training that a friend that is good at decorating doesn’t bring to the table.
Hiring a home stager for a consultation when selling your home isn’t expensive. Most home stagers are charging approximately $150 for a two hour consultation. My clients are always amazed at the difference that the two hour consultation can make.
A home staging consultation is an invaluable step when selling your home. Even if you don’t need ‘full’ staging services consider the consultation. Having your friend help may save you money, but it may cost you a hefty price reduction. Are you willing to take the chance?
We love when we get word from clients that they’ve got an accepted offer! We also love it when it’s a quick sale. With most of our staged properties selling quickly, most within 15 days, we weren’t surprised when this one sold in 3 days.
Happy home staging clients – Sold in 3 days!
This home was what we called an occupied property, the owners were still living in the home. They had some great furniture pieces, but needed some help putting the finishing touches on the space. Having furniture in the space isn’t enough, it’s the finishing touches that create an intimate, cozy atmosphere in the home.
The clients were relocating to another province for work. Not only did they want top dollar for their home, they also wanted a quick sale.
Accessorizing with the great furniture pieces they already had we created some wow factor. I guess the proof is in the results – they sold in 3 days!
We’ve been staying busy staging homes. But we’ve also been very busy de-staging a lot of home after quick sales! Here’s another example of a happy customer. This property was a gorgeous ocean front property that was sitting on the market for approximately 6 months. The owners had been relocated to the US for work and were not able to successfully sell their home before their relocation date. After they moved it then sat vacant on the market. Vacant homes can be even harder to sell. The US relocation firm for the company worked with the real estate agents to have the property staged as they needed to have it sold asap. It was listed just under $1 million dollars. That’s a hefty mortgage to be sitting on!
The living room was exceptionally large and overlooked the ocean. The room also had a double-sided. We created two seating areas in the living room, one focused around the gorgeous fireplace. We brought in a leather chaise closer to the window to create a lounging or reading area overlooking the ocean view. Imagine your self sipping coffee or reading a book from this spot.
The photos that were on realtor.ca before staging showed the home filled with very eclectic furniture and artwork. It was a bit over the top. That’s fine for living in your home, however, when you’re selling you need to appeal to the masses. With a beautiful view like this a subtle, calm but sophisticated room is what will sell. We used modern contemporary furniture and décor to compliment the home and show case it at its full potential.
We were excited to hear that they had an accepted offer 14 days after staging the property. We’re asked all the time if house staging really works. The answer “Yes, good home staging works!” Give us a call today!
I love helping home owners sell their homes. Here’s an example I see often – a home owner that has struggled for a long time to sell their property with no luck. In this case the home owners were relocated and living in another province, stuck paying a second mortgage on a home they couldn’t sell. This home in the Spryfield area had been on and off the market for over a year, with two different real estate agents. Marco Di’Qunizio of Press Realty took this listing over and enlisted Staged for Upsell to stage the main rooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and bathrooms.
You enter the home in the living room area and it’s a small space, leaving you questioning what furniture you can fit in the room, and wondering if your sofa will even fit. You see, that’s one of the problems with a vacant property – they seem smaller without furniture in them! Too much furniture and they seem small as well, it’s having just enough furniture and the right size furniture that will make the room feel the most spacious.
This property had dark red walls in the living room, and a slightly retro kitchen. The home owners actually asked the realtor, Marco if I could stage the property slightly retro in the spirit of the home when they lived there. The reality was, that’s exactly how I saw the property even in it’s vacant state. Contemporary is the best way to go when selling your home, however, you really have to go with the feeling of the home. Bringing contemporary furniture into a home that feels retro only serves to make the home feel even more out of date. You have to embrace the feeling of the home, or things just feel out of place when it’s staged in a different style…good luck selling it then! Seeing that this home was under $200,000 I also knew we were targeting first time home buyers.
I brought in a small sectional that fit the space perfectly, and set up a seating area in the adjacent corner. For a coffee table and end table I used pieces that were glass to keep the space open, but slightly retro or mid century modern feeling. Creating interest in the room also took the buyers eyes away from the slightly rough condition of the room, and allowed the buyer to see how much furniture the space could accommodate and how potentially to decorate it without having to paint it right away.
The other room that was a concern during the staging consult was the dinning room. We even contemplated which room we would use for the dining room. One was very small and lead out to the deck, the other one a room further back off the kitchen. We chose the smaller one, and I used a small glass table that fit the space to make the room feel larger.
After approximately a year on the market, staged and sold in less than 24 hours
The good news is, it went on the market and that night they received an offer! I really do love it when this happens, it’s a great feeling to help sell a property that has become such a burden, financially and emotionally for someone.
I have people ask me is house staging actually works. I have great stories like this all the time!
Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up now to receive our FREE “Styling a Coffee Table” e-book plus decorating news & tips.
Sign up for our newsletter
Receive our free “styling a coffee table” e-book plus decorating news and tips.
