Vacant home staging Archives - Staged for Upsell

The Power of Home Staging

Believe it or not I actually get some people who still ask “Does home staging really work?” Yes, really even in this day and age, I still get the question sometimes! Well, here’s a great example of a property that needed staging and professional photos (by the way – every home needs staging and professional photos!)

Online photos are almost always a buyer’s first encounter with a property. If the like what they see they’ll ask their realtor to view the property. Or, as in many cases, the realtors are sending the listing to their client. First problem? The top photo was the online photo of the living room area.

With this property there were renters in the home when it first went on the market. This can make it tougher to sell the property – from getting good photos to having the property look presentable for viewings, or even gaining access for viewings. Once the renters moved out, the home owner was still having trouble selling it. Wondering why? Well first of all it was vacant. Any vacant property, no matter the price range, style of home, bells and whistles feels cold and lifeless without furniture and decor in it. (We make them feel cozy and lived in!)

This home was also very small – approximately 900 sq. ft. and it was a 2 bedroom home! Rooms that are vacant will look smaller than they are. Buyers will also struggle with figuring out placement of furniture and be concerned it’s just not big enough to live in.

I fell it in love with it immediately – knowing its potential with staging and professional photography. I knew that we could make this 900 sq. ft home look amazing, functional, and amazing. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. ps….Needless to say it sold quickly!

Need help selling your home? Get in touch with us…we’d love to help!

After photos by Atlantic Aerialworx

Lifestyle photo by Chris and Amber Photo

Sold in 3 days!

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.

Sold in 1 day!

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!

Sold in 6 days!

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!

Why you need to hire a home stager, not a decorator when selling your home

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?

Sold in 14 days after staging

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!

Staged then sold in less than 24 hours

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!

Sold in 13 days after staging

Another happy client! We received a call from a homeowner that had a second property that he desperately wanted to sell. After almost 6 months on the market I could sense his frustration. In fact, he told me how frustrated he was! He was now turning to us for help in getting this property sold quickly. He hadn’t heard of home staging, and unfortunately his agent hadn’t told him about it.
It was sitting vacant and vacant properties are very hard to sell. It really doesn’t matter how nice the property is, a vacant property has no warmth, character or wow factor.

We staged the main rooms, the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and bathrooms. The client received an offer very quickly but turned it down as it wasn’t high enough. We were really excited when we got word from the client that they had another offer which they had accepted. Sold in 13 days our client was so relieved and we’re so happy to have been able to help!

Sold 13 days after staging

Staging an up-scale condo

There are thousands of condos on the market in most cities. Standing out amongst the competition is important and condo staging is a must! When a condo is vacant there’s a few problems with that. First of all, the condo will appear smaller than it is, there’s nothing in the room to give proper depth perception. Buyers struggle to know if their furniture will fit in the space, or how to arrange it. Buyers also struggle to make an emotional connection.

Having too much furniture in a room is also a mistake some sellers make, it will make a room appear smaller. It’s really important to have just the right amount of furniture and to allow for good flow from room to room, and to create conversational areas that are intimate.

Using white furniture in this up-scale condo still allowed the view to take center stage and created a beautiful, soft contrast that really made the water pop out in the photos. Incorporating natural wood elements in the room, such as the live edge coffee table brings warmth to the condo. I often find that some condos that are staged are quite masculine and sometimes feel a bit cold. This live edge table is always a hit with the men as well – even the rough and tough tradesmen!

Using a glass dining table kept the space feeling open, and doesn’t constrict the space…it feels quite large in the photos and in person. The base of the table is chrome adding to the modern feel. Industrial stools were used at the island, and small touches in the kitchen were added. Less is always more when staging – you want clean and uncluttered.

I love how this condo turned out, after I staged it I really didn’t want to leave!

Photography by Chris J. Dickson, Halifax DIGITAL Imaging

Kings Wharf Condo staging

Listed at under $500,000 this up-scale condo in Kings Wharf Aqua Vista building provides luxury condo living at an affordable price. The property initially went on the market un-staged. When Tony Zareski of Century 21 Trident Realty took over the listing he called me in to have it staged. Having worked with Tony in the past he knew the difference staging could make in the presentation of the home. With numerous other condos listed throughout HRM it’s important to stand out! I think you’ll agree that this condo will stand out against others, especially those sitting vacant!

Do you have a condo you’re putting on the market? I’d love to help you with all your home staging, or should I say condo staging needs!

Photos by Chris J. Dickson, Halifax Digital Imaging.

Category: Vacant home staging