How Staging & Styling Gives Homes Substance

This is why staging works. This very 'Brady' split level got a major makeover.  But the work wasn't done till the staging was installed.  If this home hadn't been staged, it would have showcased like any other rehab for sale.  Instead of just another empty home, the home now has substance.

The home had sat on the market for 2 months empty with no interest with another Realtor. 

Now styled and staged, (and price raised by 5%) the home has gained personality and married the  kept 1969 details with all the newly added updates for the targeted buyer .

The home hit the market last week, had immediate interest,  a super successful Sunday Open House with lots of staging praise, lots of serious lookers and hopefully a contract shortly.

(Post note: The home had a contract in 11 days!) 

Does House Staging Work - YES it Does! -NAR 2015 Profile of Home Staging Report

The spring housing market has just started and there is good news when is comes to Realtors knowing that HOME STAGING services are an important factor in showcasing a home. 

The National Association of REALTORS, NAR recently released a report about Home Staging. The report, 2015 Profile of Home Staging surveys both seller and buyer's agents about the effectiveness of the Home Staging process. The 1st of its kind, the report shows that Realtors  see the value of the art and marketing of Home Staging.  96% of Buyer's agents said that Home Staging has an effect of how a buyer views the home.

The NAR's Infographic below is a summary some of the key statistics gathered from the survey. 

Whether your are a home seller or REALTOR, home staging is an essential factor when selling the most expensive investment a homeowner has ever made. 

For Chicago area Realtors interested in receiving more education on Home Staging,  Mainstreet Organization of Realtors offers a Home Staging course for Realtors. The Certified Staging Consultant (CSC) Course - is not only an IAR C.E., but also a MORe Certification. The course is very popular and is now offered at all 4 of MORE's Chicagoland offices. The course too can be hosted off-site by an office or brokerage.  For more information, visit my site's Home Staging Education page or call 708.448.7500.

Also, few more past posts on Home Staging. 

The Often Forgotten Pre-Photo Shoot Styling

10 Home Staging Tips to Make Your Listing Look Like a Model Home

Simple Lessons in Home Staging -Living Room Tips

Home Staging Tale: Wanna Be Stager vs. Professional Stager

A beautiful Victorian on an extraordinary property get's its just debut with some strategic updates and professional staging and styling. The home was on the market prior and had been staged by a non-professional or as the homeowner said... "The Other Stager"

With a new upgraded kitchen, effective changes, keen usage of what the owner already had, and resourceful accessory shopping - the home's transformation is remarkable. A team member of the new listing agent, exclaimed how amazing great staging showcases a home! And best of all, the homeowners, who had a bad previous staging experience, were just over the moon and thrilled with the results.

Reinventing Space's Diana Burt,  who helps clients in the Naperville/Aurora/Oswego/Plainfield area, lead this project.  She did a phenomenal job, didn't she?

BEFORE...

Kitchen AFTER Professional Home Staging

Family Room AFTER Professional Home Staging

Dining Room AFTER Professional Staging

Property details, location and showing information - Please contact The Anderson Team, 
John Greene Co.  

PROPERTY LINK: 3426 Stewart Road OSWEGO, Illinois 60543

Hip House! A Mid Century Modern Home Staging

Hey Daddy-O!  - Last week team HouseStager of Reinventing Space of Chicago had a gas staging and styling an empty custom remodeled 1960's home in the Fox River Valley area of Chicago.  Prior to staging, we consulted on new paint choices and a few other changes to the home to get it prepped for the market.  As the contractor did his thing, we came up with a cool plan to fully celebrate the stature, architectural details, as well as embrace the era of when this home was built.  We were totally jazzed with the amazing results.  Can you dig it?

For property details, location and viewing contact : Mandy Montford / Baird & Warner Real Estate: 815-245-8195 .

BUDGET Home Staging Ideas - A Bedroom with 5 Easy Pieces!

Home Staging ideas - Stage a bedroom with five pieces.

Do you have a need to create, stage & style a bedroom in an empty room? Think you need to go out a buy and lug in heavy furniture? Think again. Today's home staging & styling job was for a client that enlisted me to to do a budget bedroom staging. Here's how I did it.

1. The bed is the focal point of a room, so start here.  My client owns this great air bed that basically is a rolling suitcase and you unzip, plug in and within minutes POOF turns into a queen size bed.  Frontgate has a few to choose from.
2. Head Board. The head board are 2 plastic decorative fencing panels from Home Depot. I know, I know, super clever, weigh nothing and you can attach them to the wall with a nail. Instant headboard. Acurio Panels from Home Depot. 
3. Bedding. A bed should be lush & lovely.  Chic bedding, fluffy pillows, cute accent pillows -and always throw a throw at the end of the bed for a bit of interest and texture. I found this great microfiber duvet set (almost no-iron) at HomeGoods and bird accent pillow from Michaels. (had the shell pillow and throw in my staging stock pile.) 
4. The Night stand is a butler tray table. A butler tray is meant to be mobile, so easy open and close. This is a great what I call "Good Bones" piece of furniture.  The tray comes off and the base just folds up.  I found a close one on Amazon: Crosley Palm Harbor Outdoor Wicker Butler Tray 
5. Lamp.  Just make sure is substantial enough to work with the scale of the bed.

Accents pillows add detail and ambiance to a bed.

Home Stagers LOVE-HATE Relationship with House Cleaners

A house cleaner moved home staging - shower curtain pushed to other side, accessories squished.

Ahhh.. cleaning people.  The coveted crew that makes us, the Home Stager, happy and horrified at the same time. In our perfect world, the cleaning people sweep in just prior to our detailed obsessed styling when we stage a home.  We love them because they're the experts in cleaning and polishing a home to make it fabulous for the prospective buyer.  The down side is, they clean the home after our job is done, moving what we've styled, squishing our perfectly placed accessories and moving everything around from furniture to window treatments in their quest for a tidy home - forgetting to put all those things back.

Our obsession with perfection has a goal - it produces a great online photo and gives the room optimum visual appeal. We take spaces and stage and style them not only visually appealing, but attractive to everyone who takes a peek. We showcase the best of the room which is why it is important to retain the product we produce.

Here are some ways a homeowner can preserve the integrity of the original staging.

1.) Have an photo archive of the recent staging for each room on your cell for reference.

2.) Print out a picture of the room/space and slip it into a plastic protector for the cleaning crew.

3.) Have a plastic storage bin that can house and protect staging props when the space is being occupied for daily usage or cleaned.