Edna Project Finale

Welcome back to Edna's house! It's been a month since Edna decided to put her house on the market. For a reminder of where we started, take a look back at Part I. Since then, the whole house has received a fresh coat of paint and new flooring—two major selling points for buyers. That alone would help to sell the house, but we didn't stop there. It's always important to appeal to the most buyers, and in this case, that buyer is most likely younger than the home seller. In fact, the average buyer age is 30, so our objective during this whole process was to make the house a place we'd feel like moving into (since some of us working on the project may or may not be around that age). Okay—without further ado, here are the before and afters!!!

Less is more! A buyer will feel drawn in the different living spaces and begin imagining themselves as the owner.

Here's the same room from some different vantage points:

Plenty of space for entertaining!

Now that the great room is revealed, let's start from the beginning. Do you remember the entry?

The entry is the first impression and therefore, very important. Taking away some of the visual distractions is is key. You don't want your buyer to stop here but rather be guided into the rest of the house. We used colors in the hallway that would be repeated in the kitchen and the great room. This helps to draw the buyer in.

The entry is not the only thing a buyer sees when they first walk in. Typically, from the front door, one can see up to five different spaces at once. Make sure all these spaces work together and create a cohesive feel. For example, the powder room off the entry was one of those spaces. It needed to look fresh and modern (and not to mention, never used).

On the way to the great room, the kitchen is on the right. This kitchen had many different color themes and may have been distracting to a new buyer. It was important to connect the kitchen not only to itself but the rest of the house as well. A new tile back splash gives the kitchen a modern edge...tiling tutorial coming soon.

Bedrooms are the place where people spend most their time. The last thing a buyer wants when walking into this room is to be reminded of the previous owner. It should feel as welcoming as a hotel, but less sterile. Take a look at the new bedrooms:

What was once a guest room officially became the master due to it's walk-in closet. Mission: turn guest/craft room into a relaxing master:

These two rooms shared a bath that previously had been wall papered. After paper removal and a fresh coat of paint, the bathroom is now part of a unified space that feels more like a suite than three separate rooms. 

 Staging is about highlighting the positive elements of a house and making a buyer want to spend more time in the space. We do this by suggesting what they might do there.  If we've done our job, this place will sell quickly!!

DIY Antique Chair Makeover

      One thing that makes stagers unique is that they have to be very creative on a job due to small budgets. We try as often as we can to work with the homeowner's furniture and accessories. Some cases where this can be difficult is when the the furniture is needed in a new home (as is the case in this project) or is so outdated, using it defeats the whole purpose of staging. Now there are a few options in these cases. One can rent from a local furniture rental shop, buy on Craigslist or garage sales (this is more time consuming than one might think) or re-purpose existing pieces. 

One of the chairs that was being left behind on this project had great bones but just needed a little TLC. It was a Louis XVI chair that had already been reupholstered at one point by the owner. No one was taking claim to the chair so it seemed like a great DIY project just waiting for me.

Step 1: Choose great fabric for inspiration

Step 2: Take chair outside for a light sanding

Step 3. Wash chair and prep for paint

Step 4: Paint. (Note: I'm not usually a huge fan of painting wood but we were already painting the garage door this gorgeous color and it worked so well with the fabric I had picked out—so love it or hate it, here we are.)

Step 5: Once paint has dried (it was so humid it took a few days to really set) begin to pull off existing fabric. This will teach you a lot about how to put your new fabric back on. You will need to remove all staples or nails as well.

Step 6. Lay old fabric pieces on new fabric and use as patterns. Also, if you fabric has a pattern make sure you match it so all your pieces are headed the same direction—ex: vines or flowers

Step 7: Cut! (always give yourself extra—you can always cut back  later)

Step 8: Place new fabric on chair and begin to secure (I used staples because their fast). Start in the center and work your way out, smoothing as you go.

Step 9: Cut any excess fabric

Step 10: Glue trim cord onto edges to cover staples—I bought five yards of light brown trim. I had a little extra but that was better than driving back to the store:)

                                                                       

Voila!

Breaking Down the Benefits of Home Staging for the Buyer, Seller, and Realtor

Breaking Down the Benefits of Home Staging for the Buyer, Seller, and Realtor
The most buyer traffic will come through a home the first two weeks it is on the market than any other time period. No one gets a second chance to make a first impression and when you are talking about real estate, the only way to generate new interest in your home is to drop your price to attract a different group of potential buyers. With buyers expecting move-in ready homes and becoming more aware of what to expect in a home, more Realtors and sellers are turning to home staging to help them differentiate their homes from the competition.

Home staging is the process of de-personalizing a home and making it "buyer ready" so it appeals to the largest potential buyer audience possible using proven design techniques that highlight the home's best architectural features.  Home staging, also know as real estate staging, is not home decorating but rather an art that utilizes a home owners existing furniture, lighting, and art work to draw a potential buyers eye to the positive aspects of your home.  Home staging will address furniture layouts, paint schemes, clutter, traffic flows, focal points, lighting, accent colors, and creating that WOW factor.

The potential benefits of home staging for the sellers are:

• Sellers who stage their properties first, also end up packing most of their belonging before the home goes on the market; this makes the move less stressful.
• All the clutter is removed from your home prior to your first Open House.
• The statistics show your home will sell faster because it will show better.

Read the rest of this article at Breaking Down the Benefits of Home Staging for the Buyer, Seller, and Realtor

Joelle Benson | JM Staging Solutions - Wall Paper Removal

The Edna Project--Part I

    As a stager, I come in contact with many people from all stages of life. One of the most rewarding, yet challenging situations, is assisting with a senior move. While all moves are stressful, senior moves have their own set of complications. Many times, they are moving due to failing health or the need of additional care. Often their family is out of state or aging themselves, and both parties can be overwhelmed by the amount of work involved. For example, there is a collection of furniture and personal belongings that has been building for decades. Just tackling the “stuff” alone can be stressful, and emotional. In addition, there is often a fair amount of updating and renovation that needs to be done before putting the house on the market. Deciding to do the work themselves is often out of the question and finding contractors for these jobs is just one more thing to add onto the list. And let's not overlook the importance of organizing the move into the new apartment and making the client feel that they are in a familiar place, surrounded by the things they love. There are so many facets to this event that it's no wonder that there is an increasing number of senior move managers available to assist families as they navigate this chapter in their lives. Check out the The National Association of Senior Move Managers^® to find a certified senior move manager in your own state.

Clutter and an excess of furniture is the main problem in this room.

Welcome now to Edna's place. All of the above are factors in this particular job. On top of all of that, Edna is working on a very limited budget, as are most seniors. But she wants to move on and sell her house as quickly as possible. While I turn to the family and other willing helpers to assist with the elements mentioned earlier, I have a very clear role and duty. It is my job to get the house ready for the market. Our mission: create a space that appeals to a younger buyer without breaking the bank. Here are some pictures so you can get an idea of what we are working with. 

It's hard for the average person to imagine how great a space can be if it's full to the brim with stuff. However, a trained eye can immediately pick out the features of the room and begin a design plan on the spot. For instance, this room has a beautiful fireplace and large windows! We need to buyer to see those as well! Here's a sneak peak at what a little clearing out can do:

Check back soon to see the final product!

This bathroom has the potential to be a spa-like oasis, but a buyer will never be able to look beyond the paper. Task number one--paper removal! Click here to see my tutorial on stripping paper:

Here are some more of the spaces that we will need to update and stage:

We've got our work cut out for us! Make sure to check back in the following days for updates on the project. I'll include tips and lessons learned along the way.

Hiring a Home Stager

Preparing to sell your home is a very stressful time

As with any major life change, preparing and selling your home can be very stressful. The right home stager can help you address the many questions that will likely come up for you. For example:

• Will the house be ready on time?
• What colors should we paint?
• There is too much to do. Where do I start?
• Does it matter if we don’t have a dining room?
• Where can I put all this stuff?
• What should I do about that carpet?
• How should I show this room?
• When should I have my garage sale?
• Which real estate agent should I list with?
• Who can I get for repairs, gardening, painting and cleaning?
• Do all my rooms need to be furnished?
• How will I cope with real estate showings?

For more information, visit Six Elements.

JM Staging, headquartered in   Minneapolis, Minnesota is available to exceed your expectations in the area of Home Staging and  real estate consulting. Contact Joelle for more information.

Bang for Your Buck Experts Discuss the Best and Worst in Remodeling Investments and Home Staging

Designer Monica Pedersen gives advice on what to do when selling your home. Real estate expert Elizabeth Sincox weighs in on Monica's advice – sometimes the two agree, and sometimes they don’t.

 Read the full story here.

15 Secrets of Home Staging

Highlight your home's strengths, downplay its weaknesses and appeal to the greatest possible pool of prospective buyers with these home-staging tips.

By Leah Hennen, re-posted by Arrange for Change

Contact JM Staging Solutions

Read the full story here.

Home Staging & Staging a House - What is Home Staging Dressing a House for Success - STAGING A HOME

By Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com Guide

JM Staging - Minneapolis

Home staging is about illusions. It's how David Copperfield would sell a house. It's beyond decorating and cleaning. It's about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and, best of all, it makes home buyers want to buy it.
Contrary to what you might think, it's about more than preparing the house for sale. Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, decluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all about dressing the house for sale.
It's about adding the small details: the lipstick, mascara and, for simplicity, a stunning, single strand of Tahitian pearls.
What is a Professional Home Stager?
Professional stagers are highly skilled artists. They can take a blank canvas and paint a sensuous portrait without ever lifting a paint brush. Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses. Here are some of their secrets:

• Arrange sparse pieces of furniture in an appealing grouping known as a vignette
• Showcase a generous usage of soft fabrics such as silk, lambswool, satin
• Display unusual knickknacks in units of 1, 3 or 5
• Drape window coverings with simple lines
• Add unique elements to shelving, bookcases and fireplace mantels, which draw attention to predetermined areas

What Accessories Does a Stager Use?

Read the full story here.