Marblehead Staging

Re-imagine your space and how you use it!

Rethinking a space is really an exercise in editing and imagining. Sometimes it's hard to imagine anything other than what you have and how you are currently using your space. I had a great time helping someone re-imagine their space last week. She was looking to transform a large space that needed to be a family room, mudroom, and homework space. With some creativity and re-thinking, I came up with a game-plan that could work for them now and as the kids grow! Here are the homeowner's photos of before and after. It was an easily executed plan that didn't cost her very much money, took only a 2 hour visit with me for the planning and ideas, and didn't take her long to accomplish!

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Listing price and the value of your home. What does staging have to do with it?

When figuring out your accurate listing price in the Marblehead/Swampscott market, there are very specific considerations that decide the value of your home. This market is comprised of older homes, mostly from before the 1950s and on small lots, so the value considerations are very specific to this market.

This home had lovely curb appeal with simple colors and clean simple landscaping.

The most important overall components of pricing:
Master bath
2 car garage
Open floor plan
New open kitchen
Finished basement
Square footage
4th bedroom
Lot size

Secondary considerations that add value regardless of the above factors:
New windows
Air conditioning
New roof
New furnace
New hot water heater
Upgraded electric
Improved insulation
Quality level of appliances
Bathroom upgrades

Components that adds value regardless of any of the above factors:
Ongoing maintenance and care of the home
Move-in ready
Curb appeal
Quality of life

The first components of pricing can sometimes be upgraded before the sale of your home, but most of these items either cannot be changed, will cost more than they are worth in improved sales price to upgrade, and/or will be difficult to live through while upgrading.

This home offered a 4th bedroom, a master bath, and a 2 car garage. These things drive up the market value.

The secondary considerations list is items that should have been addressed through ongoing home maintenance, but sometimes are going to be coming up for their time to be done soon after the sale and are therefore not sensible to upgrade but will be taken into consideration when the buyer considers the listing price. If these items have been recently undertaken by the current owner, they add considerable value above and beyond the fixed value items such as square footage that cannot reasonably be improved, however, they are not usually items that you can control at the time you decide to sell.

This homeowner chose to do a simple bathroom upgrade at the time of sale with new tile, beadboard and chair rail, fresh paint, and a new vanity.

The third list of items above are components that can add significant value to the price of your home and that you CAN control. These are items that are specifically addressed by home staging. When you have staged your home to be spotless, freshly painted and fully repaired, it appears that you have taken good care of the home. This creates a level of trust with your buyer and a comfort that makes making an offer on your home feel like a safe decision. They do not fear that there are hidden issues that will cost them money and this adds value to the price of your home.

This space was actually not being used as a playroom by the owners but by staging it as such, it made the house have a connection and flow to the backyard and added much needed extra square footage in the walk-out basement.

Tasteful paint color choices, lack of serious issues, the appearance of plenty of storage, curb appeal, and attractive finishes all add value as your buyer will consider the home as "move-in ready." In the real estate world, this is sometimes referred to as "lipstick." A home will shine and appear to need less work if it has that "lipstick" finish. Busy buyers, where both people work, are moving with young children, or relocating from distance away, want a home that they can move right into and worry about long term upgrades and improvements later when they have more time or money. The ease of this transition also adds value to your home beyond just square footage.

Simple color choices in paint and decor made it easy for potential buyers to see their own items and style fitting in this home.

Another component to home staging that adds value above and beyond the "bones" of your home is the quality of life that it offers to potential buyers. Does the home have a good flow? Is the outdoor space accessible and fenced in with pretty gardens? Does the neighborhood offer a nice atmosphere? Is the kitchen cozy, clean, and modern? Where can the buyer picture themselves settling in to read a book? Is the Master Bedroom inviting? Will the kids enjoy the playroom? Does the home offer enough privacy? Is it sunny and pleasant? Energy efficient? Where will the guests stay? Is there enough room for them? How long will their family fit in the house? Does it have room for growth in the long term? Does it have a mudroom? Pantry? A garage that is organized? A shed? Are there obvious problems with the home and how it can be used by a family? Does the home have enough bathrooms? Is it good for entertaining? These are all issues that home staging addresses. If any of these things appear to be issues when I walk through a home, as a stager, I come up with creative ways to address them. Sometimes there are things that never occurred to the owner and might not have occurred to the buyer either had I not presented the solution beforehand. Sometimes it is about painting a picture for the buyer so that they can imagine themselves in the home and can see how they would fit in the home. Many times it is about editing the things in the home so that instead of being so distracted by the current owners and how they live and who they are, the buyer immediately puts themselves into the house and can imagine owning it and the potential it has for their own lifestyle.

The psychological impact that staging has, inspires people to make a bid sooner rather than taking time to think about it, can bring in multiple offers as your home more easily appeals to a wider audience, can create a bidding war that brings the selling price above asking, and can ultimately drive your home to be worth more than its actual market value. A good professional stager will have affordable reliable contacts for painting, repair, landscaping, etc. and will coordinate all of these services for you, saving you time, money, and aggravation. For these reasons, it is worth the small investment of having your home professionally staged for the return it brings you in sales price and time on the market. By adding perceived value to your home, you can walk away with more money in your pocket.

The kitchen appears to be spacious and organized with plenty of counter space. Potential buyers can imagine themselves entertaining and enjoying family dinners in this home or preparing dinner while the kids do their homework at the ample size peninsula.

The art of staging.

When you get to the point in your staging where it's time to bring in art and decor, there are some wonderful tricks that will save you money and still create the decorator look that appeals to buyers! All it takes are some cheap frames from goodwill spray-painted white or black and some creative art ideas! Remember...staging is an illusion. Your pictures only need to last long enough to sell your home!

All of the pictures in these examples can be found on the internet and printed from your own printer at home. You can also use maps, greeting cards, fabric, calendar pages, or simple sayings in fancy fonts can take your home from ho-hum to stellar! Here are a few ideas to get you started. Think about using the color in your art to tie into your decor and keep those colors dispersed throughout your home to give it a cohesive look in your online listing.

Maps to tie in with cream, yellow, and blue.

Black & White or Navy & White Theme

Bright blue, red, & white.

Black & White with blush and grey accents.

Navy, White, & Black, with orange, green, and blue accent.

Bright blue, wicker, navy, & white with a yellow accent.

Condo After Staging for Vacation Rental Market

Staging for wide angle photography

Here are some examples of how staging helps your rooms to show well in wide angle photography. The first few photos show what happens when the room is not staged for wide angle photography. You can only see one wall in the photo. There's no way to get a true sense of the room. You can see a smidgen of crib or a small section of bureau and the furniture appears crowded...the room appears small.

Now below are two nurseries staged for photography. The rooms appear more cohesive, you can see the purpose of the room, and there is more floor showing which makes the rooms appear larger.

You can also see how consistent use of color helps to make the room look put together, clean, and organized. The top two rooms with too many colors and/or lack of color appear cluttered and too busy while the bottom two are serene and stylish.

Staging hack...repurposing what you have.

There are many ways you can repurpose things you already have to stage your home and save money! Stools make great night tables that don't take up very much space.

Bookshelves work in large bathrooms to hold towels and toiletries. Metal garbage cans spray painted a cute color and turned upside down also make great side tables. Table cloths and dish towels can be valances, shower curtains can be bedspreads, outdoor furniture and rugs can come indoors.

Wonderful art that pulls your look together can be made for next to nothing. Decor pieces can be created from junk you were ready to throw out if you have some spray paint! Ugly cabinets can be spruced up by taking the doors off and painting the inside of the cabinet a cute color and adding some white dishes.

If you are putting a night table on one side of the bed but have quite a lot of wall to cover...try a console table or banquet!

No headboard? A curtain hung across the wall can add color and drama to a Master Bedroom listing photo.

Bad light fixtures can be disguised with colored baskets or beaded strings.

Sometimes all it takes is someone that knows the image you are trying to portray with your home and who has the vision to get you there!