Actively Raining Thoughts-Room Service Home Staging

Want an easy way to update your house and add to the curb appeal.  My friend and Stager, Sharon Tara, wrote an excellent blog on updating a tired and dated Oak front door.  When people drive up to your home they're already making up their minds.  

The front door below is nice but dated; look at what a difference painting it can make. The house now looks fresh and "today".  

And I know that some of you will hate painting over wood but do it.  It's not doing you any good if it's holding back your house from being sold. 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County-Price, Condition and Location Helped this West Palm Beach Home Sell in 3 Weeks!

It always helps when these 3 …. Price-Condition-Location...... can come together to help get a property sold.  In this case, the Sellers were willing to add some TLC and Staging to a property that had Location already going for it.  Room Service Home Staging was asked to provide a reference point so that Buyers could get a feel for the home.

First step after some repairs was to add some warmth to the all white walls, which were making the house feel cold and blah.  We used a very soft taupe on the walls which when paired with the white trim gave the home a clean, crisp and fresh feeling.

Focusing on the primary areas of the property, we wanted to give the Buyers a sense of the possibilities of the house.  

Take a look.... the all white walls, double staircase and large entry were begging for something a little more inviting.

Adding an entry table gave a buyer something on which to focus when they entered the house.  

While we got the Sellers to paint, the blue carpeting had to stay.  This family room is long so instead of the Buyer wondering where to put their furniture, we provided a suggestion.

The bedroom was a long one as well so we wanted to give Buyers a sense of where they could place their bed.

Staging your home isn’t trying to fool anyone or show a false sense of life.  It’s highlighting the structure, space and possibilities of the property.

If you have an unusually shaped room or one that is significantly longer than it is wide, placing furniture can help answer one of the first questions that is bound to pop into their minds.....”Where do we put the bed/sofa?”

Whether you’re selling your home in Boca, Boynton, Delray Beach or anywhere else, give your house the best opportunity for a quick sale.........

Listen to your Realtor about the Market Value of your home.
           Invest in a Home Staging Consultation that will provide you with the tools you’ll need to make your house Market Ready.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Home Staging Tips -Add Some Flair to Your Florida Condo to Get It Sold.

Room Service Home Staging recently helped this absentee Florida condo owner sell their home.   Having moved out of state, the owner was hoping to sell his condo... furnishings included.  Many Buyers looking for second homes in Palm Beach County want one that is furnished so that they can start enjoying our great weather and beaches as soon as they move in.  

Our job was to incorporate the existing furniture and accessories  with items that we purchased that would convey with the condo.  

The project involved creating a design plan for the space, shopping for additional items including linens, artwork and accessories and putting it all together so that all the new owner had to do was start enjoying South Florida.

This condo has a unique view of both the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean.  We didn’t want the living area to compete with the view.

Clean lines and a relaxing master bedroom...perfect after a “tough” day at the beach.

The guest bathroom was given a spa appeal.

If your home is on the market why not add some

flair to get it sold.

Call Room Service Home Staging for a complimentary staging bid

or get started now with a Staging Consultation.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Not Spending or Doing  Anything Can End Up Costing You!

A Home Staging Story.... I received a call recently from a Realtor I know about a listing she’s had for well over a year.  The Sellers were still trying to find some way to sell the house.   As the Realtor told me more about the home it dawned on both of us that I’d actually provided a consultation for the sellers well over a year ago.  At that time the sellers were reluctant to invest much to get the home in move-in condition.  While very clean, nothing had been updated.

The kitchen still had what looked like the original appliances, counter tops, cabinets, and flooring.   There were some very dated pieces of furniture they were hoping I could use to stage the home to help keep their costs down.  Unfortunately their competition in the area was updated and priced at market value.

  While most vacant homes would benefit from well placed furniture and accessories,  all the bling won’t help if the house is in bad need of updating.   Kind of like putting lipstick on a pig.  (my apologies to my porcine friends.)  

My suggestion was their time and money would be better served if they did what they could to update the property to reflect the price they were hoping to get.

Fast forward 1+ years.... not only is the home still on the market, I learned it has been vacant for about 5 years!  They are still holding firm on the price which I understand is well above the other homes in the area.

In that time, they’ve continued to pay the taxes, utilities, insurance, pool and lawn maintenance and other expenses on the property.....probably more than what some basic updates would have cost.  

No one wants to spend more than they have to

on a home they are selling.....

But...

Not Spending or Doing Anything Can

End Up Costing You!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- Take It Off…Take It ALL Off!

No…it’s not what you think!  But if your house is on the market or if you’re even thinking of selling your home, you know that today’s buyers prefer move-in ready homes.    Any repairs and updating they perceive they have to do will go into the “minus” column when they make their decision to buy and what to offer.

Wallpaper… that favorite that is either “in or “not” has the potential of screaming “DATED” when the buyer sees it.  Of course wallpaper can be removed, just as walls can be painted.

However do you want to risk a buyer:

1.       Not being able to “see” your space and its possibilities because they’re so focused on the paper.
2.      Factoring in how much it‘s going to cost them to remove the paper, and paint.
3.      Passing and putting a contract on a house just like yours but that has been updated.

This condo had location and a great view of the Intracoastal but the wallpaper was stopping the buyers as soon as they walked through the front door.

Once removed and painted, even the owner was amazed at how fresh and open the entry looked.

I have removed wallpaper myself once and it is doable.  There are wallpaper websites that will take you step by step on what to do and even provide a list of materials you’ll needto buy. You can also calculate the cost of having someone do it for you.


Can you sell your house even if you don’t remove the wallpaper?  Of course you can… but why not maximize each showing by doing what you can to make your home move-in ready.

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Preparing your home for sale always involves some cleaning but it doesn't have to be hard.  Using these products you'll be helping the environment and saving pennies by using products we all have at home.

My friend, Dorie Dillard, Austin Texas Realtor, has provided quick and easy recipes to get your window sparkling! 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Robert Redford, Lots of Stairs and Unusual Spaces...How Do They Relate to Home Staging?

To be perfectly  honest Robert “my man”  Redford would be welcome to be a part of any of my stagings but my reference here is the movie “Barefoot in the Park” starring Redford, Jane Fonda, Mildred Natwick and Charles Boyer.  It was a Broadway play that was made into a movie in  1967 about a newlywed couple and their first apartment.   THE apartment that was located up many flights of stairs and very small.  So small, the bedroom could barely hold the bed.

This could have been a movie of one of my stagings...... when Mildred Natwick, the mother, first visits Corie (Jane) and Paul’s( Redford) apartment she must climb several sets of stairs, including the landing out front, which she counts as a set.  By the time she reaches their apartment she can barely breathe.   She tells them that had she known the people on the third floor she would have stopped there to visit.

When I stage a condo or a multi-level home I feel much the same.  The furniture and accessories, which include rugs, tall trees  and artwork have to make it up the stairs somehow.  That means many trips up and down several flights of stairs, or in the case of condos stairs and squeezing into freight elevators.   

I’ve also seen the look on the faces of the furniture delivery people.  (Just like the phone installation man, Herb Edelman)  The look on their faces says it all... “Good grief, why us?”  But, with a smile they start the long haul up the stairs.  

The unusual space?  We have all faced those.... how to show off a room’s potential.... how to make sure a Buyer can see that a table will fit in that space.... how to make a small or unique space seem like home.
Corie/Jane Fonda was a stager long before there was “staging”.  If you’ve never seen the movie, I recommend it... not just because of Redford, and the fact that it’s one of my favorite Neil Simon plays but look at what “Corie” does with their small space.

She took basically a one room/one bedroom apartment and turned it into their home.   Wouldn’t work for a family but perfect for the newlyweds.  She defined their living area and eating area and was able to hide the small kitchen....all with flair.  

So Barefoot in the Park has a little of what Home Staging is all about in it.  Besides the stairs...

…....... we do our best to direct the Buyer’s eyes to the assets of a property and its potential.  
….......we work with what we have; not covering up or hiding but redirecting.
….......we show the “liveability” of the property.

If you’ve not seen Barefoot in the Park, view this scene with Mildred Natwick, then rent the movie!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

What value does staging have?  Does it get your home sold quicker?  Will it get you more money?  We all have our answers depending upon our frame of reference.... but this I can tell you... your home isn't getting sold if no one sees it.  

And since most people begin their search on the Internet, no photos or poor photos will not put your home on a Buyer's short list of homes to see. 

Take a look at what one of my favorite Stagers/Realtor, Laura Baker, of First Weber Group in Wisconsin, has to say about Staging.  Her pictures tell it all. 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Vacant homes can present a challenge.  Yes, Buyers can see that the room with the oven in it is the kitchen, but what about those rooms that leave a big question mark in the buyers mind?  By staging them, this allows the buyer to see the possibilities of the room and not wander around the house still focusing on what the room's purpose is. 

One of my favorite Home Stagers, Diane Young, of Staging Seattle, shows how staging a "bonus" room helps to let the Buyers see how it could be used.  At least the Buyer can now move on to see the rest of the house.  

What would you have used the room for?

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

Luxury Lake Front Listing in West Palm Beach

Located in West Palm Beach, this luxury multi-level home is a must see!  This colonial style home has an elegant two-story foyer with dual staircases.  The family room with French doors looks out at the patio, pool and lake area and is large enough for entertaining and family gatherings.  

The kitchen has an eat-in bar area, large surface work area and plenty of cabinets.   Take your time to discover the bonus rooms in the Master suite as well as another bonus room off the garage with patio access. This could be your personal gym or game room area!

8607 Wendy Lane East

West Palm Beach, FL 33411

Offered by

Regency Realty Services

Matthew Maschler

561-208-3334

$749,000

Staged by

Room Service Home Staging

Kathy Streib

561-914-6224

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com