Staging Sells - The Power of Before & After

So many people ask why they should stage their home.We have two words for you: Before & After.

(Ok, so that's technically three words, but these pictures speak for themselves.)

Before
Before our staging, this living room served as both dining room and storage. The fireplace, which should be the focal point of the room, is so out of focus and hidden by clutter, knick-knacks and books. Buyers won't know what to think of this room.

After

With our staging, the living room is open, inviting and defined. The fireplace is the star of the room, and potential buyers know exactly what they're looking at. The cool color scheme and cozy seating arrangement breathe a breath of fresh air, and the ambiant lighting softens the details.

Partial Staging

Before
Staging doesn't always mean that you have to move out all of your furniture. In this Master Bedroom, the furniture looks like it's crammed into the room. It actually makes the room look smaller, which is not how a Master Bedroom should appear to potential buyers.

AfterA Partial Staging in this Master Bedroom helped transform the room from cold college dorm to Chic Master Suite. Along with using the homeowner's furniture, all this room needed was a shot of color on the accent wall, new bedding, gallery-style art arrangement and a good clearing out of unnecessary pieces.

Check out more of our Before & After Transformations!

Marin Staging: 415.867.0882
San Francisco Staging: 415.359.3820
Oakland/East Bay Staging: 510.339.9015www.studiodhome.com

Designed To Sell: How to Keep Your Kitchen from Selling You Out

By Shannon Mitchell, San Francisco Designer

I see a lot of kitchens. Some are old, some are new and some are just plain worn out. Some are big and some are small, while others have me wondering why the refrigerator is in the pantry. No matter where your kitchen floats in this sea of adjectives, the fact remains that if you are planning to sell your home, you have to keep your kitchen from selling you down the river.

I recently met with a homeowner and his agent to give them a staging bid on their 1970’s San Francisco condo. I could tell as I walked through the home that this was a typical case of de-clutter the homeowners' items, paint neutral and refreshing colors and Stage it to the nines. But as soon as I walked into the kitchen, I stopped in my tracks.

There were floor-to-ceiling dark oak cabinets. Green laminate counter tops. Crusted brass hardware. And hideous florescent lighting! Ugh!

The tragic part was that, even with my stager-trained eye, I couldn’t see the stainless steel refrigerator, new double oven and ceramic tile floor. How would a potential buyer be expected to see these assets through the liabilities?

My biggest test came when the homeowner said that he had gotten a bid to paint the cabinets, but he decided it was too much to spend. Instead, he was going to knock down a wall, put in a pass-through to the Dining Room and leave the cabinets as they were. In his mind, the pass-through would open up the kitchen and add value.

While in some cases that is true, it was not the case for this kitchen. A big hole in the wall would amount to a big hole in his pocket. When you're on a budget, it pays to know where to spend your money. In other words: How to get the most bang for your buck.

I told myself to stay calm. You can help him avoid this sinkhole and get him to put his money in the right toolbox. In my mind, he couldn't have been farther from the truth.

The #1 Rule of Thumb when selling your home is:Kitchens Sell Houses.

I knew that for about the same amount of money as it would cost for demolition, he could have beautiful new white cabinets with brushed nickel hardware, creamy cocoa-colored walls, brand new granite counter tops and no more green-monster florescent lighting. I also knew that a seemingly brand new kitchen would pay for itself in triplicate by adding thousands of dollars in value. It took a little convincing, but it took.

A few key elements made this all possible:

1. There was very little counter top space to replace, keeping the granite costs low.
2. We got multiple bids from painters, allowing us to choose our own price.
3. We opted for a low-cost light fixture from a large hardware store.
4. There was even a little leftover in the budget to add a wine refrigerator where an old trash compactor had been!

After a short amount of time and a shallow reach into the pocketbook, this kitchen went up about seven notches in marketing code from “Quaint Kitchen” to “Light-filled Chef’s Kitchen”.

Along with a fabulous Studio D Staging, this kitchen rehab got the homeowners three offers in the first three weeks, all during a tough market!

Email Shannon
415.359.3820