Staging the Features

AKA
Accessory Styling
Accessory Staging
or Soft Staging

Home staging comes in many different forms. Staging happens in occupied homes or vacant homes and somewhere in between. Staging can be done by the homeowner, the Realtor or a professional home stager. The costs associated with each can range from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. What is best for one listing is not the same for all. Every home, and homeowner, is unique.

UpStaging Designs

At UpStaging Designs, I primarily assist full-service Realtors and their listing clients to create a Staging Plan for each home and homeowner. The Staging Plan is tailored to their home, their potential buyer, their needs, time frame and budget. For every Staging Consultation, there is an individual Staging Plan for that client.

Vacant Homes

When a home is vacant, there are other staging options for sellers.

Homes can just be vacant and sometimes that is okay.

In today’s real estate environment, leaving a home “naked” is not always the best option. With buyers pressed for down payments, closing costs and now even commissions, it is more important than ever for a listing to shine when presented to buyers. Move-in ready is what buyers want.

One of the “in-between” options that many homeowners and Realtors choose is what I call Accessory Styling. Others call it accessory staging or soft staging, but essentially, instead of adding furniture in a vacant home, the features and fixed elements are “dressed up” with art and decor accessories. Kitchen counters, mantles, built-ins and bathrooms are most common areas to be “staged.”

Accessory Styling makes photos more interesting, distracts buyer’s eyes from less desirable features and gives the buyer a little taste of how a space might look when they move in and decorate it themselves. I would make a few stagers mad if I told you this is real staging. The purpose is different than full furniture staging and the effect on buyers is not as strong. Another option is virtual staging, offered by many professional photographers and online editing services.

Make it stand out

An otherwise very white kitchen looks a little more ready for the buyer to start cooking and entertaining in this beautiful home!

This year, I started making videos of how I do some of the Accessory Styling! Here’s one of a home in Cary NC. It sold the first weekend, over ask! Check out other reels and photos on my Instagram page. @UpStagingDesigns

If you’d like to schedule Accessory Styling services or a
Staging Consultation with UpStaging Designs, you can book online here!

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A post shared by Ellie Mayes | Staging Consultant (@upstagingdesigns)

How to declutter, stager style.

What does it mean to declutter?

When people think about home staging, the first thing that comes to mind is decluttering. Yes! You must tackle the household clutter, but what does it really mean?

My online dictionary definition of declutter is:  “to remove things you do not need from a place, in order to make it more pleasant and more useful.”

Amen! More of that! But let’s get specific.

Decluttering means different things to different people

What is necessary to me might be useless to you. And there are so many things in my house that I might need at some point - heavy on the might and light on the actual need. My fantasy self has lots of clothing, craft supplies, kitchen appliances and sports equipment that I imagine that I will use someday. The truth is that I might never craft, cook or exercise like I hope, and I certainly won’t be doing any of that while I prepare to move. Those items are clutter.

Saving for someday…

Our homes are our sanctuaries

Here’s where I say that I come with no judgement at anyone’s home. I’ve been to mobile homes and mansions. I’ve met the minimalists and the savers. It’s all preference. It’s all perspective. You do you. Our homes are our sanctuaries, and we should enjoy them exactly as we like.

But a home for sale is no longer your home, so it’s time to get it ready for marketing, which means it’s time to tackle decluttering, stager style.

When you make the decision to move, the first challenge to tackle is how to get you and your family, and all your stuff, from one place to another. There are so many other rabbit holes to go into here, but let’s stick with stuff in this article!

Stage to Sell

At a Staging Consultation, I meet with sellers to go through their home, inside and out, room-by-room to determine furniture arrangements, updates, décor and what items should be pre-packed prior to marketing the home. It forces the seller to come face to face with all their things and unfortunately, it can leave a seller overwhelmed, but the goal of the consultation is to also have a strategy to prepare for the move and stage their home.

Minimalism & Home Organization

I enjoy watching YouTube videos by minimalists and organizers. They have tons of strategies for how to make decisions on what to keep, donate, sell or discard. The business of home organization has sparked the sale of millions of dollars of more stuff, to put our stuff in. Who doesn’t love a closet with all the small things sorted into labeled bins? I can tell you from watching these professionals that it can take a long time to go through a lifetime of stuff.

An organized closet…

feels spacious, peaceful and buyers love them!

Here’s where you consider the work of careful decluttering long before you think you might want to move…I’m talking to myself here!

Speed Decluttering

What do you do when it’s time to declutter and you do not have much time to devote to the process?

The key to making quick progress is to focus on what you need over the next 3 months, or however long you think it will be before you are unboxing in your new home. Everything else is something to be “decluttered.” This means you will pre-pack, donate, discard or sell whatever is not needed in the immediate future.  

When in doubt, pre-pack

Inevitably, you will open a box in the new home and ask yourself why you moved it. With the stress of moving, it is better not to be disappointed. You may find that a lamp you could never find a spot for in your current home will look perfect in your new den.

I love the room by room process we take in a Staging Consultation. Each room should have a purpose and a focal point. Everything else should be removed and prepacked. Furnishings and decor should instruct the buyers to see the space, light, purpose, proper layout and potential use whether it is a living area, dining room, bedroom or office. Whether you “need” it or not, the rest is potential clutter. The problem with clutter when selling is that is a potential distraction from the value of your property.

Homeowners often feel self-conscious about their homes and their stuff and worry about judgement from me or others. I’m here to tell you that I not only have too many chairs, blankets, photos and personal items in my living room, I’m happy about it! It’s a little cluttered, but it feels comfortable, welcoming and personal to me and my family. When it’s time to sell, I will do the hard work I advise clients to do.

If you are interested in strategies for staging and decluttering your home to sell, or how to stage your home for living, please reach out for a personalized Staging Consultation!

Staging Statistics

Who is utilizing staging in their listing and how? What affect does staging have on buyers?
Is staging being utilized more or less?

Nar Profile of home staging 2023

I’ve been reading a recent publication from the National Association of Realtors about Home Staging. There are some interesting statistics in there, but one that is missing is the one people ask me the most.

If I stage my home, home much more,

on average, will it sell for?

No one can say for certain, as even what it means to stage your home is subjective. That said, agents quote somewhere between 1-5% higher than homes that are not staged.

There is so much to share here!

How does staging affect buyers?

Because it is difficult to quantify, NAR polls agents about how staging affects their buyers, sellers and results. I learned some interesting things!

One important thing to note is that staging is defined differently among agents. Some only consider a home “staged” if the seller moved out completely and had the home furnished and decorated by a professional stager or designer with new, trendy furniture and décor. While this is usually the most effective (and expensive) type of staging, it is not the only way to “stage” a home!

Homeowners can stage their own homes!

Homeowners can and do effectively stage their own homes, using their own furniture and décor. They can get counsel and direction from a professional stager or a Realtor but there is an abundance of resources found all over the internet as well. In fact, you can even purchase an eBook from me with actionable advice on how to stage your own home!

Looking at what buyers and sellers are saying about staging gives us valuable insight into the growing importance of staging on the marketing of residential real estate.

How do buyers respond to Home Staging?

81% of buyer’s agents said that home staging makes it easier for buyers to imagine themselves living in the home. It is important to note the significance of this and how it works!

• When buyers view a home that is not staged, they get distracted by the seller’s personal belongings or decorations and never emotionally connect to the home. This lack of excitement leaves buyers longing without even knowing why.

• When buyers view a home that is not staged, they cannot figure out how their furniture would work in a space leaving them wondering if the home is too small or if the layout will work.

• When buyers view a home that is not staged, they are unable to focus on the home’s best features and they fail to see the value in the home versus the other homes they visit.

 40% of buyer’s agents said that home staging makes buyers more willing to visit a home they viewed online.

• When making decisions on how best to stage a home, it is imperative to consider how a home will be viewed in photographs online, not just how the buyer will see it in person.

• Professional photography has become a necessity to properly market a home. As good as an iPhone camera it is, nothing beats professional lighting and lenses when highlighting a home in marketing photos.

 39% of buyer’s agents said the living room was the most important room to stage, followed by the primary bedroom at 36%. 30% said the kitchen was also important.

• Showing buyers how to use the most important areas of the home can make or break the deal for them. If they cannot envision where things go or what will fit a buyer will walk away from a home.

• A clean, modern kitchen might not need any staging but one that is dated or does not function will also be a reason to reject a home that might otherwise be priced right and fit all other buyer criteria.

 58% of buyer’s agents said that physical staging of a home is important.

• This means that a vacant home is more difficult to show and sell.

• Utilizing the seller’s furniture and décor or a professional stager’s rented furniture and décor (or some combination) will make a big difference in how a home is perceived by the buyer.

• Only 18% of buyer’s agents thought that virtual staging was important. This newer, inexpensive way of mocking up photographs to give the look of a furnished home might get buyers in to view the home but does nothing to effectively sell the home once they are inside.

44% of buyer’s agents say that staging increases the dollar value of an offer on a home, with most (20%) saying the amount is only 1-5%.

• The actual dollar value of staging is difficult to determine but if staging increases the offer by 5% on a $500,000 home, it is worth an additional $25,000.

• If a home does not sell in the first couple of weeks, it may be necessary to drop the list price. Price reductions are rarely less than 2-3%.

How do seller’s agents utilize Home Staging?

23% of agents stage all of their listings.

• Yeah!! for these agents who are offering the highest level of service to their clients by recommending staging to all of their seller clients.

 15% of agents do not recommend any changes to their clients.

• My opinion is that this is a failure of an agent’s fiduciary duty to their clients.

 50% of agents recommend decluttering and making repairs, but do not stage their listings.

• These recommendations will make a difference but will not impact the value of the seller’s homes as much as additional staging recommendations will.

 5% of agents only stage their most expensive listings.

• I would argue that first time home buyers will be the most affected by good staging as they are inexperienced in owning a home.

 48% of agents reported that staging reduced the days on market for their listings.

• 12% of agents reported that staging increased the days on market. That seems dumb and I don’t believe them!

 14% of agents reported that the seller paid for home staging.

• The cost may be why so many agents do not recommend staging. Whether the seller pays or the agent pays, the result more money for the seller and more success for the agent.

Surprises in the stats.

 Here’s something I didn’t really expect!

55% of buyers think homes should look like they were staged on TV shows and 64% of buyers were disappointed that homes do not look like those staged on TV!

• That’s a pretty high bar since most homes do not look like Joanna Gaines stopped by to help. Proper staging will help buyers see the value in a home, help them envision themselves living there and get homes sold faster and for more money, even without staging that looks like reality TV.

Lastly, the report says there has been a 51% increase in the number of homeowners who plan to remodel their homes in the past 5 years.

• This is a reflection of those TV renovations shows, buyer expectations and of course the lack of housing inventory as homeowners opt to renovate rather than move.  

One last interesting item to note is that the statistics I’ve quoted here haven’t changed much over the past 5 years with individual items going up or down about 5% or less. Fewer Realtors are recommending staging as reported in 2023 vs 2019 but that may be a reflection of the skyrocketing housing prices and a reduced need for staging in 2021-2022. Perhaps that number will go back up this year as the days on market increases and prices remain relatively flat.

Do you stage every listing? Most listings? Only the hard ones?

If not, how would employing staging at some level improve your business?

UpStaging Designs will be offering some new services for Realtors later this year. We are excited about what we have planned and look forward to sharing! If you would like to be in the know, be sure to sign up below. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you or email you too much! #nobodygottimeforthat

Meet Ellie Mayes: Realtor, Stager, Airbnb Investor

Ellie Mayes was recently interviewed on the Design Time video podcast. Watch the video below or read the interview here.

Lindsay: Ellie is part of our RESA group. Remember I told you guys about the Real Estate Staging Association? Ellie is a part of that with Sherrie, who you've already met. And then Dorrie, who you're going to meet in March. So, Ellie's got a little like triple threat going on here. She is a stager, and a friend, and a REALTOR on top of that. What does that mean? What is your staging company and your real estate company called, Ellie?

Ellie: Well, I have a real estate company called UpMarket Realty, and I have a staging company called UpStaging Designs. They came about sort of at the same time in my mid-life reinvention of myself.

Lindsay: Oh, I like the reinvention. Not a crisis. A reinvention. So, what comes first, the stager or the REALTOR? The chicken or the egg?

Ellie: I live in two totally different worlds. And so, when I go out to do a staging consultation and work on behalf of another real estate agent, I am 100% their stager, part of their team. And then when I become a real estate agent, I'm somebody's REALTOR. But I don't want those things to cross over. I want real estate agents to feel confident that I'm going to walk in as part of their team and their staging expert.

Lindsay: What did you do first?

Ellie: I became an assistant when I had my first job, when I stopped being a stay-at-home mom. I was an assistant for a REALTOR, and I got my license while I was working for her. And I just did everything with her except for negotiate contracts and lead generate. I was doing all of it, and I went out on all the staging consultations, and that's where I fell in love with it. I loved that piece of it. I would be with the staging consultant who was telling sellers what to do, and I'm like, well, what about this?

Lindsay: And what about that?

Ellie: I learned a ton from her. And so, I learned how to be a stager while I was being an assistant. But then when I stopped being an assistant, I was also a licensed REALTOR. And so I started selling real estate because that was what I had a license to do. And I had people started asking to help with their staging. Other REALTORS did. And that piece of my business grew. And because I would never call anybody and say, “Hello, would you like to buy, sell or invest in real estate?” I—I [Laughter] didn't really actually succeed in that part. I'm not a good lead generator.

Lindsay: So, you were a REALTOR who turned into a stager?

Ellie: Sort of. I started selling real estate and I loved the staging piece of it, so I wanted to do it for everybody else. And I've never stopped selling real estate, plus I've been a real estate investor longer than I've been in the industry. So that's the other thing is that I'm an investor. And I— Oh, God, there's so much!

Lindsay: That's your triple threat.

Ellie: I'm a landlord, too.

Lindsay: Oh, my God. Four.

Ellie: And friend.

Lindsay: And five.

Ellie: I can do everything.

Lindsay: Oh, my God. You are so cool!

---

Watch my other videos with Design Time

What should I do now if I want to sell my house next year?

I consider it a unique opportunity to meet with sellers who are planning ahead; those homeowners that know they want to sell their home in the near future and want to begin the process. Sellers who begin early can make the right decisions about what to do, and more importantly, what not to do, in order to maximize their return on investment.

Planning Ahead

Depending on how long you’ve lived in a home might determine just how much work needs to be done in advance of selling. Personally, after 12 years in the same home, I’m certain there are things tucked away in my attic and in closets that I’d never chose to move again. There are some deferred maintenance items and things that I’d like to do, but there never seems enough time or urgency to get them done.

I am on this path myself with uncertain plans to sell my home. My kids are on their own (Empty Nest!) so my husband and I are beginning to consider a different kind of home. We long for something with a main floor primary suite and a little less upkeep. My goal is to get ready this year.

Staging Consultations

I meet homeowners every day who are overwhelmed with the task of preparing to sell with a limited amount of time to get it all done. We meet for a Staging Consultation and discuss what and how to declutter, repairs and maintenance, paint, flooring and updates that the seller should get done in order to get top dollar for their home. Plus prepacking, furniture placement and how to decorate for staging.

Planning ahead is a gift you can give to yourself now.

Decluttering

The task of “decluttering” with advance notice versus decluttering as part of the staging process is different. There’s no need to prepack photos, collectables, paperwork and personal items scattered around the house. The goal is to sort through the attic and closets to remove what is extra. As I put my tax returns away this year, I noticed that I have returns that are 20+ years old! That’s extra.

·      Do you have clothing that hasn’t been worn in years?

·      Have your kid’s left behind trophies, toys, photos, books and clothing that they never intend to take with them?

·      Do you have supplies for a hobby or sport you have given up on?

·      Have you saved bedding, towels, furniture, art, lamps or other décor that has been replaced with something new? Will you use it again?

Make donations NOW!

Many of these items and more can be donated, sold or thrown away leaving behind organized, spacious closets and storage rooms that appeal to buyers. The first step of staging will be complete!

Repairs & Updates

How many maintenance items have you left undone just because it doesn’t HAVE to be done now? Deferred maintenance usually costs more the longer you wait. Fix the rotten wood, chipped paint and broken window seals. Go ahead and patch holes and repair old water spots and settlement cracks around the house.

While you are at it, select updated, neutral paint colors that will help sell your home when the time comes. In the business of staging, we refer to paint as “money in a can.” Paint can cure a lot of issues.

Is the carpet old and worn? Has the original sheet vinyl gotten stained or torn? Are the hardwood floors scratched up, worn down or otherwise damaged? Replace flooring now with neutral, quality finishes that you can enjoy now and will increase the value later.

Cosmetic updates are often taste specific and expensive, so many sellers prefer to let the new owner take that on, but strategic, minor updates can make a world of difference in the perceived value of a home. Paint and flooring are top priority, but lighting is magical, and you don’t realize it until the new fixtures are in place. I’m not exaggerating here. Replacement of cabinet hardware, doorknobs and faucets are a little thing that make a big difference.

 A larger investment in countertops and a tile backsplash should be considered based on the potential buyer and sale price of the home. Bathroom renovations can be very pricey, but even there, strategic updates take a home from dated to updated.

Home Staging

The next steps are what most people think of when Realtors talk about home staging. Pre-packing, furniture placement and strategic use of décor are much less daunting when the initial decluttering, repairs and updates are complete.

When it’s time to sell, pre-packing the personal photos, collectables, out of season clothing and special occasion items can be completed more easily.

Furniture placement can be adjusted from what makes sense for living to perfectly staged by moving some furniture around the house or moving some furniture to storage.

Decorations might need to be tweaked when it’s time to sell. Most often, I suggest sellers purchase new bedding, lamps, art, pillows, throws and plants. You might not care about those things now and that’s okay, but they add value when it’s time to sell.

The emotional connection created by a home that is finished with tasteful, updated décor is what sets your home apart from the others.

Selling A Vacant Home

In the end, it might make sense to move out and sell the home vacant or professionally staged with brand new furniture and décor. But, even then, the decluttering must happen before you move out. The repairs and updates must still be done in order to sell for top dollar.

Are you considering a move but are not sure when? Do you have an empty nest and know that you will not stay in your home much longer? Start making plans now and I promise you will not only enjoy your home even more while you still live there but you will also be way ahead when it’s time to sell.

Schedule a Consultation!

Contact me for Staging Consultation appointment now so that you know what to do and what not to do as you prepare to sell later!

Vacation Rental Renovation - The Salty Mint

In case you missed my social posts, here it is again!
The Salty Mint is ready and it’s for rent!

The Beach House Dream

Back in November of last year, my husband, Chris, and I achieved the long-desired dream of owning an investment property on the coast. We’ve talked about it since the late 90’s and chickened out after a few years of hurricane’s hitting the NC coast. About 20 years ago, we began investing closer to home and now manage both short- and long-term rentals in the Triangle for ourselves and other investors. It has been a rewarding experience with many lessons along the way. We were finally ready to head to the coast!

In addition to adding the vacation rental property to our personal portfolio, I got to add a full on staging project as well! You know I loved that!

The Salty Mint is a 3 bed, 2 bath condo in the Ocean Dunes community in Kure Beach NC. Ocean Dunes stretches about ½ mile of ocean front with one large building set back across the street. That’s where we are.

Ocean Dunes in Kure Beach

The 3-story building is centered with an elevator and features a large outdoor pool and grills in the center. We are right next to the Community Center which houses an indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center and community social room. Outside there are tennis courts, playground and shuffleboard and along the beachside, there are two additional outdoor pools, so if you want to stay out of the sand, you can pool hop all day!

The Salty Mint

The Salty Mint is one floor up with parking for two cars just below. Since it is an end unit, we enjoy some extra windows and easy access not only to the stairwell, but also the elevator. We have 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, in-unit laundry, an open kitchen, dining and family room and an extended deck with access from the primary bedroom as well as the living room.

When we purchased the home, we looked at several units in the building which was originally built in the 80s. Turns out there was a fire in part of the building and our unit was rebuilt in 2007. Unfortunately, it was built with the most basic of materials and so there was not much style to the finishes, but the home had smooth ceilings and more overhead lighting than most. Most importantly, the location in the building is ideal with quick access to the stairs, elevator and parking, as well as the shortest walk to the beach, just about 300 yards. We were excited when this one came on the market.

The Renovation Planning

While we were under contract, we made several visits to Kure Beach to check on progress, make selections and marvel at the beautiful beach. Working with our contractor, we visited local vendors to select flooring, cabinetry, tile and granite. From home, we shopped for lighting, faucets, appliances and of course, new furniture and décor!

Happy Birthday Chris!

We closed on Chris’ birthday, November 4th, and headed down to enjoy one weekend with our kids before the renovations began. It was an incredible fall weekend with full sun, temperatures in the 80s and a kite festival happening that we knew nothing about. Turns out there are lots of fun year-round events on Pleasure Island! By the time we left town, we had donated a good portion of the furniture and moved the rest to a nearby storage unit while renovations were completed.

Demo Day!

Our contractor began right away with a full demo so we could start from scratch on it all. Then we had to wait. We continued to shop, make deliveries of purchases to the storage unit and check on progress as the holidays neared. We were super excited making plans for a post-Christmas vacation with our kids to celebrate birthdays, the New Year and a new tradition of vacationing together at the beach.

The Renovation Details

All new LVP flooring was installed throughout the unit, replacing a mixture of carpet, tile and the cheapest LVP I’ve ever seen! We selected a light oak LVP, something that should remain timeless and neutral when redecorating comes up. LVP flooring looks great, and functions perfectly at a furnished rental.

When considering what color to paint, I wanted to stay away from the bright colors traditionally used at the beach. The color was previously a violet blue and while color is fun and I love to see it in design, I preferred something light and soothing. Sherwin Williams Drift of Mist won the day. Ever so slightly gray, warm and almost white. A perfect backdrop for whatever décor we decided to add.

The lighting in the house was what you might call “builder basic” so nothing to dislike, but nothing inspirational either. We selected sleek, white fans for the bedrooms, modern flush mount LED fixtures in the hallways, new halo lights in the kitchen and a modern black fan and flat sputnik style fixture for the living and dining area. Using a combination of nickel, black and white, we had flexibility to choose the best finish for the spot.

Black cabinet hardware stands out beautifully against the white, while nickel faucets and bath finishes remain timeless and easy to replace in the future. I’m a fan of mixing metals to avoid anything too homogenous.

The kitchen is small, so we only considered white to replace the honey oak cabinets. Of course, we removed the hanging bank of cabinets between the kitchen and dining area! The layout was important with limited storage, and it only took 4 tries with the cabinet company and contractor to get it just right. UGH! We removed the raised bar to add bar seating and additional counter space. We selected a black and white granite, not too light or dark, but with an interesting pattern and a leather finish that we love. While I love quartz in my own home and when making recommendations to clients, we chose granite in our rental properties.

The bathrooms got new vanity cabinets with cultured marble tops, saving on the cost of additional granite. New commodes that made me realize I want new ones at home in Cary too! The hall bath got a new tub with tiled walls and in the primary bath, the tub was removed and replaced with a walk-in shower and glass doors.

The Drink Fridge Bar

One of my favorite features is the new drink fridge and bar area! There was a wet bar there before, but the tiny sink wasn’t very useful, and it took up the counter space. We removed the cabinets in favor of a drink fridge, granite counter and built-in shelving. There’s room for all the water, soda, beer and wine you could want during your vacation! The countertop houses our coffee maker, drip or pods. Set it before bed and wake to fresh coffee to enjoy on the deck enjoying the trees!

The furnishings

I mentioned that we got rid of much of the old furnishings in the house. It was a mishmash of painted old pieces, metal, wicker, Ikea and a few interesting mismatched items. The mattresses were super springy and old, so we replaced all of them. We kept the Ikea and the bunk beds, and while I’m not in love with the dining table and chairs, they are solid wood, sturdy and in good condition. Everything else got replaced. We sourced from Wayfair (huge Black Friday deals!), Amazon, HomeGoods, Facebook Marketplace, Ikea, Costco, Target, thrift shops and the UpStaging Designs storage unit. I even was gifted a few items from a friend who was moving, including the whale hanging over the sofa. It was a puzzle to pull it together, but I love how it turned out. Comfortable, a little cottage-y with some modern touches and just enough color and beachy décor to remind you where you are.

The renovations weren’t quite finished as planned but that didn’t stop us from heading to the beach after Christmas! We had nice weather to enjoy the beach and some bike rides and enjoyed the nightlife in both Kure Beach and Carolina Beach to celebrate my son’s birthday and the New Year. Since January, the final touches were completed on the renovations, decorations and supplies for the rental. We’ve also enjoyed some wonderful visits including some 80 degree weather in February. If you aren’t from NC, you might not understand but we always get a little summer in the middle of winter here!

Thanks for letting me share! A long distance renovation was tough and decorating with a mix of old and new was a challenge but I couldn’t be more thrilled to finally own a little piece of the beach.

The Salty Mint is posted in Airbnb and VRBO, but the best place to book is directly with our management company. If you don’t book, I’m going every nice weekend I can!

Before and After

The same but so. much. better!

5 Ways to Elevate the Décor when Staging

Home Staging is a marketing tool and a system used in real estate to highlight a home’s best features and create value in the minds of buyers. Staging can also help buyers emotionally connect so they feel like this could be their next home. Buying a home is both a financial and an emotional decision and when sellers can appeal to buyers on both levels, they sell quickly and at top dollar. Home staging works!

The System of Staging

The system of staging begins with basic decluttering. It sounds simple but there’s a strategy. Just the idea of “decluttering” overwhelms most people, me included. Next is furniture placement and space planning, then updates and hard finishes in the home and lastly, the condition of the home. These are all important elements of a good staging plan. After working through this system, décor is the element that eludes many but is the string that pulls at buyer’s hearts.

How to use Décor in Staging

Décor is the element that changes dramatically from house to house when the current owner is still living there. I refer to this as Occupied Staging meaning that the home is occupied by the current owners during the marketing period. Generally, 70% of homes are sold occupied rather than vacant, therefore the seller’s décor is part of the staging.

Décor can be trendy or dated, taste specific or non-existent. Some décor is all photos of people we love, and some is so bland you’d have no idea who lives in the home. In staging, the goal is to create a look that appeals to a broad audience, evokes a feeling of wanting to live in the space and does not detract from the fixed elements of the home. These elements include things such as architecture, moldings, flooring, lighting, cabinetry and hardware, but also the view and natural light. These elements are extremely important in staging. Staging is about the home, not the homeowner.

 Most people don’t have a design plan either

I’ve been in enough homes now to tell you that the majority of homes do not have a cohesive design plan and function reigns over beauty. Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, good staging is built the principles of design which will in turn, create a feeling of balance, rhythm and peace in the mind of potential buyers, no matter the preferences of the current homeowner.

5 WAYS TO ELEVATE DECOR AND DESIGN

1) Art

Use art that includes some color, not too much, and is hung in a way that gets the viewer’s eyes to move around the space rather than stop and look at anything too long. Avoid anything too taste specific – think landscapes, flowers and patterns of color. Avoid too many family photos or just too many pieces of art. Wall collages are tricky, often too busy and should be removed for staging.

And on the topic of art, be sure to follow the design rules on hanging art. The center of the art should be about 60 inches from the floor and 8-10 inches above a sofa or piece of furniture.

2) Soft Goods

The use of decorative pillows, throw blankets, rugs and bedding create a cozy feeling of home, add color and texture and can update a dated piece of furniture. A basic brown sofa is transformed with light colored pillows and throw. A dark bedroom instantly feels brighter with white bedding. These elements are extremely important in staging.

3) Greenery and plants

There seems to be two kinds of people – those with green thumbs and have an overabundance of plants, and those that know all plants will die under their care and therefore avoid all plants. Staging is a happy medium and thankfully, can include everlasting plants, the ones that never need water or sunlight and never die. Green plants add life, color and visual interest in a space. Some plants are trendy or dated, so if you’ve had it for 20 years, it may be time to get something new. Avoid too many colors in flowers; stick with soft colors or neutrals.

4) Lighting

Good lighting is a powerful accessory to any home and transforms a space. It updates a home, brightens a room and evokes a peaceful feeling when it is done properly and addressed in the staging process. While a 20 year old chandelier works the same as a brand new one, it also updates a room into something that is modern and not mom’s. Lamps are such an easy accessory to add to any surface and does double duty in creating a brighter, finished room.

And on the topic of lighting, pay attention to kelvin! What is kelvin? It is the color temperature of your lightbulb. Soft white, about 3000 kelvin is best for staging. Daylight bulbs, 5000 kelvin and above, is blue, harsh and clinical. If you happen to prefer those daylight bulbs, replacing them means you get to take them to your next home. Soft white is best for staging.

5) Repeat

This is so important in design! A red vase on a table with no other red in the room becomes a magnet for your eyes, causing a viewer to miss everything else. Repeating any element creates balance and calm and allows your eyes to move around a space.

Homeowners do not have to be experts at interior decorating in order to implement an effective staging plan when it’s time to sell. Consulting with an expert will give you the ability to see your own home in a new way and give you the tools to follow effective design strategies to stage your own home.

These strategies are effective even when you are not getting ready to sell! Utilizing design rules and staging strategies, homeowners can enjoy a staged home that is also a little more personal and cluttered, functional and homey for themselves too!

Schedule a Staging Consultation or a Color and Design Consultation whether you are getting ready to sell or looking to enjoy what you have even more!

Should I paint my home's walls Agreeable Gray to sell?

Your Paint Color Selection MATTERS

Have you ever walked into a house and thought the wall color was weird or didn’t make any sense? Beige walls can turn pink, gray walls can turn purple and cream can turn lemon yellow.

Making color selections might feel like it should be easy, but it can go terribly wrong sometimes. The color on the 1-inch square might have looked perfect but once it gets on the walls, colors change, brighten and surprise us.

Color Consultations

Color Consultations are one of my favorite things to do. When homeowners need help choosing the right shade of their favorite color or help coming up with a color story for the entire house, we get to pour over options, get creative and think nothing of who will like it except the homeowner. Lavender gray is beautiful, but only if you did it on purpose.

Color is personal

Color on anything is a personal preference, so making selections to decorate your home for yourself and making selections to sell are completely different. Go purple, orange or neon green for yourself, but when it’s time to sell, I’ll be back to recommend something neutral. But really, use purple, orange and neon green sparingly!

When selling, the walls don’t have to all be neutral, but it is important to evaluate wall color in context so that you don’t turn buyers off or overwhelm them with the task of re-painting. A deep red family room should always be painted neutral but a bright green kid’s bedroom might be okay to leave. Might. The colors must make sense with the finishes, décor and lighting in the house.

Even more importantly, paint color should not be something that accentuates a less desirable feature of your home. The wrong shade of paint can leave buyers feeling like they need to take on a very expensive renovation when in fact, the right paint color can completely update a space.

Paint Color Fails

Just last week, I had a seller tell me he wanted to paint the whole house Agreeable Gray before putting it up for sale. Painters like to use Agreeable Gray and Realtors (for some reason) universally recommend it. When I held up the 11x14 Agreeable Gray color board and it looked green. Which in turn, made the kitchen counters and cabinets scream ORANGE! It was terrible. We selected the right shade of beige that perfectly coordinated with the existing cabinets and counters and softened the less desirable orange undertones. And I told him to paint the dark red living room even if he didn’t want to.

My husband and I purchased an investment property a few years ago that was painted top to bottom in the same shade of gray blue. Here in North Carolina, we love Carolina Blue, but not all over the house. It was clear that the sellers meant to paint the house gray but instead, it screamed blue everywhere. We paid $27,000 less than asking and spent $5,000 to paint. A few repairs and new light fixtures too, but not $27,000 worth. It pays to prepare for marketing or you’ll give away the equity.

Neutral paint colors are even more tricky than the colors. If you pull open one of the manufacturer’s fan decks, you’ll see dozens of shades of white, beige and gray with very subtle differences. It’s the neutrals that can turn on you the most.

Blue is great, but not EVERYWHERE!

Neutral beige. Not exciting but good for staging!

Color changes on the wall and in the light

Agreeable Gray can turn green, but things could be worse. Like, Navajo White might actually look orange. Olympus White turns blue. Unique Gray reads purple. Kilim Beige is pink! In the right environment, these colors make sense, but it is always worth consulting with a professional before putting a popular color on your walls.

And, by all means, Pure White is not safe. Rarely does a home’s natural light or furnishings and décor justify that much white.

Lighting also affects how we see color. Color temperature, also known as kelvin, ranges from yellow up to blue. The light bulb box might say soft white or daylight, but those terms refer to the kelvin. Depending on the color of the light, we see the undertones of paint differently and sometimes changing a lightbulb can change the wrong paint color.

If you are considering a paint project at your home, inside or out, please reach out for a Color Consultation. Before spending thousands of dollars with a professional painter, make a small investment in professional help with color selections.

2023 Report: Is it a Buyer's Market — or is it still a Seller's Market?

As the Market Cools, Home Staging Can Make a Big Difference on Sale Price

The news surrounding the real estate market is all over the place these days. Is it a buyer’s market now? They say it isn’t. Is it still a seller’s market? It doesn’t feel like it for the homeowners that have been sitting on the market for a couple of months.

Everything is relative. It is most certainly a buyer’s market compared to 2021!

It’s all about comparison

There is an average price for your community and an average price nationally. If the average home in your community is $500k, that seems quite low to the buyers trying to purchase a home in San Francisco, but quite high when compared to rural West Virginia.

There are dozens of colors in the “whites” section of my paint deck, but some are more blue, cream or gray. It’s about comparison to the others.

When marketing your home for sale, compare your home with other homes your buyer might be considering. By looking at nearby homes for sale or recently sold homes with similar features, you are best able to determine the value of your home.

Pricing a home correctly is the job of an expert Realtor, but making your home stand out among the others is determined by how well the home is staged and presented to the market.

A staged home has a higher perceived value when compared to homes that are not staged. In order to stand out with fewer buyers shopping for homes, presentation matters because the buyers are comparing.

Capturing Buyer’s Attention

So much of our attention is on photographs and videos these days. We look to our social media feed for ideas, inspiration, information and entertainment and every day the standard gets higher for our scattered attention. In order to capture a buyer’s attention, first with online marketing photographs, then in person, sellers must have a market ready, staged home to win offers over the competition.

Is Staging Expensive?

The biggest challenge I think stagers and Realtor’s face is the notion that staging is expensive. Staging can be expensive but sweat equity is extremely valuable when marketing a home. Buyers shop with their hearts and fall in love with the most beautiful homes first, but they buy with their wallets as well and so they make offers when they see the highest value for the best price. This is never more true than when the cost of a mortgage is higher than most homeowners can remember.

Should you stage your home?

Staging a home is the most effective way to increase the perceived value of a home, shortening the days on market and increasing the sales price. As the market has cooled off and sellers are faced with a lower list price than they imagined, they are even less interested in spending money to get their home sold.

Don’t spend. Invest.

An investment in staging a home, at any amount, is worth it. I’ve had sellers spend no more than the cost of moving boxes and others invest thousands in upgrades, updates, decor and repairs in order to best present their home. Staging might just involve prepacking, rearranging and a deep clean. That investment of time only, will pay off for sellers.

A consultation appointment with a professional stager is invaluable and far less than the dreaded price reduction after sitting on the market too long. Or worse, pulling it off the market and starting over.

You’ll never know unless you ask.

Perhaps you need to do more to stage your home than you thought. Perhaps you need to do less. Perhaps it is something, not that expensive, that will make all the difference in the world and you’ll be so disappointed that you didn’t get to enjoy it for yourself.

Reach out to schedule a Staging Consultation if you are planning to sell this year, next month, or no time soon to get your home stage ready!

One key secret to set up a short term rental for success

Short term rentals, Mid term rentals, and Furnished Rentals 101

Real estate investors are moving to furnished rentals in droves in hopes of doubling or tripling their potential return on investment over traditional long term rental properties. Some investors will do well while others will struggle to make ends meet, potentially having to sell a property when they cannot afford a cash flow loss.

It seems like everyone and everyone is doing it since platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Furnished Finder and many others have made marketing such properties very user friendly for both the owner and the renter.

As you may know, I am also a real estate investor with short and long term rental properties. My experience as an investor and a stager has given me the opportunity to help some other investors as well! This is where it gets really fun - helping others build wealth and create their own businesses is part of my love language!

The Key to Short Term Rental Success

One key to success in the short term rental business is to properly design and photograph your property.

I recently helped a new investor with a mid-term rental set up. The property is strategically located near two very large university hospitals and will cater to traveling nurses, doctors or university staff. The home is older but was completely renovated by the previous owner, making this a turnkey opportunity for the investor! All it needed was everything!

Furnished Rentals vs. Vacant Properties: What do you need to know?

Setting up a furnished rental is not like staging a vacant property.

In those homes, the cabinets are bare and the bedding is just a cover. Nothing is meant to get used and no one will ever cook, sleep, work or entertain in those spaces.

To set up a successful furnished rental, you must anticipate and provide every single thing your renter might need. Black out curtains. Comfy bedding. A wine tool. A blender. A first aid kit. And a vacuum cleaner!

The shopping list is long and the price can add up quickly. But in order to get someone in the door to use and enjoy all those little things, the home must be well designed and professionally photographed to attract the best, highest paying renters.

A Real World Example

Just to give you a taste of one of rooms in this new property, here’s where I started and some of the larger items that were included.

This room is warm and cozy, super comfortable and in this case, pretty small, so we needed to strategic about finding pieces that were big enough, but not too big. Here’s the professional shot of the completed room!

This particular home is a duplex, so it needed 2 of everything - 2 living rooms, 2 kitchens and 6 bedrooms total! We just finished this week so I am looking forward to seeing the investor’s listings and hearing about her success.

Let me know if I can help you with short term rental consulting or full design and installation services!

Shop The Look

Here are some of the items included in this design!

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Does Virtual Staging actually work?

What is Virtual Staging vs. Traditional Staging?

As a Home Stager, I specialize in helping homeowners prepare to market and sell their homes. You might call me a visual marketing expert for residential real estate.

Staging is all about setting up a home in a way that highlights the fixed assets and best features of a home primarily using the principles of interior design. The goal is to appeal to the largest number of potential home buyers, create value in the mind of the buyer and maximize the sale price of the home. There are a lot of elements that go into perceived value including furniture and décor, paint, lighting, flooring, hardware, finishes and curb appeal.

There are 3 types of home staging

• Occupied Staging – The seller declutters, prepacks, rearranges and styles the home, often using the guidance of a professional stager specializing in occupied homes. That’s ME!

• Vacant Staging – The seller removes all their furniture and personal belongings and hires a vacant staging specialist to bring in new, trendy furniture and décor and style the home to appeal to buyers.

• Virtual Staging – The seller removes all their furniture and personal belongings. Photographs of the empty home are then edited to insert trendy furniture and décor. The home remains empty, but the online photographs reflect the virtual staging.

There are pros and cons of all types of staging – occupied, vacant or virtual. And there are options in between. Sellers are often limited by budget and usually cannot move out of their home to sell, even if they wanted to. The best staging is the one that accounts for the seller’s time frame and budget, as well as the home they are selling.

The Pros and Cons

Occupied staging is extremely effective at showing a home at it’s best utilizing the current homeowner’s furniture and décor to create the model home look. It is usually the highest return on investment. The expense is relatively low but there is often a big investment of time and effort on the part of the homeowner.

Vacant staging is the most expensive but also the most effective staging. Most homeowners do not have a professionally decorated home with new, trendy furniture, art and accessories. The cost runs from ½ - 1% of the list price of the home and may be more than the seller is willing or able to spend up front. The out-of-pocket expense may be high, but the effect on the buyers’ impression of the home and its value is maximized.

Virtual staging is the most economical with edited photos running approximately $50 each. The impact can be great with online photos portraying high end furniture and accessories and an ideal layout that may or may not work in real life. Excellent photos should get buyers to schedule showings, but the goal of staging is to SELL the home. If buyers walk into a vacant home and are disappointed, they may feel duped.

Selling a vacant home

When a home is vacant, the seller has options. They can choose to leave the home empty, stage the home with trendy furniture and décor or they may choose to have the photos of the empty home edited to show what the home MAY look like furnished.

When the seller moves out before entering the market, it is much easier to prepare. There is no need for a professional stager to come in to advise them on what exactly to prepack, what to purchase and where things belong. There are no interruptions to the work from home schedule, the kid’s naps, cooking and mealtime and no need to hide the pets. Living in a staged home is difficult and being ready for showings all day, every day is stressful!

There is a downside to selling your home vacant.

There is one extremely important issue that many homeowners neglect when selling their home vacant and something they may not consider “staging.”

When potential buyers walk in the door of a vacant home, the buyer’s online first impressions are either confirmed or dashed. Online photos can hide the reality of the condition of a home.

There is an unintended consequence to moving out before marketing a home.

When I talk to homeowners about selling their home vacant, I always describe their homes as “naked.” I think it’s an excellent analogy. Most of us look better in a favorite outfit rather than our birthday suits. I know that I’m pretty good at covering up my flaws with fashion. A home is no different, so when selling “naked” it is important to fix the flaws!

In a vacant home, every scuff and stain stands out. There is nothing to look at besides the walls and flooring, (scuffed, scratched, stained?), light fixtures (new or dated?), cabinetry, counters and hardware. Looking at a blank room hardly induces an emotional reaction unless every element is updated, new, trendy and beautiful.

Selling vacant does not mean the sellers should skip professional advice on what to fix, paint, update or change.  Vacant homes require marketing expertise, and a professional stager has the experience to recommend the most effective strategies for preparing to sell – vacant or occupied.

When a buyer feels that the photos “tricked” them, the value of the property instantly goes down.

So, Should I do Virtual Staging?

Recently, I have seen many more listing photos of vacant homes with “virtual staging.” On the one hand, these photos DO look much better than a photo of an empty room. If buyers are more likely to visit the home based on these edited photos, then the staging was effective at getting buyers in the door. Great photos drive more showings.

Ultimately, the goal of marketing a home is to get it sold. Virtual staging may get buyers in the door, but that’s all they do. If showings increase, virtual staging might be worth it, but if the photos only serve to disappoint and frustrate buyers who see something completely different in person, the photos may hurt the marketing efforts in the end.

Buyers are driven to make offers based on what they see. (That’s why staging works!!) If buyers see empty rooms, not real staged furniture, the marketing investment didn’t do its job.

Realtors and sellers have many marketing tools and virtual staging is just one of them.

Some in my staging community are adamantly against virtual staging, arguing that you are lying to buyers. All staging is meant to help the buyer imagine themselves in the home and help them see the value in the property. If a seller makes the beds, dusts the blinds and puts everything away only because the house is for sale, they might be lying about how they normally live! No one would argue that it isn’t the right thing to do when selling though.

When a home is sold vacant, the first and very best marketing tool is to hire a stager to advise on the condition and finishes in the home.

It is most effective to also hire a stager who specializes in vacant homes, and has a warehouse of trendy, updated furniture and décor to transform the home into a builder’s model. The cost of the service will more than pay for itself. Perceived value drives buyer’s offers, so whenever possible, it is worth it to invest in furniture staging.

When bringing in a truckload of furniture isn’t feasible and virtual staging seems like the next best thing, be sure to utilize your other marketing tools to get a home sold! Let me know if I can with a consultation to advise on how best to move forward.

Dear Realtor, you need me.

Dear Realtor,

I’m still here and you need me more than ever!

We live in interesting times, especially for those of us in the real estate business. Just before March 2020, we had begun a normal, busy spring market with strong demand, rising home prices and low interest rates. Beginning in mid-March, we all sat still staring out our windows for a couple of months and then BOOM! The market went crazy, and no one looked back until this summer. No one had time.  

Until now. While there is still strong buyer demand, it has become more difficult predict how long it will take to sell and what the sales price will be. Properly marketing a home has become important again.  

So, Do REALTORS still need to hire Home Stagers to sell homes?

Realtors who coach sellers to invest the time and effort into staging will sell homes faster and for more money. It’s always been that way, even when homes sold no matter what. 

• And now, with so many homes making price reductions, it’s time to remind sellers that an investment in staging is always less than a price reduction.

• And with so many photos of cluttered homes, dated finishes and wild paint colors, it’s time to remind sellers that taking time up front to stage your home will mean fewer days on market. And a higher sales price.

At a professional Staging Consultation, sellers receive a customized plan on how best to prepare their home for marketing. Utilizing the seller’s existing furnishings and working within their time frame and budget, each seller can maximize the sales price of their home and effectively stand out among what is now a larger inventory of homes with fewer buyers in the market.

When a seller chooses the Photo Prep (with or without a Staging Consultation) they get expert hands on styling and furniture placement prior to those critical MLS photos. It’s the random things that the seller misses that can spoil the effort that went into staging. 

Want to know more? Want to book a consultation now?

I’m still here for you and you need me more than ever.

Love, Ellie

P.S. — I love home owners, home staging, and homes

Short Term Rentals - A Stager's Journey

My first real estate love is staging – give me a room to reimagine and I will joyfully select colors, lighting, furniture placement, and accessories to show off every room in every home at its best. Bonus, I meet the best people (home sellers) and partner with some of the best agents to market homes to lucky buyers who will make that house their new home.

But I have a few other loves in real estate and my newest journey, into short term rentals, has been an adventure. As they say, “everyone’s doing it” and I’m here to tell you that it ain’t for the faint of heart. It’s land-lording on steroids with a twist because it’s hospitality too.

Landlords

My husband, Chris, and I have been landlords for years, even going back to 1995 when we couldn’t sell our first home in Philadelphia after we moved to NC, so we rented it. We were so grateful when we finally sold it to our tenants a few years later. If we knew then what we know now … We got back into real estate investing about 10 years later with long term rentals, slowing getting more involved in the day-to-day management of our properties and interacting with our tenants.

Short Term Rentals (AKA Airbnb)

In 2021, we started researching short term rentals (everyone was doing it) and considering our options to invest in a new property or convert one of our long term rental properties. The motivation was initially financial, but the chance to stage a home, top-to-bottom, got me really excited! When some tenants reached out in September to let us know that they needed to break their lease and move closer to family (COVID), we decided that it was our opportunity to give it a try.

Short Term Rental Staging

While our tenants packed and made plans to move, I went to work designing the space and scouting out furniture, art, accessories and ALL THE THINGS that go into a home – pots and pans, sheets and towels, cleaning supplies, paper products – it goes on and on.

We had to tell our friends they couldn’t come to our house because our latest project had vomited all over the dining room. My tennis elbow flared up from all the furniture assembly. I became a Facebook Marketplace addict looking for nearly new, stylish furniture and accessories. Our tenants moved out and we moved in making repairs, cleaning, and styling the space. Two weeks later, Curtis was taking his beautiful photos and we went live on Airbnb! The first guests arrived the next week!

Our Rental Launch

Our first short term rental, Lakeside at Holiday Acres, is a 2 bed, 2 bath end unit ranch townhome on a small, relatively unknown private lake in the middle of Cary, NC. It was built in the 80s, so we’ve worked hard and invested to update the home from the condition it was in when we purchased it, but it has paid off with incredible charm, wonderful views and it is now a bright, updated and spacious home. The Airbnb reviews tell the story!

The 5-Star Reviews

This was such an amazing place to stay. So peaceful and relaxing. Great views. Absolutely loved it and looking forward to visiting again. Scott & Jessica

This is a fantastic place to stay! The area is quiet and having a lake to stroll around in the evening was wonderful. Chris and Ellie have a beautiful place and it is very well maintained. There is a lot of room, the decor is very tasteful. The kitchen is beautiful and well stocked. Everything about this place makes it a must stay for me when I travel here again for business! Stephanie

Beautiful immaculate townhouse in a quiet private community by a picturesque lake. We enjoyed the comfortable bed and the great kitchen, as well as daily walks around the lake. Very clean and the hosts were super responsive and easy to get hold of. Elvira

Our Second Unit

We opened our second short term rental property about 6 weeks later at the end of another tenant’s lease. The Cloverleaf (the Town of Cary logo) is slightly larger and is not located on a lake, but is still a great location near downtown Cary, greenways and shopping and has easy access to highways, the airport and all things Raleigh or Durham. This time we had our first guests less than 2 weeks from when the tenants moved out, just in time for Christmas and New Year’s!

The Hard Stuff

There is certainly more to tell. Our first guests left a MESS to clean up with juice, dirt and dog hair everywhere! I thought about giving up before I got started after mopping the floors over and over. We mistakenly purchased some inexpensive cookware to start and had to replace it fairly quickly with a higher quality set. Laundry is quite a chore, so we replaced the comforters with lightweight quilts that are easier to wash in between guests – yes, we wash it ALL. (I’m quite good at folding a fitted sheet if you need tips!) I’m a stickler for cleanliness, so cleaning is a task that is hard to share with hired help.

The Good Stuff

But, it’s been a wonderful journey meeting some new friends and learning along the way how to be a great host – not a landlord – to our guests – not tenants. It’s a hospitality business more than a real estate business, and after diving deep into the online short term rental community, it seems like that is a challenge that many people who are jumping on the STR bandwagon struggle with.

Now that we’ve worked out the kinks and have our systems in place, we are enjoying a little extra profit which we’ve used to upgrade and repair our properties. Granite counters, tile backsplashes, fresh décor and a new HVAC and water heater! The pretty stuff is WAY more fun to invest in, but now that we pay for utilities, we appreciate the efficiency of our new HVAC system!

This is about Staging!

I am writing a stager’s blog here, so let’s talk about staging a short term rental just a bit! There are two goals when staging a short term rental home. The first goal is to get bookings and the second is to get great reviews; great reviews are needed in order to get more bookings!  The home must be appealing in photographs because the customer is always making the decision to buy based solely on the online photographs. The home must also be clean, comfortable, well-appointed and exactly as described online with all the furniture and supplies a guest will need during their stay.

Just like staging a home for sale, it is important for the home to feel spacious and uncluttered. The furniture should fit to scale, not too much but not too little either. The furniture layout is key in the photos and in person for guests to enjoy the space. The décor should appeal to the target audience, draw attention to the features of the home and should not get in the way. Theme homes aside – that is another type of staging and decorating!

Once the guests arrive, the furniture must be comfortable with beds and seating for everyone in their party. In renting a home over a hotel room, guests should expect to find all the comforts of home – cookware and kitchen supplies, towels and linens, soaps and cleaning supplies, paper products, TV and games, pillows and blankets on the sofas, coasters and magazines on the tables, nightstands and lamps, storage for clothing, outdoor space with seating, a desk to work, and wifi with high speed internet access. Once you have gathered all those things, make it pretty, easily accessible and organized. It isn’t simple but a well staged home should FEEL simple because the guest is coming into an unfamiliar place and wants to settle in and enjoy themselves right away!

 Clean. Clean. Clean.

Lastly, a well-staged home, for sale or for rent, is CLEAN!! I don’t like my own dirt very much, but I live with it longer than I should sometimes. No one likes anyone else’s dirt and a good host will provide a clean space above all. I’ve learned some great cleaning systems and solutions along the way as well…perhaps I’ll share my favorites in a future blog!

Along the lines of clean, the home should also be free of smells! Of course you don’t want your short term rental to smell of smoke or pets, but there are A LOT of people who are sensitive to artificial smells. Don’t do it. The house should smell like nothing, just clean and fresh. No plug-ins, sprays, candles, diffusers or scents. One of our supply items is now an ozone machine – we had a guest leave after a week and it smelled like fried chicken! I love some fried chicken, but not the smell a few days later. Clean. Check out my blog post about odors HERE.

A business of hospitality

Short term rental hosting is a business, like any other, but unlike anything that I’ve done before. We’ve combined our love of real estate and property management with a deeper love of staging and hospitality. Taking care of others can be a lot of work, but the payoff comes with every 5-Star Review. and with new friends along the way - we’ve met some wonderful people!

Short Term Rental Consultations

UpStaging Designs is available for short term rental consultations in person or via video chat wherever you are! While there are TONS of resources to learn about short term rental hosting online, I see so many mistakes made in the staging, which results in a frustrated host with fewer reservations than expected. In a consultation appointment, we’ll work with what you already have and I will make suggestions on furniture placement, decor, what to add or subtract, and how to create the best photographs to attract guests and 5-Star reviews.

Click for more info!

How to Make a Small Space Look LARGER

It seems as though our need for larger and larger homes has peaked as we multipurpose them as places of work, school, family time, entertainment, hobbies, and workouts. Finding space for all the things we do at home and storage for all our belongings can be an exercise in extreme creativity or result in a messy, cluttered home.

While older homes may occupy prime urban locations, they are usually smaller than the homes built in the past 20-30 years. The trend towards tear downs is changing the landscape of our cities and larger, 2 and 3 story homes are replacing the small ranch homes built in the 60s and 70s.

At the same time, builders are making the most of the cost of land by building larger homes to sell at a higher price.

But there is another trend towards minimalism, favored by many who crave the sense of calm we experience when our spaces are purposeful and uncluttered. That type of environment is also favored for staging, whether the home is large or small. The challenge is much greater in a small home.

Staging a Small Home

Whether you are team Big House or Small House, how we live in our homes is usually not how they should be staged for selling. And if you live in a small home, staging becomes particularly important as buyers will be looking to see if your home is big enough to be their home. Staging in a small home is especially important because space is at a premium. Maximizing the value of every square foot will maximize the ultimate sales price.

Staging Tips for Small Homes

Pay attention to what is on the floor.

Staging gives buyers perspective on what will fit into a space and helps them imagine their own furniture in your home. An empty room may leave a buyer wondering if their furniture will fit, but a properly sized piece of furniture gives them confidence.  

Remove smaller pieces of furniture and décor on the floor, such as small chairs, accent tables, baskets, vases and rugs. These items break up the space and make them feel smaller. This tip almost never applies to the way people live in their homes, but for staging, it is a game changer.

Avoid bulky furniture. If the furniture does not fit properly, it makes a room feel small. Avoid a size mismatch in the furniture as well, such as a bulky sofa and a small chair or side table.

Keep walkways open, leaving about 3 feet of space for a comfortable flow. Do we live this way? Not in small homes, but it is a design principle applied to staging for good reason.

Assign a Purpose

Give a specific use for each room and avoid multi-purpose rooms in a small home. A large bonus room can be a great value to a buyer if they can see it has plenty of space to be used as an office, den, playroom, and/or work-out space, but that will not work in a small home. A bedroom is for sleeping and a dining space is for eating. If a bedroom is converted into an office, then show buyers a spacious office, not a dual-purpose room, and allow them to imagine the office space as a bedroom instead.

This tip applies to closets as well. I’ve never SEEN so many random things stored in coat closets! Here’s the clue…if it’s called a “coat closet” the buyers should find coats. Same goes with pantries for kitchen items and linen closets for linens. In the bedroom, the closet is for clothing and accessories, not photo albums and wrapping paper! When a seller has extra storage, I love to give a closet a special purpose for toys, appliances, cleaning supplies or office supplies.

Color

Choose lighter colors or even transparent furniture (no color) to make a space feel larger. Dark furniture feels both bigger and heavier than a light-colored piece. Glass tables take up less visual space than a solid piece.

Surfaces

Surfaces and shelving that are completely bare do not give a sense of purpose or evoke an emotional connection to a home, but too many items look cluttered, busy and distracting.

Style shelves with one to three items each, use symmetry and just enough color to keep eyes moving. A lamp with one or two other decorative items is all there should be on a table or nightstand. Kitchen counters should have no more than one appliance, decorative counter pieces and a plant. In a kitchen where counter space is at a premium, the buyer should see almost all of it!

Paint

Paint colors affect how large a space feels. While some of us love a dark room, buyers want to see the light and the square footage. Accent walls bring a wall towards you visually, making a space feel smaller. Lighter paint colors expand a space visually.  

 Lighting

Light, both natural and artificial, affects how large a space feels as well. Natural light is best, so remove curtains and open the blinds to add light to a space. A mixture of overhead, task and lamps highlight the features of the space, while making it feel larger.

Pay special attention to the color of the lighting as well. Avoid “blue” light with a high kelvin level of 5000 or above. Soft lighting with a kelvin of 3000 is most like natural light and is best for staging.

Pre-Packing

When it is time to sell, you may need to store the exercise equipment, an extra sofa or recliner, a TV, or even your work from home desk. Pack up holiday décor, out of season clothes, mementos and the stored items that are rarely used to create square footage in your home. The added benefit is you are better prepared for the move after you are under contract.

The better you stage the home, the quicker it is off the market and a semblance of normal life can resume until the final packing is completed before the move.

Mindset

When making plans to sell your home, homeowners need to change their mindset. Moving will require that you (or the movers) touch all of your belongings. You must put it in a box or make arrangements to give away, sell or discard every single thing you own. When those decisions are made in advance of marketing your home, the process is not just easier, but much more efficient once the house is under contract and a moving date is set.

And who wants to open a box in your new house, only to discover you didn’t really need that item anyway?

Home Seller Question

I received an email from a staging client the other day.

Here’s what she asked:

“I spoke with the home repairs guys yesterday for the living room ceiling issues we discussed. He said he wouldn’t fix it since it’s just aesthetics. He didn’t consider it a negotiation point. The Realtor mentioned it when he came to the house for the initial consultation and you also mentioned as well. Do you agree that we should leave it as is?”

Here’s my response:

“Thank you so much for asking the question. Your handyman is correct that it is just cosmetic and not a “repair” item so long as the cause is not a current defect in the home, such as a roof leak. That said, it is considered a maintenance item, just like worn carpet and paint. Carpet and paint are the highest return on investment you can make in your home.

The value of your home is based on the perception of the buyer and perception is subtle. The recommendations I make as a stager are often very subtle but can make a huge impact on a buyer’s perception of a home and its value. In order to maximize value, I make the recommendations I do.

If something I recommend is prohibitive based on time or expense, clients will sometimes skip a recommendation and it may or may not matter in the end.

Please weigh in that both your realtor and I recommended the repair, and we are both experienced real estate marketing professionals. Your handyman is not. If you can get it done, I still recommend it.”

Moving Expenses

When a seller begins the process of moving, the costs add up quickly. Packing, moving, realtor fees, closing costs and repairs plus the time it takes away from work and personal life can quickly overwhelm a seller.

On the other end, sellers must add in the cost of inspections and deposits for a new home. The new mortgage is likely higher and the cost to customize the new home must be budgeted for. The process is daunting, stressful and overwhelming to even the most prepared sellers.

Staging expenses

Most especially in a seller’s market, staging can seem like an unnecessary expense, but it’s just plain marketing 101. Without the proper guidance of a professional Realtor and a strategic marketing plan, sellers cannot maximize the value of their home.

The home will sell, but how much equity will be left on the table when you skip this very important step in the marketing of your most valuable asset? You cannot sell your stock portfolio to the highest bidder, but you can do this you’re your home!

Staging works. Don’t skip it!

#stagerblog #upstagingdesigns #upsellyourhome #makeyourbestmove #homestaging #staging #realestate #realestatesales #realestatestaging #realestateblog #realestateinvesting

#comingsoon

Here in the Triangle Area of NC, we are experiencing record low levels of real estate inventory, but you’d have to be under a rock not to know that. It’s happening nationwide as well. It isn’t just the availability of homes to purchase, but also to rent, with prices increasing about 5% per quarter.

A recent video posted by a local Realtor went viral showing swarms of people coming in and out of a home for sale. This is a big concern for sellers who want to avoid having to leave their homes for days and deal with so many strangers in their house at once. They have turned to “Coming Soon” marketing and are selling their homes without buyers ever coming inside.

Real Estate Marketing

There are strict rules about how a home can be marketed by a Realtor and the timing of when a new listing can be shared with or shown to potential buyers is restricted. When a seller wants to get the word out early, then begin showings at a later date, a Realtor can list a home as Coming Soon.

Coming Soon

During the coming soon period, buyers can do their research and drive by the house, but they cannot go inside until the home is listed as “Active.”  Realtors are using coming soon marketing on more and more listings now and homes are selling “sight unseen” with offers well over asking price! Approximate 20% of available listings in the Triangle are coming soon rather than active, and Zillow is syndicating these listings to get the word out to their audience.

Maximize Offers

So, how do you maximize the opportunity to sell your home, over asking, without opening your door to potentially hundreds of people? Coming Soon.

Realtors can put as much information about a home as they want into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) for buyers and other Realtors to see. Everything from room dimensions, age of systems and of course, a description of all the great features of the house. And, photos.

Stage for Coming Soon

And STAGING is the key to maximizing the benefit of the MLS photos in the coming soon offers. When a staged home is combined with great real estate photography, buyers have the confidence to make an offer on a home without ever stepping inside.

While most homes still sell after the buyer and or their agent have seen the home in person, coming soon marketing with staged photos will generate interest in a home so that as soon as the home hits the market, buyers are lined up to get inside and see it!

Prepare your home for sale

At a time when buyers are competing for so few available homes, homes are selling for top dollar whether they are staged or not. (It hurts my heart to say that.) But, staged homes consistently sell for more money and more quickly. Is that even possible in this crazy market? Yes.

Taking the time to prepare your home for marketing results in an easier, quicker and top dollar sale, higher appraisal price for the buyer, and fewer disputes and bad feelings during post contract repair negotiations. This is especially true in a buyer’s market, and still true in a seller’s market.

So, schedule a staging consultation as soon as you begin considering the sale of your home. Prep now so that when your dream home comes on the market, you can make an offer while it’s coming soon and get yours sold quickly as well!

#stagerblog #upstagingdesigns #upsellyourhome #makeyourbestmove #homestaging #staging #realestate #realestatesales #realestatestaging #realestateblog #realestateinvesting #comingsoon

What does your home smell like?

If you can smell it, you can’t sell it

I estimate about 35% of homes that I visit smell like something. Maybe 10% of those smell like something by accident, like stinky dog or last night’s dinner. Many have no idea that their home has an odor until someone tells them. And it’s not their fault. If you live with it, you don’t notice it. The same goes for our clutter and dust.

I’ve been to homes with strong cooking smells, penetrating smoke odors, strong dog smells, stinky cat litter and just plain stuffy house smell. And worse, unfortunately.

I was once invited to preview a home by a realtor who couldn’t figure out why her listing hadn’t sold yet…I had a headache within a few minutes of entering because there was a plug-in deodorizer in every room of the house!

I have never hesitated to tell a homeowner about an odor I detect because while I don’t want to offend them, my job is to help them sell their homes quickly and for the highest price. That requires that they know the truth about their own homes. Most of us don’t have a show ready, or odor ready, home, including myself. Cue the litter box in my basement. Eww! But I love my cats.

Cleaning is Staging

While my staging expertise extends much further than the following advice, the number one staging recommendation I have is CLEAN YOUR HOUSE! If you do nothing else, don’t skip it.

People would never pay for a hotel room in the condition their own home is in, dirt and odors included. Clean is not just dust and dirt free, it includes odor free. A clean home SMELLS clean and it might not be the reason to buy a home, but it is surely a reason not to buy a home.

Pet Odors

If you don’t have a pet, you’re off the hook. But most of us have a pet who we love dearly, however, your potential buyers do not. They love their own pet. Remove ALL evidence of your pet while marketing your home, including odors. Then, invite a friend over to make sure the smell is gone. They can smell what you cannot. When cleaning carpets, use the driest cleaning method you can and then ensure that the carpets are completely dry. Pet odors, all odors, come out in moisture. For pet stains, or any stain, keep a bottle of Folex on hand. I learned that one from builders who are constantly cleaning up after themselves in new construction!

Cooking Odors

Most cooking odors dissipate pretty quickly, but the ones that linger the most are in the oils that get into the air while cooking, and then settle on surfaces. Bacon. Enough said.

Cleaning all the surfaces, high and low, will often do the trick but in some cases, painting is the only answer. Ceilings, trim and walls must be included because the odors are absorbed into the paint and sheetrock. That goes for smoke as well.

Other odors settle into fabrics - think pet beds, upholstered furniture, curtain panels and rugs. You may need to steam clean, launder or just plain discard things that are holding odors that cannot be removed.

But what about the “good” odors? That is a great question. We all know what smells bad, but who defines what smells good? Ahh, just like décor, we all have different preferences. Staging requires that we neutralize preferences to appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers and that includes our sense of smell.

Scented Candles, Diffusers and Sprays

There are entire stores devoted to things that smell good and we walk through and sniff every soap, candle, diffuser and spray to find the one we like the most. Clearly, scented everything is popular.

What makes someone buy the woodsy vanilla vs the cherry blossom candle? Preferences. Lavender vs peppermint essential oils? Preferences.

If you love having a scent in your home, you might not realize that some people get a headache, or even a migraine when they are around an artificial scent!

Covering up odors

And the cynic in all of us will wonder if you are covering up some terrible odor. The truth is that the home the Realtor called me about had 3 cats in the house. The seller was trying to mask the odor.

When I mention perfumed odors to homeowners with scented candles burning while I’m there for my consultation, they often admit on the spot that they are trying to cover up the smell of Fido. See?!

Baking Cookies

And the last question I get is about cookies. Should you bake some cookies? Who wouldn’t love the smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies in the house? Just don’t do it. Are you covering something up?

There are lots of ways to remove odors and sometimes cleaning and removing odors requires more than air fresheners and open windows on a breezy day. I’m happy to help with advice and vendors if that’s needed.

My go-to air freshener is Fresh Wave. It does a great job removing odors rather than covering them up. I recommend this one over the perfumed odors you spray in the commode – you know the one - or any other stale, stinky air. Fresh air usually smells great, but springtime in the Carolinas brings a wave of pollen none of us want inside the house!

Clean your home, on the surfaces and in the air. And, hire a professional stager who can give the best advice on furniture placement, décor, updates and finishes. Staging works. Don’t skip it! Schedule now!

#stagerblog #upstagingdesigns #upsellyourhome #makeyourbestmove #homestaging #staging #realestate #realestatesales #realestatestaging #realestateblog #realestateinvesting #homeodors #scentedhomes #chocolatechipcookies

How to earn $1,000 per hour

How hard would you work if someone was willing to pay you $1,000 per hour?

How much money would you invest for a 4-500% return on investment?

 

You can do it and I can tell you how, but I find that many people are not willing to invest their time or money, or are willing to take a slight risk, in case the return is something less than what I’ve suggested.

The catch is that this opportunity is for homeowners in a position to sell.

The real estate market is unprecedented right now and if you are lucky enough to own a home, you may be considering a move to take advantage of the equity you suddenly have. But how much equity do you really have? Your “Zestimate” may be accurate, but it may be way off. Even Zillow has admitted that they have no idea what the value of any particular home is. (They most certainly did not hire stagers to market the homes they have been trying to sell!)

Only a seasoned real estate marketing professional can tell you what your home is worth and how to maximize the sale price.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of voices saying that you don’t need to stage your home or do any special preparations to sell your home because of the current market. That is true, but it has always been true. There is a price that someone is willing to pay for your home in any real estate market, but in this real estate market, buyers are willing to pay more in order to win a house. Any house. It’s crazy town out there - no argument from me.

Home Buyers Will Pay More For Your House

But specifically, because it’s crazy town, you should pay attention before jumping in. Imagine what buyers would pay for a house that is staged, move-in ready and in tip-top shape? It’s more. They will pay more. That is true in both a buyer’s market and a seller’s market.

Most people do not have the vision or finances to look at a poorly presented home and see it’s potential. Yes, they will buy it in this market, but the one they will fight for and over pay for, is a staged home that is photo ready, show ready and move in ready for the target buyer.

So, how do you work for $1,000 an hour?

How do you get a 500% return on investment?

Start with a Staging Consultation with an expert. It will take a couple of hours of your time and will cost some money. The recommendations, if followed, can yield that return.

Staging May Cost you Time And Money

Be warned. You will be asked to move furniture, prepack your stuff, rent out a storage unit, and purchase anything from a set of towels or bedding to a house full of new carpet or paint. It won’t even make sense sometimes because staging is different that decorating. Staging is not intuitive, so hiring and experienced and trained stager makes all the difference.

Staging will yield a Return On Investment

The reality is that the small changes are what yield the big results. Small is relative. If a seller spends $5,000 to prepare their $500,000 home, that is a 1% investment. That sounds small, but it may hurt your wallet at first. If your $5,000 investment nets you a $50,000 above asking offer, you’ve gotten a 10x return on that investment and it no longer sounds like much money.

Let me be fair and play devil’s advocate on myself. Like I said, it’s crazy town out there in our real estate market. If you don’t stage your home, you might still get $25,000 over asking anyway. Yeah!

You either did great, or you really missed out.

If you could have sold for another $25,000, you just turned down a job earning $1,000 an hour or more. You turned down a 500% return on investment.

I get it. You may be in a hurry or strapped for cash. Every little thing you do to improve the presentation of your home adds up and adds value. Start with a Staging Consultation, in person or virtual, and listen to what the recommendations are.

Click right here and schedule that first investment!

#stagerblog #upstagingdesigns #upsellyourhome #makeyourbestmove #homestaging #staging #realestate #realestatesales #realestatestaging #realestateblog #realestateinvesting #highdollarearning

Video Killed the Radio Star

When I read in my daily news email that MTV was 40 years old recently, my husband and I had a great time reminiscing about the 80s. That decade is known for some great music, but when video was added, it was even better. It doesn’t seem that long ago since I was a teenager in the 80s! Music and entertainment and everything else has changed since then. 

Video and photography have changed every industry, as well as our everyday personal lives. Sometimes technology changes everything quickly, like in the past 18 months, and sometimes we are a little slower to adopt. Video, and video chat services, are integrating into new areas of our lives every day.

Video Chat in Business

As a small business owner, I went from panic to pivot in the spring of 2020. My in-person Staging Consultations went virtual, and I learned how to use Zoom to see into homes across town and across the country! Video chat is not a new way of working with business clients, but it used to be reserved for larger corporations trying to communicate across the world. People have adopted the technology in droves now, and it has changed the way businesses in every industry work with clients and collaborate among employees. Video based meetings via our phones, computers, and specialty devices, such as Portal, are easy and common for us all.

Real estate as an industry has changed radically over the past 20 years. Electronic signatures became legal in 2000. Zillow started at the end of 2004. The iPhone was launched in 2007, putting immediate access to the internet in everyone’s pocket. These 3 technologies have transformed real estate and today’s buyers and sellers have more information than ever. Firms are in a battle for their client’s attention with companies like Zillow.

Technology will continue to change real estate

How will real estate change in the future? Technology will lead the way in all areas of the real estate business.

New Buyer and Seller Consultations happen via Zoom. Showings happen through FaceTime or Google Duo. Matterport and Drone photography give buyers a view into homes like never before.

Virtual Staging Consultations

Staging Consultations at UpStaging Designs have primarily returned to pre-pandemic methods, but the way of video-based staging consultations will remain. This type of meeting is effective, efficient, and economical, and open to sellers in every market across the country.

Video-based Staging Consultations are not just for those far away from a professional stager, or those concerned about Covid variants. They are easy, flexible and more cost efficient than a traditional consultation. Have you seen it? Tried it? Considered it?

Are you curious about it?

At UpStaging Designs, we even offer a video-based photo prep ensuring no detail is missed and those MLS photos are top notch. No buyer can see every detail of their home when preparing for the MLS photos, especially when they’ve worked so hard to get all the big stuff done in time for marketing.

Schedule a Virtual Staging Consultation or Virtual Photo Prep for your clients now! Or let me know if you have questions.

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Staging the Primary Bedroom

When staging and selling your home, all bedrooms are secondary to the Primary Bedroom, where whoever is forking over the purchase price is going to spend a lot of their time. Staging the primary bedroom shows buyers a sanctuary to imagine their new life in and is key to winning an emotional connection with that buyer.

After meeting with thousands of homeowners, one thing I know is that the primary bedroom almost never gets the same decorating love and attention as the living spaces and the kid’s bedrooms. That isn’t to say that homeowners don’t all WISH for a special retreat at the end of the day, so, stage that bedroom! You are creating a lifestyle for them.

 Size matters. When a home is sold vacant, the primary bedroom is one space that might keep the home from selling if buyers don’t think it is big enough to fit their current bed. Furniture in the primary bedroom gives buyers perspective on how and what will fit into the space. The negative space, or empty areas, are as important as the furnishings. If the queen-bed fits with room to spare, a king-bed will also fit!

 Start with a bed that fits into the space. In a smaller bedroom, remove canopy and sleigh beds which add significant size and visual weight. Replace with a simple frame and upholstered headboard and it will make a big difference in how the buyer visualizes the space. It might even make sense to remove a king-bed and replace it with a queen-sized bed for staging.

 Since the bed is the centerpiece of any bedroom, it is important to finish the look with all the right accessories. Balance the sides of the bed with nightstands and matching or coordinating lamps. Nightstands don’t have to be the same, but matching lamps will tie them together. If there is no headboard, build up the bed with larger pillows in back and a neutral, horizontal piece of art.

 The right bedding can finish the space and create luxury in the buyer’s eyes. While expensive bedding is beautiful, bedding does not have to BE expensive to look luxurious. Chose a simple quilt set in a neutral color, folded down to reveal coordinating sheets. Add contrasting throw pillows and blanket to finish off the look of a primary bedroom we all want to come home to. Avoid busy patterns, bright colors and worn or dated bedding. Especially in a room with a strong or dark wall color, a white quilt set is the foundation of a great bed.

 Scale is also important in the bedroom. Larger nightstands call for larger lamps and vice versa. If dressers are especially large, stick to one dresser and store the chest of drawers. Avoid large, overstuffed armchairs in a small corner and remove baskets, ottomans and any personal items on the floor to make the entire space feel larger.

 A common issue I find in primary bedrooms is lack of lighting. I meet homeowners every day who live with the builder-grade two bulb flush mount fixture for years and never add any lamps or upgraded lighting in the bedroom. It leaves the space feeling builder basic and nothing special. You want special in the primary bedroom! Bedside lamps are not just for lighting but are a great way to add style to the space. Overhead lighting is key for function but can also add a warmth and upgrade the value. Investing in a simple chandelier or even a basic ceiling fan will upgrade the room from a buyer’s perspective.

 It is common to have lots of electronics and chargers in the bedroom. Remove them all to achieve that peaceful retreat that buyers will want to buy. The primary bedroom is one space where some personal items can remain. A special photo of a couple, a wedding memento or a family photo can remain for staging. Another reminder every seller should keep in mind is to secure valuables and weapons which are often stored in the primary bedroom or closets.

 What if the seller doesn’t already own any of these things? While most sellers don’t want to purchase expense furniture for staging, it might make sense to shop now and move the new furniture to the new home. Beyond the larger items, simple accessories and linens are a small investment with a big impact. Check out some of our favorites on Amazon for staging to sell, or to upgrade your current primary bedroom before you sell and enjoy it now!

#stagerblog #upstagingdesigns #upsellyourhome #makeyourbestmove #homestaging #staging #realestate #realestatesales #realestatestaging #realestateblog #realestateinvesting #primarybedroom #bedroomstaging