Home Staging Tip: Sometimes just a few Props are all You Need
When staging your home to sell, it's not necessary to stage every room ... our Portland home staging company usually suggests staging the key impact areas such as the living room, great room or family room, kitchen, dining area and the master bedroom. Many sellers in today's economic climate are on a budget -- so we offer home staging services that are cost-effective.
We recently staged a remodeled 3-story home that's over 4500 sq ft. We fully staged all of the key rooms, but to reduce costs, other areas were given just a few staging props to show function & to warm up the space. This home has many interesting areas that were fun to stage using a "less is more" approach. Here are a few examples of using a few staging props to show buyers how they might enjoy these spaces:
This modestly-sized open space is somewhat of a pass-through area, with a sliding glass door to the deck, a low window to enjoy the view, open hallways on two sides, & powder room off it, with no wall space for conventional furniture. By using a round table with four chairs, we showed a conversation area ...
On the lower level, a large room was remodeled into a media room. Although the budget didn't allow for furniture in this space, we placed some movie-themed wall decor so that buyers would instantly "see" the room's intended function ... 
This space off the master bedroom was a perfect spot for a desk; since this home already has an office on the main floor, this provides a more intimate space; light staging gives the buyer some ideas ... 
This area off the entry has a natural spot for a chair but not much more, because this is a main traffic area ... 
On the lowest level of this home you'll find a second, huge family room that resembles a bowling alley. Rather than stage the entire room, we staged just one end of it .. leaving the other end open for a ping-pong or pool table or a huge sectional ... 
Remember that if you're selling your home, buyers not only look for the size of home they want, but they also like ideas for how to use any extra spaces (especially ones that may have more than one function). Consult with a professional home stager to find the best advice for staging your home!
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Room Solutions Staging offers staging services to Portland Oregon metro area homeowners, real estate agents, builders, banks, and investors in preparing homes for the market. Our home staging clients love our service and our home staging statistics! Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultations, staging for both vacant and live-in homes, and interior redesign projects. For a free home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800.
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Thos are some inviting rooms. By buyers would certainly be impressed.
Maureen, some easy and beautiful suggestions - love the photos!
Nice Pix. I'm always amazed by the radical transformation a good stager can produce.
Beautiful. I love your explanation of choices too, it helps others understand the process for Stagers and can even educate new Stagers.
Dennis and Terri ~ I hope that your buyers are finding what they want!
Janice ~ Glad you like the photos, thanks for your feedback.
Lloyd ~ Thanks, we love hearing that from another AR Realtor!
Laura ~ Although we don't endorse "vignette staging" we do light staging in conjunction with staging key impact rooms. Large homes like this one may not have a budget for staging all of those other areas, but adding a few props is still an effective marketing tool.
Maureen, not all homes have the budget to stage every single area and I agree with you that staging of the main areas is important. I also like that you didn't leave some other rooms unidentified. I am going to take this tip from you on the media room. Honestly I was always thinking that it should be an easy way to present it without draging some extra furniture in it. Thanks for the idea.
Maureen- Perfect!!! You are so right....in many cases all you have to do is let the buyers see how the room might be used. I thought your idea of placing movie posters and related items in the media room ws excellent. (pressed the suggest button on this one!)
Maureen--Great before and after pictures. I love the fact that posts like yours can help sellers realize that staging is available to them at all levels. The great work you did here doesn't break the bank, but takes the house from cold and empty to warm and inviting. Nice work--as always!
Nice work Maureen, thanks for the post...now I'll rethink some of those spaces in the next homes I stage!
Ana ~ Once I staged a media room with a popcorn machine along with movie-themed wall art. It helps the buyer to "feel" what the room could be used for! Often the actual chairs are not really needed.
Kathy ~ Thank You -- your feedback is really appreciated :-)
Janet ~ I'll show other rooms that we staged in this home in a future post, but this one just shows those "extra" spaces that homes sometimes have, to give sellers ideas on how to present them. Thanks for stopping by with your comment.
Donna ~ The one that was most challenging was the first room since there are no walls that you can place furniture on, and it's a area that people would just walk through and say, "what's this space for?" The round conversation area provides a spot for someone to sit and enjoy the outside views.
Smart thinking. You're right sometimes just a little bit can make a difference to define a room. Nice job.
Debbie ~ glad to hear that you're in agreement ... have a wonderful weekend!
Maureen - In a home that's over 4500 square feet, it's hard to justify staging every single room. The main rooms would be fully staged, but ofent the secondary rooms are left empty. I love your tips on how large, secondary rooms can be staged, without breaking the bank. Filling awkward corners and niches with chairs or a desk is brilliant. Can't wait to see more of this home.
We need more of this type of post! It's those "what to do with this space" areas that leave buyers confused and we all know if they are confused they aren't going to put in an offer!
Maureen-what a great example of "creating a feeling" with minimal accessories. I love the way that you suggest the movie room in such a minimalistic but concise way. These pictures are gorgeous!
Sally ~ Staging a large home can be challenging on a budget, so just adding a few items in secondary spaces can often be enough. I'll post more photos of this home soon.
Sharon ~ Confusion usually leads to a buyer saying "let's go see the next house on our list" -- and we'd rather have them linger a little longer.
Marianne ~ Creating a feeling is our goal! Thanks for your compliments on my photos. :-)
The home looks fabulous with just the right about of accessories to show space and function and easily draw potentials into the lifestyle one could live in such a magnificent home.
BTW I absolutely LoVe the tulip artwork.
Maureen~Nice job on creating special spaces out of nooks and crannies, that's adding real value. Best
Liz ~ Thanks for your feedback on the staging. The seller loved that art too and asked me where he might find it!
Adrian ~ Sometimes the nooks and crannies are the most fun to work with. I hope that you're finding things picking up in King County!
Maureen, well done! Staging key areas and using vignettes in lesser areas does work and your photos really show it.
Just lovely Maureen! Budgets are always the consideration when staging & you prove that simple settings and decor can really make a big impact with a small budget!
I agree. These spaces are all "lovely." While the items may have been minimized to help cost, the "look" and "feel" of the room wasn't sacrificed. If I were a potential buyer, these areas would definitely appeal to me.
Congratulations. Your home staging is being featured in the group Staging Before and After Pictures.
Kathy
Beautiful work as usual, Maureen! I just suggested to a homeowner that we stage a rather strange room across the hall from the kitchen that has a washer and dryer in a closet and hardwood floors as a playroom (it's vacant now), but since she doesn't have the budget for a full staging, either, I recommended just a color-block type rug appropriate for kids and a large stuffed animal in the corner, maybe one low small bookcase with a few books and games. I don't like "vignette" staging that is cutesy, but light stagings with a few key pieces are a different story!
Thanks, Janice!
Karen ~ most staging projects have budgets ... so we try to work with them. It's challenging but that's where we can really get creative.
Kathy ~ Good to hear that you think buyers would find these spaces appealing. Thanks so much for featuring my post! :-)
Amy ~ Sometimes a few well-chosen pieces can help buyers imagine how they'd use the space ... and get them closer to making an offer!
Maureen - You've captured the essence of staging. You don't always have to go "all out." Sometimes a hint to the way a room could be used is plenty. Such a beautiful job. Love, love, love your art selections for the media room and the entry.
Pamela ~ Going "all out" works very well in some homes, but most of my clients opt for key room staging. In this home we did these rooms with light staging, and it's definitely better than leaving them completely empty. Thanks for your nice feedback!
Hi Maureen, this is such an important part of staging when the properties are larger. You have shown several excellent examples of inspiring vignette staging. Good use of colour to add some life to an otherwise pretty boring walk through a home.
Michelle ~ Thanks for joining into the discussion ... although I don't believe in staging using only vignettes, as you said in larger homes it can help to fill those spaces that would otherwise be empty.
Maureen.....WOW big house with BIG results!! Great job at showing off the functionality of the space w/o breaking the bank on the budget. It was well worth the "lite" staging of these spaces!
Maureen
You have given realtors some great ideas when it comes to staging a house. Thanks for the inside information.
Kathy ~ it's a wonderful, spacious house that was built in 1957 and completely remodeled .... I'd love to live there myself!
United ~ Glad you found the information helpful.
Every room here is presented to perfection! Did anyone ever tell you that you were in the right line of work? :-)
Karen ~ You are far too kind, my friend! Thanks for your unwavering support ... it's much appreciated! :-)
Maureen - empty rooms don't show well ..... rental furniture for one room of a recent listing put the finishing touches to an otherwise perfect house.
Aloha Maureen,
An unoccupied 4500 sqf property is a lot of space to fill but the minimalist design plan works very well in highlighting the architectural elements primarily the amazing windows. A few strategically placed items gives scale to the rooms expansive floor plan and gives the photos a great sense of just how much space there is in this property. If I were to sum up the overall appeal of the home it would be spaciousness with lots of natural light and the staging supports that 110%.
Peace,
Kathy ~ you're right -- empty rooms don't show nearly as well as ones that have furniture placed in just the right spot to highlight the architecture of the house. As a Realtor you offer your clients a higher level of service than those who don't use staging as a marketing tool -- good for you!
Kimo ~ thanks as always for your excellent interpretation of the benefits of staging and real estate merchandising! Your clients are lucky to have your expertise in helping them to market their properties.
You had some weird areas to deal with in that house and you did a great job showing the buyer what to do with them!
Hi Shar ~ thanks, I love the challenge of working with unusual spaces, keeping in mind that our goal is to enhance the home's architecture and be appealing to buyers at the same time.
I really love that piece of art in the hallway! Great work with your staging.
Thanks, Karen ~ I love that piece too and wish I had another one!
Maureen some great stuff here. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
Hi Kevin ~ Hope that this info is helpful! Thanks for stopping by today.