We just staged a vacant Portland home built in 1990 that was lovely in its day, but had very formal, heavy draperies and some dated wallpaper! Here are some Before & Afters ... the photos are small but you get the general idea.
In the LIVING ROOM we not only removed the heavy mauve silk draperies & sheers, but also the wood mullions on the windows to update them -- so much more light comes through:
In the DINING ROOM, removing the heavy mauve drapery shows off the gorgeous custom window and lets in the light:
The MASTER BEDROOM wallpaper matched the valance on the draperies ~ but once the wall was painted and the draperies removed, the room seems much larger and brighter:
The OFFICE didn't need painting, but there were no light fixtures overhead and it had always been shown "in the dark" so we staged it and added a desk lamp & floor lamp:
This home has been on the market since February and the listing agent recommended home staging to the sellers ~ we're hoping the house now appeals to a broader market.
Maureen Bray ~ Owner, Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR, offering home staging solutions to homeowners, realtors, and investors. Give us a call to let us know how we can help you sell your home faster and for maximum profit!
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Fantastic job of staging this home. It looks 200% better! Good luck with the open house.
Linda ~ thank you for your comment. Sometimes when a property has been on the market for 5 months it takes a while to convince agents to "come back again" so we're keeping our fingers crossed that they'll give this home the second chance that it deserves!
WOW thats awesome.....I like the before and after pictures adds a whole other dimension.. Thanks
Ron ~ Thanks for commenting (I like your pooches in your profile photo!) Online photos really help a buyer to imagine living in a home, and with the "before" photos of this home, I doubt they would have attracted much interest. It's so important to stage the property to SELL it, and to SHOW the buyer what a nice home it would be to live in.
Updating is GOOD! YOu made an amazing difference. I had an older prospect with a similar house who couldn't understand why buyers were consistently saying that the house was dated and therefore needed too much work for them to buy it. He didn't hire me, didn't stage, and the house is STILL on the market after 2 mark downs!
Patricia ~ If only your client would STAGE his home, it would be SO much more appealing! I'm sure you showed him some Before & After photos, but since he's now had 2 more price reductions, maybe he's willing to listen to you?
Very nice Mareen. I like the fact also that you removed the window treatments. I say "let there be light" and most often dont do window treatments at all. Especially if the windows afford a great view of the outside.
Terry Haugen - STAGE it RIGHT!
What a difference, Maureen!! I especially like the change in the master bedroom. That wallpaper HAD to go!!
What a difference, Maureen!! I especially like the change in the master bedroom. That wallpaper HAD to go!!
Terry ~ Thanks, and you're right, light is so important.....and this home had lovely trees that were hidden from view by the heavy silk draperies. I prefer not to use window coverings either, especially here in the Northwest where we have too many gray days - need all the light we can get.
Lori ~ Thanks for your comment. No kidding, that wallpaper was SO dated and made the room oppressive. The feel of the room totally changed when it was painted and the curtains were removed.
Isn't it funny how removing drapes can change a space? Oh, and dontcha love what a difference it makes when you can remove wallpaper! I wish more people would let us do it!
Melissa ~ No Kidding, removing drapes and wallpaper can make such a big improvement in most spaces. This house also had wallpaper in the kitchen and the seller agreed it was time for it to go -- but not all sellers will go along with our suggestions. How can we convince them?
Maureen - You did a fantastic job!!!!
Congratulations, your post is being featured within the group!
Kathy
Kathy ~ Thank you so much! What fun!
Maureen - Fantastic transformations!!! It really looked out of date, now it's fab.
Maureen~ A lovely transformation. You have such a clean and elegant style. I especially love the changes you made in the master bedroom. Nothing looks as bad as old wallpaper in dated colors.
Maureen, the house is like night and day - literally. Letting in the light was such a great idea. Love what you did with all the rooms. The metal piece over the bed looks wonderful. The look of the house is so much more up-to-date. Betty
Maureen. This is lovely. You were blessed to find a seller who didn't balk at doing the basic things to improve their chances for a quick sale. I hope you have an update soon. We are having the same problem with a home we recently staged. The REAs don't seem to want to come back. It just shows homes should be staged then put on the market. Oh well.
Maureen H ~ Thank you so much for your compliment! It was a fun house to transform.
Kathy ~ Isn't it amazing how wallpaper totally dates a home? Thanks for your comment, it's much appreciated!
Betty ~ We really need to let light in when we stage don't we? (and more so, here in Portland). We tried to appeal to a younger market since this is a family neighborhood....thanks for stopping by!
Yvonne ~ Thank you! I actually wanted to do more painting and wallpaper removal but the seller's budget was tight so we did the most important rooms (master bedroom & kitchen). If you figure out how to get the REAs back into the house let me know ~ fingers crossed for both of us to have a success story!
Hi Maureen,
WOW! You did an awesome job on those rooms! What a differance it made taking down the window treatments and loosing that wall paper, it looks so much more updated
Hi Penny ~ Many thanks for your comment.......the listing agent called me today to say that yesterday's Open House viewers loved the house and thought it was beautiful -- and he added that this was the FIRST time in 5 months he'd heard anyone describe the house in those terms!
Yes, yes, yes! You did a great job in selling them on what to do and being able to do it!
I, for one, will not rest until all the mauve and blue are off all walls and windows. It won't be long before chocolate and blue will be ousted but at least there isn't any wallpaper involved. You look just like a girlfriend of mine and I will hunt up the photo and show you.
Hi Maureen
What a great difference that you made in this home!!!
Great job
Lynette
Sheron ~ I'm with you removing the mauves & blues! In the 80's how were we thinking that was a good look??
I've heard that everyone has a twin....so please send me the photo of your friend!
Thanks Lynette for your comment. This project was fun because I could envision how it was going to improve and couldn't wait to see the final result.
Looks great!
Maureen,
I just love looking at the Before & After pictures of our AR stagers and these are wonderful! Simple changes = BIG results!
Great job!
VAL
Val ~ Thanks! Yes, these were simple, easy fixes and the seller's return on investment should be worthwhile.
The changes are awesome! I have yet to be successful in getting any homeowner to pay for wallpaper removal...is there a particular way you make your point? Do you show them other before and afters? I have no wall paper before and afters because I can't get anyone to do it.
Diana ~ As a suggestion, you could find blogs about wallpaper removal here on A/R and use those Before & After photos to show your clients what a difference it makes. They may need to be reminded that removing wallpaper and painting neutral colors will make their home appealing to the greatest number of potential buyers. (By the way, in the bedroom of this home, the wallpaper wasn't even removed.....it was primed and painted over and it came out great.)
These are great pic's, Maureen. The master bedroom is my favourite..what a difference!
Julia
Thanks Julia ~ it was fun to see the listing agent's reaction as well as the sellers' -- they were both pleased with the outcome. It's been on the market for 5 months and it's finally getting good buyer interest now!