Room Solutions Staging in Portland Oregon was recently selected to stage a vacant 1987 contemporary home, working with a limited budget. The kitchen had been updated a few years ago, helping to bring this home up to current standards, and just before listing they updated the bathrooms. After we staged the home it sold for over asking price in only 5 days!
Staging a vacant home to show potential buyers how the space might be used is critical in today's market, especially when the space is more open and undefined, as in this 1987 example. Buyers who walk into a space with nothing to look at will notice small flaws and instantly lose interest, thinking the house will be a big project. Here are some Before & After photos to show how we used color and a simple plan to highlight the features of the home ...








Maureen Bray and the team at Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR provides professional home staging services to realtors, homeowners, and investors. We'd love to help you reduce market time & obtain maximum equity on your property -- call us @ 503-246-1800.
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Simply Stunning! Nice work Maureen!
Great job Maureen! It looks beautiful!
Congratulations on the quick sell Maureen! I just love this one!
Looks great! The darker cabinetry in the bathroom makes it looks so much warmer and updated.
Love your work. Clean Cut, as I call it. Very nice great taste
Maureen,
What a huge difference that new cabinetry made in the bathroom. It looks like a totally different room. Great job as usual!
Gina, Amy, Julianna ~ thanks for your feedback
Dabbie ~ The sellers were smart to agree to updating the bathroom cabinets from the old melamine with oak trim to this newer, sleeker look. Thanks for stopping by
Fernando ~ Thanks! A clean look often works well especially in a "dated" contemporary like this one
Susan ~ The bathroom does look much better, doesn't it? Thanks for weighing in
Maureen, very nicely done! I love the living room windows and the bathroom looks so much better with the upgraded cabinets and countertops. Thanks for sharing your work!
Debbie ~ Thank you for stopping by -- it's so nice to see a realtor who subscribes to the Stage It Forward group! Your comments are appreciated.
Maureen,
Congratulations on a great staging job! I like your Bull Terrior picture in the dining room. Continued success!
Michelle ~ That Bull Terrier canvas from Home Goods caught my eye ... the bright color was just what this kitchen nook needed. (Besides, I have a half-terrier from Ireland and he's too cute.) Thanks for your well wishes!
Maureen, so that's what you've been doing, creating amazing spaces. Looks really nice. Great job. So, didn't get to chat this evening. Maybe one day soon. But you know where to find me if you want to chat.
IMPRESSIVE! I particularly like how you angled the furniture in the living room.
Love everything you did Maureen!
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
Maureen: That house looks very cool and tres chic - well done! Julie
Maureen..
I think stagging a home is a must when the listing is vacant. Clients have a hard time visualizing there furniture in rooms. Having something there is always a plus. It would be the same for an open house. But your best foot forward.
Great job Maureen. Congratulations.
Congratulations on the Feature, Maureen! You deserve it! See you in the rain!
Great work Maureen, I can absolutely see the difference. A quick sell in our current market says a lot about your work!
Maureen- The house looks great! Congrats on a job well done.
Terrylynn ~ Thanks for your feedback .... yes I've been busy as a bee here but would love to chat -- this weekend perhaps?
Diane ~ Sometimes an angle helps the buyer to notice a feature (in this case it pointed towards a wonderful forested view). Thanks for stopping by!
Kathy ~ Many thanks for your comment and also the B& A feature.
Julia ~ This was a very limited budget but I guess you could say it worked, with such a quick sale. Even the broker was pleasantly surprised.
Valerie ~ You're so right. A vacant home just isn't interesting to a buyer and they need to see what it would "feel" like to live there. Staging just helps the house put its best foot forward .... I like that!
Maureen ~ It looks great! I love the way the bathrooms turned out; nice update.
What a cool house! You did a great job capturing the main selling features and making great use of the built in shelving! I love it!!!!
Looking good there. How much did it sell for? Came together quite nicely.
Julianna ~ Thanks .... see you in the Rain literally today, as it's "misting" here in Portland and no doubt in Seattle too!
Bryan ~ Glad you could see the difference that staging made in this home. The quick sale was a great relief to the sellers. Thanks for your input!
Barbara ~ Many thanks, this was a fun house to stage and using color really helped to brighten it up.
Kathy P. ~ The bathroom was updated just enough to make it appealing, on a tight budget and worth every penny.
Dawna ~ Thanks for your comment. The shelves were fun to accessorize!
Robert ~ Thank you -- the home was listed for $650,000 and sold for slightly over asking price. Thanks for stopping by.
I love to look at the difference. The majority cannot imagine the potential
Maureen - It looks wonderful. That bathroom really looks great.
very nice
Maureen - congratulations on a job well done and a successful sale as a result. We have some new condo buildings with many units for sale - that are so boring, all vacant, all white - the power of staging is incredible.
Great post. Thanks for including the photos.
Carol ~ It's true that many buyers don't have the ability to imagine a home's potential ... staging can really help buyers in this category. Thanks for your feedback.
Maureen H. ~ Thanks, we loved the "new" bathroom too -- the old melamine cabinets with oak trim were so 80's, not what today's buyers are demanding.
Sharon ~ Your comment is appreciated; it's true that those boring condos would look great if they had some "pizazz" injected through staging. Buyers need to see and feel what a place might be like to live in, don't you agree?
Michael and Dave ~ Thank you for stopping by, glad you enjoyed the Before & After photos of this project.
How much would it cost to clone you and to be you in Atlanta? I got money . . .
Geeze . . . and I thought I was good! You really make us all sit back and go "aaaHHHHHHHHHHH'
gee, I love ya, just wanna be ya!
your pal, kd of peachtree city!
Karen ~ Hey my friend, I'm blushing.... Atlanta needs you JUST as you are, but thanks for your kind remarks! This was a limited budget, simple job, but the staging did make the house more inviting. Since staging this property I've received a number of calls from REAs who took my card at this listing, and as a matter of fact I staged a vacant home today as a result of this job. Don't you just love when that happens?
Maureen, good eye! This is beautiful. So many people just can't "see" beyond an empty space. It looks great. No wonder it sold. Do you sell it furnished or do you rent? Later in the rain~Deb
Congratulations on the fast sale Maureen. You did a fine job of staging.
LOOKS GREAT! No wonder it's sold quickly!
Another beautifully staged and successfully sold home Maureen. WOW! Your projects are certainly varied and you create the ambiance that should make any buyer want to sign on the dotted line. Well done!
Debra ~ Many thanks for your feedback. It sold so quickly it surprised even the listing broker. Since I'm a stager, I rent the furnishings to my client (in this case, the broker hired me but more often, it's the homeowner).
Wayne ~ Thanks for stopping by with your comment. When we reach the goal of a Sale, everyone wins!
Cindy ~ Aren't we lucky to be able to do what we love? I know you feel the same way ... we love a challenge and we never get tired of providing such a valuable service to our clients.
Ginger ~ Thank you so much for your kind remarks. It's true that here in Portland we have many diverse home styles to work with. I can't really say that I prefer one type over another though, I guess the variety keeps the work challenging and interesting. I've certainly learned a lot here in the Rain that helps me deal with many of them.
Wow, I can seee why it sold so quickly. You did a stunningly understated job on a lovely home. Wishing you some sunshine!
Very nicely done! Simplistic, and yet very inviting!
Annie & Bob and Jim ~ Thanks for stopping by. The staging was definitely simple and understated, and apparently several brokers found that appealing since I received quite a few calls from this project. I think it points to the fact that staging shouldn't be overdone or fussy, especially in a home with simple lines.
Wow Maureen...what a beautiful job. Congratulations on a quick sale.
Thanks for sharing.
Maureen, your work is amazing that's for sure! I love seeing your photos! Keep them coming!
Maureen, Great job! I love how you angled the couch to look out of the huge windows....Love the new cabinetry in the bath. What a difference you made in this home! Way to go!
Christine ~ the quick sale was very welcome by the sellers, who had moved overseas. In today's market, correct pricing by the broker and staging by a professional are a winning combination. Thanks for your input.
LaNita ~ Thanks, I never tire of looking at other stagers' Before & After pics of transformations here either!
Elizabeth ~ there was no fireplace in this living room and the obvious selling feature was the view outside those large windows, so angling the sofa to point buyers towards that feature made sense. Thanks for your comments!
Maybe its the magical red furniture that made this place sell...do you think?!?!
Janis ~ That's an excellent question -- and for those inquiring minds out there, maybe I should write a blog about the "magical" red sofa & chair? Thanks for stopping by ...
Congratulations on a job well done! And Congratulations to that homeowner! I bet they were extremely happy to have it sell so quickly andto have had your assistance!
Great job! Very nicely done.
Christy ~ The sellers were indeed happy to have such a quick sale!
Cindy ~ It was a simple but effective staging project that got the results the sellers needed.
The bathroom changes were great.
Very impressive. It looks warm and inviting we can see why it sold so quickly.
Kathleen ~ Updating this master bathroom as well as one other one made all the difference in this home.
Patty & Scott ~ That was the goal -- and it worked! Thanks for stopping by with your comment.
Maureen, Awesome job. Congratulations on the quick sale. It's funny when we hear this "quick sale/staging" that everyone is still not on board with it.
The house looks great - love the poppys.
Aloha Maureen,
It definitely meets the high standard that we as staggers should seek to achieve, Job well done. The Bathroom was the most dramatic change.
Peace,
Kimberley ~ You're right, sometimes agents or sellers STILL don't get it, even with great stats! We will continue to educate them about the benefits of staging at every available opportunity ... thanks for your feedback.
Kimo ~ Thanks for stopping by with your comment ... the bathrooms were SO dated they really needed work!
The darker cabinets and counter look much more expensive and contemporary.
Love your work! The bathroom transformation is my favorite. Glad to see that 1980s Euro cabinet went. Joan
I love the kitchen and the bathroom. It feels like a home. Great job!
Love the living room - a modern space made to feel cosy using soft textures and warm colours. The angled furniture works really well for the room. thanks for showing us!
Wendy Casey - Vancouver, BC
Cindy ~ Isn't it amazing how a relatively inexpensive update can make such a difference in a bathroom?
Joan ~ Those melamine & oak trim Euro-style cabinets really date a home. Updating them was the right decision!
Nancy ~ Buyers want to feel they can move right in ... thanks for your feedback!
Wendy ~ With white walls and no fireplace to act as a focal point, the living room needed color and interesting furniture angles to point buyers towards the lovely forested view. Thank you for stopping by!