Oakhurst, CA

Selling Grandma's house is often difficult, even when selling to another grandma.

In Oakhurst and Fresno California, our home staging company is frequently asked to do consultations and stagings at homes owned by seniors in Oakhurst, it's surrounding communities and in Fresno communities.

Here is what we often see:

1. Decades old floral and plaid furnishings and window coverings.#1
2. Outdated kitchens and baths with oak cabinets, brass fixtures and vinyl flooring, #2
3. Outdated light fixtures, #3
4. Carpet & other flooring issues.
5. Wallpapered and paneled walls. l
6. Rooms cluttered with years of collectibles and memorabilia.
7. Family photos everywhere.

This blog post is #4 of a series addressing each of the above with photo examples and solutions. Most of these issues can be addressed with low-cost, creative thinking and a simple consultation our Oakhurst based home staging company to help seller's move forward in the sales process and increase their chances in many that sale faster and for money return on this major investment.

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Carpet and other flooring issues, Series #4

In the room below, there were MANY issues. But this royal blue carpeting was so overwhelming that those all important first impressions were very negative. This carpet was worn, dirty, buckling and just sad. My advice to the agent was to spend her money on making improvements, not staging at this time. The seller wouldn't spend a dime on this house and, as expected, it is still for sale.

(Photo Below) Upon entering this dramatic mountain and creekside space, the main thing that everyone potential buyer commented on was the carpet. The carpet was high quality and in great condition but overwhelmingly personal as a color. Since the entire house had this carpet the seller would not even consider replacing it. BUT, the house had been on the market with three different RE agents over almost 2 years. The key with staging this house was to make a big impact with the furnishings so that the focus on the carpet was minimized. The seller's brought back some of their furnishings (which their former RE agent had told them to remove??), then we arranged and accessorized.

Below is what professional staging can accomplish with the cooperation of the sellers.

The results, a quick sale.

(Below photos) The homeowner in this situation knew that the heavy soiled and worn carpet needed to be replaced.

We helped him research choices and he selected this great engineered wood flooring, plus he increased the tile area off of the kitchen adding more space for a small dinette table. (The tile originally ended in the kitchen.)

Professional staging of this space drew attention to the new features and the much improved flooring.

Which of the three above do you think had the best ROI (return on investment)? Yes, it was #3 and it's a rental property. The first person that saw this home moved in within a week. The investment has paid for itself over and over again.

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Dream Interior Redesign and Staging by Ginger Foustis a full service, licensed and insured CSP ® Professional Home Stager , Interior ReDesign/Decorating Specialist, consulting and training company.

Locally serving the California foothill and mountain communities of: Oakhurst, North Fork, Bass Lake, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Wawona and Mariposa. Also serving areas of: Fresno, Clovis and Madera, California and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We provide Virtual and Conceptual Staging Worldwide and we will very soon be offering Professional Stager Training in California, Nevada, Idaho and Hawaii, as part of the International CSP ® training program, Certified Staging Professionals.

Click here to see short slideshows with examples of our work. When the first show is over, click on OTHER SHOWS to see more.

Visit our website at http://www.dreamredesigns.com for more information of call 559-877-2442

JOIN US IN NORTH FORK

Please join the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary for our annual Tip BBQ on Saturday, April 30 from 11-2 at North Fork School.

Tickets are just $8 for Tri-tip, salad, beans, bread and a drink. Presale tickets are available for $7 in front of the North Fork Post Office on Saturday, April 23, from 10-1 or from any Auxiliary member or at the Buckhorn Saloon.

This event also includes a huge drawing and silent auction. Drawing starts at 2 p.m.

Come to North Fork and help us support our firefighters and the efforts for a new fire station.

Realtors and Home Sellers, you've seen this but more importantly do you do this?

What room is this?

#1

Or this?

#2

Or this?

If you saw these rooms in person, you could quite easily make assumptions about their purposes, just due to where there are in a house.

However, if you are looking for a home and you see these photo online, do you guess at what you're seeing or wonder what this space could be? Do you hear yourself saying, "what's this?"

Don't leave potential buyers and renters guessing at what they are seeing. Professional home stagerscan increase the online (and in-person) appeal of any space and take the guessing out of those opportunites.

Now can you tell what rooms these might be?

#1 After staging

#2 After

#3 After

Which photos (and rooms) are more visually appealing?

I'm hoping that you say the after shots because I know that when a potential buyers sees photos, like these afters, they will want to see more. Then they will call for a discussion and perhaps a showing. They will not likely just move on to the next online listing due to lack of interest.

Realtors and Home Sellers, how do you want your listings and your home to show? Where's the appeal?

Contact a professional stager in your area today to make those listings shine!

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Dream Interior Redesign and Staging by Ginger Foustis a full service, licensed and insured CSP ® Professional Home Stager and Interior ReDesign/Decorating and consulting company.

Locally serving the California foothill and mountain communities of: Oakhurst, North Fork, Bass Lake, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Wawona and Mariposa. Also serving areas of: Fresno, Clovis and Madera, California.

We provide Virtual and Conceptual Staging Worldwide and we will very soon be offering Professional Stager Training in California, Nevada, Idaho and Hawaii, as part of the International CSP ® training program, Certified Staging Professionals.

Click here to see short slideshows with examples of our work. When the first show is over, click on OTHER SHOWS to see more.

Visit our website at http://www.dreamredesigns.com for more information or call 559-877-2442

Selling Grandma's house is often difficult, even when selling to another grandma.

Our Oakhurst and Fresno California staging company is frequently asked to do consultations and stagings at homes owned by seniors in Oakhurst, it's surrounding communities and in Fresno communities.

Here is what we often see:

1. Decades old floral and plaid furnishings and window coverings.#1
2. Outdated kitchens and baths with oak cabinets, brass fixtures and vinyl flooring.
3. Outdated light fixtures.
4. Carpeting in need of replacement.
5. Wallpapered and paneled walls.
6. Rooms cluttered with years of collectibles and memorabilia.
7. Family photos everywhere.

This blog post is #2 of a series addressing each of the above with photo examples and solutions. Most of these issues can be addressed with low-cost, creative thinking and a simple consultation with us to help seller's move forward in the sales process and increase their chances in many that sale faster and for money return on this major investment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Outdated kitchens and baths

Do these baths look familiar?

Oak cabinets seem to be EVERYWHERE and the difficult thing is that they say to sellers...my kitchen and bath are OLD! Unfortunately, there are builders still putting up low-grade oak cabinets in their new builds here and they can get away with it because the process of making cabinet selections for the uneducated is difficult and pricey.

There are many solutions to this problems from staining, refacing, replacing and painting. By far, the least expensive and the least labor intensive is painting. If you would like to see examples of the differences that can be made with painted oak cabinets, look at these:

This first example was a result of a consultation from my staging colleague and friend Maureen Bray, Room Solutions, Portland, Oregon :http://activerain.com/blogsview/2206898/home-staging-tip-dated-oak-cabinets-update-them-with-paint-

Here's another great example from Professional Home Stager and friend Kathy Burke, Sensational Home Staging, Danville, California: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1548093/removing-80-s-oak-one-house-at-a-time-

Here are a few photos of kitchens and baths which our company has helped update.

The owner of the home above and below refused to paint wood cabinets, so I convinced him to at least go with a darker stain and add some cabinet hardware (jewelry)

I know that the fluorescent lighting in both places should also be replaced but this work was being done for a rental property, so the owner had a limited budget. At least the frames are no longer a shiny brass.

Start with a great consultation, add some sweat equity, updated lighting, mirrors and hardware, plus some great staging and the results will make a big difference in the appeal of a space to potential buyers (and renters).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Dream Interior Redesign and Staging by Ginger Foust is a full service, licensed and insured CSP ® Professional Home Stager and Interior ReDesign/Decorating and consulting company.

Locally serving the California foothill and mountain communities of: Oakhurst, North Fork, Bass Lake, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Wawona and Mariposa. Also serving areas of: Fresno, Clovis and Madera, California.

We provide Virtual and Conceptual Staging Worldwide and we will very soon be offering Professional Stager Training in California, Nevada, Idaho and Hawaii, as part of the International CSP ® training program, Certified Staging Professionals.

Click here to see short slideshows with examples of our staging, decorating and consultation work. When the first show is over, click on OTHER SHOWS to see more.

Visit our website at http://www.dreamredesigns.com for more information of call 559-877-2442

The camaraderie at the RESA conference made it exceptional, thanks to AR (ActiveRain) and Shell

If you are shy or an introvert or find it difficult to be in crowds of "strangers" this blog post is for you. If you are not one of those people, then this post will probably puzzle you and you may find it difficult to understand. SO, we are seeking understanding.

Ever since I can remember, I've been painfully shy.

I would hide behind my mom even when visitors came to our home. Piano recitals were unbearable. Selling Girl Scout cookies door to door was traumatic. Difficult encounters with people, stay with me for a LONG time.

I normally do not barter with people. I'm straight forward and wish that everyone was the same. Discovering, as a young adult that the title Introvert was me and that there are many others like me, was somewhat reassuring but still didn't make encounters much easier.

If you KNOW me here on AR, are you surprised? If you met me at the Portland Raincamp or the RESA 2011 Conference, are you surprised?

Before leaving for the convention I told an AR friend "I just want to sit in a corner, at these events and disappear." I'm uncomfortably happy sitting back and watching the goings-on. This friend confided in me that she often feels the same but she becomes "an actor" at these events and can thereby go outside of her comfort zone. I wasn't convinced that I could do the same but I promised myself that I would try...again. I had done it before and failed miserably.

HOWEVER, when I walked up to the RESA convention registration desk people recognized me from ActiveRain. Conversations started to flow and I felt more at ease than I had been at any such event in the past.

As the convention progressed I found each meeting with another AR member, to get easier and easier because we felt like we already knew each other from this relationship building platform. I even managed to seek people out that I wanted facetime with since I already KNEW them from AR. This was not like me.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see everyone that I felt a connection with here on AR. Fortunately, this stellar event will undoubtedly take place again next year.

So, if you didn't come to the conference this year, partly because these events are painful for you, then take heart. Knowing that your AR pals will be there can make a BIG difference. Hugs from AR pals are so much better than the handshakes.

THANK YOU Active Rain and Shell Brodnax for creating an environment that ALL of us can enjoy.