I recently received a phone call from a homeowner who had her home on the market for 6 months with very little traffic. She had moved out of state and left her vacant home, thinking it would sell quickly. She called Fresh Perspectives to provide a bid to stage her home, hoping that staging would make the difference in selling the home.
As I pulled up to her home I was intrigued by the adorable historic home I was about to view. Most homes in this part of town are built in the early 1900's and have been completely renovated with hip, modern amenities or restored back to their original beauty. These homes have beautiful mill-work, tall ceilings, and original fireplaces in bedrooms, dining rooms, and sitting rooms. The only negatives are the chopped up rooms and the lack of the open, flowing floor-plans like the ones that are so popular today.
As I entered I began to see the challenges this home was facing. It certainly had all the beautiful mill-work, pocket doors, tall ceilings, and fireplaces that make these homes so appealing, but it also had a mix of contemporary (80's) fixtures and some bright, funky colors. It was very confusing for today's buyer. If the buyer wanted an originally restored home - they would be disappointed with all the bright colors and updated (but outdated) renovations. If the buyer wanted an older home with a modern touch - they were disappointed with the outdated fixtures and lack of flow. One room was true to the original time period - the next was not.
What to do? There were issues I knew any buyer would not be able to get past: some of the paint colors and the dated fixtures. We provided an honest assessment. Sure we could stage the home, but let's deal with the issues any buyer wouldn't get past, first! Neutralize the bright colors, update the dated 80's fixtures, and let's get this house scrubbed from top to bottom!
No matter how good a staging job we do, buyers still won't get past the bright lime green walls and the 80's Hollywood light fixtures - making this home a huge turn-off.
It's much better to have a neutral, clean vacant home then a staged home that is confusing and outdated.
Fresh Perspectives is a home staging company specializing in vacant home staging, model home staging, and property redesign for the Greater Nashville real estate community. For an honest assessment of your home contact us 615-465-8086 or www.fresh-perspectives.com.
Thursday, January 3rd Nashville held its first SIF Round Table at Cort Furniture Rental. It was a huge success and everyone had a great time networking and getting to know each other. The ladies in attendance were:
I met so many great women and learned what they specialize in - which was a great opportunity for me to develop my referral list when I am not right for a particular job. We also talked about our local ASP Chapter (which has reformed recently and is stronger then ever) and our local RESA chapter that is just getting off the ground. I strongly believe in the vision of unifying our industry and making staging a common practice in all real estate transactions. Our SIF Round Table was a huge step in the right direction. So many asked when the next one was scheduled and said they wanted to attend.
So, a huge thank you goes to those who participated and also Craig Schiller for developing these discussions.
Stage it Forward......
Anthea Click is the President and Lead Designer of Fresh Perspectives, a property merchandising company servicing the Greater Nashville, TN area.
Fresh Perspectives Property Merchandising Services specializes in vacant and model home
staging, project management, and property redesign for the real estate community in the Greater
Nashville area. Not only do we transform spaces into warm, welcoming environments that appeal to
a broad range of home buyers, we also help you market the property. Fresh Perspectives works as
a marketing partner with you and your Realtor to get the home sold. We are fun to work with, enjoy helping our clients make more money when selling, and believe in getting the job done on time. So if you are looking for a fresh perspective, give us a call. We look forward to working with you!
Our Mission
We aim to serve our clients by providing exceptional customer service, maintaining high ethical standards, exemplifying true professionalism in property merchandising, and enabling our clients to realize more profits to their bottom line.
Design to Sell
We use the homeowner's furniture and accessories to highlight the best features of the property. We focus on strategic furniture placement, color selection, accessorizing, organizing, depersonalizing, and decluttering each room for a quick, profitable sale.
Design to Live
Are you moving to a new home and not sure where to put everything? Are you out of ideas and not sure what to do with a room? With our Design to Live service we will evaluate your furniture and accessories to develop a plan that will create a comfortable retreat for your entire family. Whether it is just one room or the entire house you can do the work yourself or we can do it for you.
Personal Shopping
Whether you don't have the time or not sure what to purchase we provide personal shopping services to help you complete any room. Rates are $45 an hour. (2 hour minimum)
Furniture and Accessory Rental
If you have a vacant property or own a small amount of furniture and accessories we have a large inventory of items available for rent on a monthly basis.
"Wow! For the first time I enjoy each room in my house. It feels clutter free, functional, and elegant all at once. With three small children it can be difficult to maintain a home, but you have shown me that I can enjoy the items I love and store or quickly put away extra items that take away from the overall beauty of the room. Several of my friends even commented they had no idea I had some of my favorite pieces. I appreciate the fact that you have such an eye for practical useable space. You have a great ablity to use items that you knew were important to me.This business was meant for you!"
Be-Tuy Ward
Spring Hill, TN
"I'm so grateful for all your help! I got a contract on my house 1 day after you staged it!I hope you will continue with what you do so well. I wish you much success. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Mrs. G. Williams
Franklin, TN
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