Monica Murphy, ASP, IAHSP, RESA

About Preferred Staging, LLC

I have had the very unique experience of having grown up in a furniture store, surrounded by interior decorators (my parents and my brother) and an interior designer (my sister). I followed a slightly different path, however, and earned my MA in Art and Architectural History, which led to a wonderful position within the Historic Preservation division of the National Park Service in Washington, DC. I worked closely with both the National Archives and the Library of Congress, and I made a significant contribution to the preservation of American architecture.

Home staging is the natural outcome of my education, personal and work experiences. I have furthered my education by completing the StagedHomes.com accrediation course, and I have earned the title of Accredited Staging Professional (ASP). I am also a member in good standing with the International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP), and served as the Membership Chair for 2009. I believe you would be hard pressed to find a home stager as knowledgable about the architecture of your home as I am, nor one who is willing to do as much or as little as you like to stage your house and get it sold for top dollar.

If you'd like to learn more about home staging, and see what services my company, Preferred Staging, LLC, offers, then please visit my website at www.preferredstaging.com.

Preferred Staging's Professional Policies

• First and foremost, Preferred Staging's professional policy is to work within our clients' budget and time frame. Therefore, we present proposals rather than bids, as we consider a proposal a working document that can be altered to meet the needs of our clients.
• Staging a property is not limited to only furniture and accessories. We approach the entire property - from curb appeal to the basement - with the eye of the buyer, and make all necessary recommendations that will help the entire property show to its best advantage.
• Preferred Staging has the highest respect for our clients and their possessions. We treat each house as though it were our own.
• We work with the home owner and their Realtor as a team, with one goal in mind - to sell the house quickly and for top dollar.

What our clients are saying about Preferred Staging, LLC

When I did a google search on my name, one of the first items of results was to your blog... that's when it finally occured to me that I was missing out by not having a blog. From my first blog, I'm planning to branch off into neighborhood blogs... So not only did your staging excellence help sell Sue townhouse, you also inspired me to get my rear in gear and be a blogger.

I just saw Sue last Sunday... (and)she reiterated how pleased she was and what a great job you did. I'm convinced that the fast sale (13 days in February) was due entirely to how well the house showed compared to others in that price range. And it's ALL YOUR FAULT! I will be sure to convince all of my sellers to hire Monica Murphy and Preferred Staging. It was worth every penny, and the ROI on investment was in the quadruple digits.

Thanks,

Margaret Asten

Prudential Carruthers

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Thanks to the sound, thoroughly professional advice and hard work of Monica at Preferred Staging, my home sold in just 25 days in one of the worst markets in the country for sellers, at one of the worst possible times to sell a home. And when it did sell, I got 93 percent of list price. Visitors to my home during open houses were awed by the fantastic color choices made by Monica, the perfect layout, and beautiful decorations. When a home is correctly staged, potential buyers can envision how they would live in your house, and Monica's transformation of my home bordered on magical. Her fees were reasonable, her work impeccable, and the end result speaks for itself. Thanks, Monica!

Steve R.

Sterling, Virginia

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Monica Murphy

President/Creative Visionary

Preferred Staging

Dear Monica and others it may concern:

I wanted to drop you just a few words of thanks and highly recommend your talent, vision and flawless execution when it comes to staging properties to get them sold! Your creativity, along with prioritized action items and tips, really did the trick.

You're a terrific listener with a rational business focus and a pleasure to work with to boot. I guess what I'm saying is you're just the best.

Best regards and thanks again,

Mark Treadaway

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Monica was referred to me by my real estate agent in order to help get my house ready to sell. I had never worked with a staging consultant before and I didn't really know what to expect. I knew that I had to spruce up my house in order to make it more appealing to potential buyers; however, I really had no idea how to think like a buyer.

Monica was extremely professional. She explained in detail the difference between staging and interior design. One point that she made that stuck with me was that staging is the opposite of interior design. An interior designer is trying to make a home more livable and comfortable for its inhabitants. Interior designers are working to personalize a space to its owners. A staging consultant is doing just the opposite - taking the personalization out of a house so that prospective buyers can see themselves in the house. I had to completely re-think how I viewed my house.

Monica went room by room, took pictures, and gave me a feel for what she would recommend. She painstakingly evaluated every room inside my house, including the garage, as well as the outside of the house. She used her pictures of the house and her extensive experience to recommend very specific, workable changes to make the house more appealing. Monica did a great job of using what I had to make the house work.

I was amazed at some of Monica's suggestions - they were things I would never have considered. I must say that Monica's report and recommendations far exceeded my expectations. Her service was a real value and worth every penny I spent with her.

Michelle Teel

Homeowner, Ashburn

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"Monica was very flexible and able to work within my budget to beautifully stage a living room, dining room and master bedroom for me. I received several compliments from other realtors how nicely the town home was staged. She did a great job."

Bob Kenney
RE/MAX Allegiance
Multi-Million Dollar Producer

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I would highly recommend Preferred Staging for anyone trying to ready a home for sale. Monica is wonderful. She has great ideas and is extremely willing to work with the client, which in my case was important since I had some ideas as well. She offers as much or as little as the customer needs, remaining flexible as plans change throughout the process. Together, our combined visions resulted in a contract within a week of the listing.

Dorothy LaChapelle

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My husband and I had a condo to sell and it had been on the market for about two months. We spent a great deal of time and money renovating the condo and we appreciated the space and convenience that it provided.

When the real estate market fell dramatically, we were worried that there would not be a buyer with the ability to see what our condo offered. We put so much thought into the interior, especially the kitchen. Our gourmet setting accommodated cook books, pantry, spices and a complete kitchen for quality cooking.

We made the decision to stage the condo to show the size of the rooms and to enhance the fact that the room size was larger than what most homes offered. After moving our personal furnishings, we thought it would be best to help the prospective buyers visualize the space that we were offering.

It was at that time that I searched the internet and found Preferred Staging, LLC. I called Monica Murphy and was delighted to find someone that was very interested in working with me to provide the best solution for staging our condo so that potential buyers would have the ability to visualize the room sizes and get a better feel for what our space provided.

Monica was personable; had the ability to listen to what my requests were; was pleasant and extremely capable and professional. In no time, Monica had the schedule laid out and within a very short time, our condo was transformed from vacant to impressive and very well defined.

We were very impressed with Monica's ability to look at our property, take photos, determine what furniture was needed and put everything together very quickly. Monica was never insistent or overly aggressive. She was very personable and she went out of her way to make sure that everything was done well and on time.

We made the right decision to stage; we made the right decision to have Preferred Staging do the job.

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Monica Murphy and Preferred Staging, LLC, to assist home sellers to stage their homes for successful sales.

Sincerely,

Diane E. Piper