I got a call a couple of weeks ago from a homeowner who had been referred to me by his Realtor. She had told him he should consider having a Home Staging Consultation by a professional and sent him my way. It took a week or so for our schedules to work out but I finally went on Friday to do the consultation and boy, am I glad I did!
The husband I had spoken with wasn't at home, so I met with the wife who was multitasking between taking care of her toddler, trying to work and listening to my suggestions. Though the family had some nice furniture and art, there were many things working against them in terms of buyer appeal. So I spent my time figuring out what that they could do using mainly what they already had in the home to make the home more appealing to buyers. Also, being a mom of 2 young kids myself, I took into account the reality of living with a child in the suggestions I made. I could tell the homeowner was impressed and excited to get started on my recommendations, but I wasn't prepared for the amazing testimonial she sent me the next day:
"Although I was reluctant at first to consent to hiring a stager to sell our property, I am so glad that I did. I think of myself as having a good design sense and, having lived in our home for five years, I didn't think anyone could come in and know better than I would what pieces of furniture/art etc. would work best in which rooms. Yet, Annie blew me away with her suggestions. The best part was that she really worked with what we already have, so there is not a need to buy a lot of things, or anything really. Most of the suggestions were simply a matter of placing things differently in our home and boy has it made a difference. I thought her suggestions might be obvious, but they weren't --- they were subtle changes that make a huge impact. Annie has such a knack for visualizing how the space will work best and communicating those ideas in an articulate and effective manner. She was also so professional and unintrusive as she came into our home and, after I walked her around, she sat with her computer in each room and made a very detailed and thorough list of what we should do with each room. After she was done, she walked through the rooms with me and explained her suggestions very clearly. Immediately afterwards, she emailed me her room-by-room report, and I am so eager to implement her brilliant suggestions. Not only am I glad I hired Annie to stage our house to sell, I want to hire her to advise me when we move to our new home."
Now I didn't even ask for a testimonial from her - she offered it herself and I was so touched by the time she obviously put into it (not just one of those 1-liners I often get). Sometimes it's not the big vacant Staging jobs that give you the most satisfaction. It's those few hours spent one-on-one with a nervous seller, putting her mind at ease and making the daunting seem doable that make this job worthwhile!
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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz
"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"
************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.
Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.
Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.
If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.
Last week we Staged a model unit for a beautiful condo development in the Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles. It reminded me that whenever I Stage a model I must make sure 4 things are done before we arrive on Staging day:
1) There must be water coming into the unit (for the steamer and flushing the toilet)
2) There must be power coming into the unit (again for the steamer, but more importantly so we have light with which to take our photos)
3) All towel bars, curtain rods and bathroom mirrors must be installed
and most important of all...
4) That the unit must be clean!
It has happened to me on more than one occasion that we show up to Stage a model unit (which we've been assured is ready for us) and it's NOT ready. This time there was no water, no power, no bathroom mirrors, only some of the towel bars & curtain rods and it was FILTHY. Not just no one has been around so it's accumulated some dust filthy, but construction filthy!
But there we were, and the movers were half an hour away! So quickly we went into damage control mode. Can we get a cleaning crew and an electrician in immediately? No. OK, so we decided to have the furniture delivered but not to do the Staging until 2 days later, after the cleaners & electricians had been through. That seemed like the best solution, except that I was bummed to have to spread the Staging out over 2 days when we normally complete everything in one. I'm all about efficiency! So we moved in the furniture and stored our accessories in a closet. I called the agent the next day to confirm that we were good to go for Friday. He had just left the unit and the cleaners had been there so all was set.
So we arrive on Friday to Stage and it did look cleaner - whew! Unfortunately there were still no mirrors in any of the bathrooms, no water and no power! Plus one of the curtain rods had not yet been hung. Ugh. Well, there was nothing to do but start Staging and hope that by the time we were ready to steam there would be water and power. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. Luckily they brought in a very long extension cord which was hooked up to a working outlet in another part of the building and we used water from our water bottles for the steaming. And my movers agreed to hang the final curtain rod for us. But without overhead light or my lamps my photos were NOT what they normally are. I was able to get some decent ones, but they would've looked so much better with the lights on. Not to mention we couldn't shoot any of the bathrooms because there were no vanity mirrors!
Tip to all Realtors & Stagers of model units - don't try to rush the Staging until the model is 100% complete. It will only mean delays in the long run!
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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz
"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"
************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.
Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.
Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.
If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.
We recently Staged this beautiful 2 bedroom beach townhome in Santa Monica. It was a pleasure working with one of my favorite clients again - Chris Gordon Clark of Keller Williams Santa Monica. Click here to see more photos and details about the property.
*************************************************************************************
Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz
"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"
************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.
Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.
Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.
If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.
Earlier this year when I got the call to "Stage" a low-income housing development for an inspection (see original post), I thought it would be a one-time job. As it turned out, however, the developers are quickly becoming one of my best repeat clients! Their "lesson learned" on the last job was that they should bring in a designer at the beginning stages of the project, rather than wait until they have a bunch of furniture and no cohesive design. So that's how it happened that I got another call a couple of months ago to preview their latest property - Carondelet Court.
Once again we were asked to design the community area for the development - a space that will be utilized by all the residents for socializing, watching TV, and taking courses (the city & state who fund these types of developments mandate that the builders have to provide different types of classes for the residents). The difference between this job and the last was that the entire community space was contained within one room, rather than in two separate spaces. We had to design a living area for hanging out & watching TV, a kitchen/dining space, a conference/classroom area and a kid's play space. Fun, fun, fun! My job always allows for a good deal of creativity, choosing rental furnishings to help enhance the look of a home to appeal to a broad range of buyers. But this job was pure interior design, and the pieces I selected were actually going to be used and enjoyed by the residents!
We had a great time with this one and here are some photos of the results. The great news is that there's another development being built as I type (apparently, LA Mayor Villaraigosa has made it a priority to create lots more affordable housing in the city), and we are looking forward to designing that one as well.
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Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz
"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"
************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.
Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.
Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.
If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.
In doing my weekly MLS research today I stumbled across a photo of a home that's currently on the market in one of the nicest, most desirable cities in the West Los Angeles area. Now, to be fair, this home is being sold "AS IS" but tell me, what would you think if you were a potential buyer and walked into this bedroom?
Well if it were me, the first thing going through my head would be that I would NEVER be able to sleep in that room! I would have nightmares about this hairy beast, his spirit surely haunting the home of this owner who flaunted his death so callously. Not to mention the fact that the animal's rear end is poised right above where my head would be, making me think of other not-so-pleasant exchanges. Could the feng shui on this be any worse?
I apologize in advance if the homeowner or realtor for this property is reading this post, but even in over four years as a professional home Stager, this is a new one for me! And it brings to mind one of the most important reasons to hire a professional Stager for (at minimum) a consultation prior to listing and photographing a home: We can be the bad guy!
I am sure this realtor was cringing when s/he took this photo, thinking that someone like me would be lambasting it on ActiveRain within moments of it landing on the MLS! But how do you delicately ask an obviously ardent hunter to remove his prize trophy from the master bedroom without losing his favor and possibly his listing? The answer is, you don't! You can maintain your perfect relationship with this seller by saying, "Wow, that animal must have put up quite a fight! You must be so proud. I think it's fine to display its pelt as your headboard, but let's see what the professional Stager has to say." Ok, I exaggerate. I don't think anyone should allow their client to list their home in this way - AS IS or not - because of the high probability that walking into a room like this would disgust a large percentage of potential buyers, especially in the very environmentally aware, anti NRA community where the home is located.
Professional Stagers are trained in ways to speak to your clients respectfully about their belongings and to convince them in a non-confrontational way to do what needs to be done in order to sell their home for the highest price in the shortest amount of time. So take advantage of our knowledge and training and let us help you - you won't be sorry!
*************************************************************************************
Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz
"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"
************************************************
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.
Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.
Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.
If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.
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Full Service Los Angeles Home Staging Company. Professionally trained and accredited Home Stagers providing Residential Real Estate Staging services to the Los Angeles Area.
Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.
Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP Home Stager, a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.
Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.
If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.
Want to sell your Los Angeles home fast and for a great price? Stage it with Stage to Sell.
"Stage to Sell is the third staging company that I've used over the years, and the third time is the charm in this case. Annie, the owner, has won me over with several factors: attention to detail, follow-through and the overall quality of her work. Stage to Sell is now the only staging referral I give to selling clients when taking a new listing. Her company's efforts have clearly helped our mutual clients sell faster and get better prices. Plain condos and houses are transformed into warm and inviting homes that people want to buy right away."
- Chris Gordon Clark, Keller Williams Santa Monica
"Although I was reluctant at first to consent to hiring a stager to sell our property, I am so glad that I did. Annie blew me away with her suggestions. The best part was that she worked with what we already have, so there is no need to buy anything. I thought her suggestions might be obvious, but they weren't -- they were subtle changes that make a huge impact. I am so eager to implement her brilliant suggestions. Not only am I glad I hired Annie to stage our house to sell, I want to hire her to advise me when we move to our new home.
-Courtney Alban, Los Feliz
"Annie’s staging of my project was absolutely spot-on. She understood the buyer mentality so well that we had all three staged units in escrow within 2 months, after having had them on the market for over 7!"
- Dana Ehrlich, Keller Williams Santa Monica
"Your staging of 1533 18th Street meets and exceeds my highest expectations based on my experiences with almost all of your competition. Not only is the installation spectacular - the price, timing and level of professionalism raises the bar for your competition. Thanks for being extraordinary!"
- Anthony Hitt, Sotheby's International Realty
"Wow what a difference! My sellers and I are so impressed with how wonderful the house looks. It's a million times better and has surpassed all of our expectations. I will definitely use your services again and again. Thank you for coming on such short notice and doing a top notch job. Fantastic!"
- Vicky Mirisch, Pinnacle Estate Properties
"Annie just staged one of my listings that had been empty for almost two months. We had at least 40 buyers through with NOT ONE offer. She staged on Friday. Within 4 DAYS we had two offers!!!"
- Dana Ehrlich, Keller Williams
"Wow! It looks great...The photographer was ready to buy it! Thank you for putting all my doubts to rest. I was hesitant to spend the money on staging but you’ve proved that it is a must. Thank you very much!"
- Melissa Macfadyen, Keller Williams
"I just want to thank you for being so awesome and responsive to my client and me. That home was a mess and you made it look livable. You are the best and I am glad to be in business with you. You are truly one of the best stagers out there!"
- Thomas Khammar, Keller Williams
"I hired Annie to help me stage a property which had been on the market for 7 months with another agent, and had undergone $300,000 in price reductions over the course of the listing. I re-listed the property with a fresh pricing strategy and staged it before we shot any photos or showed the property. We had an accepted offer within 2 weeks. My clients were absolutely thrilled with Annie's practical and economical advice."
- Dana Ehrlich, Keller Williams
"Annie is wonderful and does a great job! You should consider using her to stage your house regardless of whether you are looking to sell or not. I have received so many compliments on the work she did on my listing!"
- Revi Mendelsohn, Coldwell Banker
"My condo had previously been on the market for one month with little interest and no offers...When I first saw my condo after it had been staged, I was amazed...The previously cramped rooms looked light and bright with the furniture and tasteful, contemporary accessories that Annie selected. The house looked as if it had been professionally decorated...At the open house the response was great. Within a week we had multiple offers and ended up accepting one for $21,000 over asking price. I was thrilled!"
- Cherry Norris, Brentwood
"Well, I think staging works. While we were putting up the for sale sign Tuesday, a couple came through. They loved it and made an offer the next day. After a few counter offers, we sold it today. So we’re claiming it sold in 20 hours. They want a 3 week escrow, but we’re game, and of course we still have to get through all the formalities. Anyway, thanks for all your help!"
- Dennis Newell, Murietta
"I cannot thank you enough for doing the staging for my condo...I had so many compliments from both friends and potential buyers. Your ideas were very creative and really helped to enhance the appeal of each room. My condo looked like a model home. I highly recommend you for anyone considering selling their home. It was well worth the money. I firmly believe the staging helped me maximize the selling value of my condo."
- Kim Itakura, Culver City
"Thank you again for your work. I barely have sufficient verbal skills to express how happy I am with the transformation of the house, and the enormous increase in its market value."
- Holly Browde, Beverly Hills
"I wanted to thank you again for the fantastic job you did in staging the condo in Marina Del Rey. I especially appreciated your professionalism, and going out of your way to make things happen within our time frame."
- Jake Ptasnik, Marina del Rey
"Thanks again for what I'm convinced resulted in the sale of my house!!"
- Marla McGuire, Reseda
"You did such an amazing job, Annie. What a difference you made, not only with the pieces you brought, but the recommendations you made to update/change/prepare for your Staging. Everything looks amazing! Thanks again!"
- Dian Reid, Van Nuys
"The place looks awesome!!! I can’t wait to take pics tomorrow...I’m so happy! Big difference!! You are a great resource!"
- Lorin Ruttenberg, Keller Williams
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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