Making An Impression Thru Home Staging

One of my objectives as a home stager in Atlanta is to set the home apart from the others on the market; to make an impression and to make it memorable.  Whether the home is located North, South, East or West of Atlanta, the objective is the exact same.

The home I staged today sits in Virginia Highlands.  As described in the link, the name is derived from the intersections of Virginia and Highland Avenues and is made up of 7 distinct commercial villages.  The quaint little shops and incredible restaurants makes this a desireable location for many moving to Atlanta.  It also happens to house one of my all-time favorite restaurants called Noches which features spanish and southwestern tapas.  And no, unfortunately, they were not open for lunch.

Here's a picture of the living room before we staged:

Here's the "after" picture:

And more "after" pictures of this home:

Bathroom (picture taken at an angle to avoid me being in the picture (smile).

And a quaint little area within the home for a bite to eat!

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Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, we have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

Home Staging Atlanta one home at a time!

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make your home appealing to the prospective buyers.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

The Art of Staging

As any experienced home stager will tell you, the "art of home staging" is quite different for an occupied home versus a vacant home.  With a vacant home, we define what we use in the form of furniture and accessories; whereas with an occupied, we're typically dealing with what the homeowners already own.

While the process is different, the desired objective is the exact same.  The goal in home staging for both occupied and vacant is to showcase the features of the home as well as the space.

Here's insight into the planning that occurred for this occupied home:

In this before picture of the office, we have the typical office clutter.  Let me quickly add that my office looks extremely similar.  The opportunity here is to showcase this in a much more organized fashion.

Now here's what we did:

The concept of the black and white photos against the red brick was right on the money; so more were added.  Printer was moved to the right of the desk, and pictures added to the wall (on the left) which created more of a balance in the room.  The items on the shelves were simply moved around for a more appealing look.  NOTE:  All AFTER pictures were taken by a professional photographer.

After Picture: 

Here's the before picture of the family room:  Note:  The photo was taken as you enter the room. As you can see, the position of the sofas limited the size of the room.  FYI - The sheet was placed in front of the office door to prohibit the cats from entering that room.

And the "after" picture:  By placing the sofas on both sides of the room, you gain a better perspective as to the size of the room.  Matching lamps were added again to provide balance as were sister prints on the right wall.

Another angle, same room:  As you can see, there's a pub table in the far right hand corner of the room.  This was actually the third table set in the home and one that was not used frequently enough to warrant keeping it there.

The simple changes such as a single picture above the side table, and the addition of the chaise lounge provides for a more relaxed look. 

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Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, we have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

Home Staging Atlanta one home at a time!

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make your home appealing to the prospective buyers.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

Staging A Dorm Suite

The team at HomeStagingAtlanta.com was recently hired to stage a dorm suite for a new residence hall at Clayton State University.   What a FUN project!  And let me quickly add that dorms have certainly changed since I attended school.  In the new residence hall, each suite contains 4 individual bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Here are some before and after pictures of the suite. 

Boys Bedroom #1 Before Picture: 

Boys Bedroom 1 After Picture:

Boy Bedroom #2 Before Picture:

Boy Bedroom #2 After Picture:

Girl Bedroom #1 Before Picture.  While each of the rooms came out beautiful, this one is perhaps my most favorite.

Girl Bedroom After Picture

We followed the same rules that would apply to the students and thus avoided any nails.  The art hung in each of the rooms was done using the 3M brand of hooks.  The wall decal in the room pictured above was purchased at Burlington Coat Factory and is completely removable.

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Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, offers affordable home staging solutions in the Atlanta area in getting your home ready for the market. 

Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

Home Staging Atlanta & HGTV

Edelman Productions; the production company of the hit show "Sleep On It" on HGTV selects Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC to stage a home for an upcoming episode.  And we couldn't have been more thrilled!  What an honor and a privilege to have our home staging work showcased on TV!

For those who may not be familiar with the show, here's the following excerpt from the HGTV web site:

 A buyer knows he loves a house, but just can't make that leap to buy. After touring two homes, our buyer - with the approval of the sellers - chooses one house that he and his family will sleep in. They get the run of the house for 24 hours to "kick the tires" and experience (hopefully) the trials and the joys of living in that house and in that neighborhood. We find out if they are going to buy the house or pass on it based on their sleepover experience.

As with most shows, beauty shots (which are stills taken before the filming begins) are done days prior.  Here are a few of the shots I had taken with my own camera.  This is just a sneak peak of the home and by design are just a handful to give you an idea of how the home turned out for the rooms we staged.  And yes, HGTV will be passing over their shots for use on my web site.  The actual filming begins today.

An artsy-type Shot of the centerpiece used:

And one of the living room:

And the girls who helped make the home look beautiful:

From Left to Right:  Kathy Nielsen, Owner & Founder of Georgia Interior Solutions; Middle:  Kristi Oliver with Staging in Atlanta; Abby Reillywith ALR Home Staging & Showcasing.

Last but not least - here's a picture of one of the producers of the show; Jasmine Manzer. Jasmine was such a wonderful host.  We were treated like queens.  Thanks Jasmine for having made our day so special.

The show is due to air in either late August or early September.  As soon as I know, I'll be sure to update.

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Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, offers affordable home staging solutions in the Atlanta area in getting your home ready for the market. 

Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

Home Staging Mix Up!

Yup, that's right, I mixed it up and I did it by design. 

The home I staged last week is an occupied home and filled to the brim with wonderful whimsical items.  I was envious when the homeowner informed me that she had decorated the home with her two young children in mind.  How fun. 

Her next comment brought us back to the reason I was there; "We need you!  We suspect that while whimsical is fun and enjoyable for the kids, we don't believe it will help sell our home."

So... off we went to tour the home.  I entered the home using the front door (the same way a prospective buyer would enter).  Why?  Because I wanted to ensure that the plan I would develop for their home would make for a great first impression.

Here's the formal living room before the "mix-up."  This is the first room that you would see when entering the home:

The furniture, as you can see is in great condition.  However, the furniture seemed more suiteable for a family room which is exactly where it ended up.

Here's the same furniture used in the family room "after" we staged it:

See.... this mix up actually wasn't so bad after all.

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Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, offers affordable home staging solutions in the Atlanta area in getting your home ready for the market.  Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

Feedback from A Prospective Buyer...

One of the agents I partner with here in Atlanta received feedback from a prospective buyer that pretty much sums up the challenges with showing a vacant home.  Here's specifically what was said; "

Another new home with lots of rooms, nice features, beige walls...they're all starting to run together in my head".   

I can completely relate to this feedback.  As a home stager in Atlanta, I've been in hundreds of vacant homes and can attest to the fact that they all do start to run together.  Fortunately, I have my "before" pictures that I've taken to help remind me of the color of the countertops, the color, if something other than beige or white, of the walls.  I'm lucky as my camera goes with me everywhere.

The builder that I just staged for understood and has heard similar feedback as that stated above.  Fortunately, he just listed with a Realtor that uses me on almost every listing.  I was called in to see the home and grew excited with each turn I made.  Why?  Because I knew I could make a difference.

The home is located in Ansley Park in Atlanta.  According to the National Park Services in Atlanta, Ansley Park is an early 20th-century suburban residential district.  Completed in 1930, there are 275 acres with features such a curvilinear streets which are landscaped on either side like parkways.  It's beauty is marked with several parks scattered throughout.

It's a beautiful area and it was an absolute honor to have been selected to home stage this home.

Here are a few of the before and after pictures of the family room:

Here are a few pictures after the home was staged:

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Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, offers affordable home staging solutions in the Atlanta area in getting your home ready for the market.  Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

How Different Does Your Home or Listing Look on the Internet?

I met with one of my partner Realtor's this morning over at a home that I'll be staging this Thursday.  As we waited the arrival of the builder, we spoke of the condo that had just sold and how the pictures drew this buyer into the home.  As mentioned in a previous blog, the buyer first began looking at 3 bedroom condos.  However, once she saw the staged 2 bedroom condo, she fell in love and the rest, shall we say, is history.

While I always knew of the importance/benefits of having great "after" shots of the homes I stage, there's another important component that needs to be factored in.  One of the challenges many sellers have with their vacant homes is that their 4 walls appear no different than the next four walls.  Here's an example:

Formal Living Room of Home A:

Formal Living Room of Home B:

As a prospective buyer, there are two things that are strikingly different; one has carpet, the other hardwood; one has white trim where the other has black (which ended up getting painted white).

Here's what each of these rooms looked like "after" the homes were staged:

Home A:  NOTE:  This home went under contract before the listing could even be put into MLS.  After having been on the market for 2 years, the home owner was beyond thrilled.

Home B:  This home was just staged last Thursday.

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Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC, offers affordable solutions in getting your home ready for the market.  Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

Is Your Condo Sitting or Selling?

Here in Atlanta, we have an overwhelming quantity of condos on the market.  In fact, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, there are currently 9,000 on the market with another 17,000 planned units.  To read the entire article, hit the link.

Suffice it to say, if you're looking to sell, you're going to need to differentiate your home from the others on the market.  Once a buyer has chosen the location and the price range for which they're willing to pay you can be assured that they will be looking at several units and not just one. 

Home Staging provides the greatest opportunity to help make your home memorable to the prospective buyers.  Case in point; here's a note I received from the sellers of a condo I had staged.

She was looking to purchase an empty three bedroom unit.  Then saw our two bedroom unit that had been staged and fell in love with it.  I can't give you enough praise for all your staging talent.  If this deal goes through, Bob and I agree you are the one to receive the credit.  We certainly couldn't have done it without you.  This has really shown me the true power of staging.

Here are a few pictures taken after we had staged their home:

HomeStagingAtlanta.com offers affordable solutions in getting your home ready for the market.  Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge of what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

Will The Shower Curtain Used In This Staging Seal The Deal?

One of the nicest compliments a home stager can receive is when their client contacts them to let them know that the prospective buyer wants everything used in the home staging.  I've had the good fortune of receiving that request on a number of different occasions and each time I feel completely honored.

In this particular case, it may boil down to the shower curtain used in the condo I had staged.

Here's a portion of the note I received from the homeowner last night. 

The buyer wants us to leave the shower curtain.  She loves it!!  Please let me know so we can include it or exclude it in the counter we're going to make before 3:00 tomorrow.

After telling her that I would gladly provide the shower curtain at no charge, here was her response:

Thanks for being so understanding about the shower curtain.  It's funny what people fall in love with.  That just proves how important staging is.

I think she's right. 

Kathy

HomeStagingAtlanta.com offers affordable solutions in getting your home ready for the market.  Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge of what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

You Can Decorate. But... Can You Stage?

I had the good fortune of staging the most adorable home on Friday of last week in Smyrna, Georgia.  The home was filled with wonderful accessories; great lamps and awesome furniture.  The couple, Jeff & Tracey, had hired me a year ago to stage an investment home that they had rennovated.  It was a great move as they had two offers during their open house and the house had closed in just 2.5 weeks. 

The reason why I was there on Friday is that they were now putting their own home on the market.  They had made some great decisions with respect to the changes they thought would be important to a buyer.  Here's what they decided upon:

• Remodeled their master bathroom with a wonderful tile (shower and flooring).
• Painted molding and walls throughout most of the home
• Had the Home Staged

So why was the third item (home staged) such an important decision?  While it was obvious that she was comfortable with decorating, she was unsure as to what changes they needed to make to further showcase their home.

Here are a few of the changes we made:

• Re-arranged the living room to highlight the amount of space.
• Removed most of the personal pictures. 
• Removed a pub table located in the sun-room
• Removed an over-size dresser in their bedroom as it made the room appear smaller.

Understanding what changes need to be made can sometimes be a challenge for homeowners.  The best advice is to seek out a professional who understands what needs to be removed; added and/or changed.

We have a professional photographer coming in this week so, when I receive the after pictures, I'll be sure to provide an update to this post.

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Home Staging Atlanta offers affordable solutions in getting your home ready for the market.  Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, they have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge of what it takes to make a home shine.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.