Atlanta Georgia Home Staging Company

This Home Only Looks Like a Million Bucks - But it's not.

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:38:24 -0600

This Home Only Looks Like a Million Bucks - But it's not.

There's a myth out there that home staging benefits the high-end homes only. This couldn't be farther from the truth. All homes, whether you're staging it yourself or using a professional, can reap the rewards.

Case in point - Guess how much this home is listed for. It's an after picture of a home staging project in Atlanta that I had completed a couple of weeks ago. You can see the before and after picture here.

What's the asking price? $89K. It doesn't look like it, does it?

So what's my point? The benefits of home staging applies to all price points because:

Buyers lack vision
Buyers rely on their emotional connection to the home. A vacant home just doesn't give out the same look and feel
Buyers need to envision living in the home

Whether the home is listed at $3M or $89K buyers have needs. As a seller, it's important to understand what those needs are and hit upon each of them.

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About the Author: Kathy Nielsen, a nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry, offers affordable home staging solutions to help sell your home more quickly. Kathy can be reached via email at info@homestagingatlanta.com or by phone at 678 522 8392. Their Atlanta Home Staging services offer a variety of options to accommodate all budgets. For more tips on how to showcase your home, visit our AtlantaHomeStagerInfo blog.

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Tips for Staging Your After Pictures

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:39:19 -0600

Tips for Staging Your After Pictures

Ask any professional home stager and they're sure to tell you that their after photos of their home staging projects are perhaps one of the most critically important components in their marketing arsenal. They know and understand that prospective clients will be reviewing their photos and reviewing those of their competitors to make a decision as to whom they'll hire.

Fortunately, there are many opportunities to ensure you've captured the perfect picture.

I'll use the following picture, taken last week for a home staging project I completed in Atlanta, to show you some of things I should have done.

Study what's in your view finder - Had I done this very thing, I would have noticed that the napkin on the right wasn't right. I likely would have moved the wine glasses as the one on the left is directly in front of the faucet. Sure, these are minor. However, picture those changes made.
Check your lighting - Home stagers know the importance and benefits of bringing as much light as possible into the home. The same opportunity applies to your photos. Ensure all lights are on (including theoften-missed under cabinet lighting).
Capture different angles - You're going to be amazed at just how big a difference capturing different angles can make in how the room appears. Try a variety; from getting on your knees to using a step-stool, chair or ladder.
Sweat the small stuff - Ever return from a home staging project, upload your pictures only to find that the pillows on the sofa were askew or that bed skirt you spent hours ironing isn't laying right? These small things can be irritating and ruin a great shot. Study your room before you even grab the camera as these are simple things that can help create the perfect shot.

Perhaps the best advice I can provide is to give yourself ample time at the end of your home staging project. In doing so, you can be further ensured that the project you've just spent an incredible amount of time on will come out picture perfect.

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Cheap and Easy Tips to Showcase Your Kitchen

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:25:46 -0600

Cheap and Easy Tips To Showcase Your Kitchen - Brought to you by your friendly Atlanta Home Stager!

How important is the kitchen when selling your home? Ask any buyer and you're bound to hear that the kitchen is one of the most important rooms. Why? Buyers know that they will be spending a considerable amount of time in the kitchen; whether it's cooking the meals or entertaining, the kitchen will no doubt get a lot of activity.

The good news is that there are some very affordable to no-cost solutions that any seller can implement.

Tip #1: If you don't use it, lose it. Counter top space is important to a buyer. As a result, you want to create as much 'visual real estate' as possible. An easy solution is to remove those items that are NOT used on a daily basis. Mixers are a great example.

Tip #2: Add some light.

Well sure, you could add a lamp shade to your head but... not quite sure how effective that will be. Instead, try placing a small lamp to your counter top as it will help warm up the space.

Tip #3: Clean. And then clean some more.

It's simply amazing how a little cleaning can go such a long way. Not only will the kitchen shine

it will smell clean as well. Yup, another simple tasks that anyone can implement.

P.S. Those are scouring pads and not pieces of coal. Just sayin (smile).

Tip #4: Organize your cupboards. Trust me, buyers will be opening your cupboards and with reason. A neat and organized cabinet will allow the prospective buyers to see how much space they'll have.

Tip #5: Give your cabinets an instant facelift with new knobs and drawer pulls. You're going to be amazed at how big a transformation this will have on your kitchen. Now... do yourself a favor and shop around for the best price. Check the internet, flyers, etc... to find any sales.

If you missed my previous post on How to Showcase Your Bathroom for Less than $100.00 just click on that link and you'll be taken directly there.

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Have You Cast Your Vote Yet?

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:22:19 -0500

Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) is now accepting nominations (deadline for submission of nominees is November 3rd) for the RESA Staging Industry Awards in the following categories:

RESA Professional Stager of the Year
RESA Rookie Stager of the Year
RESA Staging Innovator of the Year
RESA Staging REALTOR® of the Year
RESA Product of the Year

This is the perfect time to recognize those within the home staging industry. Whether it's a stager (pro or rookie), an innovator, a REALTOR® or a product worthy of your vote, then please take the time to cast your nomination.

For more information on these prestigious awards, please visit the following post: RESA Award Nomination Guidelines

To cast your nominations, click here.

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Home Stagging, Home Staggers, Home Stageing

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:12:00 -0500

Home Stagging, Home Staggers, Home Stageing

These are just a few of the different variations I’ve seen on the spelling of Home Staging.

For those of us that are in the home staging industry, we may find ourselves cringing when we read those words.

The truth of the matter is that we’re still in a relatively new industry. With reason, we should anticipate that there’s going to be some confusion as to how exactly spell Home Staging.

In addition to misspellings (jeez, I hope I spelled that correctly (smile)), I recently received a google alert on "house staging." While I've never personally referred to what I do as "house staging", I suppose I could.

I'm curious as to the other spelling variations on Home Staging as well as the different phrases used to describe the process. For example, a couple years back, I recall a blog on home staging being referred to as "house fluffing." That particular post drew some funny comments on what "fluffing" means.

Feel free to add your misspellings and phrases to the comments in this blog.

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Atlanta Home Staging Before & After Pictures

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:41:10 -0500

Atlanta Home Staging Before & After Pictures

It feels so good to help a seller sell their home more quickly. Our Atlanta Home Staging services are truly making an impact on how quickly a home sells. Case in point, this home featured in the post How this Atlanta Investor Sold His Home in 24 Hours is just one example. Another Atlanta investor we've been working with for the past few months is now on home number 5. Each of those homes have gone under contract in less than 2 weeks. We're now scheduled to do upwards of 10 homes per month beginning in January.

There's a formula for this success and it boils down to three main things:

Price
Marketing
Visual Appeal

The visual appeal is where home staging can help tremendously. Here's a before and after picture of the home we staged just yesterday in Atlanta:

Vacant Home Staging in Atlanta

Whether you're an investor, real estate agent, homeowner or investor, we have the perfect solutions available to help sell your home more quickly.

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RESA, Shell Brodnax & The Stevie Awards

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:08:01 -0500

The Stevie 2009 Finalist

It brings me great pleasure to share with everyone that our very own Shell Brodnax AND RESA have both been named as finalist in the prestigious Stevie Awards.

The Real Estate Staging Association® (RESA®) The trade association for professional home stagers was named as Finalist in the Best Overall Company of the Year – Service Businesses category in the 6th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.

Shell Brodnax, President/CEO of (RESA) is also a finalist in the Executive Non-Profit or Government category.

The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor women executives, entrepreneurs, and the companies they run – worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business awards.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word “crowned,” winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York on Friday, November 13. Nominated women executives and entrepreneurs from the U.S.A and several other countries are expected to attend. The presentations will be broadcast live on radio in the U.S.A. by the Business TalkRadio Network.

A message from Shell:

“Many people have worked very hard at RESA® to grow our association and bring legitimacy to the Real Estate Staging Industry. It is very exciting and an honor to be a finalist in the Stevie Awards. This award is for every single member of RESA that has given their time, ideas and volunteerism in order to make RESA® what we are today.”

A message from the president of The Stevies:

“Being named a Finalist in The Stevie Awards for Women in Business is an important achievement,” said Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. “It means that independent business executives have agreed that the nominee is worthy of recognition. We congratulate all of the Finalists on their achievement and wish them well in the competition.”

Details about The Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/women.About The Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, The Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

Congratulations, Shell & RESA!

More About Real Estate Staging Association®

The Real Estate Staging Association is the member run trade organization for professional real estate (home) stagers in North America. We provide support services and educational resources for professional stagers in addition to providing vital information regarding the benefits of staging to Realtors and consumers. For more information on staging or to hire a professional stager, contact Shell Brodnax or visit the RESA Web site at www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com or call 800-201-8687

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How to Showcase Your Bathroom For Less than $100

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:31:12 -0500

How to Showcase Your Bathroom For Less than $100

We're all looking for low-cost solutions and I have a few up my sleeve that can help tremendously. As a professional home stager serving the Atlanta, GA area, I've seen these tips implemented with great success.

A trip to a local home improvement store and a discount home decor store and for less than $100.00, you can easily help transform your bathroom and help turn it into a showcase of a room.

Here are a few low cost solutions:

Re-caulk - One of the easiest and least costly items is to remove the old caulk and replace with new. A tube should cost approximately $6.00 and can be used to caulk around the sink and bathtub. You're going to be amazed at just how big of a difference it will make.
Toilet Seats - Replacing the seat will create a fresh clean look. Replacement costs can vary greatly. A low cost solution would be approximately $12.00
Cleaning Supplies - Removing the film from shower doors, bathtubs, sinks, etc... will help make the bathroom shine. Approximate cost $15.00. But don't stop there. Cleaning the faucets and mirrors will further make it shine.
Replace Towels - showcasing a set of fresh and fluffy towels will make the room inviting and welcoming. Two bath towels and two hand towels can be purchased at discount home decor stores for less than $25.00.
Store your personal hygiene items - a real simple solution is to purchase plastic bins that you can then store under the sink. Approximate cost - $4.00 per basket.
Replace shower curtain and hooks - small change, big reward. Shower curtains (and nice ones at that) can be purchased for as low as $7.00. Hooks can range from $5.00 to $10.00
Replace light switch covers - Another extremely low cost solution that can truly make a difference. Approximate cost $3.00 per switch.
Paint - A simple, yet very effective solution is to paint the walls. The average bathroom should take no more than a gallon of paint. And while paint prices can vary greatly by product and by store, a real low-cost solution is to look in the oopsie section. The oopsie section contains paint that, for whatever reason, didn't turn out to the customer's satisfaction. A gallon of paint typically goes for $5.00 a gallon

In addition to the solutions above, there are some no-cost solutions that will also help. Here are a few tips to further help transform your bathroom:

Remove toilet seat covers
Toss all items under the sink that you no longer need or use.
Wash floor rugs
Shop within your own home for artwork that you can use in the bathroom

These tips on how to showcase your bathroom for less than $100.00 were brought to you by your friendly Atlanta Home Stager, Kathy Nielsen. In my next blog, I'll be sharing low-cost solutions for the kitchen. Stay tuned....

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How This Atlanta Investor Sold His Home In 24 Hours

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:32:12 -0500

How This Atlanta Investor Sold His Home In 24 Hours

As a professional home stager in Atlanta, I've had the distinct pleasure of working with many investors. What I've discovered is that most have worked staging into the budget - resulting in home after home getting professionally staged. It's truly a win-win proposition for everyone involved; including the buyer. The investor sells more quickly, the agent on the listing leverages the fact that the home looks great and the buyer is provided with solutions on how to decorate their new home.

In the case of this home, the investor had me stage on a Thursday and the following day the home went under contract. Here's precisely what he did:

He used a great agent
He priced it right
He made the home look beautiful thru home staging

Now here are a few photos of the home as it appeared to the buyers:

Master Bedroom After Home Staging:

Bathroom After Home Staging:

Living Room After Home Staging:

Georgia Interior Solutions (GIS), LLC is Atlanta Georgia's Premier Home Staging Provider. Owner and Real Estate Staging Expert, Kathy Nielsen has appeared on the pages of Atlanta Magazine, Atlanta Home Improvement; Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Atlanta Journal Constitution. You can also see one of her staged homes on HGTV's hit show Sleep On It.

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Why Stage An Already Decorated Home?

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:12:10 -0500

Why Stage An Already Decorated Home?

In minutes from now, I'll be heading out the door to stage a home in Smyrna, Georgia that has appeared in multiple magazines. Yes, the home that beautiful. From the outside in, it is a home I haven't stopped "gushing" about. This home has some of most incredible pieces of furniture and accessories that it simply blows me away.

So, why has my company, HomeStagingAtlanta.com been called in to home stage this home? Because it absolutely needs it and needs me. Yes, you read that correctly. The seller knows it's a must as well.

Here's a list of the challenges we face:

There are so many accessories that none of the true features of the home are standing out
The furniture, in its' current arrangement, is perfect for living. However, for selling - not so good
The furniture pieces in this home tend to lean towards the "large" size. As a result, we need to pare it down as the items are consuming the real estate the room has to offer

I'm also super anxious about today because I had been asked to arrange for a real estate agent to see the home as well. In other words, he asked if I knew of any good real estate agents that I could recommend. I have the perfect agent who is meeting us at the home at 10:00 this morning. I can't wait for her to see it and even more anxious to have her see it when we've completed the staging.

Stay tuned.... I hope to be able to post some before and after pictures as early as this weekend.

With their extensive home staging portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the experience and knowledge on what it takes to make your home and/or listing appeal to the prospective buyers. Contact them today for your free no-obligation appointment: 678 522 8392.

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The Effectiveness of Home Staging

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:50:23 -0500

The Effectiveness of Home Staging

I read an interesting blog post this morning written by a Broker/Realtor by the name of Loreena Yeo. In it, she describes a home in Texas that would have a much easier time of getting their desired price if they would only seek the advice of a professional home stager and an agent that believes in the value of staging. You can read the entire post here. As a professional home stager in Atlanta, Georgia, I couldn't agree more. I've had the great privilege of working with many home sellers and have not only helped them obtain their desired price but also have helped them sell more quickly.

Case in point, this town home, pictured below, had sat on the market for 2 years. The frustration the homeowners had experienced had reached an all time high. With reason. Two years is an incredibly long time for a home to sit. The agent who had this listing had used us in the past and had recommended that they have the home professionally staged.

In the initial visit, I entered the home using the buyers-eye. My objective is to try and emulate the same experience the potential buyers were experiencing. In this particular home, I simply wasn't connecting with the home on an emotional level. The home was empty; void of anything that would allow me to envision living here.

After we staged the home, I remember locking the door behind me and knowing with all the certainty in the world that we'd be de-staging this home soon. I was right. The home went under contract in less than 8 weeks after we staged it.

Here's how the home looked before and after:

This is what the potential buyers were seeing when they toured the home.

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The Home Michelle Minch Helped Me Home Stage

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:14:39 -0500

East Coast Stager Meets West Coast Stager

A few weeks ago, I got lucky. Michelle Minch was visiting Atlanta and I happened to have a staging scheduled during her visit. Before Michelle arrived, we had spoken on the phone numerous times. She mentioned that she'd be glad to help if I happened to have a staging that needed to be done while she was here. Fortunately for me, I did. And what a treat it was. I've always admired Michelle's work and the thought of having her here to do a staging was thrilling.

Here are a couple before and after pictures of the home Michelle help me stage.

Kitchen Before being staged. NOTE: This home is NOT occupied. The homeowners had purchased a new home a cuple of miles away. At the time the "before" pictures were taken, the home was going thru some minor renovations.

With the renovations completed, we were able to bring in our accessories and stage the home. Here's the after picture:

Before:

After:

A special note of thanks to Michelle Minch with Moving Mountains Design! It was a treat like none other to have you stage with me.

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Atlanta Vacant Home Staging - Before & After Pictures Included

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:05:23 -0500

Atlanta Vacant Home Staging - Before & After Pictures Included

I almost labeled this post; "How to Add Warmth" to a room. It's simply amazing how bringing in a few chosen pieces of furniture and accessories can do for a room. As you can see the before and after pictures of our home staging below, the room took on a whole new persona after these items were added.

As for the before picture - one could possibly describe this room as plain and boring. It's also very likely that a prospective buyer, when visiting the home, would take one quick look and be done. As for the MLS listing photo - there's nothing too exciting about this room that would help drive them in.

As a professional home stager in Atlanta, I knew instantly what it would take to help evoke that emotional connection that helps sell homes. By design, we kept the style streamlined. This clean yet sophisticated look is what helps keep the buyer in the home longer. The longer they stay, the more they become engaged in the home.

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Home Staging Atlanta - Before and After Pictures Kitchens- Part IV

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:52:55 -0500

Home Staging Atlanta - Before and After Pictures Kitchens- Part IV

Whether you're selling your home in Atlanta Georgia, or selling in your home in Portland Oregon - part of the formula for a successful quick sale (yes, there are other ingredients which are critically important. For more information on what those are, visit this post: How This Home Sold in One Week) is ensuring your home stands out from the others on the market.

A key room to many buyers is the kitchen. Considered the "heart of the home", buyers know that they will be spending an incredible amount of time cooking and entertaining in this room. Therefore, buyers pay particular attention to this room.

As a professional home staging expert in Atlanta, my job is to identify the challenges and create the solutions.

Here are a few examples of our Atlanta Home Staging solutions we implemented for these kitchens:

The Challenge: Despite it's bright green colored walls, this kitchen lacked appeal.

The Home Staging Solution: Under the advice of Georgia Interior Solutions (homestagingatlanta.com) this kitchen (along with other rooms in the home) went through a major transformation. For the kitchen we chose the flooring, counter top and paint color. We also recommended the florescent light be changed to canned lighting. As you can see, the kitchen now has a much more modern look and feel. Results - under contract in two weeks.

The Challenge: The homeowner knew how important a first great impression is but lacked the accessories and know-how on where to begin.

The Home Staging Solution: Selective accessories help to showcase this kitchen.

The Challenge: The light bulb is out. Okay, just kidding. The builder had added a few accessories hoping to have an impact on the buyer.

The Home Staging Solution: Using the right amount of accessories and adding stools to the countertop now allows the buyer to envision living in the home.

To see the other "challenges" and "home staging solutions" in this series visit:

Part I - Home Staging Atlanta - Living Rooms Before and After Pictures

Part II - Home Staging Atlanta - Occupied Homes

Part III - Home Staging Atlanta - Bathrooms Before and After Pictures

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Home Staging Atlanta - Before and After Pictures Bathrooms - Part III

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:38:59 -0500

Home Staging Atlanta - Before and After Pictures Bathrooms - Part III

In continuation in my series Home Staging Atlanta Before and After Pictures what's become obvious is that sellers face a variety of challenges when selling their homes. In this market, it's important to ensure the right kind of solutions are implemented that will help make a difference. The value in having your home professional staged is that home stagers see the challenge and create the solution to help sell the home more quickly. At HomeStagingAtlanta.com, we have the perfect solutions.

Here's a review of some of the challenges with bathrooms along with the home staging solution we implemented:

The Challenge: With its' hefty price tag given the location of this home, the potential buyers weren't impressed.

The Home Staging Solution: Beyond adding a few accessories, we recognized that there were a few renovations that would help the sellers get their asking price. The home staging solutions we recommended: change the countertop, change the faucets and light fixtures and add a frame to the mirror. The results - the home, on the market two years, was under contract in 2 weeks after staging.

The Challenge: This guest bathroom, seldom used, ended up being a place to store extra items.

The Home Staging Solution: As you can see, removing the items alone helped tremendously. In addition, the use of the white/cream accessories brought out a more polished look.

The Challenge: Plain and boring; hardly making it a bathroom the buyers would emotionally connect to.

The Home Staging Solution: We added just a few "select" pieces to help warm up the space.

For a review of my first two post in the series, visit Home Staging Atlanta Before & After Pictures Living Rooms, and Home Staging Atlanta Before & After Occupied Homes

And for those looking for tips on changes you can make in your own bathroom, here's an excerpt from a post I had written back in October of 2008.

How to add more style and luxury to your bathroom:

Indulge: Add decorative towels and hand towels. Fresh new towels displayed over the bathtub and on the bathroom counter will help set a mood of luxury and indulgence.
Slip Into Comfort: Add a pair of slippers next to the bathtub as it will serve as a reminder that there's warmth and comfort when you step out of that bubble bath.
Take it Off the Hook: Instead of hanging a robe on a hook, purchase a nice wooden hanger. It's an easy solution that adds a touch of luxury.
Plush It Up: From fluffy bath mats to fluffy towels, adding layers of softness adds a more cozy feel.
Fancy that: How you display your items has an overall impact on how the room feels. Glass containers to house your bath crystals, soaps, etc... add instant style to your room.

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Home Staging Atlanta - Before and After Pictures Occupied Homes Part II

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:15:13 -0500

Home Staging Atlanta - Before and After Pictures Occupied Homes

In my first post in the series, Home Staging Atlanta Before & After Picture, I shared the challenges, along with the home staging solutions our company implemented for living rooms with awkward layouts.

While the layout of a room can in fact have its' fair share of challenges for sellers and buyers, the occupied home owner faces a host of unique challenges tied to selling their home.

Here's a list of some of those struggles as they begin preparing their home for the market:

Most don't know where to begin.
The process seems overwhelming
They've grown so accustom to their things and the way they currently have the room laid out that they can't envision it any other way

As a professional home stager in Atlanta, I understand just how frustrating the process can be for sellers. Fortunately, we offer a host of home staging solutions that can and do overcome the challenges.

Here's a small sample of some of the occupied homes we've staged with the unique challenge and the home staging solution we implemented:

The Challenge: Given how important a master bedroom is when selling, you want buyers to emotionally connect with this room. In the case of this room, there's nothing too engaging that would make this room memorable to the potential buyer.

The Home Staging Solution: We set out to make this bedroom a room they would remember. In the design plan, we knew we needed to implement a plan that would tie everything together. We began with the bedding and kept with the use of black and white accents to coincide with the black and white marble in the fireplace.

The Challenge: This sitting room resides in the master bedroom and as you can see, managed to become a "collection of stuff."

The Home Staging Solution: As you can see from the following after picture, we brought the area back to its' original purpose. Now buyers can actually envision enjoying their first cup of coffee, or better yet, snuggling up next to a roaring fire reading a book.

The Challenge: This keeping room is located off one of the key rooms of the home, the kitchen. As a result, it too becomes an important room when selling. The challenge with this room is that it lacks a cohesive look. The chairs, with one being brown and the other beige, actually interrupts the visual flow of the room.

The Home Staging Solution: The second beige chair, which was found in another room within the home, adds an element of design to the room. The use of the red accents picks up the red from the round carpet help tie it all together. The result - a cohesive look and feel.

The Challenge: Note: This room is directly on the left as you enter the front door. As you can see, the homeowner has taken this formal living room and used it as an arts and crafts room for their children; which is fine when your home is not on the market. However, when selling, given the location of this room and the importance of a great first-impression, this room becomes critically important.

The Home Staging Solution: I'm often asked if this is truly the same room given just how big the transformation was. I can assure you that it is. With the room converted back to its' original purpose, we now appeal to a broad base of perspective buyers and not just those with kids.

The Challenge: The room is small to begin with and is being consumed by the foos ball table. In addition, from a visual perspective, the feature of the room, the fireplace, is partially blocked.

The Home Staging Solution: Using just the right amount of pieces and furniture scaled to the size of the room, buyers can now a) see the feature and b) are provided with a visually appealing room.

The Challenge: While the layout is right, the pieces are wrong. As you can see, the room below lacks in personality.

The Home Staging Solution: Using the same general layout, but different pieces (which, by the way, were in the home), we brought a cohesive look and feel to the room.

Home Staging Atlanta provides a variety of home staging solutions all designed to support YOU!

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Home Staging Atlanta - Living Room Before and After Pictures

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 09:42:02 -0500

Home Staging Atlanta Before and After Pictures of Living Rooms

The following living rooms all had several things in common:

All are vacant
They all lack visual appeal
They left buyers confused and concerned

What I've discovered as a home stager in Atlanta is that most homes will have some unique challenge making it even more difficult for the buyers to connect with the home. My job is not only add visual interest with my home staging services in Atlanta, but I'm also tasked to overcome these challenges by creating unique solutions for each. It's the portion of the job I love most.

Whether it's a home, a town home or a condo, our Atlanta Home Staging services has helped sellers sell more quickly and assisted buyers with getting that ever-so-important emotional connection to the home.

Here's a review of the challenges, by room, and the Home Staging Atlanta solutions we implemented.

The Challenge: Long and narrow living room, when vacant, leaves the buyer wondering how to arrange their furniture.

The Home Staging Solution: The room was divided into two parts with a sitting area at one end and the sofa and armoire at the other. The addition of furniture and accessories warms up the space and provides the prospective buyer with an instant solution with how to arrange their own furniture.

The Challenge: A small living room. In addition, this is the room the potential buyers enter when seeing the home for the first time. When vacant, there's no great first impression.

The Home Staging Solution: Dressed to impress. The addition of art, rug, furniture, etc... created a first great impression and helped sell this home quickly.

The Challenge: A very small living room. Seated just off the kitchen, buyers weren't able to visualize how this space could accommodate their furniture.

The Home Staging Solution: With the addition of furniture and a layout that works well for this room, the room now appears visually larger.

The Challenge: Here we have an eat-in area and a living room combination. Buyers were struggling with how such little space could actually serve two purposes. Yes, that's me on the right side of the picture.

The Home Staging Solution: Buyers now see clearly how this room can function as both a living area and eat-in kitchen.

The Challenge: This contemporary loft with the cement flooring appears cold.

The Home Staging Solution: In keeping with the style of the home, we added solutions that truly show-case the space.

The Challenge: A beautiful home, yet the living area appears small.

The Home Staging Solution: By bringing in two chairs, sofa, end table, coffee table, we demonstrated to the buyers that the space could accommodate the "typical" amount of furniture the prospective buyer would be bringing into the home.

This is the first post in our series of Home Staging Atlanta Solutions.

At HomeStagingAtlanta.com we understand what it takes to help sell a home more quickly. Whether it's a house, a town home or a condo in Atlanta, our creative home staging solutions making selling the home less frustrating and easier.

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1000 Point Challenge For The Rest Of Our Members.....'The Series'

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:59:09 -0500

Calling all Home Stagers - I'm re-blogging this post as we've got a great challenge getting underway (starts Friday, August 13th at 12:00 central) that provides us with an opportunity to further showcase what it is we do. The rules are specific so please be certain read them carefully. For example: If you want to participate, go to Bob's blog post and leave a link to the NAME OF YOUR SERIES and for each blog post you write in your series, provide the link and the post number.

As you'll see, Bob has provided an example of what the series for home stagers could consist of. I like this example for obvious reasons (smile).

Good luck to everyone!! And reminder - the challenge begins Friday, August 13th at 12:00 central.

Kathy

Via Bob Stewart - ActiveRain (ActiveRain):

I have run a series of 1000 point challenges for our members over the past few weeks. The first one was designed to get everyone writing about 'Hyper Local Neighborhoods and communities' in their market. The current one, set to end Wednesday August 12th is designed to get our members out meeting local business owners and giving them some internet exposure.

Really, anyone could participate in these challenges, and we have many non real estate agents who have jumped on board and written about neighborhoods or local businesses in their market. I can certainly see, however, that these challenges are more specific to our real estate agent members.

So this time we are going to let our non real estate agent members get involved.

We have quite a variety of profile types on ActiveRain: Loan Officers, Home Stagers, Inspectors, Appraisers and many others. So after putting my head together with Steve and Janet and quite a few other people who have expressed an interest in participating in these challenges, I think we have come up with something so everyone else can get in on the points smogasbord.

The Challenge:

Over the next 14 days, I will be giving 1000 points per post for posts in a series designed to educate your local consumers about some component of your business.

SAY WHAT!?!?? That seems a little ambigious doesn't it? Yes, yes it does!

The problem is obvious......what theme or topic could I come up with that covers such a wide variety of businesses? So my theme is to write a series that highlights SOMETHING, ANYTHING. I don't care what you write about, but the series must have a theme and you must stay consistent with that theme.

Here are a few examples:

Home Stagers: If I was a home stager, one of the components I would want present in my blog would be a series dedicated to 'before and after' staging jobs of specific rooms. My seven part series (or if I only had time for five, my five part series) would consist of

Before and After Staging of a Kitchen

Before and After Staging of a Master Bedroom

Before and After Staging of a Children's bedroom

Before and After Staging of a Guest Bathroom

Before and After Staging of a Living Room

Before and After Staging of a Garage

Before and After Staging of a Den

I wouldn't just throw up some before and after pictures either. I would do a great job of explaining why the before pictures were an undesirable presentation of a particular room. Then in the after photos I would explain what we did to make the room a presentable room. I would create a series of blog posts that I would be PROUD to send to a potential client or referral partner showcasing my staging abilities.

Inspectors: If I was a Home Inspector, I would do a series of common issues that I come across when doing inspections in my market. The posts would have pictures of what to look for or what I see. There are a few inspectors that do this on a regular basis and their posts are outstanding information dedicated to their particular markets.

Loan Officers: If I was a loan officer I would do a series about the available loan products that I offer. I would even ask permission of some of my former clients who have used these products to allow me to use them (or their scenario) in the post in order to exemplify how this product was a good fit for their family. My seven part (or four parts if you don't have the time to do all seven) series might look something like this....

FHA Mortgages | Buying a home in Bellingham with a small downpayment and a short credit history

Reverse Mortgages | Using the equity in your Bellingham home to pay your mortgage

30 Year Fixed Mortgage | A traditional mortgage for your Belligham home purchase

USDA Home Loans | Does your Bellingham Home meet the requirements for a USDA Loan

(ok, ok.....three years ago I could have rattled off a ton more options and I know they are out there today......if you're a loan officer you know what they are)

Maybe I don't want to write about products because they change like the wind.......fine, write about Getting approved for a home loan. That would be a great series. Take each step and break it down so that a consumer can really get the details. Add in pitfalls that often trip an application at that point in the process. Include personal experiences of how not preparing to have your rental history verified led to a delay in funding. I don't care what you write about....you are much more qualified than I to understand what your consumers are in search of and what kinds of information they are most lacking.

What if I'm a real estate agent and I want to do a series? Go for it! Maybe you want to do a series on 'Getting Your Home Ready to Sell'. Or maybe you want to do one on 'The process of buying a home'. You could even use real life scenarios from a current client you are working with (with their permission of course).

What if I want to do a series helping real estate professionals understand email marketing? GREAT!! If your business is helping real estate agents, by all means, write a series of posts that caters to your strengths and your audience.

What if I want to do a series about nothing real estate related? I don't care.....but, I wouldn't advise it. The point is to get you conditioned to write blog posts that help your business. If you want to write a series about 'how to potty train your child', that's fine (and I will read every word as Kelan is currently leaning how to use the big boy potty.....but he's actually got the hang of it so I'll just be looking for tips on getting him to stop faking at bed time) but it's not really the point.

Here are the rules:

You can do one post every two days for 1000 points. The challenge will start on Thursday 13th at 12:00am Central Time (Central Time is what the AR clock runs on for stamping posts and comments) and the challenge will end on Wednesday August 26th at 11:59pm Central Time.

You must do at least 3 posts in order to qualify for the 1000 points for each post. Two posts isn't really a series. I thought about making it four, but I guess 3 is a series.

You must leave a link to each post in the comment section of this post (or the subsequent post I'm sure I will have to start once this post gets too slow).

In the comment section, when you leave your link, you need to leave the name of the series and a link to your post, for EVERY link you leave. PLEASE INCLUDE THE NAME TO YOUR SERIES. There will be some of you that have great ideas and I would like others to be able to use those ideas for their own series. If you don't want to share your idea for your series, you don't get to play!! Sharing is a cornerstone of ActiveRain.

Please keep track of which post in the series you are leaving a link for and leave the number in the comments. For example your comment might look like this: "Having the Perfect Tailgate Party for Your Seattle Seahawks Tailgate (I don't need to read this series, my people KNOW how to get DOWN!) http://activerain.com/........... (that's the links), post #4"

If you are not sure if your series will qualify, you didn't read the post close enough. I don't really care what you write about. I just want it to be a series. Write about something you are passionate about. Write about something that is going to help your clients. Write about something that is going to help your peers. Write about anything......as long as the posts have the same theme, and the name of your series imparts that theme, you should be fine. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly if you are unsure about anything I have written here. I only bite when asked 'where are my points' (and only if it's the 20th time I have heard the question for that particular day) and I promise to help you if you ask for the help.

(IMPORTANT: If you have not read Brad's post about writing to attract consumers and search engines, READ IT NOW!!! If you are not using the tips that Brad gives in this post you are only hurting yourself. I don't mean use them when you feel like it, or use them every now and then......USE THEM EVERY POST ALL THE TIME!!! They are that important. You should work this stuff into your series. Make sure to use geographic terms in your titles specific to your market! Do IT!! Don't ask questions!! Just do it!!! Don't be surprised, if I see you not using his advice, when I send you a message taking away points and reminding you. The loss of points pales in comparison to the loss of traffic and consumers if you aren't doing what Brad suggests in that post.)

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Before & After Pictures - Home Staging Atlanta

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:51:20 -0500

Before & After Pictures of Home Staging in Atlanta

I was informed yesterday that the home pictured in this slide show has led to two contracts in less than a week. I couldn't be happier.

My objective with all of the homes I've staged in Atlanta, is to help them sell more quickly. Once we had the project completed, I knew with all the certainty in the world that we would have a direct impact in helping buyers to connect with the home.

So without further ado, here's a slide show of before and after pictures of the home we staged in Atlanta:

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

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Model Home Staging in Atlanta Georgia

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:34:44 -0500

Model Home Staging in Atlanta, Georgia

Years ago, it was recommended that I NOT focus on model homes. Instead, it was suggested that I "leave that up to the interior decorating companies that exists as they're the pros." By golly, that was all I needed. Based on my success with home staging resale homes, I knew with all the certainty in the world that I could stage a model home.

I was right.

In the past four years, I've had the good fortune of staging many model homes throughout Atlanta. In fact, one of the homes was featured on the front page of the living section in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Prior to the article coming out, we had 9 homes under contract in less than 2 weeks.

So what made staging model homes a reality for my company?

I was on a mission. I knew that I could provide an cost effective solution that would save the builders and investors thousands of dollars.
I applied the same logic as I did with my home staging projects. Buyers need to emotionally connect with the home. Nothing new there.
I listened. Understanding the demographics of the buyer helped define what we would be bringing into the home.

Here are a couple of close-up pictures of some the accessories used:

Our affordable rates make it perfect for staging model homes throughout Atlanta.

This model home resides in Bristol at Briarcliff in Dekalb County.

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Sex Sells and So Does Home Staging. Just Sayin...

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:37:37 -0500

Sex Sells and So Does Home Staging. Just Sayin

Here's why:

Let's take this room as an example. This is what it looked like before being professionally home staged by Georgia Interior Solutions (homestagingatlanta.com). Not very warm and inviting; is it? In fact, this sitting room is just plain boring looking. Think it will impress the buyers? It hasn't.

Now here's the room after we staged it:

Through home staging:

Buyers can now envision living in the home
Will become much more emotionally connected to the home
Are given solutions with how to use the space

And the list goes on.

If you're thinking it doesn't matter to a buyer, I can assure you that it does. After having staged hundreds of homes throughout Atlanta, I know first-hand what an impact staging can have on a vacant home. Just Sayin....

For tips on how to decorate a small sitting room, visit our blog site at Atlanta Home Stager Info.

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No, They're Not Real.

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:30:15 -0500

The apples. They're not real.

Unfortunately, they (he/she) learned the hard way.

I remember this happening to Michelle Minch with a pear. See her post titled Fake Food is Not For Human Consumption. I still crack up reading her post.

Yes, my goal as a professional home stager is to allow the prospective buyers to envision living in the home. This includes, obviously, passing by a bowl full of apples and grabbing one to munch on. I'll take it as a compliment (smile).

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Why I said NO to Staging This Listing

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:03:22 -0500

For the record, I'm not use to saying NO. Having staged hundreds of homes and millions of dollars in real estate throughout the Atlanta area, I know how beneficial staging can be.

The truth of the matter is that I've only said NO to two; both happened this year.

The first time was via the phone when the seller had informed me that he only needed the staging for a day. He explained that he was attempting to trick the potential lender in believing that he lived in the home. The conversation ended quickly.

The second time happened recently with an investment property I was asked to see. The investors live in California and had purchased three investment properties here in Atlanta.

Having passed the phone interview, I was on my way to see the first of the three properties.

NOTE: The home pictured is NOT the home but it's close. The home is part of a collection of photos taken by Kevin Bauman Photography. Kevin is an incredible photographer who has an incredible eye. To see more of his photos, visit his site at Kevin Bauman Photography.

I secured the keys from the agents' office and hit the driveway with a lot of trepidation.

The lawn, recently mowed, lay covered in hay. Appears the last time it was mowed had been months prior.

The car port was leaning. Not slightly leaning, mind you. This puppy looked ready to topple over.

Let me cut to the chase - the keys wouldn't work so I never did get to see the interior. No worries. I knew looking at the exterior that their investment dollars allocated to staging would be better served with repairs, landscaping and painting.

Now I had the difficult task of telling the homeowner that I wouldn't be putting a bid in to stage their home.

Again, I'm not use to saying no.

After a lengthy conversation, I ended up being thanked for my professionalism.

As for the agent - well now that's another story. Appears she didn't like the fact that I said no. Her response: Fine, I'll find another stager who WILL stage the home. I wished her the very best.

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Let's Add Some More Bling to Bing

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:02:17 -0500

Let's Add some more Bling to Bing

For those who may be unfamiliar with Bing, I captured the following definition from Wikipedia: Hopefully, you can read this. If not, click on the Wikipedia link.

Some state that Bing is positioned to give Google a run for its' money. Time will tell. Personally, I'm so use to using Google that I can't imagine using anything else. However, I found myself curious so have hopped over a few times to check it out.

Of course, one of the things I just HAD to check is to see where our Active Rain Group called Staging Before & After Pictures appeared. Well, here's the answer:

To see where this same Active Rain group appears in Google, check out this blog "home stagers - go ahead and expose yourself."

Let's see if we can't improve on our position by adding a little more "bling" (aka your home staging before and after pictures) to the group!.

Kathy

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Home Stagers - Go Ahead, Expose Yourself

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:23:41 -0500

Home Stagers - Go Ahead, Expose Yourself

Trust me; exposing yourself in the Rain can be extremely beneficial. No, not the "open your raincoat kind of exposure." That calls for an entirely different type of blog. But, I digressed. If you're a professional home stager, then you know how important your before & after pictures are to your prospective clients. Whether it's a real estate agent, an investor or the homeowner, your portfolio speaks volumes to the quality of your work.

Knowing how important these photos are, I created the group called Staging Before & After Pictures back in April of 2007 (yes, I've been around for a while). As the description states, the group was designed to showcase and share with others the beautiful transformations created by the Stagers in Active Rain.

The purpose of this blog post is to show you just how powerful adding your staging pictures can be.

Here's the proof:

The group, "Staging Before & After Pictures", sits in the #3 spot on the first page of Google.

Cost: Zero dollars

Exposure: Incredible!

Kathy

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