Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates

Sometimes the Staging Gods Bless Us- Pics I have to share

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:47:10 -0500

I am wiped out! After a month of back to back stagings I finally have some time to sit down and post on some of our recent projects. Typically I like my posts to be educational and share some insight on the industry or some recent staging statistics. This project however was a unique situation and the pictures speak for themselves.

Sometimes we just get lucky and get to stage one of the most amazing homes I have ever encountered. Seriously I was speechless when I saw this home and breathless when I got done staging it.

Take a look for yourself- It can be yours for a little over 6 million in Malvern, Pennsylvania in the heart of Chester County.

Special thanks to Kathleen Sheehan Cox www.kathleensheehancox.com of Wood Rich Homes for the exterior shots.

Making Models Work: Who is your target buyer?

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:23:04 -0500

Below are photos of a model condo unit we staged for a builder in Lower Merion Pennsylvania, a suburb outside of Philadelphia. This is actually the 5th time we have staged this model! Each time we stage the model unit it sells, and the builder asks us to move it to a new location in the complex. Buyers love the staged unit and since that is the unit they want, we have to move it.

The unit we are staging is the same as all the other units. So why do buyers insist on that particular unit and not another? Buyers are attracted to the look of the model and emotionally begin to connect to the space. I think this particular model works because it is designed to intentionally appeal to the typical buyer for this complex: an active adult that is downsizing from a tradtional home or a single woman that is a working professional. We have done more contemporary models for other properties but the classic look of this space is something buyers love because it shows them how their things can look in this space.

Telling the Truth Can Hurt but It Also Helps Sells Homes!

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 16 May 2008 17:05:40 -0500

Last month I had the pleasure of working with a client in Lower Merion Pennsylvania a suburb outside of Philadelphia. I was brought in to assist a man that was moving to a new home after living in his current home for 11 years. The home was a contemporary ranch in a very tony zip code. The client wanted advice about how we could use his existing furniture to stage his home. Typically I provide clients with a home staging consultation that outlines how the furniture can be placed and what items the client should pack up and how they should accessorize the space using what they have now. This situation was a bit unique. The client had invested a lot of money updating his kitchen and bathrooms but had not purchased any new furniture, artwork or accessories since he moved there. He had moved into the home after a divorce and much of the furniture was mismatched and collected from here and there. A home staging consultation is typically $300 for most homes. Staging a vacant home is a larger investment.

The easy thing to do would have been to tell him that his furniture would work. We could rearrange the living room and use some of the less personal art. The harder thing to do was to tell him that everything needed to go and we needed to bring in furniture and accessories that not only would be more appealing to his target buyer but also would enhance the new kitchen and bathroom. I chose the latter and told him honestly that his older furniture was upstaging his new kitchen and bathrooms and that he would now need to spend more money to get his home ready for sale.

He got it. He looked at me, looked at the furniture, looked at the dated carpet and got it. The next thing we did was set up appointments to have the rooms repainted and the carpet replaced. He then got to work over the next 2 weeks packing and moving out of the home. The following month our team came in and staged the main areas of his home. We wanted to show a more on-trend look that would appeal to younger buyers and work with the contemporary look of the home. Take a look below- I only wish I had befores to share. His reaction? He wishes he did this 11 years ago!

Rooms that make you go Hmmm???

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:36:29 -0500

As a home staging professional I hear clients ask time and time again "Why do I need to stage my vacant home? Can't buyers just imagine how it will look with their furniture?" As always I answer, "No. Buyers need to see furniture in a space so they can mentally begin to move in. Staging gives rooms a better sense of proportion and shows buyers the best use of each space."

Below are some before and after pictures of a home we recently staged in Montgomery Country Pennsylvania. The home is a sleek contemporary space with gorgeous finishes and lots of natural light. Before staging buyers were not sure what each room could be used for. After staging the purpose is clear.

Philadelphia Home Staging Statistics- Home Sellers Get Multiple Offers!

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:12:23 -0500

Home Staging is a key factor in successful home sales for many Philadelphia area home sellers. Below are 3 recent case studies of projects we completed last month. As you can see no matter what the budget, home staging was able to help each home seller with their specific needs.

Home Staging Consultation: Total Cost $300.00

Delaware County, Wayne Pennsylvania

Days on Market Pre-Staging 6 months

Days on Market Post- Staging 2 weeks

We were contacted by the home seller's Realtor to assist her client with getting a new look for her home. The client was downsizing after living in her home for 35 years and raising 4 children. The home owner had a flair for decorating but the home was overly personal. When buyers entered the home they immediately noticed all her lovely things not the home's architectural features. We met with the home seller and came up with a plan on how to enhance each room. We shared some advice about how to make the home feel more spacious and less personal. The most dramatic transformation was removing her many decorative area rugs and rearranging the living room and den to showcase the space and the hardwood floors her home offers. The home seller was able to use our advice to stage her home and received an offer 2 weeks after staging.

Home Staging Enhancement: Total Cost $1600.00

Montgomery County, Wynnewood Pennsylvania

Received 2 offers within 72 hours of first showing

Prior to putting their home on the market this Spring this home seller contacted us to give them a plan on what they needed to do to make their home more appealing to potential buyers. They had lived in their home for only 2 years and were relocating to a new city for work. They had enjoyed the home but had not spent much time decorating or settling in. The result was that the home looked cold and uninviting. We started by giving them a staging consultation or report of what they needed to do to make sure each space was in top condition. This included cleaning carpets, repainting and washing windows. We then gave them a proposal for our team to accent their home with our accessories to give it a more completed look. The results were fantastic- the rooms felt warmer, more inviting and welcoming. Buyers agreed- they got 2 offers within days!

Standard Home Staging for Vacant Home: Total Cost $4970.00 ***

Chester County, Wayne Pennsylvania

Received Offer 23 days after staging

*** Total cost for 90 days. Client is now moving items to another property to be staged.

Our team was asked to assist a local home builder with one of his spec homes. We had successfully staged other homes for his Realtor and he had seen work that we had done for other home builders that he was acquainted with. We met with the seller and gave him a complimentary staging estimate. He hired us to fully stage the first floor of his home. After the staging was completed the Realtor took photographs for his on-line site and began to market the home. During the first week on the market the buyer viewed the property. Two weeks later they visited again and made an offer. The home builder was so thrilled with the results that he is moving the furniture and accessories to another spec home 2 miles away

Home Staging is more than a bowl of fruit!

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:10:55 -0500

Lately the national media has focused a lot of attention on home staging because of the current housing market and the economy. Some of this press has been positive such as the pieces in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Chicago Tribune, whereas others have taken jabs at the staging industry and have likened staging to merely placing a bowl of fruit on a table to get a home to sell. In my mind any press is good press and getting the concept of home staging in front of consumers is important. The negative spin does not really bother me since as a home staging professional I know that if it were that easy I would not have to spend hours working one-on-one with home sellers to educate them on what they need to do to market their homes to their target buyer and what they need to do to enhance their home's selling features.

I think the problem lies in the public's misconception of what home staging professionals do and the very word we use to describe our business. Years ago when I would tell people that I was a home stager I would see blank looks on their faces. I would then have to "sell" them on what home staging is: a process by which we market your home to show your home's best selling features and make it appealing to the most potential buyers. They would laugh at my suggestions to remove their outdated furniture and wallpaper and tell me that staging was "too fake" since it was not really how people would live. I wonder now if I could have saved a lot of oxygen, time and cell phone minutes if I had just said, "I am a home marketing professional. I help you to market your home just like you would market a car if you were selling it".

The reality is that there are good home stagers and bad home stagers just as there are good pre-owned car salespeople and bad used car sales people. Consumers will have an experience with either a good or bad stager or a good or bad car sales person and then will base their opinion of an entire industry on that experience. As home stagers we have a lot to live up to: We are not just marketing a used car- we are marketing a "used home" and more often than not it is people's most valuable asset and most personal and emotional item. The key is whether or not we are a used car marketer and throw a bowl of fruit on the table just as a used car salesman hangs the pine scented tree from the dash or a luxury pre-owned resale home marketer who takes the time to assess the selling features of a home and then details the product before putting it on the market.

To illustrate the point of how important it is to prepare a resale home for market I have included before and after photographs of a recent staging project. This involved a lot more than a bowl of faux fruit!

Step 1: The consultation: we started the process by meeting with the client to assess the home. He had done a wonderful job of updating the kitchen and bathrooms however the clutter, furniture and décor did not do a lot to appeal to the younger professionals that would most likely purchase this condo and made it hard for them to focus on the selling features.

Step 2: Storage and Clutter Removal: the client had moved from a 4 bedroom home into the condo 2 years ago and had a lot of extra furniture items and clothing. We recommended that he store these items while the home was on the market so that buyers could appreciate the space his home offers- not his bicycle and extra dining room table.

Step 3: Staging and Accessorizing of the home: We brought in our staging team and a crew of movers to remove the excess furniture and add accent items that would appeal to the younger buyer that will most likely purchase this condo.

Step 4: Cleaning and detailing of home: The final step was to have a professional cleaning company clean the home including all the windows, carpet and vents.

The results were amazing- the home now had a look that appealed to the types of buyers for his property. It was the same space but had a completely new look. Bottom line- adding a bowl of fruit would not have solved this marketing dilemma!

Kate Hart is the President of Select Home Stagers, the nation's premier staging company. To find a home staging professional in your area visit www.selecthomestagers.com

Staging it Forward Together-Hart & Associates Staging Welcomes Jane Hagy of No Place Like Home Staging

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 17:14:05 -0500

When most small business owners are looking for advice they usually do not turn to their local competition; but that is exactly what I did last month when I needed some help with upcoming staging jobs. The reason I felt comfortable contacting another local stager is that she had called me a few months before to help her with a difficult client- I had actually lost the staging job to her but was willing to talk to her about since I knew how hard it was to face these issues alone.

Today I can happily say that I now talk to this stager about business a few times a day because she is no longer my competition!

Last week Jane Hagy of No Place Like Home Staging in Wayne PA and fellow member of Stage-it-Forward joined our team as a Senior Staging Associate. I am thrilled and honored to be working alongside Jane because she understands and respects the special relationship we have with our clients. Jane brings two years of staging experience to Hart & Associates and her business background includes over 10 years managing marketing programs for the Donald Trump organization.

Jane is a wonderfully talented stager and has an understanding and respect for each client's needs. Already she has proven her dedication to our team- yesterday we staged 2 homes in a record 7 hours!

Please join me in welcoming Jane to Hart & Associates Staging and Design!

HomeGoods Post #5 - Creating an Oasis in your home

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:48:12 -0500

Hi all,

Happy Monday. Make sure to stop by my HomeGoods blog this week. My latest post is about creating an oasis in your home. I am excited to hear what room in your home inspires you the most.

Click here to take a peek.

How to avoid a common Home Staging crisis- my HomeGoods blog 4

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 08:52:11 -0500

Does your home suffer from bookcase abandonment?

As a home staging professional I often encounter a common design dilemma- Bookcases that have been crammed with massive amounts of unused items!

I am especially shocked when I see home sellers with gorgeous custom built-ins overflowing with their sophomore year English class paperbacks, children's art creations, tennis ball cans, and cd-collections as if they were the highlight of their living room. Let me make one thing clear- bookcases are a great storage solution for an office or library but if the bookcase in question is a focal point of a room, or a selling feature of your home it needs to be treated as a showpiece.

I offer the following advice to make any bookcase a display not a catch-all and you can read it here on my guest blog for HomeGoods.

My HomeGoods Blog 3: Have you discovered the hidden "rooms" your home offers?

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:05:06 -0500

As a home staging professional one of the things I help home sellers with is making sure that each space in their home has a defined purpose and that their resale homes are competitive with newer construction homes that offer spaces that have special uses such as "the home work room," "the craft room", "the yoga studio", "the garden room" and so on.

What I discover when I help home sellers is that a lot of times they already have these spaces in their homes but they just have not discovered them yet. An extra closet in a guest room can be made into a craft studio, a corner in the master bedroom can offer a tranquil space for yoga and meditation, and a workbench in the garage can easily become a potting shed when the right accessories are added.

In this age of green friendly home design, staging can help people look at their home in a new way. Instead of using resources to build on special purpose rooms, people can create these special purpose nooks in their existing home.

Click hereto read my HomeGoods guest blog and find out ways to reuse the hidden spaces your home offers.

Need Instant Art? Read my HomeGoods blog number 2

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:48:29 -0500

As a home staging professional I find that my resale clients are concerned that their older homes do not have the same look as the newly decorated model homes on the market today. Often times they have not gotten around to decorating or furnishing their home and now that it is time to sell it needs to look more complete to be competitive with other homes on the market. One thing clients always seem to need is artwork. I have discovered that almost every home has a hidden stash of artwork if you only know where to look. Interested in finding out where I search first? Click here to read my latest featured post on HomeGoods' website and share your ideas for instant art in your clients' homes.

HomeGoods recognizes the Home Staging Industry on their Openhouse Blog Featuring Kate Hart of Select Home Stagers

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:10:50 -0500

It with great honor that I announce that I have been asked to be a featured writer for HomeGoods' online blog Openhouse this month.

I am excited about the opportunity to share my home staging and design advice with home sellers and consumers. I am also honored to represent our industry in general and that HomeGoods recognizes that home staging professionals use their products to help home sellers market and showcase their homes.

I invite you to visit my guest blog and comment on my posts- I hope that your feedback will show HomeGoods that home staging professionals are excited about this recognition and are an empowered voice in the home design industry.

The next few weeks will certainly be exciting as I post on their site and share ideas with consumers. I will also be making store appearances and hope that my fellow stagers will come out and give me some support.

Make sure to also check out our website Select Home Stagers as we have "staged" the site to announce the launch of our national staging network and the brand of staging excellence.

Thank you again for all your support as I work to grow and unite the staging industry.

Home Staging on the News- Tune in TODAY at 5:00 p.m

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:40:20 -0600

If you are a Philadelphia area home seller and you are looking for ways to get top dollar for your home then tune in today to the 5:00 news on channel FOX 29 to learn more about home staging.

We had the pleasure of meeting with reporter Michelle Williams today at one of our client's homes to give her some quick and easy tips to make resale homes more show-able.

Cleanliness, clutter control, the condition of your home, and making your home more competitive with new construction homes were all issues we discussed with our home seller.

If you are not able to catch the show you can view it on-line at www.fox29.com.

HERE IT IS!!! It aired twice yesterday. take a look. kh

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=5961632&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Thank you to Fox News, Michelle and Alix our home-seller for this wonderful opportunity to educate consumers on the value of preparing your home for sale.

Kate Hart & Reporter Michelle Williams- Kate's wearing the green jacket again!

A cluttered kitchen- we are selling the space not the stuff!

A kitchen in need of a makeover to make it more saleable.

Home Staging Clients Switch Houses! Well Sort of...

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:02:33 -0600

I have gotten a few emails and comments asking why my new blog is called Home Staged By Owner. Some people are confused that I am teaching home sellers how to stage or that I am not doing the actual staging for their homes.

The goal of my new blog is to talk to consumers or home sellers about home staging in simple terms so they can better understand how a Select Home Stager can help them market and prepare a home for sale. I also want to give home sellers some easy tips and suggestions of things they can do to make their homes more buyer friendly. There are thousands of homes for sale in our market at this time- and resale home sellers are hungry for ideas of how they can make the best first impression on buyers.

I hope to use this blog as a resource for home sellers and use my experiences with clients to educate them on what they need to do to prepare their home for a faster and more profitable sale. The story below really shows home sellers why it pays to put your time and your effort in to staging your home:

This testimonial takes the prize for how home staging is changing the way homes are bought and sold in Pennsylvania. You will have to check out Home Staged By Owner to read more.

You are including WHAT in the home sellers presentation?

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:59:05 -0600

I am giving a presentation tomorrow for a group of home sellers in our area. I have done this a few times for a local Realtor that I work with and it has been a very successful marketing tool for both of us. She markets the presentation to home sellers that have expressed interest in her services or to people that she has met at open houses and I give a talk about staging and tips on how to prepare home for sale.

It is a win-win for both of us- once she gets the listing she includes my services as part of the marketing process. The home seller is already educated about staging and is willing to listen to and implement my suggestions. We have not done a presentation in a few months so I decided to change the talk I usually give to something new this time.

The title of the talk is "10 Things you can do to prepare your home for a faster sale"

Usually I talk about the typical: get rid of the clutter, clean your home, remove anything with eyeballs. This time however I added a new twist and I think the Realtor may be shocked.

To find out what I am including click here to visit my new blog HomeStagedByOwner

Home Staging gives rooms a new purpose in Wayne, PA

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:12:21 -0600

Below are some photos of a home we staged this week in Wayne Pennsylvania. The home is lovely and has lots of curb appeal, a new kitchen and new bathrooms and is located in award winning Radnor School District.

The home seller had done a great job of decorating the home however she has two young toddlers and the way they were using the rooms did not best showcase how buyers could best use each space.

I love these photos because they really show that when you are selling your home you need to consider the purpose for each space. Take a look for yourself- The home is open today for showings and I will keep you posted on when they get an offer.

Home Staging Featured in Main Line Today Magazine's Real Estate Issue

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:13:03 -0600

Extra extra read all about it!

Home Staging is featured in this month's issue of Main Line Today magazine as a means to help home sellers market their homes. (see story on page 63)

The real estate issue focuses on the local real estate market, where to buy now, and interviews area realtors to get to the truth of what is happening with home sales in our market- still going strong!

I want to personally thank Senior Editor Tara Behan for including me in this story and also congratulate the area Realtors I work with that were part of this story:

Scott Furman, Remax Classic St. David's PA

Carol Aaron Prudential Fox & Roach Haverford Home Marketing

Dana Zdancewicz and Laura Caterson, Prudential Fox & Roach Devon PA (thanks for the staging plug!)

Bebe Forster Weichert Realty in Wayne PA

Ady McGowan Prudential Fox & Roach Wayne PA

George Raleigh, Long and Foster Wayne, PA

Congrats to all the other Realtors that took part in this educational issue. The magazine hits newsstands on Wednesday. Make sure to pick up a few copies for your home sellers as I am sure this issue will be a hot topic.

Home Sellers- Are you ready for Spring Market? Here's Proof Home Staging Helps Home Sellers in the Philadelphia Region

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:53:54 -0600

Today I got a phone call from a client that even surprised me ... her home had sold for asking in less than three weeks!

The reason I was so surprised is that traditionally the Real estate season in our area does not pick up until March 1st. We had staged this home in January with the theory that it would be ready for the start of the market and pick up any traffic that was looking before the big rush.

I have to give my seller a huge pat on the back for really understanding what it takes to market and sell your home. She contacted us three months prior to staging for a home staging consultation. We gave her a full report of what she needed to do to make her home more presentable. This included repainting some rooms a neutral color and removing personal items.

We then came in and staged a few key rooms to show buyers how they could use this home. Her Realtor loved the results and used the staged photos on-line. Within just a few showings the home owner got a full priced offer and is now looking forward to enjoying her new home.

When you are selling your home, presentation does matter and in this case contributed to a faster and more profitable sale.

Home Staging Emergency! How we rescued a Philadelphia area home builder

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 10:34:19 -0600

Fortunately the real estate market in Philadelphia has not suffered as much as other areas across the country. Even with snow on the ground now home sellers are already getting their homes ready for Spring Market. That is why it was I was not surprised when I got a call last week from a local Realtor that I work with on the Main Line.

She asked me to come over and take a look at her listing. I explained that my children were home because it was a snow day and that I would have to come the following week. Normally she would have understood but this was a STAGING EMERGENCY!

So like a staging super hero I flew out of the house, packed up my mini-stagers and armed them with Happy Meals and DVDs for entertainment. When we pulled up to the home nothing looked out of place. It was a charming remodelled home in a great neighborhood with wonderful schools- location, location, location!

The kitchen was stunning and included top of the line appliances, granite counters and custom cabinets. The home had gleaming hardwood floors and 2 fireplaces. Other bonuses included a sunroom and finished lower level with built-ins. Mentally I imagined myself moving in, dining in the formal dining room, adding fireside chairs in the great room and sipping coffee on a Sunday morning in the sunny conservatory room.

I could not place what the problem was until I saw the Master Bedroom. Here I discovered a dark, forlorn room whose closets were the resting place of the previous owners hangers. Sad plastic roller shades drooped at the windows and the blue-grey walls suggested doom and gloom rather than a sanctuary. Immediately I turned to the builder- "The problem here is that no one wants to sleep here" I explained. "The rest of the home is an A+ but you just lose it in the bedroom. Sure, it is a large room and has hardwood floors, BUT it does not FEEL like the rest of the house."

Typically I would have advised a full staging- add a dining room set, accent the kitchen, highlight the family room but this was a real emergency.... he needed to sell this home and could not invest any more $$.

So I can up with a solution. I spent the next 15 minutes giving him a checklist of how to give this room and the bathroom a mini-facelift. I prescribed replacing the oak towel bars circa 1986 with chrome and the yellow brass faucets with chrome fixtures to match the other hardware. I recommended swapping out the fluorescent lights above the vanity with chrome sconces with white glass shades and removing the old plastic shower curtain rod and rings and adding a clean fresh pole.

My next remedy was to paint the vanities a creamy white to match the molding in the newer part of the home and then to complete the makeover with a warm neutral color to give the room a crisp fresh feel and get rid of the imposing blue-grey. Of course the forgotten hangers had to be removed since they were a reminder that someone else had once lived here and we wanted this remodel to look like new inside and outside of the closets too.

The last thing I recommended was staging the bedroom and only the bedroom. He had a tight budget and I wanted him to invest in the small details I had mentioned but I still felt the bedroom needed to feel as young as the rest of the home. He had painters and electricians on his team and agreed to get to work. I agreed to come back the next morning ready to stage the bedroom.

In my 4 years staging I have never used "instant furniture". I strongly feel that when staging a home the quality of the inventory I use must match the quality of the home we are selling. Using cheap and inexpensive items make the staging stand out instead of the home. I decided however to use some inflatable mattresses and skirted tables and to craft a headboard from an architectural wall scroll. This would complement the tones of the French inspired kitchen.

I arrived at the home first thing in the morning- the Realtor had scheduled an open house later that day. The painter was still giving the walls a fresh coat and hanging the new towel bars when I arrived. I set up the bed which was an easy task and then added the tables and table skirts.

I was uncertain if this would be enough to do this home justice. Once I added the bedding however I was satisfied. I selected loads of pillows and a bedding set in a soothing green and topped it off with more toss pillows and a down filled duvet- this bed screamed "come sleep in me!"

After I added some artwork and lighting for more color I was quite pleased and even surprised myself. Could it be that in 24 hours we gave this once cave-like room a younger, more sophisticated look?

As I left hours before the open house the builder and the Realtor were thrilled. This transformation was the result of quick assessment of the problem, some quick painters and some quick staging! All in all the total time I spent at the home, planning the job and installing the job was 2 hours! Not bad at all for a complete new look and a rescue mission for this now charming home.

I got this emergency done so quickly that I forgot to take a before shot but here is the after for your review. Good looking inflatable beds and instant aaaahhhhh.....

Traditional Estate in the Heart of the Main Line offers Luxury and More

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 08:27:03 -0600

Below is a Real Estate Show for a home our team staged in Chester County Pennsylvania last week. It is a gorgeous estate with every custom detail imaginable including: walnut hardwood floors, double crown molding, 3 fireplaces, Pella Windows, Woodmode Cabinets, granite counters and oversized steam showers.

This is just on the inside! The lovely lot also offers privacy on 2.4 acres in the heart of the Main Line. Traditional landscaping, stone walkways and terraces and formal gardens offer tranquil spaces for entertaining. The property also features an original barn that provides ample space for an art studio, home office, gym, or squash court.

Take a tour below and discover Thistlewood Properties grandest new estate.

Got Staging? : Pennsylvania Home Stager Named Staging Professional of the Year

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:42:40 -0600

Got Staging? : Pennsylvania Home Stager Named Staging Professional of the Year

Having problems selling your new construction or resale home? Are buyers constantly complaining that your home is too small or too "tastefully challenged"? Consider home staging to help your home realize its potential and open buyer's eyes to your home's selling features.
Kate Hart, President and Principal Designer for Hart & Associates Staging and Design of Wayne Pennsylvania, has recently been named Professional Stager of the Year 2007 by RESA- the Real Estate Staging Association. This is the first time this national association has awarded this prestigious honor.

Ms. Hart has personally provided staging services in the Main Line, Philadelphia and Delaware Valley regions for the past 4 years and her network of staging associates service clients nationally and internationally. In addition to helping home sellers, Ms. Hart has mentored and trained hundreds of staging professionals and real estate agents in the art of home staging and is passionate about helping female small business owners achieve their goals.
Ms. Hart believes home staging is an essential marketing tool for home sellers and Realtors that want to better showcase resale or new construction homes. In today's market, home staging can give sellers an advantage over non staged homes in the same price point and location because buyers are more able to appreciate the selling features a staged home offers. Home staging can also help home sellers realize a higher sales price and accrue less days on the market. Homes Ms. Hart has staged sell in as little as 4-6 showings when priced and presented accordingly.
Hart & Associates Staging and Design is the region's premier staging firm. Their work has been featured in prominent magazines, newspapers and television stations including HGTV, The Fine Living Channel and CNN. Ms. Hart is a frequent speaker on home staging and her daily blog can be found on the Active Rain Real Estate Network site.
For more information on home staging and how it can help you to prepare your property for sale contact:
Kate Hart, President and Principal Stager
Hart & Associates Staging and Design
610-564-6760
www.hartstaging.com

Come home to "The Woods" in Radnor PA

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:02:56 -0600
Today our firm had the opportunity to stage a lovely home on the Main Line in Radnor Township Pennsylvania. The home is located in award winning Radnor School District and in a popular family friendly neighborhood. It is also minutes away from dining and shopping in downtown Wayne and a short drive to Philadelphia. Below is a RES showcasing the many selling features and ammenities this home offers. If you are interested in viewing the home in person please contact Debi Sugarman at Prudential Fox & Roach Devon at 610-651-2700.

Thank you for selecting me as Professional Stager of the Year

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 08:28:30 -0600

I wish to express my gratitude to all of you who selected me to be the RESA Professional Stager of the Year- I want to personally thank Shell Brodnax for all her hard work to create such a wonderful organization. I am so honored to have received this accolade and even more honored to have been amongst such a wonderful group of nominees. These professionals have worked hard to set the bar for stagers to come and I admire them for their professionalism, ethics and the skills they infuse in their work and bring to our industry. I believe 2008 will be an important year for our industry and am excited to see how we grow and continue to support home sellers with marketing and preparing their homes for sale.

Thank you for my nomination for RESA Staging Professional- Please view my work to learn more about my services

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:29:28 -0600
I am so honored to have been nominated as the RESA Staging Professional of the Year for 2007. Many of you know the dedication I have for this industry and the lengths I have gone to over the past 4 years to make sure that our industry continues to lead and grow. I appreciate the recognition as a nominee amongst all my wonderful peers.
I also want to thank Shell for all her hard work and passion for creating RESA and all the other stagers that have helped to make it a presence in our industry.
I have posted my accomplishments on the RESA site for your consideration. You can visit the site at www.realestatestagingassociation.com to vote.
I have also created a Real Estate Show to highlight my accomplishments as a stager and I invite you to view it. One of the photos is from my very first staging job- can you guess which one it is? I thank you for your vote and look forward to what the new year will bring for the real estate market and our industry. KH

Thank you to Active Rain- We staged a home for a Realtor that found us here!

Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:28:23 -0600
I wanted to give thanks to Active Rain for again allowing me to make connections with local real estate professionals in our local area.
Last month Chris Benedict a Realtor on Active Rain was looking for a stager to help his team with a new listing. He found my blog, reviewed our work and contacted me to meet with his client to give them a proposal to stage their home. It was wonderful to meet someone in person that I otherwise would have only known online.
Today we staged the property and marketing will begin next week. It is a stunning new construction home in Edgmont Township PA in the heart of Radnor Hunt, a short drive to Philadelphia and near the Main Line.
To see the home yourself you can view the Real Estate Show below. The pictures do not do the home justice- the quality materials and workmanship are outstanding and the kitchen and master bathroom are superb. I recommend that if you are a local Realtor that you view the home in person to fully appreciate the tranquil setting this home offers on 7 acres of conservation land.
Thank you again to Active Rain for providing professionals in the Real Estate Industry witha means to connect and grow their business.