kate hart: 10 Money Saving Ideas to Makeover your Home in 2010! - 02/19/10 11:19 PM

Are you looking for money saving design ideas to use in your decorating or home staging projects? If so, check out my latest tips for easy, budget friendly ways you can give your home a new look this year.
DECORATING SENSE FOR A NEW DECADE: 
10 TRENDS & MONEY-SAVING DESIGN TIPS TO GET THE DESIGNER LOOK FOR LESS
  
CHARLOTTE, NC (January 2010)- Staying up on trends can be expensive, but with some affordable finds and budget décor tips you can get the latest looks for your home for less.  Expert home stager and designer Kate Hartgives us her top ten trends … (21 comments)

kate hart: Split Personalities: A Tale of Two Clients, Two Homes and Two Rooms - 02/16/10 12:08 AM
In addition to providing home staging services for our clients in the Philadelphia region we also design spaces for our clients in their new homes. A recent client however was not selling her home, rather she was moving in with her fiancee and needed some help making his home into their home. I had known this client for years and was really touched when she contacted me to work on this special project. Sure, she could have moved her things in and then figured out what went where, but this busy professional knew that #1 she did not have the time, #2 … (4 comments)

kate hart: Brown got you down? Home Staging adds color and purpose to this sunny space. - 02/07/10 11:46 AM
Every now and then I have a staging challenge that I just cannot figure out. Most homes are easy to plan- first I determine the best purpose for the space, next I come up with the design scheme and then I sort out what furniture and accessories work best for the image we are trying to convey. Sometimes however I come upon a space that puzzles me. If I cannot figure it out, how can the buyer?
Such was the case with one of my most recent staging projects in Chester County Pennsylvania:
First there was an entry hall that had … (9 comments)

kate hart: Home Staging Transforms a Turquoise Challenge! - 01/29/10 09:57 AM
Turquoise is one of my favorite colors to wear however when it comes to selling a home it is not typically my go to color of choice. Last week I visited a property in Wayne Pennsylvania owned by a real estate investor that I work with and was surprised to discover that one of the units we were getting ready to sell had some really lovely teal wallpaper in the hall bathroom. Normally, this client does what ever we ask him to do to get his homes ready to sell- he replaces light fixtures, installs new carpet, regrouts the floors and stages the rooms. When I mentioned … (11 comments)

kate hart: Holiday Decorating Ideas that Don't Break the Bank - 12/10/09 10:31 AM
If you love to decorate your home for the holidays but are stressed about overspending on expensive items, consider my money saving design tips from my recent appearance on NBC 10's Cheap Chica's Guide. These elegant ideas are fun, simple and some even cost less than $5.00! View more news videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video.
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kate hart: Holiday Staging Do's and Don'ts - 12/07/09 11:04 AM
Below is a guest blog I wrote for the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors news website PAR Just Listed. If you are selling your home this holiday season, follow my advice to make sure your home is the star of the show- not your seasonal decor.
Showcase your home during the holidays
Monday, December 7, 2009 By Kate Hart
You don't have to act like the Grinch to make sure your home is show ready during the holiday season. Instead, follow these simple suggestions to showcase your home's selling features and celebrate at the same time:
Let your home be the star … (9 comments)

kate hart: Check out my design tips for Better Homes and Garden's DIY Magazine - 11/03/09 08:44 AM
Every Fall I dread turning the clocks back!  I hate losing day light hours and coming home after work to more and more darkness. To make your home lighter and brighter this season, consider my design ideas as featured in Better Home's and Garden's DIY Magazine. Do you have any tips for making your home lighter and brighter that you want to share?

 
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kate hart: Orange You Glad You Staged Your Home? - 10/27/09 12:46 AM

When I stage a property I always like to use a pop of the same color in each room to unify spaces and add more flow to the home. I also use a pop of color to direct the buyer's eye to which selling features I want them to notice- the great fireplace, the kitchen counters, the cozy sitting area in the master bedroom. Perhaps it is the season but lately I have been loving orange and how it adds warmth and sizzle to the spaces we stage. Take a peek and try it out in your own home. Add … (12 comments)

kate hart: Another Resale Home Transformed by Home Staging - 10/27/09 12:23 AM
Still not convinced that you need to stage your home to prepare it for sale? Think staging only works for model homes? Take a look at our most recent staging in Malvern Pennsylvania. Located in picturesque Chester County, this gorgeous home had great selling features but needed to be fine tuned to show families how they could live there. The results? Stunning!

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kate hart: Are your rooms lacking purpose? Home Staging shows buyers how they can live in your space. - 10/17/09 04:32 AM
If you are like most home owners your house is set up the way you like it, but when it comes time to sell you need to take a step back and make sure that you are showing buyers the best use for each space in your home. You may need to use 3 bedrooms in your 4 bedroom home as office space, but most home buyers will want to see how those rooms can be used as bedrooms. Your formal dining room may work well for you as a playroom or yoga studio, but home buyers want to envision their … (6 comments)

kate hart: Home Staging Transforms Wayne Pennsylvania Home A Second Time Around - 10/17/09 03:16 AM
You know you have been staging for a long time when you get a call from a client you helped years ago to stage their current home. I was elated to hear from 2 clients last month who I had helped 3 years ago and were moving again. Clearly these clients understood that home staging was an essential part of marketing and selling their homes.
I was equally surprised to get a call from a new client to stage their home. When they told me the address of the house something seemed all too familiar. When I pulled up to the house … (13 comments)

kate hart: My client surprised me today- he did his home staging homework! Before, During and After Pics - 07/22/09 06:38 AM
Lately it seems like we have been physically staging a lot of occupied or lived in homes- this means a lot of decluttering and packing up client belongings! Typically we do not do hands on staging for occupied homes, instead, we provide a home staging consultation and the client completes the plan that we recommend and then we come back for fine tuning or to add a few accent items.
For our most recent project in Villanova Pennsylvania we were asked to do the physical staging and rearrange the home seller's items to make the home presentable for sale. When I first visited … (16 comments)

kate hart: Finally! Personalized Home Staging Advice for Every Home Seller's Budget- A New Take on Virtual Staging - 07/10/09 01:57 PM
If you stay on top of the trends in the real estate and home staging industries you have probably heard of virtual staging. This is where stagers that are savvy with graphic design manipulate photos of vacant properties to make them look like model homes. This helps to show the proper scale, function and layout for each space.
While this concept is brilliant for vacant home sellers that do not want to hire a home stager to physically stage their home, it leaves me wondering:
1. What happens when a buyer goes to see the home in person and there is … (5 comments)

kate hart: MirrorMate Transforms Master Bathroom Blah Into Master Bathroom Spa - 02/18/09 02:51 AM
I am so excited to share with you my first transformation of a client's bathroom using a MirrorMate custom frame. I was pleasantly surprised not only at the amazing results but also with how simple the frame was to install. It easily adheres to an existing plate glass mirror and instantly transforms the look of a space within minutes.
As a home staging expert I know that home buyers look carefully at kitchen and bathrooms when making their home sale decision. Bathrooms that are outdated or do not feel luxurious will not be on their must-buy list.  MirrorMate is a great solution … (18 comments)

kate hart: MirrorMate Frames Names Home Staging Expert Kate Hart as National Spokesperson - 02/13/09 12:49 AM
It is with great honor that I announce that MirrorMate Frames has asked me to become their national product spokesperson. As a home staging expert I am often called in to advise my clients on what they can do to make their resale homes more appealing to home buyers. Updating bathrooms is always on the top of my list.
Thankfully, home sellers do not have to spend a fortune to make their bathroom more on trend. MirrorMate Frames can instantly transform their existing bathroom mirror to give it a new look in minutes. If you have not seen this incredible product … (14 comments)

kate hart: Home Decor Online or Arm Chair Shopping for Arm Chairs - 01/28/09 09:00 AM
It's not too often we get snow here in the Main Line Suburbs, but this latest snow storm has found me wanting to hibernate rather than leave my home to seek out new decor finds. After living in the Philadelphia region for over nine years, it seems I've lost my Massachusetts roots and my blood has thinned.
So what is a dedicated shopper to do when it is too cold to hit the streets? Armed with my laptop, I plunked myself down in front of the latest installment of The Real Housewives of Orange County (when will they do The Real Housewives of the Main Line?) to search … (11 comments)

kate hart: Looking for Design Advice? Get FREE Advice on my Design Blog - 10/29/08 01:51 AM
As a home staging and design expert in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia, I know how important it is for my clients to get the look they want in their homes without breaking the bank.  We all love the rooms we see in design magazines but creating that same room can cost a fortune! Real people have real budgets and if you are a busy mom like me you understand how important convenience and cost are to getting a job done.
I am excited to announce my new blog Open House for Main Line Today magazine. Main Line Today magazine is the authority for life … (8 comments)

kate hart: Get Creative and Get FREE Marketing: Become a Blogging Expert in your Local Market - 10/29/08 01:25 AM
Last month I did an office presentation for a  local Long and Foster Office in Wayne Pennsylvania. I was not there to talk about home staging- I was asked to do a one hour seminar on blogging! Why blogging? The office manager had seen my blogs on home staging and the local real estate market in the Active Rain newsletter and realized that I must have been doing something right to get my posts noticed.  His Realtors could use some advice on how to blog to grow their business and called me in to "talk blogging".
If someone had told me 2 years … (14 comments)

kate hart: Home Staging Helps to Market Home in Havertown Pennsylvania - 10/28/08 10:43 AM
Today our team had the opportunity to stage a wonderful new construction home in Havertown Pennsylvania. The builder did an outstanding job selecting the finishes and materials and the home has every feature a growing family would need. The home builder and Realtor realized however that this home needed to stand out amongst other homes in the same price point and decided to use staging as part of their marketing plan. 
Last week we toured the home and today we brought in a few key items to stage the main living areas. The result? The home looks warmer and more inviting. … (11 comments)

kate hart: Home Staging Makes your Spaces Make Sense - 10/18/08 01:40 AM
Home Staging is not just about depersonalizing and decluttering. One of the main goals of home staging is to show the best purpose for a space so buyers can envision how they can live in a home.
Our team recently staged a home in Wayne Pennsylvania that needed our services to make sense of the floor plan- the previous owner had designed a spectacular great room for hosting lavish parties. This large room was almost half the square footage of the rest of the home! It featured double French doors that opened to the patio and pool area, a gorgeous bar … (16 comments)

 
Kate Hart (Hart & Associates Staging and Design)

Kate Hart

Radnor, PA

More about me…

Hart & Associates Staging and Design

Office: (610) 293-6814

Mobile: (610) 564-6760

Featuring home staging testimonials and before and after photos for Pennsylvania including Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks Counties.

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