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Agents, would you ask your clients to do this?

By
Home Stager with Certified Staging Professional

Agents, would you ask your clients to do this? 

When the sellers of this house called our Oakhurst California home staging company to help make this house more market friendly, we gave these clients a long to-do list and this closet was on that list.   

 Home Stager Training, Fresno California

To some people this space says, "Oh how handy or what a smart idea."  To others it says, "Mauve, oh great we would have to paint and where's the closet?" 

First, it's important to understand the layout of the house where this "mini office" was placed.  This is a three bedroom house with no pre-defined office space.  Since the lady of the home had taken over the third bedroom for her crafts, this small space was her husband's office space. It was located in the second bedroom, which was still a guest bedroom, with a bed, BUT with this set-up there was no closet. 

So these very savvy sellers got to work on our suggested TO-DO list.  This closet was transformed for zero dollars (they had kept all of the original components) some paint and some sweat equity. 

Dream Home Stager Training, Fresno CA

This guest bedroom was now complete and the buyers would not be concerned about having to create a closet and paint it. 

Today's buyers want a house that is move in ready and this house fit the bill.   

The RESULTS,  SOLD in just two weeks after the work list was completed and the home was professionally staged, using only the sellers items. 

Professional Home Stagers will help you convince your sellers to make their home into a product for sale and a place that buyers will want to live.   

If you're looking for a professional home stager in your area, check these Home Stager sites: RESA and CSP .  

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Home Stager Training, Fresno California 

Dream Interior Redesign and Staging by Ginger Foust is a full service, licensed and insured CSP ® Professional Home Stager , Interior ReDesign/Decorating Specialist, consulting and training company. 

Locally serving the Californiafoothill and mountain communities of: Oakhurst, North Fork, Bass Lake, Coarsegold, Ahwahnee, Wawona and Mariposa.  Also serving areas of: Fresno, Clovis and Madera, California and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

  • Professional staging of vacant and occupied properties
  • Virtual and Conceptual Staging Worldwide 
  • Professional Stager Training in California, Nevada, and Hawaii, as part of the International CSP ® training program, Certified Staging Professionals.
  • CEUs (Continuing Education Units) for California Real Estate Agents as an approved RESA instructor (Real Estate Staging Association).

 Click here to see short slideshows with examples of our work. When the first show is over, click on OTHER SHOWS to see more. 

 Visit our website at http://www.dreamredesigns.com for more information of call 559-877-2442

                          Home Stager Training, California                             Home Staging Training, California                                         

 

Comments(25)

Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Scott, exactly and thanks for your thoughts and agreement. 

Jul 28, 2011 06:02 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Oh Bill PLEASE, if you see Mauve (in any shade) ask your sellers to paint.  Any shade of mauve is seriously a bad idea for today's market and buyers.  Thanks for contributing here. 

Jul 28, 2011 06:04 AM
Richard Weeks
Dallas, TX
REALTOR®, Broker

Great idea.  Most motivated sellers will follow good sound advice.

Jul 28, 2011 06:09 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Richard, thank you.  These sellers were very serious about selling and took all of my advice as sound and did ALMOST everything.  Their results, in a tough market, was the proof of what can happen with the right preparation! 

Jul 28, 2011 06:13 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Ginger ~ brilliant idea of transforming that space back into a closet, as it was orginally meant to be.  The "office closet" worked for the sellers, but isn't a good way to show the space when selling.  Nice job!

Jul 28, 2011 07:14 AM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Three bedroom homes are tough enough to sell around here as it is...and I frequently see the office-in-a-closet setup.  Good for your clients - their efforts paid off big time!

Jul 28, 2011 07:23 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Maureen, these sellers were great people and I think they thought I was a bit off-my-rocker with some of the items on their to-do list BUT the results showed them otherwise.  NOW they are two of my biggest advocates.  Too bad they moved out of the area!!  Thanks for your affirmation!

 

Jul 28, 2011 08:15 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Julie, we created an office nook in the family room, so I knew that this bedroom HAD TO BE a bedroom, in all respects.  Would love to have more savvy sellers like these two!!  Thanks so much for stopping and commenting! 

Jul 28, 2011 08:18 AM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Ginger......Smart, Smart, Smart change!!!  I've seen these "make shift" office set up's and they may work well for the seller but the buyer will rarely see it as a positive....rather an additional project!  Looks 100% improved!!!

Jul 28, 2011 09:49 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Hi Kathy, thanks.  I guess that it's an OK office situation for dwelling but certainly not for selling.  It was good that they kept all of the original components so that there was no cost involved.  Hope things are good with you.

Jul 28, 2011 12:12 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Ginger- you had savvy sellers (1) they chose you (2) they listened to you!!!

Jul 28, 2011 12:56 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Thank God you transformed it back!  What an improvement!  As for the mauve...my mother's favorite color back in the day and every room and every piece of furniture and accessory was mauve.  I hope to never see that color again!

Jul 28, 2011 01:51 PM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Kathy, thank you.  Wish that happened more frequently these days!! 

Sharon, I certainly concur, thanks.  I did have a bit of light mauve, back in the day, but NOW I abhor that color.  I've just seen far too much of it in this job and it makes my head spin with thoughts of TIME FOR A CHANGE!  I recently did a move-in and the house was filled with 80's mauve and heavy swags and the home buyer LOVED it.  I had to bite my tongue more than once but this was for dwelling and it's not my place to criticize dweller's tastes.  Maybe we should start a NO MORE MAUVE movement!!!

 

Jul 28, 2011 02:39 PM
Brian Madigan
RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage (Toronto) - Toronto, ON
LL.B., Broker

Ginger,

I suppose the closet is really the best alternative. Sometimes offices really don't work inb bedrooms.

Brian

Jul 28, 2011 03:15 PM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Hi Ginger--I made this recommendation to a client earlier year.  They had an elaborate built-in office in the closet with a granite desktop, as well as a built-in cabinet on the only wall in the room where you could place a bed.  They would not take it out because it had cost them so much money to put it in.  I just think buyers don't want to have to do the work after closing and it's less for them to have to "debate".  Changing it back always seems to make more sense to me. 

Jul 28, 2011 06:22 PM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Brian, yes showing the intended functionality of a space is usually the best idea for selling.  If I had an office in my bedroom, I wouldn't get much sleep.  Thanks for commenting.

Janet, isn't it a shame that people don't think about resale when their doing an inexpensive install.  No room for a bed, in a bedroom, seems like just common sense but clearly this arrangement worked for those sellers for dwelling....too bad it's a bad idea for selling.  Quick frankly, I get exasperated at the young buyers on HGTV that don't want a house because something/anything doesn't fit their specs, but that does seem to be buyers culture of today.  Mahalo for commenting. 

Jul 29, 2011 03:25 AM
Debbie DeMarco
Staging by Design, LLC - Richmond, VA
You were right to change it back to a closet. A house can never have too many closets/storage.
Jul 30, 2011 07:19 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Debbie, isn't that the truth!  During our consultations, when I tell sellers that buyers will look EVERYWHERE, they are frequently in disbelief but everyone wants MORE STORAGE.  Thanks for commenting. 

Jul 30, 2011 10:21 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Valerie, LOL, I agree.  Quite frankly I didn't understand why this very manly/man (retired navy) had a mauve closet/office.  However, his wife still loved the colors from the 80's and I doubt that he really cared.  At least it wasn't sponge painted or a floral wallpaper. Thanks for your kudos! 

Jul 30, 2011 12:37 PM
Paul Gapski
Berkshire Hathaway / Prudential Ca Realty - El Cajon, CA
619-504-8999,#1 Resource SD Relo

Thank you for sharing your blog; we need Real estate Professionals to share their comments and information regarding their markets and experiences. Thanks again from beautiful Sunny San Diego.

Oct 16, 2012 02:38 AM