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Selling your Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver Home? Home Staging Tips

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Home Stager with EXIT STAGE RIGHT

SELLING YOUR LOWER LONSDALE, NORTH VANCOUVER HOME?  HOME STAGING TIPS

Are you planning on selling your Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver home?  Have you thought of staging your home for sale?  My company, Exit Stage Right, recently staged this townhouse for sale in Lower Lonsdale.  We added artwork, accessories and colours that spoke to this specific area, in order to attract a home buyer, who is attracted to the lifestyle of this area.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos 

What’s so great about the Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver area anyway?  This area has developed in leaps and bounds over the past few years.  The gorgeous, new Pinnacle Hotel was constructed a few years ago, and is located right on the water, near Lonsdale Quay.  The Lobby Restaurant is a must visit for a leisurely brunch or 5 o’clock appies.  Next door to the hotel are two new condo towers, Atrium at the Pier.  These condos have top of the line appliances and finishes, with many of the condos having stunning views of the ocean and Vancouver city skyline.

Lonsdale Quay is a wonderful market, offering fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, and meats.  You’ll also find several eating establishments here, where you can sit outside on the terrace, overlooking the ocean and count seagulls or tugboats –your pick!  Adjacent to Lonsdale Quay is the Seabus, a double-hulled vessel that will carry you from North Vancouver to downtown Vancouver in 15 minutes.  Imagine…  no traffic jams or bridges to cross.  The Seabus runs every 15 minutes during rush hour, and every 30 minutes at all other times, so you never have to wait long for the next sailing.

We were very happy to stage this Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver townhouse.  We used most of the homeowners’ furniture, and simply brought in a new coffee table and some bar stools.  By using the homeowners’ furniture, we were able to keep the staging costs down.  Here are some Before & After photos of this Lower Lonsdale townhouse for sale:

BEFORE - This living room had fairly large sofas and a large coffee table for an average sized living space.  One sofa had its back to the viewer - never a friendly first impression.  Also, there was an absence of colour.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

AFTER - We opened up the space by placing the sofas across from each other.  This enabled the fireplace to become the focal point.  We added colour and some interest with accessories, and brightened up the space with a light coloured, contemporary rug.  We added a more up to date coffee table that was long and slim, to give a more spacious feel to the living room.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

BEFORE - The dining room looked heavy and kind of blah.  This was the first room you saw when entering the townhouse.  Where was the "wow" factor?

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

AFTER - The dining room looks much better with the table and chairs rearranged.  The homeowner had bought a pendant light fixture, but wasn't sure whether they should hang it or not.  Yes, we shouted emphatically (ok, maybe not shouted, but we loved the new, contemporary look).  Again, interesting artwork and accessories added colour and life.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

BEFORE - The kitchen was very roomy and overlooked the garden.  However, there didn't seem to be much personality to the room.  It was just okay.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

AFTER - Hello, Tuscany...  Some Italian artwork, a bright bouquet of flowers, and we were on the road to Cinque Terra...  well, maybe not, but one can dream...

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

BEFORE - Again, the Master Bedroom was actually pretty nice.  This is an example of going from nice to really, really nice. 

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

AFTER - We added some colour through artwork and a lovely, textured cushion.  Also, we relocated an overstuffed chair (not seen in the before photo) to the basement rec room, thus opening up the space even more.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

AFTER - In the hallway, there was a gallery of personal family photos.  We replaced the family photos with framed black & white photographs of the Lower Lonsdale area, including photos of Lonsdale Quay, and the tugboats found there.  We spoke to the area!  Oh, and yes, I'm the photographer!

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos


North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

BEFORE - The basement recreation room was a great space, but it had no windows, and the walls were painted a very dark red.  Buyers want light, bright spaces.  We suggested to the sellers that they repaint the basement a lighter colour, and they were on board!

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

AFTER - The walls look so much better with their lighter colour.  We still liked the idea of splashes of red, and brought this in through cushions and artwork.  Now this room is a great teen or family hangoutThe white chair was brought down from the Master Bedroom, and is much more functional in this rec room.

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

Thinking of selling your Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver home?  Call Exit Stage Right home staging.  We can advise you on how best to market your home for sale, to appeal to a specific demographic and psychographic. 

North Vancouver Home Staging-Before & After Photos

 

Joanna Cohlan
Fresh Eyes For Your Home - Chappaqua, NY
Designing, Decorating & Staging Westchester Homes

What an awesome job Sally-I love the combo of teal and brown and you made that living room really pop with great artwork and accessories as well as a workable floor plan-great job and Lower Lonsdale sounds like an interesting area.

Jun 27, 2012 11:58 AM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Placement, color and well chosen accessories make this space a winner Sally.  Well done!

Jun 27, 2012 07:29 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Well done, Sally!  It looks beautiful, what a fabulous transformation!  Each room looks more spacious and the added color really pops!

Jun 27, 2012 08:50 PM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Sal Gal! love, love, love Brown and Teal! They go so well together. Hey I have a triple painting that would have gone great in there! Hope this gets you some more leads on homes in your area! I'll be spreading the word on liked in, fb and twitter!

Jun 28, 2012 12:53 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Joanna - Thanks!  It was amazing how when we moved the sofas in the living room, it just opened the space up so much.  The room looked twice as large afterwards.

Roger - Appreciate your comments as I know what a good eye you have for design! 

Sharon - Thanks so much.  We really had fun adding the touches of blue here and there.  The turquoise and blues are such pretty colours and of course, reminds me of the ocean, which was not far away...

Valerie - Ha ha - that's high praise, indeed!  The homeowners have actually asked me to help them decorate their new home.  They were very skeptical of staging at first, but when they saw the end result, the light went on.

Peggy Sue!  I knew you'd love those colours.  Hey, is the triptych a Peg Barcelo Jackson original?...  That, I would love!  Actually, I've already received a phone call from one Realtor who viewed the townhouse, and the listing Realtor® sent me the names of two other Realtors® who want to contact me.  Yay!  Oh, and thanks so much for 'spreading the word'...

 

 

Jun 28, 2012 01:09 AM
Malcolm Johnston
Century 21 Lanthorn Real Estate LTD., Trenton, Ontario - Trenton, ON
Trenton Real Estate

Sally, you really added the "Wow factor" to that Lower Lonsdale home, I love Tuscan theme especially. After seeing your work the homeowners will probably not want to sell the house afterall.

Jun 28, 2012 02:01 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Malcolm - The kitchen is a really lovely, open space, and there's a walk out to the outside patio, which is really nice too. Yes, although I was staging for the local area, I felt the kitchen was crying out for a quick trip to Italy... 

 

Jun 28, 2012 04:53 AM
Linda D. Pufford
Stage with Divine Style - Home Staging - Novato, CA
ASPM, Marin/Sonoma Home Stager

Hi Sally,

Your posts are really a great marketing tool...  not only awesome staging but you add in a touch of history that any buyer would be captivated by.

Your artful "colour" scheme in the Artwork and Accessories that you used in this home is so compelling and has such an irresistible effect that you have an immediate connection with the home.  This is staging at it's best...  and what a skillful photographer you are Sally.  Bravo!!!

Jun 29, 2012 12:20 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Linda - Thank you!  I think buyers choose a certain area to live because it suits their ideal lifestyle.  It's important that a home for sale echos the area, somewhat, to appeal to that particular home buyer. 

I had such fun snapping photos of the Lonsdale Quay area.  I'm not the best photographer, but the photos certainly looked good in the black & white frames, and it was another way to remind buyers of the great amenities you could find close by.

Jun 29, 2012 01:42 AM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

You are on a roll, Sally. I love your use of your own photos of the area! What a great idea.

Congratulations. Your home staging is being featured in the group Staging Before and After Pictures.

Kathy

Jun 29, 2012 10:07 PM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Kathy - Thanks so much for your support and Feature - it's very much appreciated.  It was so easy to put together the Black & White photos of the area.  I even printed them off onto photographic paper on my home printer!  Simple b & w frames, and voila!

Jun 30, 2012 01:08 AM
Karen Gray Plaisted
Design Solutions KGP~ Home Staging and Interior Decor - Warwick, NY
Staging Spaces, Renewing Places, NY

Sally again I love your use of color, well done!

Karen

Jun 30, 2012 04:19 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Karen - Well, thank you again!  I must say, a monochromatic blue really suited this home.

Jul 02, 2012 10:36 AM
Wendy Tomm
Beyond the Walls - East St Paul, MB
CCSP, RESA-PRO, BBB - Wpg Realtors

Sally your artwork and accessories always add the perfect final touches.

Jul 04, 2012 12:51 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Wendy - It's amazing how simply adding colourful artwork and accessories can create a more exciting and enticing space for home buyers.

Jul 04, 2012 01:41 AM