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I KNOW It's a DINING Room, But...

By Julia Maher

Home Stager with Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes

July 10, 2008 02:49 AM

The convenience of having a refrigerator (with breakfast cereal storage) in the dining room is not lost on me!

"I'd like some more milk, please."

"Sure, honey, I'll just reach over here..." No need to get up and fetch it from the kitchen!

One Staging truism is that how we live in our houses is different from how we live in them to SELL. Home Stagers provide valuable consulting services that help sellers determine the difference. If your house is on the market, it is no longer your home. It is a product that must be presented as a viable option to as many potential buyers as possible. Home Stagers can advise on how to best do that, and a Staging Consultation is a great place to start.

For example, while these sellers find value in having a second refrigerator in the dining room, most buyers would be confused and wonder if the kitchen is too small! On my consultation, I recommended it be moved to the garage or basement. Simple, but prior to my visit, the sellers had not considered doing so!

A professional Home Stager can help prepare any house, occupied or vacant, at any price point, for today's market. Call a Stager today if your house is on the market or you're thinking about doing so. Many Realtors provide a Stager's Consultation as part of their listing package. A small investment in a Staging Consultation can net you a faster sale for more money.

Nestings provides high-quality, value-added Staging for occupied, vacant and model homes in Fairfield County and Connecticut.

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Charlene Storozuk

Dezigner Digz - Burlington, ON

Home Stager - Burlington Ontario

Julia, so true what you say that you can live the way you want in your home - whatever works, but when you are selling, certain things have to go. Good point too that buyers may get the idea that the kitchen is too small.

Jul 10, 2008 05:13 AM

Joyce Zdenek

Hallmark Sotheby's International Realty & Joyce's Interiors - Hopkinton, MA

Did they give you their motivation for keeping it in the dining room< It would be helpful to understand their hesitation for moving it and help homeowners to work around the problem if possible.

If they ultimately decide to leave it in the dining room, I'm sure the feedback for the house will be what you said, not enough room in the kitchen.

Joyce

Jul 10, 2008 06:33 AM

Sandra Hughes

Redesigned Spaces - Northern Virginia - Fairfax, VA

Redesigned Spaces - Fairfax County, Virginia

Please tell me this is a different house then the one with the water dispenser?

Jul 10, 2008 07:24 AM

Kristina Leone

Lionheart Home Staging, LLC - Minneapolis, MN

What the heck? I could give in a little with the water cooler, but a fridge in the dining room is a BIG staging no-no!

You will have great before and after photos to show others how staging should be done! Thanks for sharing!

Jul 10, 2008 09:06 AM

Julia Maher

Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT

Connecticut Home Stager

Sandra: Same house. Kristina: This was just a consult with paint selection. I didn't get a further staging contract out if it :-( This house was only 18 mos. old, and needed to look brand-new again. These examples are WHY professional Stagers are so often necessary; I was brought in by the (wonderful!) Realtor.

Jul 10, 2008 09:10 AM

Betty Haney

Haney Consulting - Calgary, AB

Julia, that picture is even funnier than the water dispenser one. You may get a staging contract out of it yet - they apparently are going to need a lot of help to sell. Betty

Jul 10, 2008 09:54 AM

Ginger Foust

Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA

Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Julie, this really made me laugh. Almost even more convenient than the remote. Guess that we should move our frig. into the family room. Never a dull moment here on AR. You go get 'em girl!

Jul 10, 2008 01:32 PM

Toronto's 2 Hounds Design: Decorating + Staging

2 Hounds Design + Home Staging - Toronto, ON

I would love to have a fridge in every room but I'm just lazy! Now storage above the fridge for cereal I hadn't thought of...I've always used mine for a hodge-podge of things. :)

Jul 10, 2008 01:59 PM

BTW, congratualtions on getting two features on SIF! Nice work and great examples of what not to do.

Jul 10, 2008 02:00 PM

Barbara Cluck-Miksits

BCM Home Staging LLC - Ridgewood, NJ

Home Staging - New Jersey

Julia, Just in a house this past week they had a second refridge in on of the bed rooms on the first floor. Now how convenient is that? You do not even have to get out of bed to get some food.

Jul 10, 2008 02:09 PM

Elaine Manes Gage

Home Staging Online Services - Denver, CO

Staging done ONLINE!

I can almost forgive the fridge in the dining room, but the cereal boxes on top just cracked me up!!!!

Jul 10, 2008 03:51 PM

Kym Hough

www.Staged-to-Sell - Danville, CA

Staged to Sell East Bay - Danville, CA

This is a first for me...my question is where do the kids check for their messages, calendar and notes this fridge or the one in the kitchen. Could be very confusing for them :)

Jul 10, 2008 05:47 PM

Penny Florence

Midvale, UT

I have a pool table to deal with in the 1st room as you come into the house. My sellers know it has to go and hopefully it will be gone soon.

Jul 10, 2008 05:50 PM

Michelle Finnamore

Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON

Preparing your property for sale

HI Julia, I am positive that you will be getting the Staging job out of this one. Let us know if you do.

Jul 10, 2008 11:26 PM

Thanks again to Everyone for the comments - the picture is definitely a Glamour Magazine "Don't"! I'd love a mini fridge in the bedroom and office...But a large one in a formal dining room? I'm sure the sellers have removed it! They did do a lot of what I said in my Staging Consultation, they just didn't hire me! Julie

Jul 11, 2008 12:09 AM

Mary Lou Teague

HOME STYLE AND STAGING LLC - Knoxville, TN

Home Style and Staging Knoxville. TN

Since they did not hire you...well...they just may not sell the home...I can't beleive that they did not want to move the refrigerator out of the dining room..

Jul 11, 2008 01:11 AM

Lisa Roy

SPACELiFT HOME STAGING, Greater Vancouver - Vancouver, BC

One of the places we staged had the beautiful dining room set up as a media room! They were definately open to having us change it back and they had beautiful dining furniture spread throughout the house. Once it was done, it looked amazing! How are buyers going to imaging a space unless we show them? That is our job and it works!

Jul 11, 2008 02:22 AM

Don Fabrizio-Garcia

Fab Real Estate - Danbury, CT

Owner/Broker/Trainer - Fab Real Estate

OK...let's be fair: As a parent, this makes oh so much sense! Would I do it? No. Would I allow it in my listing? No. But just the thought of having a fridge - and all the cereal - directly next to where my kids eat makes me happy. I guess my kitchen is too big...I have to walk across it to get to the kids' food...

Jul 11, 2008 07:01 AM

Wendy Casey

A-List Home Staging & Decor - Surrey, BC

It's such an interesting business, isn't it? It's so true that people get used to living a certain way, and just don't see the need for change. We get paid for our objective information that helps realtors and homesellers both!

Wendy Casey - Vancouver, BC

Jul 11, 2008 07:20 AM

I KNOW It's a DINING Room, But...

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