kathy nielsen: Home Staging an Atlanta Home - Before and After Pictures Included
- 12/10/11 11:32 PM
Home Staging an Atlanta Home - Before and After Pictures Included
I love what I do and this past week, I did it three times. I staged a condo in Atlanta, a house in Decatur, and an Atlanta investor property in Atlanta, all in three days. Yes, it was a lot of work but at the same time, exhilarating.
Here's one of the homes we staged.
This is the living room before picture
Living room after picture:
Master bedroom before:
Master bedroom after:
And while Iran Watson (a real estate photographer here in Atlanta) will be taking … (26 comments)
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kathy nielsen: No. I Don't Stage My Photos
- 11/07/11 12:10 AM
Yes. I'm a Home Stager who stages homes all throughout metro Atlanta. But, no - I don't stage my photos.
There was a post recently by an agent who had asked if we, as stagers, ever stage our photos. More specifically, the question was whether or not we change up an area within the home specific for the MLS listing photos. My response was no. I'm more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda girl. In other words, the photos I capture are always how the room appears if you were to see the home in person.
Why? Personally, I feel it's important for … (16 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Should You Set Your Table When Selling Your Home?
- 10/14/11 12:57 PM
Should You Set Your Table When Selling Your Home?
Here are my recommendations:
Set one table but not both - In other words, if there's a dining room table AND a kitchen table, set only one of them. If there's only one table, take into consideration "how busy a table setting" will have from a visual standpoint. If it appears "clutter-like", then opt for a simple arrangement. I also let the home speak to me in terms of what it needs. For example, in this home (with one table), I wanted the chandelier to take center stage. As a result, … (26 comments)
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kathy nielsen: I'm Stuck on a Title So... I'm Using This One
- 10/13/11 02:38 AM
I've just spent 45 minutes coming up with 18 different titles for this post. NOT KIDDING. And... I can't think of a single one that would work. This isn't the first time it's happened. I've been known to create a post, put it in draft and come back to it because I couldn't think of a title. Poor me, I know. I've been around long enough to know the value of creating an SEO-friendly title. So, sure, I could have the title read "Atlanta Home Gets Home Staged." Or, "How This Atlanta Home Stager Helps Draw the Buyers In." … (18 comments)
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kathy nielsen: 5 Reasons Why Choosing A Single Interior Color Works Best When Selling
- 10/07/11 01:47 AM
5 Reasons Why Choosing A Single Interior Color Works Best When Selling As a professional home stager in Atlanta Georgia, one of the questions asked most often is what color should I paint the interior of my home. The second most frequently asked question is whether or not a single color is better or if multiple colors work best.
My advice to all sellers is to always use a single color. Here's why:
A single color will help to visually expand the space The use of multiple colors can be distracting Multiple colors increases the odds that the buyer will NOT … (27 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Beat Out The Competition - An Atlanta Condo Gets Staged
- 09/28/11 01:42 AM
Condos can sometimes be difficult to sell. And when vacant, it sure makes it a little bit more of a challenge. Add to that that there are likely several units for sale and you've got some stiff competition.
One of the reasons why home staging is so effective is that it allows the buyer to further envision themselves living in the home. You're not leaving the buyer to use their imagination as to where they'll eat, where they will sit, etc.
Home Staging also provides solutions as to how they could layout their own furniture.
The following are before and after … (11 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Atlanta Investment Property Gets a Makeover (Before and After Pictures Included)
- 09/27/11 12:47 AM
Atlanta Investment Property Gets a Facelift
What an amazing project to have been involved in. Our Atlanta Home Staging company, Georgia Interior Solutions, was asked to create the decorator schedule for their recently purchased investment property in Smyrna, Georgia.
A decorator schedule is a schedule of all the selections for the home. For example, light fixtures, wall color, flooring, granite, backsplash and the list goes on. It's a lot of decisions but... extremely rewarding. We were also asked to home stage the home.
Here's the kitchen before the renovations.
Here's how the kitchen looks after the renovations and after home … (16 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Home Staging in Marietta Georgia - My backyard
- 09/23/11 12:41 AM
Home Staging in Marietta Georgia - My backyard
We home stage all over metro Atlanta but in the case of this home, it was a mere 3.4 miles from my own home. What a treat!
Another treat (and yes, this day was full of them) is that I had Iran Watson, Atlanta's best real estate photographer scheduled to shoot this home. Turns out that Iran knows the Atlanta investor and didn't know that I staged all of his Atlanta investment properties. In fact, Iran, impressed with my work, tried to convince this Atlanta investor to switch stagers. The investor turned to … (17 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Home Selling Challenges And Solutions (Before and After Pictures Included)
- 07/13/11 02:38 AM
Home Selling Challenges And Solutions (Before and After Pictures Included)
As an Atlanta home stager, I transform homes. Whether they're occupied or vacant, my objective is to showcase the space as well as the features the home has to offer.
When called into this occupied home, I was able to recognize some of the challenges right off the bat. Here's a quick review of some of those challenges and the solution we created for each:
Living room: This picture was taken right off the entrance. Notice in the picture that I'm looking at the back of a love seat?
Living … (18 comments)
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kathy nielsen: A Little TLC, and Me!
- 07/07/11 02:15 PM
My hat goes off to this Atlanta homeowner! Despite his frustrations, given that his house was on the market for such a long time, he took my advice and made the necessary changes (i.e., paint, replace light fixtures, countertop, remove wallpaper, etc.) and wow what a difference. I call that a little TLC.
Sure, it looks plain (as you'll see in the before pictures below) but... he didn't stop there. That's where the "ME" comes in. A home stager in Atlanta (or, sometimes called House Stager). A neighbor, who had used me to sell a home last year and happened to … (12 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Home Staging Atlanta Close-ups
- 07/06/11 06:08 AM
As a professional home stager in Atlanta, Georgia, I've always had an interest in ensuring I take the very best pictures possible. The reason why is that not only do I use then in my portfolio, I also provide them to the homeowner AND agent for their use in the marketing of the home at no additional charge. It's my way of saying.... I understand the importance of marketing and the impact it can have.
The more exposure - the more visits. The more visits, the more likely we'll get an offer. Having great photos, even close-ups such as these below, … (17 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Is Your Home Capturing the Buyers Off the Internet?
- 06/15/11 02:05 AM
Is Your Home Capturing the Buyers Off the Internet?
If your home is on the market, one of the most important things you can do is to ensure your home stands out on the Internet. Why? Because home buyers are using the Internet to create the list of homes they want to see in person. The better the photo, the more traffic you'll have.
In the case of this home (see before picture below), the room appears dark and dreary and the window treatments are actually a detriment. Should that have been the photo used, it's likely buyers wouldn't be inclined … (24 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Why This Home Got Multiple Offers Only 3 Days On The Market
- 05/17/11 03:38 AM
Why This Home Got Multiple Offers Only 3 Days On The Market
It wasn't due to a magic pill, nor even a wand. Because I was involved, I can tell you first-hand that it took 4 things. Here they are:
A great real estate agent Homeowners who were willing to price it correctly It was made beautiful, inside and out The MLS photos were stunning
At the bottom of this post, I go into further detail on each of these bullet points listed above.
Here's a flyer of the home:
Great Real Estate Agent:
Marketing the home is … (10 comments)
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kathy nielsen: How Beautiful Photos Help Sell a Home
- 05/11/11 12:38 PM
How Beautiful Photos Help Sell a Home.
I often see a lot of posts with emphasis on bad photos on the MLS and how detrimental it can be in selling a home. I couldn't agree more. Bad photos, combined with an ill-prepared home, will no doubt do two things: 1) ensure buyers pass on your house when viewed online and 2) help promote a low-ball offer.
In this post, I'm taking a slightly different approach. Rather than focusing on the ugly (smile), this post concentrates on the importance of having beautiful photos. With buyers using the Internet to search for a home, … (18 comments)
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kathy nielsen: When Preparing Your Home For Sale - Aim for a Cohesive Look
- 05/05/11 01:53 AM
When Preparing Your Home For Sale - Aim for a Cohesive Look
As a professional home stager in Atlanta, I'm often asked by sellers what "look" they should aim for that works well when selling a home.
The short answer is to when possible, keep it as consistent throughout. Why? Let's use paint color as our example. Let's say that the living room is a celery green, the dining room is red and the kitchen is yellow. Each time you introduce a "new" color, your eye stops, registers the new color (all subconsciously) and carries on. With the use of one color, … (14 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Home Staging Atlanta - A Vacant Home Transformation - Before and After Pictures Included
- 05/03/11 10:27 AM
Home Staging Atlanta - A Vacant Home Transformation - Before and After Pictures Included
So... here's what I did today. I took this vacant home and transformed it. I brought in the furniture and accessories (called home staging) and helped create some added warmth that was so desperately lacking.
Here are the before and after pictures:
Note: You'll have to excuse the before pictures as they were taken with an older camera. My Nikon D90 had to go into the shop and I, fortunately, got it back yesterday.
Here's the kitchen before staging:
Now it looks like this:
Master … (9 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Selling a House is Hard. Selling a Home is Easier
- 05/03/11 12:27 AM
Selling a House is Hard. Selling a Home is Easier
Last month, our Atlanta home staging company de-staged 6 homes and staged 6 new ones. All 12 had one thing in common - they were all vacant homes that were either on the market for a while or were getting ready to list.
Unfortunately, a vacant listing doesn't always come across as a "home."
Here's why:
They lack warmth The walls, windows, flooring and ceiling are all that are left to engage the buyer. Buyers have a more difficult time connecting with the home on an emotional level
… (15 comments)
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kathy nielsen: How to Create a Collage Using Picnik
- 04/03/11 02:14 AM
The following provides a step-by-step process of creating a collage using Picnik.
Step 1 - go to Picnik
Step 2 - On the home page, click on collage.
Step 3 - Choose the collage layout. In the image below, you'll see "basic" and premium:
For the purposes of this tutorial, I've used the 1st layout under basic. Note: You do not have to have a pro account to access any of the "basic" options.
Here's what the right hand side of the page looks like (see below). This is where you will drag and drop the photos you want … (86 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Why this Atlanta Home Stager Loves a Good Picnik
- 04/02/11 01:59 AM
I had a spare moment (rare these days but... I'm not complaining), to create this collage using Picnik. Last week, my pro account was up for renewal. For me, it was a no-brainer. For $24.95 a year, I have access to more options than the free account provides. Are the options worth it? I think so.
So.... why do I love Picnik? As a home stager in Atlanta, I take hundreds of pictures. While I'd like to think that every single picture I take is picture-perfect, the truth of the matter is that I need to edit. Sometimes, it's adjusting the exposure. … (18 comments)
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kathy nielsen: Home Staging - Why I Spend an Extra 10 Minutes at Each Staging
- 03/19/11 02:24 AM
Home Staging - Why I Spend an Extra 10 Minutes at Each Staging
What can an extra 10 minutes do at a staging? For me it means creating vignette shots that help capture the emotions of the room. So... when I read Melissa's latest post titled "What I learned in Matthew Finlason's Advanced Home Staging Training... and saw her absolutely stunning vignette shot of a dining room table, (it's a must-see as it literally looks like it came out of a magazine), I was thrilled. These types of shots DO help capture the emotions and worth the extra 10 minutes it takes … (18 comments)
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Home Staging an Atlanta Home - Before and After Pictures Included
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