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From SAD to SOLD in 3 Days!

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Home Stager with Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions

Some homes just feel sad when you enter them.  Years of neglect have taken their toll.  In previous real estate markets they would have been listed as "fixer uppers" and buyers looking for a deal, would snatch them up and make them look new and fresh again. Now with so many foreclosures on the market, these "fixer uppers" are no longer such a great deal and buyers are passing them over for homes that are "move in ready".

Below are before and after photos of a home we staged recently. It was only on the market 3 days before it received an acceptable offer.  This home needed a little more than traditional staging services.  It needed "market ready" services.  We brought in our team of professionals and within days...years of neglect turned into a home that was ready for today's highly competitive market.

Living Room Before

Living Room After


We painted the walls a soft ivory with a hint of yellow to brighten the space.  The space was cleaned from top to bottom.  Woodwork washed to show the beauty of the wood.  The hardwood floors were scraped (years of rubber backed rugs) and cleaned without damaging the patina of the wood. Furniture and accessories added to compliment the space.  The hideous green carpet was removed from the steps.

Dining Room After

Front Porch Before

Front Porch After

We replaced some of the boards and repainted the front porch.  One of the top rails was replaced and they were all repainted white to freshen the space.

Bedroom Before



Before After



We removed the shelves and repaired the walls.  Painted the walls and cleaned the floors and woodwork for a fresh new look.

Another Bedroom Before

Bedroom After

Some of our other challenges

We had 5 rooms with plaster that was cracked and damaged.

When the listing agent called to tell me that she had a contract...she said it was because of the work we had done to get this home ready for the market.  Sometimes a home needs a little more than just furniture and accessories to prepare it for the market.  Shows Great Home Staging is a full service staging company, we offer market ready services, furniture rental, staging services, and DYI services. 

When my children were growing up my husband and I always bought the worst home on the best street that we could afford. We would work on them while we lived in them and then sell to move on to our next project.  Once as we were getting ready to move out of a home we had just sold, my 6 year old daughter said "Mommy, we made this house smile".  Little did I know at the time, that one day I would make my living making homes smile.



Comments(14)

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Carol Barron Cross
SUNFLOWER HOMES & EQUESTRIAN LLC - Palm City, FL
Sunflower Homes & Equestrian LLC

Very nice. That took at lot of work and the agent got her contract. 

Sep 18, 2011 12:50 AM
Charlie Dresen
The Group, Inc - Steamboat Springs, CO
Steamboat Springs, CO e-Pro

What a great insight your daughter had regarding "making a house smile." You surely did that with the house you just showcased. Thanks for the great before and after pics. Wonderful job, and nice to see your TLC was rewarded with a quick (and much deserved) offer.

Sep 18, 2011 12:52 AM
Anita Clark
Coldwell Banker Access Realty ~ 478.960.8055 - Warner Robins, GA
Realtor - Homes for Sale in Warner Robins GA

A good example of how a little TLC will go a long way in turning a not-ready-for-primetime listing into a new family home.  Well done Wanda.

Sep 18, 2011 12:55 AM
Daniel H. Fisher
www.FisherHermanRealty.com (704) 617-3544 - Charlotte, NC
MCRP - Charlotte Real Estate, NC or SC

Proving that clean, scrub. freshen lighten and brighten will help a home go from "as-is? we'll think about it" to "woulda coulda shoulda" in three days.

Sep 18, 2011 01:04 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

Amazing the return on minimal investment. I mean this was not a major overhaul but had major results!

Sep 18, 2011 01:05 AM
Leslie G. Rojohn
MoonDancer Realty - Sylva, NC
GRI, ABR ~ MoonDancer Realty

Wow..  Sure glad there are folks like you. Is this work done by you or do you have a crew?  Personnally I hate to paint so this would either have to be people I hired or a different profession for me.  You really did make that poor house smile.

Sep 18, 2011 01:10 AM
Wanda Richards
Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions - Roanoke, VA
Shows Great Home Staging

Carol - Thanks for the comment and yes, it did take a lot of work but was well worth it because the end result was a contract and that is always our goal. 

Charlie - Thanks for the comment and yes, my daughter (who is now 29) was always wise beyond her years :).

Anita - Thanks for the comment.  I like the way you put that :).

Daniel - Thanks for the comment and yes, you are so right!

Gary - Thanks for the comment and yes, it was more about cleaning, refreshing, and helping potential buyers see the home's potential.

Leslie - Thanks for the comment.  I have a team that works with me.   

Sep 18, 2011 01:50 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Great big smiles all around on this project and the success of a contract.  Congratulations Wanda on another job very well done!!

Sep 18, 2011 04:32 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Wanda ~ your 'market ready' services came to the rescue of this house!    Your transformation certainly did make it smile.  The unique features of this home were all run down but you brought them back to life and turned them into charming selling features. Congrats on the quick sale!

Sep 18, 2011 05:24 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Nice job!  What a beautiful home...it does "smile" now.  Love your daughter's comment!  Oh and the removal of that pumpkin colored carpet...amen to that!

Sep 18, 2011 09:09 AM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

Hi Wanda, I love the way you tell a story about your work. My family did the same thing while I was growing up. Buy the worst house on the street and fix it until it smiled again. I did the same thing when I got married. And as you say, we do it now in our work. Your daughter is a very wise little girl. Who knows what she will do when she grows up... take over mommy's company perhaps? LOL!! Great work, you really went the extra mile. No wonder the agent is getting other listings. you are a great team that gets results.

Sep 18, 2011 12:48 PM
Wanda Richards
Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions - Roanoke, VA
Shows Great Home Staging

Ginger - Thanks for the comments.  Going from for sale is always the goal in or work :).  It is nice when it happens so quickly.

Maureen - Thanks for the comments. You are so right.  This home had loads of charm, it was just hidden by years of neglect.

Sharon - Thanks for the comments.  Yes, all of the carpet had to go and the floors beneath the carpet where in great condition.

Michelle - Thanks for the comments.  Sounds like we both have been "making homes smile our entire lives".  Oh, by the way...that little girl is now 29 and a beautiful young woman with a great eye for design.  She is a real estate paralegal but has made a hobby out of "making homes smile" too :).

Sep 18, 2011 01:18 PM
Virginia Cheezum
F. C. Tucker Company - Indianapolis, IN

Oh, I LOVE your before and afters!  There are so much fun...I'll subscribe to your blog, thanks, keep em up!

Sep 30, 2011 03:45 AM
Michael Anderson
Anderson Real Estate Investments, LLC - Nashville, TN
Real Estate

Staging is a crucial parts of out business when we buy houses in nashville tn we always make sure to rehab them properly and stage them well. You are leaving money on the table if you dont stage them.

Mar 02, 2018 08:29 PM