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When a Baby Grand Can't Play the Right Tune to Sell Your Home

By
Home Stager with Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR

Update:  This home had a pending sale just 3 days after going on the market!

It's hard to find home furnishings that can outshine the quality of a well-made grand piano. Whether you play it or just admire it's beauty, it's an impressive instrument.  Our Portland home staging company recently helped prepare a charming 1911 bungalow for selling.

During our first visit to this enchanting home it was impossible to ignore the biggest feature that straddled the living & dining rooms ... a lovely baby grand!  Here's how the living room looked Before staging: portland home stagers

We knew that this home had so many "sellable" features like the fireplace, the striking crown moldings, great windows, and hardwood floors -- but that buyers would instead be focusing on the piano -- its size overwhelmed the space (and made the room seem much smaller than it really is).

We gave the sellers a list of "Things To Do" to prepare their home for the market, before we returned for staging ... and that list included removing the piano.   Ten days later we staged the house, using only their furniture and accessories. We found out that the piano had found a new home with a very talented young girl who impressed the sellers with her ability to play it.  Everyone was happy!  Here's how the living room looked after we staged it.   The seller and listing agent believe that buyers will now notice all the great features that were hidden before: Portland OR house stagers

The dining room had the same issue ... the piano was looming over that room in our "Before" shot: portland real estate staging

After staging, the dining room is much more open and inviting (an exercise bike and some smaller items were also removed, and the table was re-oriented) Oregon home stagers

Another angle shows the peaceful calm that staging brought to these two rooms ~ Before and After: portland oregon home staging consultation

portland home staging experts

Selling your home quickly is all about making sure that your home appeals to your target buyer.  A great place to start is to request a cost-effective home staging consultation that will give you a Plan to prepare your home for sale.  As recognized home staging experts in the Portland area, we then return to stage your home, using only your furnishings (as in this home) or supplementing with items from our large inventory if needed.

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Room Solutions Staging offers expert home staging services in Portland, Oregon to homeowners, real estate agents, and builders. Our proven home staging techniques will help reduce your property's market time and maximize your equity. We'll prepare your property or listing to look appealing to your target buyer for the online photos as well as for in-person viewings. Our owner and principal stager Maureen Bray is a nationally-recognized home staging expert who enjoys sharing her passion for staging with others.  To schedule a Verbal Staging Consultation filled with our staging tips and advice, contact us @ 503-246-1800.

Room Solutions Staging

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Comments(33)

Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Maureen....So glad you were able to suggest to the sellers to sell BEFORE vs after.  While it may have worked for them....the potential buyers can now see how these 2 rooms can work for them!!

Sep 08, 2012 02:07 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Kathy ~ It's always better to remove anything that could make rooms look smaller, and jeopardize a sale ... as you said, BEFORE it goes on the market.  Thanks for your feedback!

Sep 08, 2012 04:30 PM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

HI Maureen, I find that unless their is an actual room set aside for a "music" room that the piano has to go. I stage in some very large homes that actually have a space for the piano but that would not be the norm. Glad your clients listened to your suggestions. Now the rooms look much larger for buyers to see how they would live in the home.

Sep 08, 2012 10:51 PM
Marianne Cherico
Interiors by Marianne Cherico - Foxboro, MA
Home Stager -Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Oh Maureen-I absolutely LOVE the transformation. You have such a great eye for what looks good in pictures. This home really shines after your magic touch!

Sep 09, 2012 07:06 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Michelle ~ In our area, usually there isn't a specified music room except in the very large older homes .... and particularly a grand piano needs a lot of space.  These two rooms do look twice as big as before!

Hi Marianne ~ So glad you approve my friend ... it was a delightful house to stage as the seller has such exquisite taste!!

Sep 09, 2012 07:32 AM
David Peterson
Synergy Staging ~ specializing in vacant home staging - Portland, OR
Home Stager Portland OR-Synergy Staging-Portland Oregon

Great transformation. Moving the piano was the right call for sure, as was turning the dining room table. Hopefully they'll get a quick sale with your recommendations and staging!

Sep 09, 2012 08:57 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Maureen - Suggesting the home owners remove the Baby Grand piano is "music to my ears"!  The room went from playing Chopsticks, to Chopin's "Fantasie" Impromptu!

Sep 09, 2012 09:53 AM
Lloyd Binen
Certified Realty Services - Saratoga, CA
Silicon Valley Realtor since 1976; 408-373-4411

Hi Maureen, removing a Baby Grand piano might be painful for some owners because they are beautiful.  But, as you say, the home had so many terrific features which were overwhelmed by the piano, your recommendation was inspired.  It takes a very large room to accommodate a baby grand piano comfortably.  And their size and weight make them hard to move.

Sep 09, 2012 09:57 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi David ~ it's one of the most adorable bungalows I've staged .... I didn't need to bring in even one item!  I'm looking forward to the rest of the photos. 

Hi Sally ~ you've come up with another great title for this post LOL!!  Glad you agreed that removing the piano was the thing to do. 

Hi Lloyd ~ The sellers only relief in selling their baby grand was that the family who bought it were responsible for taking it away!

Sep 09, 2012 12:14 PM
Anna Dovger
Add Value Home Staging LLC, 281-704-6607 - The Woodlands, TX
Home Staging -The Woodlands, TX

Maureen, you were lucky that  owners sold their Baby Grand. You should share those magic words that you used to make them do it. And I have to say that every time I see your post I know that I will enjoy final results. You transformed the "nice house that had potential" into the perfect place to move in right away.

Sep 10, 2012 11:25 AM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Maureen, I saw that the sellers were going to wait to sell the piano until after the house sold. I'm glad you talked them into selling before, or at least getting it out of the house! It's funny how people want to wait to get rid of things... Get rid of it before you even put it on the market. if you're not taking it with you to the new house, get rid of it now!

Beautiful work, as always! Lovely rooms, now enchanting and serene!

Sep 10, 2012 02:14 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Anna ~ LOL I didn't "make" them do it but I strongly suggested that potential buyers would walk into this house and feel it was very small ... when actually the rooms are a good size, but dwarfed by a Baby Grand :-)  Thanks for your very kind words ... I'll try to keep up to those standards!

Hi Peg ~ You're so right ... do it now, or accept the consequences!  We have to be 'gently firm' sometimes because we know certain things will make a difference in how a home is perceived by potential buyers.  Thanks for your nice comment :-)

Sep 10, 2012 02:30 PM
David O'Doherty
Clayton, NC
Clayton NC Homes, Raleigh, NC

Maureen, what a difference not only in getting the piano out but the way you staged the rooms,Getting the eliptical out of the dining room was key!! If I was looking for a home stager in Portland Oregon, you'd be the one!

Sep 11, 2012 08:43 PM
Tanja Cisliek
Future Home Realty - Seminole, FL
Real estate with passion and professionalism!

Maureen, you worked miracles on this property! It looks like the living and dining room are twice the size they were, your professional eye diagnosed the piano as a problem to show the house to its full advantage. The results are amazing. I love the before and after shots!

Sep 13, 2012 08:07 AM
Debra Landy
StageTwoSell LLC - Horseheads, NY
PA and NY Home Stager

beautiful after photography!

Sep 13, 2012 11:10 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Tanja ~ Thanks so much for your nice feedback!  It's always fun to stage an occupied home because the transformation is often quite dramatic.

Hi Debra ~ Thank you, I keep working at taking better photos.  (This home had a very challenging "twinkly" light fixture in the living room that "sparkled" onto the walls!  I should have turned that light off.)

Sep 13, 2012 03:41 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Maureen, that is one colorful home, and sounds like a buyer either loved the colors, and knew it could be changed.    Removing the piano was a good idea!

Sep 16, 2012 10:00 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Joan ~ This home is in a particular Portland neighborhood where bright, bold colors are the norm ... it's very unusual to see "neutrals" on the interior or exterior walls of homes there (most homes are around 100 years old, as this one is) and this home sold in just 3 days! I did ask them to repaint the entry hall from dark burgundy to a soft gold, because it was too dark for the first impression -- and they agreed to do that.

Sep 16, 2012 11:33 PM
Wendy Tomm
Beyond the Walls - East St Paul, MB
CCSP, RESA-PRO, BBB - Wpg Realtors

Marueen - what a huge difference a professional home stager makes.  Congrats it is lovely.

Sep 25, 2012 09:15 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Wendy ~ Thanks for dropping by ... the sellers are happy this home sold so quickly!

Oct 07, 2012 05:04 PM