Home Staging is a popular topic in lifestyle and entertainment circles, as well as in the business and financial sector. So-that means we all understand what it is, how it works, and all it can be-right?
Home Staging solutions are as unique as each client, their property and circumstances are; and Home Stagers are just as diverse as the rest of the population.
Not that many years ago Home Staging was renting furniture for an empty property, and adding some (cliched) 'touches'. But that's the 1.0 version. With so many living in their house til closing, necessity dictates today's 4.0 version focuses on the people and the process. And YES, that includes new toilets, CO2 detectors and on occasion, clever signage.
One of the things I love the most about working for myself is the ability to get things done, quickly; another is I get to say "YES"- a lot! Pre-2007, as The Refreshed Home was being formed, I always saw it as an information and services-based company. I knew the style would be collaborative and flexible, and it's strength would lie in sharing hands-on experience, and the names of good people who'd complete the task.
I know gifted trade people who can restore, replace-even re-color!- funky 1960s bath tile, fix metal rails/furniture, and make~fix~alter wood furniture. Quasi-scientists who can wipe out mold, de-moss a roof, save trees, and rejuvenate lawns.
Artists who can make an old sofa new, create a year-round garden, or the exquisite window treatments to frame that view. Visionaries who create order from chaos-in closets, in desks, in kitchens. And a myriad of smart, kind professionals who can guide you through the necessary but mind-numbing financial details of home ownership, and of being a grownup.
Thinking back on some recent projects, here are some ideas/solutions we implemented, and tasks I oversaw to update, to help put a property's best foot forward:
- Replaced (older, low) toilets
- Repaired windows w/ broken seals
- Added recessed lighting
- Recommended pre-sale home inspection
- Had a mantle built, and a front-door threshold replaced
- E-shopping 'lessons' with seller
- Selected new finishes-wood floors, interior and exterior paint, carpet
- Met contractors, got quotes, supervised work
- Provided a 'shopping list' of things sellers should buy or borrow to make house market-ready
- Replaced builders' 1960's wrought iron railing, updating a split
- Powerwashed home and patio furniture, added exterior shutters
- Added birdhouses, bird bath; borrowed kids' outdoor toys to play up charm of the yard
- Shopped for replacement appliances
- Installed clever signage to call buyers' attention to unusual, semi-hidden features in a house
- Replaced asphalt walkway with pavers
- Bought reasonably priced, quality ready-made draperies and lighting fixtures from Big Box stores
- Replaced/added smoke and CO2 detectors
- Add fresh firewood/utensils to a fireplace, to reinforce 'yes, it works'
- Arranged for donations and sale of household goods
- Provided quality linens, art, lighting and tschokes for rental
Maybe you're surprised, or maybe you just never thought about it, but this Westchester County Home Stager says Home Staging is anything that betters the market position of a property, while easing the minds of both seller and REALTOR. So yes, that includes new toilets, CO2 detectors, and on occasion-even clever signage.
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