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Santa Monica Townhome - Take 2

By
Home Stager with Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging

If you follow my blog, you may have seen a post a couple of months ago about a townhome we Staged in Santa Monica. To follow up, that property had multiple offers (one right after the first open house!) and ended up selling in 23 days for just over asking. We were thrilled!

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I get a call from a Realtor who says he saw the Staged townhome and he's currently in the process of listing another townhome in the same building with almost the EXACT SAME layout. Well, it's a mirror image, but you get the picture. He knew how well the first one did so he wanted me to Stage this unit for his client. We Staged this unit this past Monday the 8th (which also happens to be my birthday for anyone who cares!) and I just had to share.

The seller of this property knew I did a great job for the last guy in his building, but kept saying to me during every conversation - "Make sure you've got your creative juices flowing on this one!" I got nervous after he said it 3 or 4 times. I mean I thought I always had my creative juices flowing on every job - what is he so nervous about?? This seller was also very budget conscious, as was the other client in that same building, so I was somewhat limited in the furniture I could use for his home. I didn't want it to look just like the last unit I had Staged in the building, but at the same time, that one had done so well, maybe I shouldn't mess with success. The owner of the previous unit had also told my new client to make sure I hung the SAME PICTURE over the bathtub in the master bath, as that (in his opinion) was the driving force behind the sale of his home!

So as all this was going through my head, I get a call from the rental company saying that some of the pieces I ordered were not in stock including the sofa & loveseat for the living room. Uh oh! So I had to figure out some substitutions. Now once they don't have what I've ordered, I know I can get anything else they DO have for the same price. So I figured I'd first try to upgrade to something a little nicer. Once I changed one thing, I had to change everything. So as it turned out I used almost none of the same pieces I used on the first property. And though the budget was the same, this one had much more expensive pieces so in my opinion, it looks even better than the first. A happy coincidence!

The seller was so thrilled with the results, he sent me the following email:

"Dear Annie, I've waited all afternoon and it was worth the wait. You are one amazing and talented lady. Christine and I were both blown away. Thank you Thank you Thank you. You really did kick in the creative juices just like you said you would. If Randy can't sell that unit, the way you have it looking I won't be disappointed to have to move into it myself. WOW No wonder you enjoy your work. You must have another business, ('Decorating Consultant") naming your own price!
A million more "Thanks", Annie
Bob"

Reading it again makes me smile. Don't you just love happy clients? Here are the results below.

Living Room 1Living Room 2

 

Arty closeup...

Living Room 3Dining RoomMBR 1

Arty closeup...

MBR 2 - arty closeup

The art above the bath that sold the first place...

Master Bath Guest Room/Office 1Guest Room/Office 2

*************************************************************************************

Annie Pinsker-Brown | Stage to Sell
Owner & Principal Designer
310-384-1084
www.stagetosell.biz

"We get you to SOLD so you can get on with your life!"

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Stage to Sell is the premier West Los Angeles Home Staging Company.

Owner & Principal Designer Annie Pinsker-Brown is an ASP Home Stager, a member of IAHSP (International Association of Home Staging Professionals), an affiliate member of the Beverly Hills/Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors and a member of the Culver City and West LA Chambers of Commerce.

Annie has Staged LA homes for Bravo's hit show "Million Dollar Listing" and TLC's "Property Ladder." She has also been featured in recent articles on Home Staging in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, Costco Connection and Frontiers Magazine.

If you would like to see more of our Home Staging work, visit our website. There is an extensive gallery of before & after photos, as well as a list of our Staged properties currently on the market.

Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Annie ~ This townhome looks amazing ... the color palette is wonderful and brings warmth and interest to highlight the best features throughout the home.  Good luck on another fast sale!

Dec 13, 2008 04:08 AM
Wanda Richards
Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions - Roanoke, VA
Shows Great Home Staging

Annie - what beautiful staging!  Thanks for sharing.  I love the colors too.  

Dec 13, 2008 09:18 AM
Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Annie: The best reward we can get is a fast sale with multiple offers and a new client all from the same staging job. You were well rewarded and rightfully so. Congratulations.

Dec 13, 2008 10:12 AM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Kathy P, yes it's the same home. I couldn't help but compare the awful unmade bed shot with the bedroom I had just Staged! :)

Kathy N, thank you so much! I was experimenting with closeups on this house because of some other posts I had read that inspired me. I was pretty happy with that one. And yes, they're on my site now (along with the befores).

 

 

Dec 13, 2008 02:15 PM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Cathy, I LOVE those chairs - I use them a lot. Thanks for commenting!

Maureen, thank you! This palette was much warmer than the beachy tones in the first townhome and I actually liked it better.

 

Dec 13, 2008 02:16 PM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Wanda, thank you so much. The colors were sort of a happy coincidence if truth be told. I thought the art above the sofa had more blue/green tones, but when I got it on the wall it was much deeper and richer. Luckily I had a few extra pieces that I was able to tie it all together.

Michelle, thanks! Let's hope this one sells as quickly. It is the holiday season, so you never know.

Dec 13, 2008 02:18 PM
Mary Strang
Viroqua, WI

Annie: This does look like a great place to live, I like the openess between the rooms. Also like the art piece above the fireplace. Is that metal? Very nice.

Dec 15, 2008 08:36 AM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Thanks Mary! Yes that piece is metal and it's from Pier One.

Dec 15, 2008 09:16 AM
Wanda Richards
Shows Great Home Staging and Web Solutions - Roanoke, VA
Shows Great Home Staging

Annie - what a great job you did.  You are certainly creative and talented!

Dec 15, 2008 09:32 AM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Thanks Wanda! Always nice to get a compliment from another talented Stager.

Dec 15, 2008 10:35 AM
Kathy Riggle
STAGING SMART N SOLD - Houston, TX
Houston Home Staging

Beautiful work with textures and color and current trends.   Fantastic appeal for this townhome!

Dec 21, 2008 06:59 AM
Tosha Tate-Dickson
Finair Management Group Inc. - South Holland, IL

Very N-I-C-E ~ I see why the clients were blown away! Love the color pallets~  Hope this one sells just as quick as the other unit ~

Congrats!

Dec 21, 2008 12:18 PM
Terrylynn Fisher
Dudum Real Estate Group - BuyStageSell.com - Walnut Creek, CA
HAFA Certified, EcoBroker, CRS, CSP Realtor, Etc.

Annie, a winner and I love that you'll have two examples, same model in the same complex, now get the realtor to get you the info on one unstaged of the same model and those will be useful in your presentation for a long time.  It's rare and wonderful when you get same model, same complex examples of how staging works.  You go girl.  Congrats on this one.

Dec 21, 2008 05:16 PM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Kathy & Tosha, thank you both so much! Glad you liked the colors.

Terrylynn, you're right. It's rare to have 2 examples in the same unit. I will ask about other unstaged ones in the building and see what I can find out. :)

Dec 27, 2008 03:18 PM
Wendy Timmons
Move Home Realty - Temecula, CA
Temecula Realtor

Annie, Another beautiful job!!!! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY !!! You always do an amazing job! Best wishes for a fast sale :) Wendy

Dec 28, 2008 01:25 AM
Anonymous
Anonymous

Thanks Wendy! And thanks for the birthday wishes. It was a good one! :)

Dec 28, 2008 01:33 AM
#19
Anonymous
Debra Powell-Brook Furniture Rental

Annie~ I am thrilled to see your staging, since Cathy Lee from CL Designs sent me your recent blog.  This home looks fabulous and I love the colors you chose for this home.  Clients use the Circle Spa chairs (which are the ones in the living room) quite often and this is a great representation of excellent staging!

Dec 28, 2008 12:06 PM
#20
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Hi Debra, thanks for the compliments! I use those chairs all the time & love them. :)

Dec 28, 2008 12:15 PM
Michele Hess
Simply Staged Inc. - Rockford, IL
Home Stager Rockford - Simply Staged Inc

I remember the first town home you are speaking of and you did an equally exceptional job on this one too.  I can see why your client is so ecstatic.  Best of luck for another quick sale!

Dec 28, 2008 10:04 PM
Annie Pinsker-Brown
Stage to Sell - LA Home Staging - Los Angeles, CA
Stage to Sell, Los Angeles Home Stager

Thanks Michele! Hoping this one sells quickly too but of course it went on the market RIGHT before xmas. We'll see! :)

Dec 29, 2008 04:38 AM