An Easy Alternative to Empty Rooms - Virtual StagingPhoto: Halstead Property via The New York TimesAn article in today's New York Times describes an alternative to actual staging -- using virtual furnishings to enhance photos for real estate listings. There are plenty of interesting statistics in here to support the use of any kind of staging, but v…
What Home Stagers Can Learn from Shabby Chic DecorIt's casual and charming. It's glamorous and welcoming. It's economical and DIY-friendly. So why don't I recommend shabby chic decorating for staging your home?Because it's also distracting, quirky, uber feminine, and loaded with opportunities for home staging mistakes.Shabby chic style is characte…
Tips for Cleaning and Organizing a ClosetOh, the irony of it! Pink Overalls writing about decluttering when her own utility closet looks like this. BUT what better way to get some clarity on an issue than by digging in and doing? My closet may not look all that nasty, but locating and retrieving necessities was getting difficult, and I…
Q. When Does Staging End? A. It Ain't Over till It's Over.We loaded our van five times to reclaim the staging furniture and props we used to stage the condo we just sold.Even though we've had a signed offer and binding contract on the condo we staged five months ago, we didn't remove any of our precious fluffing until we were almost ready to close. Why wa…
Getting Buyers to View Your HomeWith so many houses on the market, how can you guarantee your buyer will find you?Buyers do searches of listings and then narrow down the list of homes they want to see.Don't count on luck to get you on the list. Instead, stage your home, and then advertise it right.Once your home is listed check yo…
Ins and Outs of Staging a Fireplace Mantel Here's perfect staging style -- an interesting variety of big, bold shapes on this classic stone fireplace mantel.When the home you are staging has a fireplace, its mantel gives you a perfect opportunity to call attention to this feature. Whether it's wood burning, gas logs, non functioning, electr…
Painted Furniture -- Home Staging's FriendHome stagers on a budget -- celebrate with me, because painted furniture is the new look.The design world has given us permission to paint those pine armoirs, those oak tables and even those (gasp!) mahogany china cabinets.What We Get. Let's look at what we gain when we put some paint on the furn…
Never-Fail Color Scheme: Blue and WhiteDoes your home staging project start with empty rooms? Then, simply go with blues and whites and you can't go wrong.Do your staged rooms need a little more life? Just inject some blue and white accessories, and you'll provide all the energy they need. These are the plates on my kitchen wall. I bough…
Where to Stash Un-Sexy Stuff in a Staged Home"Do I have to hide my toothbrush?""What can I do about wet towels when I leave in the morning?""I can't ask the kids to not play with their toys.""Who hid the remote?" "Nobody lives like this!" These are the kinds of things people living in staged homes utter. Are you one of them? Are you taking i…
