Posts Tagged ‘Scratch’

22
May

The Home Staging Fairy Strikes Again!

   Posted by: admin    in House Staging

 

Good Grief - I can’t believe that it has happened, yet, again!

On Friday I went to a model, here on Long Island, that I recently staged with furniture and accessories I had chosen and purchased for the builder.  When everything was delivered 2 weeks ago, I noticed that there were scratches on a table leg as well as on an end table.  I reported this to the delivery men who quickly called the company to set up an appointment for a repair person to visit the house and correct the imperfections.

So, on Friday, while I was waiting for the repairs to be made, I casually walked through the staged rooms.  Almost immediately I began to see the small changes: chairs moved a little further into the room; kitchen counters rearranged; table settings moved; a little ‘tweak’ here and there on the mantel…. and I began to wonder - who did this?  Was it someone who came to look at the model?  Was it a realtor who had nothing to do at an Open House?  Was it the builder…or one of his workers?  

Just exactly WHO is this ‘Home Staging Fairy’ who comes into staged houses and does this sort of thing?  You see, this has happened to me before and on more than one occasion!  I’ve spoken to other stagers and they have had this happen to them as well.  Aside from it being somewhat annoying to be ‘second-guessed’, I also find it rather amusing to learn that there are so many ‘would be’ stagers out there (thanks a lot HGTV)!

I have a message for these ‘invisible helpers’ who think that they are performing ‘home improvement’ service….enough already!!  Listen…every time that I stage a house, I  leave interesting pictorial books on the coffee table along with my ‘trademark’ pair of reading glasses…why not just sit and read and ‘take a load off’….just please, stop trying to ‘upstage’ the stager! 

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As the unofficial ‘queen of vacants’ on Long Island, I love the challenge of working with the seller’s own furniture and accessories.  For this particular home, we simply added a mirror, 2 framed prints, some window treatments, 5 accent pillows and faux greenery.

When the seller upgraded the kitchen, he enlarged the space and, as a result, ended up with this small, windowless ’Living Room’.  This is the first room that you saw when you walked into the Entry Hall.  Before staging, it wasn’t a defined space but, rather, was used as a storage space.

Before of Living Room 

We ‘borrowed’ a chair from the Den, ’spiffed up’ a console table with Old English scratch cover and turned it into a writing desk, pulled up the rug & brought in a smaller area rug from another room, hung artwork that we found in the house and the purchased mirror (Homes & Garden $40 at Walmart) to add depth and reflective light to the room, brought in a console cabinet that was in the Dining Room, and added a lamp from the Master Bedroom and various accessories (including 2 purchased faux plants from Walmart and a $8 throw pillow from Christmas Tree Shops).

Here are a few more ‘after’ views:

 

 

 

 

  

                                                                                                

The Dining Room only needed some ‘light staging’.  We cleared out the console cabinet, shelf unit, 2 chairs, a table leaf, and the parrot print on the wall.  We also de-cluttered the china closet and table. 

 We added new matching prints ($5 each at Walmart!) and potted orchards to add some color.

The Den was a bit of a challenge because the sofa had to stay.  We removed the area rug and replaced it with a cream-colored shag to coordinate with the cream-colored chair that we brought in from the old Living Room.  2 purchased accent pillows and greenery were added while the mantle was decluttered and then enhanced with candlesticks that were found in another part of the house.  The sheer curtains were removed in order to open the view and a framed print belonging to the owner was hung over the sofa.  Sadly, the tv had to stay and we left instructions for the owner to reposition it in the corner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some before and afters of the dining area in the kitchen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the photos above, simple changes make all the difference when presenting a house for sale.  This ‘product’ is now ready to compete with similar houses in the Huntington area that are currently on the market.

At Staged 2 Sell we ’set the stage for your successful sale’!

Val Allocco, a certified (HSE), professional Home Stager, is the founder & owner of Staged 2 Sell NY which was established in early 2006 and serves all of Long Island (Nassau and SuffolkCounties) as well as the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.  She is also the Metro New York Chapter President and Central Long Island Chapter President of ASHSR (American Society of Home Stagers and Redesigners).

Val has taught Adult Education courses on “Staging Your Home To Sell” and has also been a featured speaker at numerous Home Selling Seminars on, and around, Long Island.  She is available for seminars and other real estate related presentations and can be reached at 516-982-2671.

Please visit www.staged2sellny.com for more information and examples of our work.

 

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If you live in the Central Texas area, I’ve got some bargains for you!!

My office (Kristi Linauer Interiors) is moving locations, and I’d much rather sell my furniture than have to move it. If you live in the area and see anything you like, just let me know! You can also stop by Spice in River Square Center to see the items in person.

Pair of leopard print chairs, $200
(chairs are vintage, fabric is new)
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Dark red duppioni silk drapery panels (two panels) $120
Use as is, or use the fabric for your own project. There are
approx. 12 yards of red silk fabric.

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Tiny church pew (deacon’s pew), $250
This little pew seats one, and is approx. 30 inches wide.

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Beautiful buffet, $250
I purchased this in Turkey several years ago,
so there may be a few minor scratches, but they can
easily be covered with a bit of stain.

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4 x 8 area rug, $200
I bought this new for just under $600 about 3 years ago.

SOLD!

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Farmhouse dining table, $125
Table measures approx. 60″ x 36″, top is dark stain, apron
legs are painted black. Very sturdy. I’ve been using it
as a desk, and it’s a great size for that.

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Square dining table with four chairs, $300
Table is approx. 40″ square. I purchased it in Turkey
several years ago, so it may have a couple of scratches,
but they can easily be covered with a bit of stain.
Prices on everything are negotiable. I just want them gone!!!

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