Home Staging Before and After St Thomas

Heather Gunn
Feb 4, 2016
3 min read

One of the great things a realtor can do for you is give you an obective set of eyes to view a property with. This works in two ways- helping you to see how to present your house to buyers in the best way possible and helping you to see past the superficial "noise" than can distract from the real value in properties you are viewing.

I wanted to share a couple of before and after shots of a house that was re-listed after doing some very simple staging. The total budget for furniture, accessories, paint, art etc came in at well under 1000 dollars. Staging doesn't have to cost a fortune and you can pick pieces that you'll love in your new home too.

My suggestions to keep it simple and on budget:

- Get inspired. Go to open houses and model homes and take notes (and pictures) of what you like and don't like.

- Pick some key colours. This will keep you on track for shopping. In the house below I tried to work with adding green and blue for a pop of colour.

-You never know until you try. Move the furniture around, grab a measuring tape, and try different arrangements. The homeowner below was adament that his sectional wouldn't fit in the space we wanted- but by re-arranging the pieces we found a GREAT solution and the reading area created by removing the chaise is an amazing and welcoming space.

-Beg, Borrow, Steal and then shop. Look through old boxes for colourful accessories to stage with, or see if you have friends or family with anything that would be useful. Check thrift stores. Old books can add a nice pop of colour to a shelves- I like sticking to a colour theme and putting a collection of hardcover books on shelf. Thrift stores also have glass bowls you can fill with fruit and atifical plants perfect to add a pop of colour to a room. My favorite places to shop are Ikea and Homesense. I beeline to the clearance section and try to look for anything that fits the colour theme.

- Paint it! If you have tired trim (like the fireplace in the house featured below) paint it a crisp white. Or if you find a great deal on an accessory, basket, or piece of furniture that just won't work- paint it! You would never know that these side tables were on clearance because they were a TERRIBLE shade of gold. They had beautiful marble tops! Two cans of spraypaint later and they are ON POINT.

-Brighten up your bedding. Dark or overly colourful bedding makes bedrooms look smaller and less inviting. A white duvet cover instantly gives the welcoming bright and clean look. Same goes for shower cu

rtains and towels. Clean and white and you can't go wrong- you can always add little pops of your "go to" colours.

-Paint the picture of what the space is for. This open concept main floor boasted ample space but buyers viewing the property were confused as to where a dining table would go. Make it simple, show them and paint a picture of how they will use the space. A unique and polished table setting, a fully stocked bar area and a little extra lighting have buyers picturing hosting their own dinner parties. That emotional connection is incredibly to get from an emptry space. The chaise lounge beside the gas fireplace was accessorized with a side table and you could even put a book or coffee cup there. All of a sudden buyers can picture relaxing with a great book or a delcious coffee at the end of a long day.

Part of my job is to help you sell quickly and for top value- staging is one of my favorite things to help with! If you need assistance or a second set of eyes to take your pictures and showings to the next level I'd love to help.