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Archive for August, 2016

Stage Your Yard When Selling Your Home

August 28, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)

As a Calgary home stager, I write a lot about staging the inside of your property to sell. But the outside matters too. When you stage your yard, you invite buyers to imagine their lifestyle in the entire space, both inside and out. If you already a flower or vegetable garden, make it a feature.
 

See the difference home staging makes.

After: Enjoy the beautiful views of Senator Burns Gardens from your generous sized patio with ring side seats to all the famous Riley Park events.

Having lived in a Sunnyside condo for years and now moving into a house in Deer Run, Calgary, one of the things I’m super excited about is having a backyard where I can plant a garden. I look forward to eating my own organically grown veggies and creating a nurturing and welcoming space for people and creatures alike, including birds, bees, butterflies, frogs, and dragonflies.
 

Marla Garden Photo

 

That said, I am also a busy professional who doesn’t want to spend all my free time creating and maintaining my outdoor space. I want to enjoy it!
 

Your potential buyer might be in a similar situation.
 

When you stage your yard, it’s important to understand your potential buyer’s ideal lifestyle. Potential buyers may not love the idea of gardening so it’s best to keep everything simple. However, if you’re not planning on selling and want to set-up a raised garden box, check out these flexible design solutions that both looks tidy AND is easy to maintain.

 

For selling, stage your yard with flexibility, low maintenance, and tidiness in mind. Make it appealing for potential buyers who would love to spend time in their own backyard oasis.
 

For more inspiration and home staging tips, check out Set Your Stage on Pinterest.
 


Kick it Up a Notch by Renting Staging Furniture

August 22, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)

If pictures speak a thousand words, will your listing photos tell a story of your house for sale being a dream or a drag? Swap out your existing furniture with staging furniture to completely transform the feeling of your rooms. With rental furniture, it’s simple to kick it up a notch to create a memorable first impression that appeals to buyers.
 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Living room before home staging.

See the difference home staging makes.

After: Here is a home staging tip, we added art and accessories on top of the fireplace to bring in more colours and patterns.

Our before and after photos of a home we staged in Springbank Hill Calgary make it easy to see the impact of renting staging furniture when it’s time to sell.
 

Especially in the main rooms of the house, you want to stage to appeal to what the potential buyers would like, not what you do.
 

So in a living room where buyers would use the space to entertain guests, it’s important to present a more upscale look that they can feel proud of. Quite often, the furniture that we live with (whether we still have hand me down pieces or ones that suit our personal style and preferences) is not ideal. That’s where staging furniture can really add a wow factor.
 

Does this room look familiar?

Living room before home staging

In our Springbank Hill example, we moved the owners’ existing large dark furniture downstairs into the man cave/media room where a more casual and cozy atmosphere made more sense. To replace it and create a more formal feel in the living room, rented staging furniture, art, and accessories add a designer touch.
 

Which version of the room, before or after staging, do you think would appeal most to potential buyers and be memorable?
 

See the difference home staging makes

After: Light furniture helped make the living room feel more airy & spacious.

After staging several rooms in this home with rented staging furniture that was selected and arranged to create impact, this staged home sold fast. It paid to kick it up a notch.
 

For more examples of the power and impact of staging, take a look at the Set Your Stage Facebook albums featuring many before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged to sell. Let our experienced team stage YOUR home with staging furniture and accessories that will appeal to potential buyers in your Calgary neighbourhood!
 


Stage a Condo with THIS in Mind

August 16, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)

The challenge when selling smaller properties is to make them feel spacious. That may mean that you need to present your condo differently than how you are currently living in it. Stage a condo to make it feel as spacious as possible with these tips in mind.
 

Does this room look familiar?

Living Room Before Home Staging

See the difference home staging makes.

We used large pieces of art in this living room to compliment the size of the walls.

Smaller scale furniture:

A room crammed with large furniture looks smaller. So, if you have filled the condo with large furniture pieces that you enjoy lounging on, but take up too much space, you may want to consider renting staging furniture before you list. In general, when you stage a condo, furniture should be smaller scale. Additionally, glass top tables are my favourite for allowing light to flow through the room, adding to a sense of spaciousness.
 

Traffic flow:

Potential buyers want to know that they have enough room to live AND entertain in the condo. That includes knowing that multiple people can move around the space easily. Furniture items like round tables and slipper chairs help to improve that flow by removing hard edges that tend to create barriers.
 

Efficiency:

When you stage a small condo, consider ways to make every space useful while keeping traffic flow in mind. Create multifunctional areas and look for creative ways to use space that might otherwise be wasted. For example, turn a nook under the stairs into a spot for a desk or add floating shelves to walls for extra display and storage space.
 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Dining room before staging.

See the difference home staging makes.

After: This large piece of art ties in the colours of the dining area.

Are you getting ready to stage a condo to sell in Calgary? I invite you to contact me to schedule your free, no pressure, personalized Home Staging Assessment today.
 

Still curious about the benefits of home staging? Read more about my work and reach out when you’re ready. Ask how the Set Your Stage team can help your Calgary condo become SOLD!
 


How Much Furniture Should be in a Staged Room?

August 10, 2016 (posted by Jennifer Campbell, Home Staging Calgary)

When it comes to preparing your home or condo for sale, you may be wondering how much furniture you should leave (or add) in each room for optimal impact. It’s sort of like in the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. Not too little. Not too much.
 

Your goal is “just right”. So what does that mean?
 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Bonus room before homes staging.

See the difference home staging makes

After: Removing and re-arraigning part of the sectional opens up the room and makes the living room feel more spacious.

A staging professional can walk through your home and guide you toward your “just right”, specifying how much furniture makes sense in your space (as well as its ideal placement). These low cost staging consultations are a popular choice for home sellers who aren’t hesitant to implement the staging suggestions themselves.
 

Often, less is more. It’s not uncommon that I will suggest that sellers remove furniture from their rooms (like I did for this McKenzie Towne property which is now sold).
 

I’m not talking about pure minimalism. And I don’t suggest leaving rooms empty. You want to:

  • show enough furniture to clearly identify the purpose of the room,
  • suggest the ideal furniture layout,
  • create a sense of spaciousness and ease in movement, and
  • leave enough space for potential buyers to understand that their own furniture could fit when they move in.

 

Does this room look familiar?

Before: Living room before home staging.

See the difference home staging makes.

After: The upstairs living room looks like the perfect place to settle down with a good book!

Use art and accessories to add life, but don’t overdo it.
 

Check out the Set Your Stage Facebook albums to view before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged to sell. Let our experienced team help you decide how much furniture is “just right” when it’s time to sell your Calgary property!