After: Furniture provides a reference point for room size & engages a viewers imagination.
BEFORE: Perception of space is distorted in a vacant space. Exactly how much room is there? How might furniture be arranged?I highly recommend Leah’s services to anyone who wants to maximize the potential of their property.
I had expected to take at least a couple of months to sell. My wife and I were nervous because one of our neighbours had put their newer home up for sale and it had been on the market for awhile. I wasn’t sure about the cost of home staging when I first heard about it, but then I saw how much work Leah put in choosing the colours for our painter, bringing in and arranging rental furniture and art, and giving us tips on how to make the house ready to sell. The trade support provided was excellent quality. House cleaning, window cleaning, blind cleaning and moving team. I had been worried who I was going to get to help. It took away the stress to use the trades Leah recommended.
Our place looked so good that I didn’t want to move! We had lots of compliments at the open house. And we sold our home 2 days after the first open house! We couldn’t have done it without Leah. She helped us sell our house quickly, without stress and for the price that we wanted. Home staging with Leah was definitely worth every penny.
- James C. Burnaby June 2010 Listed for $1.35m (4700 sq’)
Living Room AFTER The way we sell is designed to display the features of the listing & enhance the sense of space, inviting the viewer in.
Living Room BEFORE The way we live is designed for function, not MLS photographs.
Dear Leah, I would like to thank you so much for the seamless experience we had with you in the staging of our condo. You took the time and made everything clear and easy for us. You helped us know exactly what we could do and the rest was up to you…. WOW….the results speak for themselves!! I feel your service was well worth it as we could not have accomplished such beautiful results on our own. We are very proud to show the condo now as you have made it look well worth the asking price. Thank you so much!
– Maureen H. Coquitlam April 2010
Thank you for the work you did on staging my vacant listing in Richmond. I really feel that because it was staged so beautifully the property sold faster and at a higher price then most of my comparables, 99% of asking! Leah, thanks again for the beautiful work.
- Sylvie Alexandris Royal LePage Coronation West Coquitlam 604-939-6666 September 2009
BEFORE: What room is this?? Vacant listings sit on the market 50% longer than staged ones!
Living Room AFTER: Staging defines the purpose of the room & establishes size.
I staged a vacant townhouse yesterday. A 2008 study reported that vacant listings displayed as staged rather than empty spend 85% less time on the market, according to information on www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com!
Here are some photos from the townhouse I staged:
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- AFTER: Vacant Richmond townhome kitchen, after staging.
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- BEFORE: Vacant Richmond townhome kitchen, before staging.
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- AFTER: Vacant Richmond townhome living room after staging.
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- AFTER: Vacant Richmond townhome living room, after staging.
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- BEFORE: Vacant Richmond townhome living room, before staging.
Photos from a $1.3 million listing in Burnaby.
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- AFTER: Master ensuite, after staging
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- AFTER: Master ensuite, after staging
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- BEFORE: Master ensuite, before staging
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- AFTER: Foyer, after staging
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- BEFORE: Foyer, before staging
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- AFTER: Great room, after staging
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- AFTER: Great room, after staging
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- BEFORE: Great Room, before staging
The following is a testimonial from the listing realtor for a semi-vacant staging of a Burnaby townhome that incorporated rental items. You can see more photos of the finished product on the Blum Real Estate Team website.
Hi Leah,
The living room after staging
What a superb job you did at Dave’s place. The transformation was as day and night, it truly looked like a show home. We had a tremendous amount of interest and buyers and agent alike had nothing but compliments.
We had over 40 parties coming through the grand opening on Saturday which resulted in quite a number of second showings for Sunday and on Monday at 2 PM we presented 10 offers and ended up $30,600 over asking price. This never would have happened without your amazing work.
The living room before staging.
Thanks again and I am sure we will work together again soon,
Heiner Blum
Associate Broker, N.P. (Asc.), R.R.S
Blum Real Estate Team
www.BlumRealEstateTeam.com
AFTER Target Buyer young family. Rental accessory package augmented homeowner's furnishings. TIP: Think of new ways to display familiar things. Couch cushions reversed for greater visual appeal. Chest used for a coffee table.
Leah, I would like to take a moment to let you know what a pleasure it was to work with you. You were able to explain ahead of time the changes you would place in our home for staging purposes and although I could not see your vision at the time, what you did made an obvious impact on our home for the better. We were able to put our home on the market on a Monday and received an offer that very evening!
Living Room BEFORE
We made the decision to use home staging during this process because we owned a town home that looked very much the same as everything else in the complex. We felt we needed an edge in this trying market and you assisted us in achieving exactly that. The offer we received was $10,000 above what the previous unit sold for and that unit was the mirror image of what we had on the market. You made our home look appealing to the largest market and yet we still felt very much like it was ours and comfortable for us to be in. Thank you again for taking such a vested interest in our home. It made a difference and I would certainly use your services in the future.
-Susan and Neil V. Port Coquitlam May 2009
“If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it. Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
- William Norris,1834-1896
“Space is not something to be filled with beautiful things; space is beauty.”
- author unknown
BEFORE: Living Room before ReDesign, conversation area felt cramped and the room small
Living room before home staging
AFTER: Living Room after ReDesign – “Space is beauty.” Restyling opened up room and created opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the room and the serene view.
Living room after home staging
For MLS pictures to hold a buyer's interest, the selling features of the room must be captured in a glance. In this case, spaciousness, great light quality & gleaming floors!
Hi Leah – I can’t remember if I had a chance to say thanx for emailing the photos. The place looked great when it was done and we sold it in a day after that. Presentation still rules!!! Thanx again for all your help.
- Jeff Gemby. Remax All Points Realty 604.936.0422 RealtyGuys.ca April 2009
Are you familiar with the saying “You can’t see the forest for the trees”? Successful home staging corrects a situation where “You can’t see the house for the things”.
THE CHALLENGE: In this family room, the furniture overpowered and crowded the space, and distracted from appreciating the dimensions of the room itself. Though quite spacious, it felt cramped and crowded. A room arranged for living, the TV unit was the focal point and the fireplace ignored. The wall color and window coverings needed updating.
Family room before redesign
THE SOLUTION: Redesigned to sell, the fireplace and view became the key features of the room to draw attention to and showcase. Staging repositioned the conversation area to face the room’s primary focal point. Extraneous pieces of furniture were removed to enlarge the sense of space, and allowed the room to be captured favorably visually, in a glance. Fresh paint and a new lampshade completed the restyling of the homeowners own furnishings.
Family room after redesign
THE LESSON: The way we live and the way to sell are two very different things. Edit furniture and possessions to increase the sense of space. Restyle positioning of furniture to focus attention on the room’s focal point. Remove any distractions that hinder a buyer from capturing a snapshot view of the room with only a glance.
