Lakemont Staging

This was an enormous staging project in a big ol' beautiful home. I would love to sit down with the original homeowner and find out where the inspiration came from. There is an Asian vibe, a tree house vibe, a Ralph Anderson vibe (see what I mean right here.) and it all works! We had to marry our furniture, accessories and linens with the homeowner's art and paint colors so we stayed with neutrals. It worked!

Listing by Shelly Zhou for Coldwell Banker Bain, photos by Jon Wilbanks for JWphotos and the bad ass staging is by us at Open House Staging. Check out the video tour here.

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Yes! The Market is Hot but you still need to go the distance

We hear it all the time. "The market is so hot that my house will sell itself". My sister and I are in hundreds of homes consulting and staging. We are blown away when we get resistance to painting out the red dining room that was hot in the 90's, the sponge painting of the bedrooms, the wallpaper border that trails around the room. Yes, it was great back in the day but it will not do the job of appealing to a larger group of potential buyers. I know you only need 1 buyer but appeal to many so that you can help drive up the price of your home.

If you want to make the most money selling possibly the largest asset you have then follow the exercise below:

 1. Grab you're smart phone or camera and head to the front of of house. 

2. Take photos of the front yard, side yard and back yard.

3. Head inside your home and do the same for each room.

4. Review each photo and make a list of what your potential buyers will see and where you need to make changes. Voila! the beginning of your "to-do" list.

Your goal is to make it look like your home has been well maintained and loved.

The next steps are equally important:

1. LET GO OF YOUR HOME. IT NOW NEEDS TO TURN INTO A PRODUCT TO BE MERCHANDISED AND MARKETED. (that is if you want top dollar)

2. LISTEN TO THE ADVICE AND EXPERIENCE OF YOUR AGENT. (they are well trained, well connected and have their finger on the market)

3. MAKE A LIST OF RECOMMENDED REPAIRS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE AND START THE WORK. (refer to that well connected agent of yours for help with professionals) 

This sells:

This does not:

For sale but not so cute

This bathroom is ready to be sold (with the house).  Granny certainly kept her signature on this one. Found on one of our favorite blogs in the "bad MLS section".