The Staging Fashionista Blog: District of Columbia

We just staged this adorable 2 bedroom, 2 bath occupied condo in Washington, DC.  It was so much fun and of course my favorite rooms to stage are bathrooms.  So here are the before & afters.  Happy Staging Everyone!

BATHROOM BEFORE

BATHROOM AFTER

MASTER BATHROOM BEFORE

MASTER BATHROOM AFTER

No matter what happens sometimes you just have to make it work!  I staged a 2 bedroom row house in Washington, DC in an upcoming neighborhood.  The investor did a fabulous job in renovating it and adding some very contemporary and modern touches to the home.  So after checking out the demographics I realized that it needed to be staged for a "younger" buyer. 

I ordered the furniture specific to a modern style and all went well until we got the bed - the furniture company sent me a sleigh bed!!  It had a box spring and a mattress and you needed a step stool to get into it - not modern at all!  So my assistant and I said we had to make it work - so we did.  We took off the box springs and just laid the mattress on the boards and then dressed the bed in a contemporary style.  We then used the box springs in the second bedroom added an air mattress on top and we had bed number two (there was orignally no money in the budget for an extra bed).   We dressed it up and Voila we made it work regardless of the mishap!  So here are the results of our labor!  We think it came out pretty good - But wait there is more this home went under contract in 4 days!  So no matter what happens make it work!

Master Bedroom

2nd Bedroom

Here is a video of the Washington, DC row house we staged on Sherman Ave, NW.  This row house was beautifully renovated with all the modern touches and fixtures.  It was so much fun to stage.  We did have a small budget for furniture but we think we made the right choices and the house is now dressed to sell.  Enjoy and Happy Staging Everyone.

I was driving with Style to Washington, DC.  As a small business I don't have the luxury of hiring movers, trucks or a large crew.  So what do I do?  I drive with style!  Let me explain, I basically load up my Toyota Highlander with all my staging supplies.  That thing gets loaded to the gills.  Thank goodness for my packer, my hubby, who knows how to fill every nook and crannie in that Highlander and we always get everthing in.  My motto if it doesn't fit then we will have to do without.  So that means choosing my items wisely and then packing them all up in a way that will work.  

So what is the point of this post?  The point is that just because you are not a big staging company that doesn't have movers and packers and trucks you can still make it work for you.  Don't let things like this discourage you from not getting out there and staging homes.  If you dont have an SUV you can easily rent a truck or van for a day very inexpensively from U-Haul and then make that part of your staging costs - however for me this works great and my hubby knows how to pack an SUV.  See for yourself!  Happy Staging everyone and drive with style I will be!

 Packed by my hubby, Sherif, for a Washington, DC Home Staging Project

Front Seat View

Side View

What makes your home staging business unique?  What makes you stand out from your competition?  What do you offer that others do not?  I think those are questions I get most frequently when people are thinking about obtaining my services.  Have you ever thought about these questions?  If not you should. 

In the DC-metro area home staging is a very competitive market and there are literally hundreds maybe even thousands of home stagers.  So what distinguishes my services from the hundreds or even thousands of others?  I think it is the fact that I am an APSD Property Scene Designer.  I create scenes that are unique to the demographic of the homes I stage.  My homes are not always staged as model homes as that is not necessarily appropriate for every home.  For instance staging a DC condo in a hip and upcoming neighborhood is going to be different from staging an Alexandria, VA condo in a working class neighborhood.

You have to understand the customer, as Karen Schaefer, Founder of APSD always tells her students.  Know your customer and then you will be able to sell the house.  So what makes me unique is that I understand who the customer is and then I create scenes to appeal to that customer.  I actually personalize instead of depersonalize.  Adding scenes in various rooms of the homes is what makes it special and will allow buyers to make a connection to the home.  Staging a dinner scene in the kitchen will hit home with the right customer as will a family time scene with games and videos.

Some stagers may say this kind of staging doesn't work but I say bah humbug!  My current average days on market is 24 days and our APSD's Team National average is 23 days!  That is pretty amazing when the average national average is about 190 days! 

So I have no problems telling sellers and realtors what makes me different from other stagers.  My unique staging style sells homes and my days on market prove that it works.  So again I ask you what makes your home staging business unique? 

We staged this condo in Washington DC.  It was so much fun.  From eclectic to deco!

Living Room Before

Living Room AFTER

Living Room BEFORE

Living Room AFTER

Dining Room BEFORE

Dining Area AFTER

Bedroom BEFORE

Bedroom AFTER

Do all your metals match?  When selling a home it is important that all the hardware matches in a room to create continuity and flow.  It is distracting to the eye when the metals are all different colors plus it looks awkward and makes the room dated.  This bathroom is a good example of what NOT to do when selling.  There is a brass light fixture, chrome faucet and porcelain flower knobs on the cabinet.  Obviously there are other things that need to be addressed such as as the wallpaper, paint color and two-toned cabinet.   However, changing the metals to the same color tone is an inexpensive and simple fix.   So before selling ask yourself do all the metals match? If the answer is NO - it's time to go to your local home improvement store!

From Oh No! to Oh Yeah!  See what a difference home staging can make.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

By removing personal items and keeping the staging simple these areas now look clean, spacious and serene.  Don't you love the magic of home staging?