Home Staging in Portland Oregon » Before & After Photos

Anatomy of a Home Staging: from Lived In – to Vacant – to Staged

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:16:17 +0000

~ Portland Oregon home undergoes a staging transformation ~

People sometimes ask if they should stage their home after they move out, wondering if it would look bigger when it’s vacant. We believe the answer lies in the photos that show a home lived in, then vacant after the family moved out, and finally when staged by our Portland OR home staging company.

When we live in our homes, we make the spaces work for us, but when it’s time to sell, we have to think like a buyer. Today’s buyers want an open space where they can imagine entertaining their family and friends, a space that feels inviting.

Here’s an example of a home that we staged recently, showing all three phases (lived in – vacant – staged)

In the living room: Defining the room’s function & adding art to highlight the home’s best features adds to its appeal & opens up the space

In the family room: Clearly defining the focal point & highlighting the fireplace gives balance & proper flow

In the office: lightening the paint color and removing excess furniture really opens up this space

In the master bedroom: exposing the hardwood floors, opening blinds & adding light makes the room feel more open

If you’re selling your home, make it easy on yourself: Consult with a professional home stager on the best way to present your home to today’s buyers for a faster sale!

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Room Solutions Staging offers home staging services to Portland Oregon homeowners, real estate agents, builders, banks, and investors to prepare homes for the market. Our home staging clients love our customer service and our home staging statistics! Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultations, staging for both vacant and lived-in homes, and interior restyling service. For a free home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800.

Tip for Sellers: Dark Cluttered Office Transformed with Paint & Staging Help

admin — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:13:59 +0000

This is one of the rooms in a Portland OR home we staged last week … but the transformation is quite dramatic! Not only that, it was quick and easy, too ~ something anyone could do before putting your home on the market.

The main floor bedroom was being used by the sellers as a home office — perfect use for the space. It was painted about 8 years ago when dark red was a very popular color. It was also overstuffed with furniture, making the space look much smaller than it really was.

Here’s how the office looked BEFORE

We recommended a lighter paint color to brighten up the room, and removal of the existing furniture. We then staged it lightly, letting buyers see the function of this space as an office.

And here’s how it looked AFTER

For a minimal investment, buyers don’t have to “see past” a dark, cave-like room to imagine how they might use it. EASY!

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~ Staging and Photos by Room Solutions Staging LLC ~

Portland Home Staging: Staged & Sold in 3 Days for Over Asking Price!

admin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:59:50 +0000

Our Portland OR home staging company was recently selected to stage a newly-remodeled vacant home in a great Portland neighborhood. In this 1954-era home, the seller highlighted it’s mid-century features while adding all of the conveniences that today’s buyers are seeking. This home was listed on a Thursday, and by the weekend had 3 competing offers and SOLD for over asking price!

As always, when staging this home our goal was to make sure it appealed to the target buyers so we used lifestyle staging techniques that we’ve fine-tuned over years of experience. Here are some Before & After photos of this Portland home staging project:

The living room has beautiful oak floors

and an original 1954 fireplace

The all-new IKEA kitchen was fun to stage!

A 1954 light fixture & it’s original “Edison” bulb!

The lower level includes a large Family Room

and an equally-spacious Media Room

Our client for this project in a smart investor who uses our company for all of his newly-remodeled homes ~ he says that our staging always helps them to sell faster. The 3 homes we’ve staged for him this year have averaged just 10 Days on the Market!

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Maureen Bray is a professional home staging expert based in Portland, Oregon who serves as a Moderator of the ‘Stage It Forward’ and ‘Real World Home Staging for Newbies’ forums on Active Rain and writes posts helpful to homeowners, real estate professionals, and other home stagers. Maureen’s staging and design work has been featured on HGTV’s show ‘My First Place,’ on AM Northwest and KATU News, and in The Oregonian, Portland Monthly, Personal Real Estate Investor, and Angie’s List Magazine. Maureen was awarded the Super Service Award by Angie’s List in both 2011 and 2010, and was voted by her peers throughout North America as a Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year for 2012 and 2011.

The Difference that Staging Makes (in Portland Or Anywhere Else)

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:56:01 +0000

After this 1987 home had been on the market for six months, our Portland OR home staging company was contacted by the sellers to stage it. Previous viewings had been sporadic and the feedback from potential buyers was that the house looked “dated.” No problem ~ we know how to help update a home with suggestions for easy cosmetic improvements, followed by staging it with current furnishings that appeal to the target buyer!

Here are some Before & After photos of how we helped bring this home into the 21st century — after the sellers completed the interior painting and some easy cosmetic fixes.

The kitchen nook needed new paint, replacing the light fixture, & removal of the valance

The dining room just needed paint, replacing the chandelier & removal of those dated window coverings

The living room had a challenging layout, but paint & removing the window coverings did the trick

Quick Tip: The brass fireplace screen & brass mirror dated this room … it’s easy to spray the screen with a matte black heat-resistant paint, and replace the mirror with art for a dramatic difference

The master bedroom just needed paint and removal of the dated window coverings to let in all the light

The seller emailed me after seeing the “transformation” “Wow, Wow and double Wow! Is this the same place??!! You did a wonderful job Maureen!”

After six months on the market before staging, this Portland home deserved a few easy cosmetic improvements and professional home staging. If your home or listing is lingering on the market, contact your local home staging experts for a staging consultation and proposal — you’ll be glad you did!

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Home Staging Tips: Transforming Spaces that are Large or Awkward

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:42:47 +0000

Sometimes when homes have large rooms or awkward room shapes, it can be challenging to help home buyers overcome their typical question, “How can we use this space?” In order for buyers to make that important emotional connection to a home they’re viewing, as professional home stagers we need to show them how they might use the space, so that they can imagine themselves living there.

Our Portland-based home staging company was recently selected to stage a vacant home in the upscale Portland suburb of West Linn. This home has some very large rooms which buyers might feel overwhelmed in if the rooms were vacant. You might think that the more square footage your home has, the better — but making a large room feel cozy can be challenging for buyers, especially if the home has no furnishings to act as a reference point. This is one example where home staging can make a big difference in how buyers react to the property.

~ UPDATE: this home SOLD in just 15 days! The seller told me that the buyer loved how the home was staged ~

This space is just inside the entry with high windows on one side and a curved wall for the staircase on the other. The room shape makes you wonder, what is this room used for? Here are 2 views of the vacant space

We staged this space as a conversation area where you could sit and enjoy the light flooding into the room

The family room is large and adjoins the kitchen. When vacant, it seemed too big, but staged it’s much cozier

The Master Bedroom is huge! When vacant, it just felt big & cold

Staging it helps add warmth and the important emotional connection for buyers. Taking photos from several angles helps buyers imagine living here – so different than viewing photos of vacant rooms on the MLS listing

Breaking down the big space into smaller ones helps buyers imagine this room as a peaceful retreat

The long wall for the bed doesn’t inspire buyers when vacant, but adding furniture puts it in perspective

Selling a home with large or awkward spaces can be challenging — consult with a professional home stager in your area to ensure that your property is presented at its very best!

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Room Solutions Staging offers home staging services to Portland Oregon area homeowners, real estate agents, builders, banks, and investors to prepare homes for the market. Our home staging clients love our customer service and our home staging statistics! Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultations, staging for both vacant and lived-in homes, and interior redesign projects. For a free home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800.

Home Staging can Really Open up the Space ~ even in a Cottage

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:05:36 +0000

UPDATE: This adorable home received a full price offer after only 2 days on the market, and is now SOLD!

One of the benefits of professional home staging is that the home is seen at its very best, including showing as much “space” as possible. Potential buyers who view a home are usually wondering, “will my furniture fit here?”

One of our goals in staging is to make sure that buyers will “see” the space that the house has, so we don’t use unnecessary furnishings. We’ve found that this approach makes the house the “star” of the viewing, rather than the furnishings; the homes that we’ve staged over the past two years have an average Days on Market of less than 28 days. One of our recent staging projects was a 1,275-sq ft home where we needed to show buyers that it’s roomier than it might appear when empty, or when viewed with too much furniture.

Here are some Before & After Photos of this Portland cottage-style home, starting with the living room; we suggested a more neutral wall color, and staged the room with just enough furniture so that buyers could “see” the space that they’d be buying:

In the guest bedroom, the furniture was over-sized and crowded this small room. Staging it as a child’s room made sense since the target buyer is a couple or family with one child:

The master bedroom presented a challenge because of its size, so we staged it to show buyers that there’s room for two nightstands — perhaps they’ll want to install a plasma screen on the wall opposite the bed:

In the dining area, the previous rectangular table was too large to allow for movement, so we selected a glass-topped round table and used just 3 chairs. Buyers will see that a 4th chair will fit, but our goal was to show as much space as possible:

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Room Solutions Staging offers help to Portland Oregon metro area homeowners, Realtors, builders, banks and investors in preparing homes for the market. Our home staging clients love our service and our staging statistics! Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultation reports, staging for both vacant and occupied homes, and interior redesign projects. For a complimentary home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800. (Photos by Room Solutions Staging)

Help! This Room Was Swallowed up by too much Big Furniture

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:52:25 +0000

Before you list your home to sell, remember to ask your listing agent about who the likely buyer of your home might be, based on factors like the neighborhood, the size and style of the home, price point, etc. This will help you determine how to best present your home to your target buyer.

You should also consider consulting with a professional home stager to help stage the home for the target buyer. We know just how to present your home in the most appealing way so that buyers can easily imagine themselves living there. Here’s an example of a client in Portland Oregon whose home we staged; the third bedroom was being used as a “storage room” for excess furniture in this cottage-style home. The listing agent agreed that showing this room as a child’s room made a lot more sense for potential buyers. Since the wall color was so bold, we selected the new paint color and the seller got busy painting and putting this furniture in storage.

Before: BOLD wall color, and way too much furniture in this bedroom would just confuse buyers and make them think the room was much too small

After: With a more neutral wall color along with bright accents in the staging accessories, buyers can now easily see this room is just the right size for a child — and this home SOLD IN 2 DAYS!

This home SOLD in two days for full asking price! Call your local professional home stager for help with YOUR home.

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Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR helps our clients maximize home equity by staging to sell. Join the Portland Oregon homeowners, real estate agents, builders, banks, and investors who turn to Room Solutions Staging for help preparing homes to sell faster. Our home staging clients love our service and our home staging statistics! Our home staging services in the Portland OR metro area include consultations, staging for both vacant and lived-in homes, and interior redesign projects. For a free home staging proposal, please contact us @ 503-246-1800.

Which Home Would You Want to Live In?

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:54:05 +0000

Our Portland Oregon home staging company often gets calls from Realtors or homeowners whose property has been on the market for months without a sale. We ask about the feedback the home has received, and usually hear that the home appears dated or it didn’t “feel” right to the potential buyers (another way of saying they just didn’t like it). After we’ve been hired, we provide our suggestions for cost-effective and easy cosmetic fixes to be completed, then we stage the house, including taking the photos for the online listing.

We recently staged this Portland home and think that the “Before” & “After” photos kind of speak for themselves … would you agree? First is the living room …

Here’s the dining area Before & After photos

Finally, the kitchen looked “just OK” Before but needed some color & interest for Buyers

Sellers ~ Jump on the Bandwagon and Stage your home so that buyers have a chance to fall in love!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

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Maureen Bray is a professional home staging expert based in Portland, Oregon, and a member of the Real Estate Staging Association. She serves as a Moderator of the ‘Stage It Forward’ forum on Active Rain and writes posts helpful to homeowners, real estate professionals, and other home stagers. Her successful home staging company, Room Solutions Staging LLC was established in 2006; Maureen’s staging and design work has been featured in multiple episodes of HGTV’s show ‘My First Place,’ on AM Northwest and KATU News, and her interviews are found in publications including The Oregonian, Portland Monthly, Personal Real Estate Investor, and Angie’s List Magazine. Maureen was awarded the Super Service Award by Angie’s List in 2010, and was voted by her peers throughout North America as a Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year for 2011.

Home Staging Tips: Make your Master Bath Irresistible to Buyers

admin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:31:33 +0000

When your home is on the market, every room should be appealing to buyers. But there’s something about a Master Bathroom that can really help buyers make an emotional connection with a home, so today’s home staging tip for sellers is all about the bathroom.

Whether your bathroom is large or small, you can add elements that will make it a light, bright, spa-like oasis for relaxation. Here’s a master bath in Portland OR that we staged recently to bring it up a notch by making just a few small changes in decor — no cosmetic or structural changes were needed. Here’s how the bathroom in this home for sale looked Before staging:

and here’s how it looked After we added spa accents (fluffly white towels, plants, shells, spa accessories, art with a botanical theme, natural-textured basket)

A few more Before & After photos of this master bathroom:

Here’s a few home staging tips for staging a master bathroom:

Always start with squeaky-clean surfaces & fixtures
Make the most of natural light (remove fussy window coverings)
Add products with natural elements: textured baskets, seashells, plants (they don’t have to be real for staging)
Use spa products that will remind buyers this is an oasis of relaxation
Use wall art with a relaxing theme
Fluffy white towels are usually more calming than brightly colored ones

These are simple things that anyone can do — but if you need help, remember to contact your local professional home stager. We can do all the staging for you, or we can suggest where you can buy any needed items to give your Master Bath a “tweak” so that it stands out in the minds of potential buyers.

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A Dated Portland Home is Transformed (and sold) with Easy Cosmetics + Home Staging

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:47:48 +0000

Our Portland, Oregon home staging company was contacted by a seller whose vacant 1990 home had been on the market for four months without a sale. When I asked what kind of feedback the house had received, the seller said most comments were that the house appeared “dated.” I checked the online listing photos and had to agree with those comments … and soon visited the home so that I could provide a complimentary home staging proposal.

Once I’d seen the home in person and determined who the target buyer would be (getting input from the seller and listing agent), I advised the sellers that some selective cosmetic improvements should be taken care of prior to staging the house, to make the home more ‘move-in ready’ for buyers. As part of my consultation service, I emailed the sellers my list of Things To Do (many previous sellers have told me how helpful this detailed information has been to them). The sellers went about getting these cosmetic items done … and then we staged the home.

This home had been on the market for 4 months … and it sold just 2 weeks after staging! Selective updates and staging helped this home appeal to the target buyer. Here are some Before & After photos showing the transformation of this home:

The ‘before’ photo of the dining & living room has a dated brass chandelier, brass rods & dated curtains

We selected an updated chandelier online (only $99) and advised removal of the dated rods & curtains

Another angle of this space reveals replacement of the entry brass chandelier also (just $99)

The living room got an instant update with furnishings plus removal of dated curtains & hardware

The family room looked dark and too small for furniture in this ‘Before’ photo

We advised cleaning the fireplace brick and removing the blue pleated shades ($0 cost)

The master bedroom had blue carpet & pink drapes; the carpet was replaced at minimal cost

Removing the pastel colors gave this room instant appeal, and now the pretty garden view is featured

We also advised these sellers on instant curb appeal tips (topic for another post

Sellers and their agents who take advantage of a home stager’s consultation service will be happy with the tips they receive on easy cosmetic updates. These sellers had a sale in just 2 weeks, after 4 Months on the market. Contact your local professional home stager — you’ll be glad you did!

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