In this example I would like to show Realtors and Home Owners the importance of Staging to create a visual of family time in a home. When buyers are looking on the web at the listing photos, they want to see how they could live in your property. A vacant home does not create a sense of how big a room is or how the family could envision themselves living there. The purpose of your listing photos are to gain attention, create desire and initiate immeditate action- a viewing and an offer.
In the before photo you can see the detail in the features of the room. The marble fireplace and the window trim and ceiling detail are nice, but they are also in every other listing in the area.
The after photo grabs the attention of the buyer that is clicking through listing photos every few seconds. It does this by giving them something to look at that they do not see in other listings. It draws them in to want to see more. More importantly, it gets the buyer to put your listing on their "Must See List".
All I did in this property in Thornhill was add artwork that draws the buyer's eye up to the detail in the ceiling, textured furniture to add warmth to the room and positioned the furniture to draw attention to the marble fireplace.
Advantage Staging will market your property to stand out from the competition every time.
Investment, minimal.
Impact, priceless.
Michelle, with your awesome staging, people will just flock to these rooms and houses, Great work!
Hi Michelle.
Is there a program we can use to create virtual settings in a vacant house? Or in a case where the furnishings don't do justice to the home. If so, do they look real enough to be useful?
Looks like a nice place. Your staging makes it look like a magazine article.
Hi Gary, I always appreciate your enthusiasm for my work. It was a pleasure to Stage this property. The upgrades were thoughtfully chosen and the workmanship was above average. The listing photos will definitely bring the right buyers to this home.
Hi Bob, I am not aware of a program that will place virtual furniture into a vacant home. Try asking on the group called "Photography" and you may get an answer. I know here in Canada, the Home Hardware store has a simple program that places furniture in a room but I believe that it is a template of your room dimensions- not the actual room you have. Let me know if you find an answer.
Hi Heath, thank you for the magazine article comparison. Those are the types of comments Stagers love to hear. :) It means we are doing our work in a way that appeals to the desires of the public. And that is what we do as Realtors and Stagers...fulfill people's desires for the life they wish to lead.
Hi Michelle, I always love seeing your work! You just prove that professional staging does make a huge difference.. Thanks so much for sharing your gorgeous rooms.. God bless and Merry Christmas
Hi Cheryl, I love going in a vacant property and bringing it to life. Thank you for the good wishes. I wish everyone a very successful year in 2009. It is more important than ever for Realtors and Stagers to work together in these interesting times.
You must be Picaso's daughter! Great job. Thanks for the post.
Hi Cindy, thank you for the Picaso comparison! There is nothing appealing about a blank canvas. But once you put some heart and soul into a vacant property, the life of the home shines through for buyers to connect with.
That looks like a pretty small, long room, but you made good use of the space.
Hi Cindy, You are right, that is one long, narrow room. This property had a 1960's small 1000 sq. ft. bungalow on it that was torn down. This is the house they built to flip. Asking 1.1 million in case you know someone that would like to move to Toronto. (doesn't hurt to ask!) The lot size does not allow for large, square rooms when rebuilding so a lot of the infill houses look like this. but people buy the neighbourhood so they learn to adapt to these long, narrow rooms. Lots of height in the room and beautiful coffered ceilings throughout.
Thanks for stopping in to see my latest vacant.
Stunning and as always impressive work. Scott and I wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season with all of the joy and love that it brings.
Beautiful Michelle! Your work has a great flow from the kitchen right into the family room. Nicely done!
HI Patty and Scott, Thank you for stopping in to see what I did with this challenging room. I wish you both well in the New Year.
Hi Michele, The sight lines from one end of the room to the other were much better after the Staging. You could really see yourself enjoying Sunday brunch with your family and friends. Thanks for your comments. :)
Hi Michelle - You've certainly created a warm atmosphere that will stand out on the MLS and in person -- beautiful work!
Hi Margaret, thank you for your kind comments. In the before photographs the room looked exceptionally small, especially for the asking price. As you said, now it stands a chance as the after photo on the listing will help get the property onto the buyer's "must see list". Once there the buyer will see how much they feel at home in the space.
Michelle, It looks so inviting and elegant, great work and photos too!
Great information as to WHY to stage this property as there are others on the market like it. The furniture you chose and the placement are perfect complements to the spaces without overshadowing the home itself. Great job Michelle!
(P.S. do you have Brook Furniture in ON?)
HI JoLynn, I do err on the side of elegant when I Stage. Just a current look that I like alot right now. I have done two modern country homes lately. It stretched my thinking of what that would look like but I was happy with the results. Both houses sold in three weeks in a very saturated market. Apparently modern country is the hottest thing in Europe right now so it will filter over here in a couple of years.
Hi Karen, It does help to outlinet he reasons to Stage to a client. If you want them to buy into doing as much of the Staging work as they can, they need to understand the reasoning behind it.
We don't have Brook furniture here in Ontario. We do have Executive (where this furniture came from, it is part of the Cort franchise) we also have their cousin with Dominion on the other side of the city. Also Easy Decor and Stagers Choice. There are a multitude of smaller companies so you really do have choice in regards to achieving whatever look you need for a property. They all rent month by month and some have free delivery.
The purpose of your listing photos are to gain attention, create desire and initiate immeditate action- a viewing and an offer.-Well said. Like someone once said It doesn't cost to stage,it pays to stage. Thank you very much Michelle for commenting on my post. Have a safe and Prosperous 2009. Great post.
Michelle-your artwork anchors the rooms focal point, the fireplace, and your furniture placement is perfect! Great staging as always-just stunning!
Nice job Michelle! What a beautiful home! The furnishings you selected are perfect for this space! Love e job Michelle! it!
Hi Cathy Lee, thank you for noticing the artwork in this room. I really thought about what would look best there. Normally I would put colour in that area, but the marble was one of the features in this room and I wanted to make sure it remained the focal point in the room. Using the Eiffel Tower in the artwork drew the eye up to the cofferred ceilings as well. Another feature that I wanted to highlight.
This artwork was a new addition to my inventory and I wondered at the time where I would use it. I always say, if you see something that draws you in and speaks to you, buy it and it will all come together before you know it. If I had hesitated in purchasing this piece it would not have been there when I returned. Thank you for your very kind comments.
Hi Teresa, Thank you for such enthusiasm on my work. :) Wish you all the best year in 2009. It's going to be one whirlwind of activity for all of us.
Hi Michelle, Thanks for the great before and after staging photos - it gives a completely different perspective to the buyer, doesn't it? Beautiful!
Michelle - Great staging and Great photos!! Any idea of the wall color.
Hi Sandy, So true. The stats say that close to 90% of people cannot use their imaginations to envision what a property will look like. I worked for a new home builder and the most commonly heard remark upon the client seeing the home once the walls were up and the rooms defined was..."oh I didn't think it was this size when I was looking at the drawings.(too small, too large, so narrow, etc.)
It is our job to show the size and scale of the property to motivate buyers to put in an offer. The two things you are selling in Real Estate are space and light. Now this property does both. Thanks for stopping in.
HI Debbie, I don't know the colour as the builder had painted it before I arrived. I will find out the colour and let you know. Thank you for the double GREAT!! :)
Michelle, I just love this room. Your "mantelscape" is also beautiful! I've taken notes. :)
mind boggling what YOU do. Again, you do "simple" things and it makes all the difference in the world - thanks for teaching me so much through your blog!
Hi Annie, Thank you very much for your comments on my mantle. I love the style of your work so this comment from you means alot to me. :) I have a Le Corbusier lounge chair in my master bedroom so I appreciate your style very much.
Hi Leesa, So glad you are finding my "All I did was" series informative. I work with Realtors to engage them in thinking about the way they present their listings on line. With about 80% of buyers looking on line now it is imperative that the listing photos sell the lifestyle of a home or present a unique feature that the comparables do not have. Thanks for stopping in, I love to hear from you. As you are a Realtor your opinion matters to me.