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- The Decorator
My Story
After working for many years in real estate, I remembered something that stood out to me when I was selling a rental home in an apartment complex In Eden Terrace called the Memphis.
I sold a few homes in that particular building, and they were all very similar, sized & layout.
There was one that I remembered the most.
The students that lived in the place at this time did not take care of the home at all.
It had an overseas owner & I am not sure if he had seen what it looked like in recent years but it wasn't good. I tried to get him to tell the students to clean it up a bit for my open homes, perhaps he had or maybe they never listened. To no avail, it ended up costing him a cheaper sell price.
I remember some people came to the end of the hall where the dining area was and turned around and left. There was nothing I could do as I was only a new agent at the time. There was no dining table & chairs, just a bin at the end of the bench that had stacks of dishes piled up, I remember the people had to sign the open homes board against the wall, they had fruit flies flying around their heads.
There was a sunken feeling of embarrassment that filled me... The lounge was just as bad, no lounge suite just a queen bed with a headboard made out of Christmas paper cello-taped to the wall, and a clothes horse filled with undergarments blocking people from seeing the balcony.
The upstairs mezzanine had a bed made up on the floor beside the main bed, and you would have to step on it if you wanted to have a look at the ensuite.
I finally sold this apartment to a trader. they saw the potential that no one else could see.
A lick of paint, some new carpet and Home Staging.
THE PLACE WAS TRANSFORMED!
It sold again a few Months later, in those days you could flip homes a lot faster. The new owner made over $140,000 on that home.
I was truly amazed at the transformation. Ever since then I have been fascinated by Home Staging, which is why I eventually left real estate to pursue a career in interior design, renovations, & home staging.
The Decorator
When it comes to styling your home, remember, you are learning from the best. It can take a bit of time to adjust, you may have feelings of anxiousness, you may experience finding it hard to take personal items down or put them away as this is the home you have loved for so many years etc. When it comes to the consultation, a big step is educating the client if they have never experienced home staging before. We want you to feel comfortable about this process, and we would say the same thing to anyone before we have even seen their home, your trinkets and personal items, such as: framed photos, fridge magnets etc. are what makes it lovely and personal to you. By all means, bring those things with you to your next lovely home. For our purpose the less personal the better, the new owner does not want to be looking at shopping lists and the abundance of books & trinkets that the previous owners collected from their travels. It is important to stay neutral with these particular items & focus on larger centerpieces such as artwork, vases, plants or floral arrangements for example. The buyer needs to imagine their life in this space. We create their dream space and let their imagination take them to that happy place.
Trust your home stylist!
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A Touch of Greenery
Do not underestimate the power of greenery, it goes a long way and adds a feeling of tranquility and nature to a room. This is a great touch that home stagers like to use..jpeg)
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Layers Layers Layers
Creating different layers really helps to show off a bed in its best light, it adds a comfy cozy feel, and lots of cushions, pillows & euros add the sense of value to a home. It is also important to drape blankets in the right way, this can take a bit of time to master but if it's done correctly, it can look naturally exquisite.
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