Atlanta Georgia Home Staging : August 2008

Part of my objective as a home stager in Atlanta is to ensure the home looks great.  At the same time, I want it to also feel good.  Why is that important?  

Let's take a look at this before picture of the living room.  As you can see, the existing couch is a tad bit over-sized for the room.  As a prospective buyer, I may be enticed by one of the features of the room which is the fireplace.  On the other-hand, there's nothing inside this room that makes me "feel" good.  As a result, I'm likely to keep walking.

Now here's the after picture.  So what has home staging this home accomplished in the "feel" good category?  The design was kept simple.  To further bring out the feature (again, the fireplace), we selected the sofa that has the same color theme.  

What home staging provided for this room is the ability for the prospective buyer to linger longer.  Their eyes now have the ability to rest on the items in the room and as a result, a buyer will likely start formulating thoughts on how their own furniture may work in this room.

Here's another angle.

Kitchen Before Picture:

After Picture:

The longer a prospective buyer lingers, the better!

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A Real Estate Staging Association Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year 2010, Kathy Nielsen understands  what it takes to help sell homes quickly. Considered an expert within the home staging industry, and having years of experience, Kathy makes the perfect choice for preparing your home for the market in the Atlanta area.

Website:  Home Staging Atlanta

Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:

Email:  Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com 

    

 

PR: wait...  I: wait...  L: wait...  LD: wait...  I: wait... wait...  Rank: wait...  Traffic: wait...  Price: wait...  C: wait...

When I first started out, it was suggested that I consider having three levels of staging; low staging (more vignette-like); medium staging (heavier on the accessories with some heavier furniture items) and high level staging (the appropriate amount of furniture and accessories) and then price them accordingly.  To me, it was like asking me to consider doing an okay job; a mediocre job and a great job.  In the end, I just couldn't do it.  What was and still is important to me is to ensure I do a "great job" with each and every staging I do.  

And because this post addresses reputation (of which I've spent many years building), I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that here in Atlanta there was an investigation done into home staging company that uses home managers.  It was a horrible set of circumstances that in the end didn't bode well for anyone involved (home owner, home staging company, agent, etc...).  Was it a worse-case scenario?  Probably. Were there things that could have/should have been done to avoid? Perhaps.   However, I'll go on record now that this is one home stager in Atlanta that does NOT use home managers.  While there are pros and cons to all services, this is one type of staging that my company will NOT be venturing into.

What I will continue doing is to:

•  Contribute to my industry
  
•  Do the best job possible on each and every home I stage
•  Make "selling their home" a priority

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A Real Estate Staging Association Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year 2010, Kathy Nielsen understands  what it takes to help sell homes quickly. Considered an expert within the home staging industry, and having years of experience, Kathy makes the perfect choice for preparing your home for the market in the Atlanta area.

Website:  Home Staging Atlanta

Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:

Email:  Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com 

    

 

PR: wait...  I: wait...  L: wait...  LD: wait...  I: wait... wait...  Rank: wait...  Traffic: wait...  Price: wait...  C: wait...

The re-blogging of a blog was all new to me until I read the blog written by Michelle Minch on re-blogging.  Since then, I spent some time searching for other blogs on the subject to further educate myself on the pros and cons associated with re-blogging.  As I see it, re-blogging is a wonderful way to deliver valuable information to a broader base of readers.  To me, that's an incredible opportunity and I thank the leaders of Active Rain for making that available to us.

Now with all that said, I didn't expect to have one of my blogs re-blogged (at least not as soon as it was).  I had written the blog; The Top 5 Reasons Why Home Staging Is So Effective on Monday.  That same day, Bob Southard, an Active Rain member and someone I've had the good fortune of working with re-blogged this post on his outside blog.  Did Bob do me a favor?  Perhaps.  However, what he really did is to provide valuable information to his subscriber base from someone he considered an expert on the subject.

As Bob Stewart said in his blog regarding this subject; "Not everyone can be an expert in everything.  However, in the halls of Active Rain we have experts in just about anything real estate related.  Being able to utilize the expertise of other members to inform your readers and your clients will be beneficial for everyone, especially your clients."

To Bob Stewart - I couldn't agree more.

To Bob Southard - Thank you for making the time to share information with your readers on the effectiveness of staging.

Kathy

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                     

 

A Real Estate Staging Association Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year 2010, Kathy Nielsen understands  what it takes to help sell homes quickly. Considered an expert within the home staging industry, and having years of experience, Kathy makes the perfect choice for preparing your home for the market in the Atlanta area.

Website:  Home Staging Atlanta

Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:

Email:  Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com 

    

 

PR: wait...  I: wait...  L: wait...  LD: wait...  I: wait... wait...  Rank: wait...  Traffic: wait...  Price: wait...  C: wait...

I awoke last week to an email message from the Atlanta Journal Constitution asking when would be a good time for them to contact me regarding the Camp Creek Village town homes I had staged.  While the article itself will focus on the interior look behind the Mediterranean style I had used she also wants to feature an article on the effectiveness of home staging.  I'm anxious to have that interview and await the Camp Creek Village article which will appear in the Real Estate Section this coming Saturday, August 16th.

In the mean time, I thought it would be beneficial to all reading (whether you're a home owner, investor, builder, Realtor or agent) as to the top 5 reasons why Home Staging is so effective:

1. Home Staging Sets the Home Apart From The Others On The Market.  Why?  A professional home stager understands how to show-case the space, as well as the features the home has to offer.
2. Home Staging Adds Warmth to the Home.  Once a prospective buyer determines their location and price of their next home, they'll be visiting homes that fall within that criteria.  Once inside a home, it's important to ensure they're emotionally connected to the home.  Home staging, with lamps, furniture, rugs, accessories, etc... creates a warm and inviting home.
3. Home Staging Attracts Buyers Off The Internet.  With over 80% of the buyers beginning their search using the internet, it's important to ensure yours stands out.  A well staged home will be visually appealing to buyers and help increase the odds of the buyers coming to see the home first-hand.
4. Home Staging Provides Solutions to the Prospective Buyers.  A challenging room, whether large or one that has an awkward layout can pose challenges to prospective buyers.  A professional staged home will have a layout that accommodates those difficult spaces.
5. A Professional Staged Home Will Appeal to a Broad Range of Prospective Buyers.   A professional home stager understands the importance of ensuring the decor, style, etc... match the demographics of the buyer.  At the same time, a true professional understands the importance of having the home appeal to a broad range of prospective buyers.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                     

 

A Real Estate Staging Association Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year 2010, Kathy Nielsen understands  what it takes to help sell homes quickly. Considered an expert within the home staging industry, and having years of experience, Kathy makes the perfect choice for preparing your home for the market in the Atlanta area.

Website:  Home Staging Atlanta

Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:

Email:  Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com 

    

 

PR: wait...  I: wait...  L: wait...  LD: wait...  I: wait... wait...  Rank: wait...  Traffic: wait...  Price: wait...  C: wait...

Home Staging for me is a passion.  After 18 years in the corporate world, I wanted to make sure that the next stage in my life would include doing something I love.  To say I was determined would be an understatement.  After concluding that home staging was right up my alley, I developed a strong business plan and haven't ever looked back.  For me personally, I had something to prove.  I had always dreamed of owning my own business; setting my own goals; defining my own strategies, etc...  I'm proud of the success; I'm pleased by having assisted so many agents and home owners.  Have I made it?  Not hardly.  I've only just begun (smile).

And now for the close ups.  NOTE:  All of the pictures below were taken by me with my Nikon D80.  As part of my staging service, I provide the "after" pictures I've taken to both the home owner as well as to the Realtor/Agent. 

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Serving home sellers, agents, builders and investors, we have the experience, skills and inventory to help make your home and/or listing stand-out from the others on the market.

Home Staging Atlanta one home at a time!

With their extensive portfolio, you'll quickly learn that they have the expertise and knowledge on what it takes to make your home appealing to the prospective buyers.  Need furniture and accessories?  No problem.  Their specialties are with vacant homes and model home staging.

For a free no-obligation appointment, contact them today.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

                     

 

A Real Estate Staging Association Finalist for Professional Stager of the Year 2010, Kathy Nielsen understands  what it takes to help sell homes quickly. Considered an expert within the home staging industry, and having years of experience, Kathy makes the perfect choice for preparing your home for the market in the Atlanta area.

Website:  Home Staging Atlanta

Before and After Pictures: Atlanta Home Staging Portfolio:

Email:  Kathy@HomeStagingAtlanta.com 

    

 

PR: wait...  I: wait...  L: wait...  LD: wait...  I: wait... wait...  Rank: wait...  Traffic: wait...  Price: wait...  C: wait...