Atlanta Georgia Home Staging

How to Avoid Leaving the Buyer Guessing

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:01:57 -0600

Tips from Atlanta Home Stager, Kathy Nielsen.

It's happened to me. Has it happened to you? You enter a home and you have absolutely no clue as to what the purpose of the room is? Unfortunately, it happens too often, especially if the home is vacant.

Tomorrow I'll be home staging a home in Grant Park in Atlanta, Georgia that had this exact dilemma. I arrived, entered the home and just stood in middle of the room scratching my head (okay, not really "scratching my head" but, you get the point). I was told it was the living room. It sure didn't look like a living room. However, I can assure you that after tomorrow you'll know exactly what room it is. Stay tuned for the pictures of this home staging project as I'll be posting them as soon as I get back.

In the meantime, here are tips on "how to avoid leaving the buyer guessing."

Give the room a purpose by understanding the demographics of the buyer Let's say the room in question is on the main floor. It may make sense to turn that room into an office if in fact the buyer is young or of middle age. This age bracket has a tendency to work from home and would make for a perfect solution for this room.

Take into consideration the location of the room in question - For example, if the room is located on the upper level, just outside of the kids rooms, then consider creating a "play room" for the kids. If it's a room over the garage (attached to the house), then consider making that room an office.

Think like a buyer - Having lived in your home, you're well aware of what the room is (or was) used for. However, understand that the buyer isn't in the same position and hasn't a clue. Start at the front door and use the "buyers-eye."

Remember - leaving the buyer guessing is never a good idea. With proper planning, using the above home staging tips, you'll be on your way to setting definition to that confusing room and eliminate the guessing game.

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About the Author: Kathy Nielsen, a RESA 2010 Home Stager of the Year Finalists is a nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry, offers affordable home staging solutions to help sell your home more quickly. Kathy can be reached via email at info@homestagingatlanta.com or by phone at 678 522 8392. Their Atlanta Home Staging services offer a variety of options to accommodate all budgets. To view examples of their before and after pictures, visit their portfolio at Home Staging Atlanta Gallery.

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How to Arrange a Room When Selling

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 07:55:10 -0600

Confused on how to re-arrange your room when selling?

You’re not alone. The question; "how do I arrange the furniture?" is perhaps the most frequently asked questions I receive as a professional home stager in Atlanta. And with reason. Most sellers have seen enough shows on TV to understand that there's a need to change. However, they're challenged on exactly what changes would benefit them the most.

Let's begin with reviewing the objective:

The objective for the seller is to showcase the features as well as the space the home has to offer.

How is that accomplished?

Find the feature you want to highlight. Perhaps it's the fireplace in the living room or the built-ins in the keeping room. Your objective as a seller is to draw the buyers' eye to that feature.
Add visual space. This can be accomplished by removing an item or two from the room. For example, if you have two end tables today, try removing one. If you have a dining room table with a leaf and 6 chairs, try removing the leaf and two of the chairs.
Expose your flooring. This is especially true if you believe this to be a feature of the home. Try removing the rug or reduce the size of the rug you use. Yes, area rugs can add warmth but if over-sized, then you risk covering up one of the best features of the home.

Also know that there are experts in place that are use to "putting the pieces together." An experienced home professional can easily help you identify the features, knows what it takes to add that "visual space" and can recognize what features may be hidden and need to be exposed.

How to arrange a room when selling can be a little tricky. However, with those basics in mind, know that it's perfectly okay to have a room re-arranged 5-6 (or more) times before you settle on the right arrangement.

Another suggestion is to get ideas from magazines or better yet, from a home stagers website. You can view photos of some of my most recent home staging projects in Atlanta by visiting our Home Staging Atlanta Portfolio.

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Knowing Where the Lockbox is Going is Important. Learn Why.

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:55:28 -0600

Knowing where the lockbox is going is important. Learn why.

As a professional home stager in Atlanta, one of the very first questions I'll ask the real estate agent is where the lockbox to the home is going to be located.

That single question can make a significant difference. It's a question that all home sellers should be asking their real estate agent.

Why is that question important? It's where the agents who bring the buyers to see your home will be entering. If you're use to entering your home via a side entrance, it's likely not going to be the point of entry into your home when the agents show it. Instead, 9 times out of 10, it will be the front door.

With "first impressions" being everything (in fact, buyers will be forming opinions in the first few seconds) you want to dress to impress from the exterior to the interior.

Here are some tips:

For the exterior:

Add pots of flowers, or in the winter, add winter greenery such as juniper or spruce
Paint the front door
Change the hardware such as the handle and the knocker
Ensure the door bell is in working condition
Sweep

For the interior:

Add a mirror or artwork
Use a stand (for keys and sunglasses)
Add greenery (nothing better than bringing some of the outdoors inside)
Position a rug right at the front door
Add a container for umbrellas

These small and inexpensive changes can make a world of difference when selling your home.

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Atlanta Home Stagers Hits the Airwaves

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:34:46 -0600

Real Estate 101, with host Mary Gill on WAOK 1380, features Atlanta Home Staging Guest - Kathy Nielsen

I'm extremely excited to have the opportunity to share with the listeners what the home staging process is about.

The show begins at 11:00 a.m. and will end at 1:00 p.m., on Saturday, March 6th. From start to finish, I'll be discussing a variety of topics regarding the importance of preparing your home for the market.

Here's a preview of some the topics we'll be discussing -

Key rooms - Starting at the entrance to the backdoor of your home, there are key rooms that become critically important to the buyer. I'll be sharing a list of what rooms "buyers" consider important.

Achieving the right look for your home - Learn what "look" you should be going after and why it's important.

How to influence the buyer - Yes, there are things you could and should do that make a difference. I'll be sharing a variety of tips that sellers can use.

With a two hour show, the above is just a preview. Make sure you tune in, if you can.

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Grant Park Home Staging in Atlanta Georgia Before and After Pictures

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:08:06 -0600

Will home staging this Grant Park home in Atlanta, Georgia help it sell more quickly?

I firmly believe that it will. Home staging, when done properly, will absolutely help to engage the buyer on an emotional level.

Using the "eye-of-the-buyer" in all of my home staging design plans, my goal is to capture the essence of the home and make it appealing to a broad base of prospective buyers.

Here are a few before and after pictures of this Grant Park home we home staged just yesterday.

Master Bedroom before home staging:

Master Bedroom after home staging:

Entrance prior to home staging:

Entrance after home staging:

Office before home staging:

Office after home staging:

Living room before home staging:

Living room after home staging:

Here are two close-ups of some of the accessories used in this Grant Park home staging project:

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Home Staging Consumer Guide

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:04:28 -0600

The consumer's guide to real estate staging is a free publication from the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) on the benefits of home staging.

To download - please click on the following link: Home Staging Consumer Guide

The guide includes:

Definition of Home Staging
Benefits of Home Staging
Home Staging Statistics - 2009
Benefits of hiring a professional stager versus doing it yourself
Home Gains study
Key things to consider when hiring a professional stager

Real Estate Agents - This guide is perfect for those homeowners considering home staging or for those looking to be further educated on the benefits involved. Please feel free to direct them to the link above.

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Atlanta Home Sells In A New York Minute

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:23:02 -0600

Atlanta Home Staging Helped Get This Home Multiple Offers and Under Contract in 4 Days!

This Atlanta Flipper could not be more thrilled with the results. And in this market, it's understandable why he's so happy. It also explains why we'll soon be staging another of his homes.

Here's a picture of how his home looked after home staging by Georgia Interior Solutions:

Yes. I recently posted the before and after pictures of this home after I staged it. To see the transformation, click here.

Is your home standing out in the crowd? If not, we can help.

Atlanta Home Staging has helped hundreds of homeowners throughout Atlanta and we're here to help you.

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Tips for Preparing Your Home For the Market

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:35:06 -0600

It's likely that most sellers know of the importance of the three C's (clutter, clean and curb appeal) when preparing their home for the market. These three things will always play an important role when it comes to getting a house show-ready.

However, there are three R's (re-arrange, resist and refresh) that you can help take your efforts a notch up and truly help set your home apart from the others on the market.

As a professional home stager in Atlanta, here are a few things I share with my occupied homeowners I work with:

Rearrange - Showcase the features as well as the "real estate" the room has to offer. Arrange the furniture so that it helps draw the buyers eye to the features. When rearranging, consider what pieces could either be removed entirely or moved so that it creates more visual real estate.

Resist - Resist the urge to show-off the collectibles. When selling a home, it's not about the treasures you've collected. In fact, leaving collectibles can actually be a distraction.

Refresh - Minor changes with big rewards. Here are a few: change the knobs in the kitchen; change the faucets in the bathroom, recaulk around the bathtubs and change out the toilet seat.

The biggest challenge most homeowners have to contend with is figuring out how best to re-arrange the furniture. My advice, try a bunch of different scenarios, but keep in mind that you want to open up as much space as possible without looking too minimal.

If you need the advice of a professional home staging company in Atlanta, feel free to contact us to arrange an appointment.

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Home Stager Atlanta Before and After Pictures

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 09:42:38 -0600

This very long and narrow space turned out to be fun home staging project. The home, located in Atlanta, Georgia and home staged by Georgia Interior Solutions came out wonderful.

Here is a before picture:

Here is what the room looked like after being home staged. (Note: The homeowner is adding an electrical outlet for the lamp pictured on the right).

Here's another angle of the living room prior to being staged:

Here is what the living room looked like after:

And because I love taking photos of the homes we stage, here are a few others of this beautiful home:

As a home stager in Atlanta, I had two primary objectives when staging this home.

Showcase the features of the home. In this case, the two archways needed to really stand-out. While I could have easily placed the sofa in the middle of the room (with the back of the sofa facing the dining room table), it would have cut the room in half visually. With this arrangement, the buyers eyes now flow smoothly from one room to the next.
Provide the prospective buyers with solutions on how to utilize the space. Let's face it, long narrow living rooms can pose a challenge. If left vacant, we leave the buyers "guessing." Thru home staging (or house staging as it is often called), we provide the visual solution for the buyer.

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Desperately Seeking Buyers?

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:26:05 -0600

It doesn't have to be that way. With proper planning and use of the "right tools" you can make the process of selling your home far easier and less stressful.

Step 1: Get an Agent - Sure, getting an agent means paying a commission. It also means that the marketing tools needed to get your home the exposure it needs will be implemented.

Step 2: Price it Right - There's a reason why step 1 is "getting an agent." A good agent will help identify the price point the home needs to be listed at in order to sell more quickly. Don't believe me? Price it too high and see what happens.

Step 3: Make it Look Good - In this market you want to give the buyer every reason to buy and not a single reason not to.

As a professional home stager in Atlanta, one of the first questions I ask when I meet with the homeowner is whether or not they have an agent. I'd be naive to believe that my home staging alone will sell their home. Yes, I know definitively that I can make the home look beautiful. However, if we're the only two that see it (me and the homeowner), then I've served no purpose.

In summary a beautifully staged home needs to be seen by the prospective buyers. A good agent, who understands what it takes to aggressively market the home is a necessity. Fortunately, I've armed myself with a list of Real Estate Agents in Atlanta and recommend them every chance I get.

Kathy

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Atlanta Home Stager

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:34:52 -0600

Did They Pick The Right Atlanta Home Stager?

My client thinks so. He just sent me an email indicating that the house we home staged in Atlanta at the end of December and placed on the market on the 28th of December, is under contract (that’s 17 days on the market). He’s thrilled, the agent is happy and I’m over the moon.

You may remember this home pictured below as I had posted a blog regarding whether the paneling should be painted. That post received a lot of comments and provided proof that the majority do believe that it’s beneficial to have it painted.

As for whether or not they picked the right Atlanta Home Stager – they interviewed several home stagers. In addition, they paid a visit to one of my staged homes so that they could see first-hand the style I use in my stagings. I encouraged that visit and glad they made the time.

Here are two pictures of the living room. One is before being professionally home staged and the other is the after picture:

To view more before and after pictures of some of the vacant home stagings we’ve done in Atlanta Georgia, click here.

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Should You Paint the Paneling? Before and After Picture Included

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:00:34 -0600

Should You Paint the Paneling? Before and After Picture Included

One of the first questions asked when we arrived to this home (which, by the way, was soon to go on the market) is whether or not to paint the paneling. There’s a variety of thoughts and opinions on this subject. The truth of the matter is that it boils down to a number of different factors.

In the case of this home, there was no doubt that having it painted would be beneficial. As you can see, the transformation is pretty significant.

Here’s how the home looked when we first paid a visit to see it:

Yes, there are kitchen cabinets in the kitchen. This home was in the process of being renovated and as a result, was in total disarray. However, that paneled wall isn’t hard to miss. Perhaps considered nice, in its day, it truly dates the home.

With our recommendation to paint and having selected the colors for the homeowner, the change was incredible. Bringing in the furniture and accessories really made a difference as well.

Here’s the after picture:

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How Furniture and Accessories Can Help Visually Expand Your Room

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:39:11 -0600

Vacant Home Staging in Atlanta Georgia

One of the greatest challenges a seller has when their home is left vacant is that the rooms can appear "visually" smaller. It seems odd, I know, that by adding furniture and accessories, the room can actually look larger.

Case in point - here's the before picture of a room we had home staged in Atlanta, Georgia.

When we first paid a visit to this home and met with the Atlanta investor, I too was having a challenge with just how small this space looked. Now if "I" was having a challenge, you can be rest assured that buyers would be equally challenged. FYI - the room sits in the front of the house just off the living room.

I knew with certainty, that we could help visually expand the space by adding the right scaled items. Before you look at the after picture, envision adding a desk, chair, floor plant and another casual chair. If you're thinking that the room would be absolutely consumed by these pieces - it wasn't. In fact, we helped visually expand this space.

Here's how the home looked after home staging:

The result: Buyers are provided with a solution. At the same time, they can see how such a small room can actually accommodate the number of pieces we used.

If you have a vacant property in Atlanta - we have a number of solutions available for you. To see more before and after pictures of properties we've home staged throughout Atlanta, visit our Vacant Home Before and After Pictures.

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Why Leaving The Buyer Guessing Isn't a Good Idea.

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:32:54 -0600

I read recently that flipping homes is back in style. Not sure it ever left, but… that’s what they say. As a professional home stager in Atlanta, I’ve had the good pleasure of working with many Atlanta flippers. Within the last two weeks, I’ve staged two homes recently purchased and renovated by investors.

As with all of my Atlanta investors, I give them an option of what rooms they are interested in having staged. Most select our key room home staging which has proven to be a very cost effective method of engaging buyers.

One of the rooms in question – as it relates to whether or not we would stage – was the formal living room. In most homes, the formal living room tends to be on the average size. That wasn’t the case with this home.

Here’s the before picture:

The room extends the entire length of the home. As you can see, it’s also quite narrow. I suspected, and they agreed, that this room would pose some challenges for the prospective buyers. Leaving a buyer "guessing" as to how to use the space the home has to offer isn't a good idea.

Here’s what the room looks like after we home staged this home:

The investors were beyond thrilled with how the room turned out. Equally important – buyers will no longer be left guessing how to arrange their furniture. Instead, they’ll see, first-hand, how to utilize this room.

Whether you’re an investor flipping homes, or a homeowner looking to move their Atlanta vacant home more quickly, we can help.

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Home Staging Tip - What NOT To Do With Your Fireplace Mantel

Kathy Nielsen Atlanta Georgia Home Stager (Georgia Interior Solutions, LLC) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:08:11 -0600

What NOT To Do With Your Fireplace Mantel

Whether I'm home staging a home in Atlanta or doing a redesign, one of the most common mistakes I see is the use of a mirror hung above the fireplace.

Why is a mirror a bad choice?

Let's review the before picture below. Standing at 5' 4" and to the left of the fireplace, this is what I captured when I snapped this photo. As I point out, you can see that the mirror is reflecting the ceiling. While canned lighting is nice, it's not the nicest feature to have highlighted.

A better alternative is the use of a picture/artwork. Here's how it now looks:

Here's a list of some very effective ways in which you can make a mirror work in your favor:

Entrances: When selling - mirrors hung at an entrance allow the prospective buyers to envision themselves in the home, which is precisely what you want to have happen.
Living Room: Hang it over the couch (if possible). When arranging furniture in a room with a fireplace, it's common practice to have the couch/sofa facing the fireplace. When you hang the mirror over the couch, the reflection will highlight the fireplace.
Small Rooms: Mirrors provide the perfect solution for visually expanding the space.

This home staging tip was brought to you by your friendly Home Stager in Atlanta, Kathy Nielsen.

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