Category Archives for "Home Staging Before & After Photos that ROCK!"
Home Staging Before and After Photos, Stories and News
Home Staging Before and After Photos, Stories and News
I get this question a lot, “how can I start a home staging business working full time?” I understand the fear and anxiety that those folks feel because they want to be their own boss, follow their passions and their true talents BUT they need an income…I get it. Starting a home staging business is not easy!
Here’s a story of someone who was able to go from a full-time management position with guaranteed income to a successful home staging entrepreneur along with her amazing before and after photos…
Hi Audra, Sorry for the delayed response…The good news is that I was super busy working on a couple large staging projects when I received your email. I struggled with the decision to make my career change for years and I am so happy that I did!
Susan Batka, Professional Home Stager and Redesigner for Aerie Interiors based out of Alpharetta, GA
Educational background: Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Career: 17 years in the Medical distribution field. Most of my time was spent in Management of the Customer Service Team and later the Sales Team, during the interim of those positions, I ran a successful Sales territory. I was working full time when I started the HSR Certification Program.
I completed my training while still working with my former employer. I took my time going through the materials and refer back to them often. I felt that HSR prepared me very well to start up and run my own staging company…In fact, I believe that my sales background paired with my HSR training helped me confidently go in and secure my first staging job.
It is critical that you go in fearless and confident even if you are shaking in your boots! My first appointment was with a Real Estate Agent who was looking to sell his 7000 square foot home that he had designed and built! No pressure there! He still does not know that he was my first client and that is the way it should be!
I am now just starting to Market my company. My current clients have found me through my website or from word of mouth.
I have had a very busy Spring so far and anticipate it to get busier because my clients have been so excited with the results and have asked me to redesign their new homes!
Nothing, I am the happiest and more fulfilled than I could have dreamed of!
Yes, very much. I would not change a thing!
Believe in yourself, be confident, let your passions be your lauchpad!
That is the beauty of online training versus traditional classroom style learning. It allows you to “hit the rewind button” and refer back to the online classroom throughout the course of your business!
There could be a good month or two between your training and the moment you get your first staging consultation, so being able to go into the online training area and watch the consultation videos again is critical to confidence building!
Thanks Susan for sharing! If you’re thinking of taking the plunge into becoming a home stager, there’s never been a better time to do it! Here’s a quick video on becoming a stager if you’re interested…
There was a study published by the Wall Street Journal* claiming that “staging” has no effect on the home’s sale price based on the photo above…seriously?! The study had a group of people view virtually staged before-and-after photos and asked them whether they would pay more for the beige room (above) over the purple room (below). Each of the respondents said they would not pay more money for the beige virtually staged room over the purple room.
How can anyone take this study even remotely serious is a minor miracle. Here are the huge problems with this study:
I wasn’t going to even respond to this study since I didn’t want to bring attention to something so absurd but since there has been some chatter about it, let’s put this matter to rest once and for all.
Anyone with half a brain would look at that “after” photo and never in a million years call this a “staged” room!
(This home was staged by Donna Dazzo of Designed to Appeal in New York City)
Living Room After
Boy’s Room After
Girl’s Room After
By the way, I could have produced tons of other similar success stories and photos by the many amazingly talented home stagers across the country who have been maligned by this study. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that when you improve upon a product, you get a better price.
XOXO – Happy Staging!
Audra Slinkey
Hope to hear from you!
1-888-563-9271
audra@homestagingresource.com
*By the way, the study was called: “The Impact of Staging Conditions on Residential Real Estate Demand” and the Wall Street Journal article was called: “Home Staging Effect? Not Much.“
One of the critical reasons to stage a vacant home is to give perspective to buyers. Empty rooms are lifeless question marks in buyer’s eyes, so merchandising the space becomes essential! Here are seven staging tips I think you will find extremely helpful in your next staging project…
Donna Dazzo of Designed to Appeal, a New York City based staging company was given one of the toughest vacant staging assignments I’ve ever seen, so I just had to share it. This 3-bedroom, 4,000 square foot loft in Tribeca was on the market three months without an acceptable offer.
The loft sold at FULL asking price 22 days after Donna staged it!
This was the loft space as you walked in the home and as you can see the large columns are distracting and overwhelming. The space appears dark, lifeless, cold and definitely not easily able to arrange furniture around!
Strategically using area rugs, Donna separated the large space into groupings. A central living and seating area between the columns draws the eye to the seating area and away from the columns.
Entryway/Living Room After
The large and well placed mirror brings the eye further into the room immediately while extending the more narrow space. Using a light palette, reflective surfaces and mirrors, the space appears more open, light and inviting.
Here is a view from another angle where you can see how open the space was and how difficult it would be to fit all the represented living spaces in this one great room.
Not only did she fit a living grouping but a dining area off the kitchen as well.
What do you do with a small, seemingly un-useful space off the living area when you’ve already established plenty of seating arrangements?
Separating the space with a bookcase, it becomes an office with a view!
Filled with large, empty space this loft needs properly scaled furnishings to first “fit” between the beams in the living/entry area and now larger pieces to match this large space below.
The cabinets are artfully arranged to add color and symmetry.
Since the buyer demographic for this space was a family, Donna incorporated that lifestyle in her merchandising by turning this cold Den space into a bright, kids play area.
Notice how the brick wall in the vacant space appears to be a detraction while once it’s staged becomes an asset.
“Artful staging can turn even negative architectural elements into positive assets!”
At this point you’ve probably noticed the amazing artwork that serves to elevate the space and give personality right? Well Donna cleverly partnered with an art gallery to complete her staging vision.
This bedroom is tricky because all you notice is the long, unsightly heater under the windows.
Second Bedroom Before
Using a highly textured area rug, soft textiles and amazing artwork the space becomes a girls dream bedroom!
Second Bedroom After – Girl
Third Bedroom Before
Third Bedroom After – Boy or Guest Room
Frankly, any kitchen unstaged with cleared countertops will look cold, sterile and bring the eye to the worst architectural feature (in this case the overhanging light on the island). The “cleared counter top” look is NOT a staged kitchen!
Color was essential to move away from the hospital feel and the contemporary barstools draw the eye away from our light fixture while providing the sleek, cool feel associated with this space.
Empty bedrooms add nothing to a buyers decision. They become quick “walk-on-bys”
Add the color, textiles and life…now the buyer lingers.
Another view of the master bedroom and incredible artwork!
Thank you Donna for sharing your talent! Staging is essential for buyers to really “see” the value in a home…otherwise the seller is leaving cash on the table.
Not all professional stagers are equal! Our HSR Certification training was the first and one of the only staging and redesign training programs that has been third-party, accredited by the Real Estate Staging Association, so invest in the best!
One of the things I talk about a lot in the training is the importance of branding yourself, knowing what you’re about and putting that personality into your website! As you can see from Jenna’s website photo, she loves what she does, she loves her pup and she’s smiling about her business! Just looking at her photos makes me smile too!
When I sat down and chatted with Jenna about her business and it’s immediate success, she had a lot to say, as well as a lot of helpful tips to share with other stagers…
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I can’t tell you how much HSR has truly helped me achieve my dream in owning my own home staging and design business! I started my business in the beginning of March 2012 in the Northern Virginia area. With the help of HSR, my business has been booming since a month after I started!!
Through BNI (Business Networkers International), I have joined a chapter and am a part of a networking team of partners that I work with regularly. Through BNI and local business chamber events, I have met and partnered with many key people, which has helped my business soar exponentially. They key is to be able to meet people and sit down with them to discuss your business and what you stand for. By gaining these relationships, professionals WANT to refer you to people, instead of taking a shot in the dark with someone they don’t know much about. Once I joined BNI and started attending networking on a regular basis, I have gotten to a point where I am having trouble keeping up with all of the work that is coming in!
Custom Painting by Jenna
Another thing I think helped me in getting started, was offering a broader range of services. Since I have done custom paintings and faux finishing for years prior, I included that in my services. I also grew up very savvy with furniture finishing, and included that as well. By adding these values to my repertoire of home staging, design, and shopping services, I was able to give people additional reasons to “try me out”.
Creating a successful home staging business is not easy, so when I see stagers do great things in the industry…I just have to brag about it!
I could literally go on and on with fantastic before and after photos to show you what amazing work home stagers and redesigners can do in a home! The success is in the photos!
XOXO – Happy Staging!
Audra Slinkey
Hope to hear from you!
1-888-563-9271
audra@homestagingresource.com