December 2012 Featured Before & After

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Curb appeal is one of the most important things when selling your home.  It is the first picture that buyers see when looking on the MLS, so if it’s not appealing, buyers will click “next” quickly to narrow down their choices.

This home was remodeled by one of the investors we work with.  We advised him on the landscaping and adding the window boxes.  Then we used the same instructions as given above to fill the window boxes.  Now it’s the perfect first impression for buyers!

BEFORE

  AFTER 

December 2012 Staging Tip

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This tip starts with a walk around your property, neighborhood or a friends woods.  Gather things that will add interest to a spruce tip pot for your front steps or window box.  Things like dogwood (red sticks), white pine branches, dried hydrangea flowers, pinecones, birch branches and milk weed pods all look great.  You can even spray paint some dried flowers red to add color.

It’s hard to find spruce tips that are even, so I suggest buying a $20 bundle from your local hardware or grocery store.  Start your pot with the tallest spruce tips in the center and the shorter ones around the edges.

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Add in birch branches, dogwood and twinkle lights if you’ll be using them.

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Now fill in around the base with white pine branches or other evergreen boughs.  A few in between the spruce tips will also make it more full.

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Now add in all the little goodies.  Place items at varying heights and   in groups of odd numbers to have the best visual interest.

If the weather stays below freezing, there should be no need to water your pot or window box.  The beauty will last well into the new year!

November 2012 Staging Tip

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If you have an older home, there is a good chance that you have a bathroom with one of these tiny mirrored medicine chests with attached lights.  It can look intimidating to change, but if you take it step by step, it’s pretty easy!
First, shut off the circuit breaker.  Inside the cabinet you will find a few screws to remove.  Then gently pull the cabinet out of the hole and have someone else unhook the wires from the electrical box.
So here’s what it looks like once it’s removed.  In this case, we did a little patching of the drywall between the box and the hole.  After painting the room, we put a new light fixture over the electrical box.  (Follow fixture directions or hire an electrician!)
The last step was to purchase a framed mirror (we got his one at TJ Maxx) that would fill up almost the entire space from the light fixture to the vanity.  Hang it and you’re done!
BATHROOM BEFORE:
 
BATHROOM AFTER:
 
We also changed out the vanity ($200 from Home Depot) and replaced the floor and fixtures.  What a difference!!!

October 2012 Staging Tip

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A wall of mirrors can feel quite dated, but be very intimidating to think about removing.  Most mirrors are glued to the wall with construction adhesive.  Using a putty knife or small crow bar can usually pop them off the wall without breaking them.  Then you have to sand down the spots (a power sander is a good idea) and then patch them if they aren’t smooth.  A couple times of sanding and patching should ensure a smooth wall.
Vertical blinds are probably our least favorite type of window treatment.  They are cold, sterile and institutional.  Here we replaced them with floor to ceiling draperies.  The draperies not only add softness to a room, but in the case of tall windows, it emphazied the height of the room and gave it drama.  Because these windows were so big, we had to order an extra long drapery rod and sew two drapery panels together to get the length we wanted.  We used panels from Walmart so the total cost was still less than $175.

Mcknight living a    Mcknight living b

A nuetral wall color, new carpet and rented furniture finished off this room!

September 2012 Featured Before & After

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This living room is from the same home as the dining room in the last post.  Notice in the before picture that the fireplace and trim were painted the same color as the walls.  By changing them to white, these amenities of the room become beautiful focal points!

living a

BEFORE
living b

AFTER
To save the homeowners some money, we reused their existing occasional tables, but replaced the sofa, chair, art and accessories. We also added a rug to soften the room. Removing the draperies and furniture that blocked the windows completely opened up the room!

September 2012 Staging Tip

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We have not talked about painting paneling yet, so this a great before and after.  Please don’t be afraid of painting over the wood, you will not regret it!  It will take a little more time, because you need to use a primer and sometimes have to paint the cracks with a brush, but it is worth it.
Paneling a  paneling b

August 2012 Featured Before and After

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This living room is from the same home as the kitchen in the last post.  Notice that while doing the granite we also extended the bar area to provide more seating.  This home does not have an informal dining area, so this small change will make a huge difference in how buyers see the home!

Orwell Living A
BEFORE

Orwell Living B
AFTER
To save the homeowners some money, we reused their existing seating, but replaced the dated end tables and brass lamps with a more current style to update everything.  We also had the homeowners add draperies to soften the hard angles and frame the view of the St. Croix River.  And lastly, we angled the layout to open up the room.  If you can avoid it, you never want buyers to enter a room looking directly at the back of a sofa.  It creates an uninviting feeling to the room.

August 2012 Staging Tip

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Granite prices have come down significantly in recent years, and because many buyers expect it in the home they want to purchase, regardless of price range, you may consider replacing your dated countertops.

Orwell Kitchen Before Orwell Kitchen After

Doesn’t it make an amazing difference?  We also had the homeowners switch their pulls and light fixtures from brass to nickel.