July 2012 Staging Tip

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We’ve been doing these tips for well over a year and I just realized that I’ve never provided a tip for one thing I almost always suggest.  Update your lighting fixtures, especially chandeliers or other lighting hanging at eye level.


Doesn’t this light remind you of an old A&W?

This light fixture in an oil rubbed bronze finish is available from Home Depot for $70.

June 2012 Featured Before and After

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This home was filled with beautiful furniture pieces, but each piece was a different style.  In this living room there is contemporary, traditional, formal, and mid-century modern.  To give this room a more cohesive feel, we used a transitional sofa and brought in red pillows and mantle accessories to draw the eye around the room.
stillwater 1
BEFORE
Stillwater 2
AFTER

June 2012 Staging Tip

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In homes that only have 2 or 3 bedrooms, it is ideal to stage them all as bedrooms.  So if you currently have one set up with a different function, clear it out and create an inexpensive bedroom using airbeds:

bed 1
Start with a double high airmattress and cover it with a bedskirt.

Bed 2
Top that with a single high airmattress to bring the height up to that of a normal bed.
Bed 3
Now add your normal bedding and lots of pillows.  Instant bedroom!
We created a headboard as well from 2×2’s, batting and some fabric.  Make sure to use nightstands and lamps to finish off the room.  Hampers, tv trays, stacked old luggage, or crates can all make fine nightstands.

May 2012 Staging Tip

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Any Realtor will tell you that a house with suspended ceiling is a lot harder to sell than those with drywall ceilings, especially when it is on the main level.  Investing in replacing a whole ceiling may be too much for sellers, so here is an easy, beautiful solution:
ceiling
These new coffered ceiling tiles from Armstrong fit into an existing 2×2 foot grid.  You can also add additional grid pieces if you have a 2×4 grid currently.  What a difference it makes!

April 2012 Staging Tip

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mirror before mirror after

This is a new staging tip that we haven’t even tried yet!  We found it on Pinterest, posted from a blog on www.thesitsgirls.com.  Many of you have wall mirrors where the edges behind the glass are starting to chip away.  This is an $18 fix….and it’s gorgeous!
mirror tools
At any home improvement store, you can find sheets of 2×2 tiles like these and some adhesive.  Trim the backing around the tiles, put a dallop of adhesive on the back and stick it to the mirror.  You may have to use some painters tape to hold some in place while they dry.

March 2012 Staging Tip

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When selling your home, it’s very important to make sure all the maintenance items are taken care of.  Otherwise, the inspector will point them out and the buyer will more than likely want to take some money off the purchase price to pay for the repairs to be made.
If you have an older home with older windows, the sills or bottoms of the windows can look water damaged from years of condensation.  Here, we removed the storm, lightly sanded off the the water damaged finish and wiped it with some matching stain.
While you have the stain out, touch up any dings around the trim of the window, too.