How I Made a Home Staging Mistake
Costly home staging mistake We all make mistakes and as James Joyce puts it, “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” As a home stager I made several home staging mistakes in my first few projects. While some may be trivial, they were stressful to me and I vowed I...
How to Quickly Create a Mud Room
Mud room makeover A laundry room is normally the last place anyone would look for something to show off. But if you have the space near the garage or carport, this is a perfect place for a mud room makeover. The space I had to work with is only 6 feet wide but 22 feet...
5 Common Misconceptions About Home Staging
What home staging is not Home staging is a growing trend in major US cities. It is a way to decorate your home in order to appeal to the target buyer. However, not everyone believes this is needed in order to sell a home but I am here to tell you that is not true....
Smart strategies to keep your small business organized
Stay organized and keep moving As with any project, whether it is staging or redesigning, you have to be organized. I can have busy days on some days and slow days on others. To keep my mind focused on my small business, I set up a schedule of things I want to tackle...
Accessories to consider for home staging
Complete the home look with accessories A home is not a home until you make it your own with your personal touches. These accessories or décor can quickly fill up a room. But when it comes time to sell your home those personal touches have to be toned down. Some of it...
Should you stage a rental property?
Rental properties need home staging too In the Washington DC metro area, you may notice a few more “For Rent” signs than “For Sale” signs. In fact, “1 in 3 homes is a rental” according to a 2013 American Housing Survey. It can be due to any number of reasons; a person...
3 secrets to decorating an open floor plan
Are open floor plans here to stay? Homes have changed significantly in the last 50+ years. The average home size in 1950 was less than 1000 square feet. In 2004, it grew to more than 2,300 square feet according to the National Association of Home Builders. Families...
Top 5 ways to prepare your home to sell
Are you ready to sell your home? As you prepare your home for the market, you need to do a little work before your open house. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when preparing your home to sell. 1. Curb appeal - First impressions are everything. Buyers may not...
Gray Wall Color…the new beige
How can you use gray in your home? How many pink princess bedrooms have you seen? Probably too many to count but when it comes time to paint over it, what color do you choose? Try a more neutral color such as gray. A gray wall color is the new beige and can be used...
Don’t forget the first time home buyer
First Time Home Buyers Do you remember being a first time home buyer? If you did, then you may remember wondering if you should even take this big step and being responsible for something so huge. Who are you going to call when the dishwasher breaks or a bathroom...
How to open up space in a small room
Tips on how to make a small room seem bigger Some homes will have small rooms and when you are trying to stage it to sell you don’t want to make the room seem even smaller. You want to open up the space in a small room and make it look bigger than it is. In addition...
10 reasons why empty homes take longer to sell
Did you know that empty homes actually take longer to sell than staged homes? It's so much easier to keep it clean when it's empty, right? There is nothing to put away, clean up or even hide. But I found through personal experience that empty homes, while they may be...