If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll remember the amazing modern transformation we completed on our Hawley project in 2016. Some of you were even fortunate enough to see this home featured on the 2017 Modern Architectural + Design Society home tour. It’s still one of our favorite projects to date, and we were recently given the unique opportunity to work on the same project twice!
Having received a new job offer in San Francisco, our client was faced with the decision of selling his beloved dream home or keeping it as a rental property. After much deliberation, and consultation with real estate agent, Evan Morris, he decided that it made more sense to sell. So, naturally, he called upon us for our staging expertise. Although this was a fully integrated remodel + design project, complete with high-end furnishings, accessories, and fixtures, we designed it to suit the specific needs of our client and his lifestyle.
We had to get creative with a few areas to make the home a little more appealing for resale purposes. The most imperative area to stage was the front guest bedroom. Since our client lived here alone, this room was originally designed to function as a den or media room with a convertible sofa to accommodate guests. Knowing that every home, no matter how custom, should retain certain features important to resale value, we installed pocket doors that lock from the inside and integrated the closet to blend in seamlessly on the paneled media wall. This ensured that it could still be counted as a bedroom in the event that our client ever opted to sell. We just removed the sleeper sofa, coffee tables, and TV console, and replaced them with a bed, side table, and small dresser. This type of foresight and ingenuity is a great example of the value we, as a design firm, offer to our clients.
Once the house was converted to a proper two bedroom + two bath dwelling, we just needed to style it to appeal to potential home buyers. This usually involves making the space as neutral as possible, removing any items that may make the home feel too personal to the current owner. We suggest removing any personal effects and using white bed linens and towels. Sometimes things, as trivial as family photos or an abstract art piece, can leave an impression on people which may subconsciously dissuade them from making an offer. It sounds crazy, but buying a home is probably one of the biggest decisions we’ll ever make! So, it’s not surprising that that decision can sometimes come down to how we feel about it.
We firmly believe that hiring an experienced staging professional can make all the difference in how long your home is on market and the offers you may receive. A staged home not only looks better in photos (which will drive traffic to an open house), it also feels better to prospective buyers when they come to check out the property. A stager will work to highlight your home’s good qualities and divert attention away from some of the not-so-good aspects. Sometimes, it comes down to perceived value, and the way a home is staged has a lasting impact on people – it may even be the reason a home sells above the asking price.