Arlington, Virginia Home Staged and Sold, But It Took Some Work!

BEYOND THE FRIDGE IN THE DINING ROOM

Yes, this is how the house looked the first time I saw it. The old fridge was in the dining room, but that wasn’t all. Cardboard boxes were everywhere, bathroom fixtures and mirrors weren’t in place yet, painting needed to be finished, and the bath in the basement was just a rough in. The whole house was a construction zone, and we were asked to stage it in just 10 days.

This isn’t an uncommon scene for us. There are so many houses now being developed (and just a few years ago, I would have said “flipped”), especially in our area where there are a lot of wonderful older homes with good bones that just need some money and attention to bring them back to life. The trick for the professional stager, though, is to see beyond the construction to the potential that the house has. It is our job to show the buyers what the house really can be, and how wonderful it would be to live there. But you’ve got to see beyond the old, nasty fridge in the dining room.

The owner of the house was able to have all of the construction work completed on time, and the renovations were absolutely beautiful. Working with someone who knows not only knows what they’re doing but also goes one step beyond by using quality materials just makes our job that much easier. The staging, however, is what really brought the house to life.

This is what the dining room looks like without a fridge in it, as well as the before and after of the living room:

 

 

To see more before and after photos, check out our Gallery, or visit the website of Ellen Robinson, of RE/MAX Premier.

All the Best,

Monica, ASP

703.851.2690

Alexandria, VA and Arlington, VA: Two Very Different Properties

We staged one of the premier properties in Old Town Alexandria (608 Oronco Street, Alexandria VA 22314) earlier this month. This one was owner-occupied and we were brought in to assist in neutralizing the home. The home owner had many works of fine art that we suggested be placed in storage. A home needs to feel like a home, not an art gallery.

We also staged 4141 North Henderson Road, Arlington, VA 22203, Unit 107. This poperty is already under contract, so we will be back soon to destage. As I have said before, staging is bitter sweet: we love creating wonderful environments so buyers become emotionally attached (as we do) to the property, but then we have to undo it a month later.

You can find many more before and afters in our gallery.

If you have a listing that is in need of a transformation, please give us a call.

All the Best,

Monica, ASP

monica@preferredstaging.com

703.851.2690

Preferred Staging

the art of home preparation

Two Arlington, Virginia Homes Staged to Perfection

This has been an unusually busy summer for Preferred Staging. Usually, June and July can be counted on for a bit of a rest, but this year we have seen a great deal of activity. The market in DC appears very active, with days on market coming down to normal levels for well priced homes that show well. Staging addresses both of those areas – certainly the presentation of a home is improved by staging – but the value is also enhanced as staging helps people become emotionally attached to a home and less aggressive in negotiations.

Much of the activity we have seen is in the upper end of the market, where homes are being placed on the market in advance of the jumbo mortgage change coming this fall. These higher end staged homes are selling remarkably fast.

Two examples:

2320 N Tuckahoe Street, Arlington, Virginia was a challenge. A mixture of old and new contruction and renovated throughout, the home had two doors in the front of the home. We kept it light and airy to really provide the buyer a sense of the roominess and flow between the older portion of the home and the addition.

The second was an occupied staging (2616 18th Street South, Arlington, Virginia 22204). Usually, for occupieds, we conduct consultations and the home owner follows our instructions.

Occasionally, the home owner wants more assistance, so we bring in some accessories and small pieces to complete the look.

If you have a listing that needs a little extra help, or a full vacant in need of staging, give us a call. We never charge for our bids. 

All the Best,

Monica, ASP

monica@preferredstaging.com

703.851.2690

Preferred Staging

the art of home preparation

Preferred Staging Featured on Washington DC’s Fox 5

We had the distinct honor of being featured on Fox 5’s morning program today. They came out with us as we transformed a Washington DC vacant home into an inviting home!

You can see the segments here.

All the Best,

Monica

703.851.2690

Preferred Staging

But WHY Won’t You Give Me a Quote Over the Phone?

Imagine this phone call:

(ring, ring) Caller: “Hi, I want to put my house on the market in about 2 weeks. It has 4 bedrooms and 2 and a half baths. How much would you list it for?”

I highly doubt any agent is going to give a quote over the phone to this hypothetical client. Obviously, not only do you need to see the property, but you also need quite a bit more information before you can make a fair evaluation of the property to price it correctly.

Would you ask a painter, contractor, or anyone else to whom you intend on paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars to provide you a quote over the phone without having them first see the work that needs to be done?

Staging is no different, and is this is why Preferred Staging doesn’t give quotes to stage properties over the phone or through an email without first having seen the property and evaluate what is needed. Just like a Realtor determining the correct market value of a house, we need to take into account all the variables. Is the house vacant or occupied? How many rooms need to be staged? How big are the rooms? Do we need to take measurements? What is the layout of the house? Is it an open floor plan? Is the house traditional or contemporary? Where is the placement of the windows and doors, and how much natural light do the rooms receive? What colors are the rooms? Do they need paint, and would you like us to recommend colors? You get the idea.

Take for example a house in Arlington that we staged last year. It had a living & dining area, a den (of sorts), 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen and separate laundry area. The tricky part to this house was that it is only 750 square feet – total. (I’ve been told its one of the smallest houses in Arlington.) Had we not seen the house to understand the layout and traffic flow and taken measurements, we would not have been able to stage it properly and present it to its best advantage, which eventually led to it being sold in just 10 days.

We professionally stage all of our properties so that they will not only show to their best advantage, but will also stand head and shoulders above the competition. Preferred Staging prides itself on the quality of our work, quality of our accessories, and our attention to detail, and our success can be seen in how quickly our staged homes sell. Like you, we just can’t achieve this level of professionalism and success through a phone call or email.

All the Best,

Monica

Preferred Staging

703-851-2690