Synergy Staging - Portland Home Staging Blog

We recently had the opportunity to stage an occupied house in Portland two times and thought we'd pass along some interesting things we experienced.

Last year we were asked to do a consult and staging at a small occupied home in NE Portland.  Here are a few before and after pics from the first staging.

Bedroom used as a dining room

Second bedroom used an office

The main level had a living room, two bedrooms (see above), a bathroom and kitchen.  The lower level was a fully remodled daylight basement that was the master suite and bath.  The problem was there was no actual dining room, only a tiny nook in the kitchen. 

After much debate, the owners decided that keeping the dining room (in the bedroom) as they had it was how it would be staged.  While this layout worked great for the couple who lived there, the floorplan was a challenge for potential buyers.  We added a lounger in the office since the owner worked at home and needed to keep the office space as is.

The home was on the market for five months with no offers.  Granted, the asking price was too high according to the owners, but nonetheless, not even an offer.

They finally decided to stay put and take the home off the market.  Fade to black...

... or so we thought.

Three months later we got a call from the owners saying they'd bought a house in Lake Oswego and needed to sell as quickly as possible.  This time it was decided to stage what had been the dining room as a bedroom.  And the asking price was more realistic with the current market.

A full price offer was accepted in one week!

So was it the bedroom or the price?  We'll never know for certain - but it was an interesting experience being able to stage the same space twice with vastly different end results.

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This occupied home was professionally staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company.  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, read our Portland Home Staging Blog and visit us on Facebook.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.

Every year in Portland the Home Builders Association presents the Ultimate Open House New Home Tour designed for homeowners interested in new construction.  This year our staging company staged one of the featured homes on the tour.  A small percentage of homes on the tour are staged, but more were staged this year than in previous years which is an encouraging sign.  Making a new home look it's absolute best by helping buyers visualize how they can live in the home helps a property stand apart from others on the market.

Here was the challenge -- the home looked like this ten days before we were scheduled to stage it!  No flooring, counters, lights, tile, and the list went on!

Everything had to go exactly as scheduled in order to pull it off.  We had confidence in our clients as they are wonderful builders and guaranteed it would be ready.  The cleaners were coming in on Thursday and Friday.  We were given access on Friday at 2:00 p.m. and the Open House Tour started Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.  There was no room for error! 

Here are some before and after photos:

Needless to say, everything went perfect and was finished on time.  Now we are hoping for a quick sale! For additional before and after photos please see our Staging Portfolio.

Here are a few more larger photos of the finished staging:

For more information about this property please contact
Candy Wright of Meadows Group, Inc. Realtors at 503-313-2794

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This new single family home was professionally staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company.  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, read our Portland Home Staging Blog and visit us on Facebook.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.

Some Realtors and Sellers view home staging as a luxury item for high end properties.  This couldn't be farther from the truth.  Staging a property in this market is proving to be successful time and time again.  Home stagers can work with the budgets of most owners and enhance a property so it shows its absolute best.  Whether you have a property in the 5 figures or 7 figures, home staging is an investment that will help your home sell quicker and for more money.

This condo unit in the Sunset Meadows neighborhood of Portland that Synergy Staging recently staged is listed at only $139,000.00.  Staging this unit helped it stand out from the rest of the competition in the same complex.

For more information about this property please contact
Diana Hinrichs of Oregon First at 503-475-7892

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This condo unit was professionally staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company.  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, read our Portland Home Staging Blog and visit us on Facebook.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.

These are actual photos from the RMLS! 

It's hard to believe, but these are two examples of how some properties in Oregon are being marketed.  What about these pictures would make anyone want to come see these houses in person?  It's hard to believe that a Realtor would put these blurry, unappealing photos on line when they are supposed to be experts at marketing a property.  I don't even know what the picture on the right is supposed to be!

A home is typically seen as our most expensive asset, yet time and time again when sellers put their houses on the market, we see poor quality photos of empty rooms or cluttered spaces.  What benefit is it to anyone if the home doesn't look its best?

When selling a car we get it detailed and make it shine, but then don't treat our homes the same way?  When grocery shopping we look for the most appealing fruits and vegetables in the produce section, yet expect home buyers to have lower expectations?

Investing in professional staging guarantees your house will look its best and give it the competitive edge necessary in the real estate market.

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Below are photos of a single family home in Portland, Oregon that Synergy Staging recently staged.  The Master Bedroom particularly stood out to us when it was empty due to its cold feel and lack of any emotional connection.  White walls never help a space feel warm and inviting, and the dark brown curtains became the focus of the room with nothing else to draw the eye.

Fortunately this seller understood the importance of having a home show its very best before putting it on the market.  By staging the room with warm colors and helping buyers envision how they could live in the space, the room came to life and in turn, increased the value of the property.  Listing the property after it was staged, with professional photos, resulted in a positive outcome.  The home had an accepted offer only two weeks after it was listed.

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This home was professionally staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company.  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, read our Portland Home Staging Blog and visit us on Facebook.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.

Every house that we stage has its own unique character and feel that inspires our staging design.  Home staging can help a property look its best in many ways. 

This single family home in Portland that Synergy Staging recently staged was a fairly large house, but many of the rooms were quite small.  Had this house been left vacant, potential buyers would have been left guessing how to arrange their furniture.  Worse yet, some would just give up and not even consider the house as an option.

The picture below left is the view from the front door and the picture on the right is the reverse angle.  A very narrow living room / dining room combination.  Not only is the space small, but the fireplace and mantle are very color specific.

The same views after staging the home shows buyers how they can have the feel of two separate rooms in this small space.

No matter what style, condition, price range, or location your home is in - a professional home stager will help your home show in the best possible way and appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers.

We'll be posting more pictures of this property very soon, including another look at some of Nik's original artwork.

For more information about this property please contact
Diana Hinrichs of Oregon First at 503-475-7892

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This home was professionally staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  Read what our clients have said about their experience with our company.  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, read our Portland Home Staging Blog and visit us on Facebook.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.

Synergy Staging recently staged a luxury condo in downtown Portland.  This unit was being sold by the owner and had been on the market prior to our staging the property.  This is a high end building in a very desirable area.  The Open Houses had been attracting many buyers, but no offers were being presented.  Although the condo had a few furnishings and rugs, it really needed to be staged to properly showcase the unit.

Here are a few before and after photos:

Here is the view from the end of the entry hall - overlooking downtown Portland

Another view of the living room

The Master Bedroom was small, but looked larger once it was staged with a queen size bed.

Prior to staging, buyers had a hard time imagining how to use the narrow second bedroom.
Once it was staged as an office and guest bedroom, the room made sense.

After the unit was staged, an offer was made and accepted just 3 days later!  Since it was an all cash offer our staging was only in the unit for a total of 12 days.  The sale closed 13 days after staging!  The owner credited home staging with the quick sale and positive response.

Even in the current market, homes that are priced appropriately and professionally staged are selling quicker than ever!

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Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell quickly!  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, visit us on Facebook and read our Portland Home Staging Blog.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster in 2010.

*** UPDATE ***

Heard from the Realtor yesterday that a full price offer was accepted after only two weeks.  More details later...

One of our Realtors contacted us recently about staging her new listing - a classic home in Northeast Portland.  This was a project with a small budget (don't be shocked!) and it definitely needed some help. 

The walls were painted a deep burgundy giving the whole space a very dark and uninviting feel.  The camera flash actually lightened up the room quite a bit, but in person it was very dark.  We staged the Living Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen, all of which are visible from the moment you enter the home.  First impressions are vital, especially in todays real estate market.  Buyers will make an opinion within the first six seconds of viewing a home.

The original inlayed woodwork and details are gorgeous.  It was important to brighten up the space to make it feel welcoming so potential buyers didn't turn around as soon as they walked in.  We used light furnishings, decor, and 3 lamps in the Living Room.

Here are a few before and after photos:

Living Room taken from the fireplace.  You'll notice a massive mirror at the entry which couldn't overcome the dark space on its own.

Living Room taken from the Dining Room.  The light furniture and decor made the space feel more cozy and bright.

      
The Dining Room wall was repaired and anchored with open backed light chairs.

The nook next to the stairway and one of four lamps used to brighten up the space.

For more information about this home please visit our Staged Listings page

or contact Ruth Canutt of RE/MAX Equity Group at 503-495-5204

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Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell fast!  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, visit us on Facebook and read our Portland Home Staging Blog.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

The owner of this home contacted Synergy Staging to warm up the vacant rooms and make it feel more cozy.  This is a what you see is what you get property, meaning that we had to work with the spaces as is, including the wall paper.  Even though we encourage our clients to make their properties as move-in ready as possible, sometimes it's just not possible for them to make any updates. 

Here are some before and afters of the home:

This is the view from the front door.  The room was wired for surround sound, so staging with a flat screen was important to the client.

This is a nook next to the kitchen with a fireplace.  While you could show this as a breakfast nook, there is a dining room on the other side of the kitchen, so we opted to make this a cozy area where you could drink coffee or tea by the fire.

The upstairs had this funky open space, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.  We staged the area as a master suite showing this space as an office.

The Master Bedroom felt much larger once it was furnished and staged.

For more information about this home please visit our Staged Listings page

or contact Shane Fogarty of Real Pro NW at 503-407-9521

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Join the Realtors, Investors, and Homeowners who call Synergy Staging to make their properties irresistible and sell fast!  For more tips or to see our latest home staging projects, visit us on Facebook and read our Portland Home Staging Blog.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

There are so many unique homes in the Portland area, and we always look forward to the opportunity to stage these properties.  This completely remodeled Craftsman is one of those properties that we fell in love with even before we staged it.

The small scale and layout of the rooms presented several challenges that you can see below.  The living room has a small bedroom immediately off of it.  The room also has a door that leads to a hall between the kitchen and bathroom.  When it was empty the room felt like nothing more than an unusable pass through.  By staging it as a guest room with a lounger to keep it more casual off the living room, the space was immediately defined and had a purpose.

The dining room was very small so we used a glass table to keep the space open.  In order to keep a nice flow to the kitchen we had to center the table in the space instead of under the chandelier.  We staged the table with a low bowl instead of a larger centerpiece which would have drawn attention to fact that the table was not centered beneath the chandelier.

We also staged the downstairs Master Suite which requires a walk through the laundry room and furnace area.  It felt like a carpeted basement that had no warmth or connection to the rest of the home.  The staging shows how cozy and inviting the room can be.

For more pics and details about this home please visit the Staged Listings page on our website.

For more information about this property please contact
John Loew of Real Estate Executives at 503-913-3688

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This vacant home was staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors and homeowners who call us to make their properties irresistible.  Please contact us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.

Synergy Staging recently staged a lovely home in the Beaumont neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.  The owners had done a wonderful job of preparing the house for sale but it needed some finishing touches to make it just right.

The living room is very cozy, and their couch and television take up much of the space. By bringing in a low profile tv stand and a rug with muted tones that pick up the colors of the room, the space is more inviting.  We also placed a mirror above the fireplace which now brings the focus of the buyers to the architectural feature in the room.

Needless to say, the apple green office was not going to be the best color choice for potential buyers.  By painting a neutral color and removing the vivid colors, the room is more soothing and now can also be seen as a possible space for a guest to stay.

The dining room previously had a large table and china hutch that were overpowering the room.  By bringing in a smaller table and using the owners chairs, the room is opened up and feels more inviting.  The curtains were also removed which really brightened the space.

For more information about this charming property visit our Staged Listings page
and please contact Viola Wax of The Hasson Company at 503-805-4300

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This occupied home was staged by Synergy Staging.  Join the Realtors and homeowners who call us to make their properties irresistible.  Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote.