Synergy Staging - Portland Home Staging Blog

Although our Portland home staging company typically stages the impact rooms in a vacant home (living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom, and bathrooms), sometimes a house needs more help. There are few things less inviting than MLS photos of empty bedrooms where all you can see are a few bare walls and the floor. There is just no way for potential buyers to connect to the space and want to see it in person. And without a showing, there is no possible way an offer will be made.

Synergy Staging recently staged a contemporary home in the hills of Portland that had a unique layout with 3 smaller bedrooms, a guest suite, and a master suite with sitting room. The challenge for buyers was trying to envision how to use all the spaces and live in this 3 story home with great views of the hills and city.

Here is how we staged the bedrooms:

This guest suite has an attached bath and fireplace. When vacant, it was hard to imagine where the bed would be located, and that this could be an inviting room. Once staged, buyers want to invite guests to stay in this room.

This very small bedroom would have buyers believe that it would not fit their bed. In fact a full size bed and dresser easily fit and there were no more questions. One of the key factors that staging provides is to eliminate the reasons NOT to buy a property.

When staging this many bedrooms in a house, you must be careful not to make every room look the same. Helping buyers see the potential in each room gives the house more value. Here we staged a large chaise (facing a built in entertainment center) and also a work space. The pop of green makes the space interesting, yet doesn't overwhelm the purpose of the room.

This room was staged as an office which is how many in the target demographic will want to use this space.

Outside the master bedroom was this room in a vibrant shade of red. Since the room wasn't going to be painted, we had to make this space work. With so much room in the rest of the house, making this feel like a lounge where you could hang out before going to bed was important. There is a wet bar next to where the photo was taken from. In order to brighten the room, a white rug and light accents were used.

The master bedroom has an incredible view and feels like a retreat. A stark room with tile isn't the most inviting, so it was important to bring in a rug to soften the floor, and use light tones to create a serene feel that buyers would instantly connect with.

In a future blog we'll share the living spaces in the rest of the house.

This home was professionaly staged by Synergy Staging. We present a lifestyle your buyer desires so you can sell your home fast and for top dollar.  Join the Realtors, Investors, Banks, 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.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

Staging consultations are one of the services that our Portland Home Staging company provides. A consulation is a cost effective way to ensure that your property will show at its absolute best when it goes to the market. The results we have seen from our consultations have been consistently positive with quick sales in an otherwise depressed market.

What is included in a staging consultation? Every aspect of your home will be addressed, both inside and out, to ensure that it is presented in the best way possible for potential buyers. This includes details such as furniture placement, minimizing personal items, wall color, cosmetic fixes, suggestions for finishes, cleaning tips, and many other small details that all add up to accentuate the positive features of your home so it is as appealing as it can be to the person who will buy your home.

Although some clients can only complete a portion of our recommendations (due to budget or other factors), others have the resources to be able to accomplish everything on the list.

We recently did a consultation for a condo in downtown Portland and we were thrilled with the results. Not only did we provide a consultation, but then returned to stage the unit after our list of recommendations had been completed.

Here are the results:

A cluttered entry is never a good way to welcome a potential buyer. The stark white walls were painted throughout with a light, warm tone.

Everything was removed except the coffee table. We wanted to showcase a large amount of seating in a relatively small space which was accomplished with 3 armchairs and a sofa.  The sofa was moved back allowing for more space in the main living area.  The rug anchored the space and connected the furniture and the colors worked together to highlight the architecture.

A reverse view which shows how the colors relate and of course, the kitty condo was removed. The art pieces on the wall are originals painted by Nik which showcased the height of the ceilings and kept the color palette consistent.

One of my favorite transformations. The dining room had a piano and a small table cramped to the side. Once the piano was removed and all the floors were refinished, an appropriately scaled dining table could be installed. There were previously three small sconces over the piano which didn't have the scale necessary, so we simply installed a dramatic shade on one of the fixtures to give a more elegant and formal feel.

One of our pet peeves is seeing the wrong type of stool at a counter/bar. It's important to place bar stools at a bar and counter stools at a counter to achieve the correct look.  The new stools now give a feeilng of more space and a modern style which is more in keeping with the feel of the unit and its location downtown.

New carpet replaced old and the walls were painted. Using the existing bed and nightstands, we brought in a headboard, decor, and linens to finish the look.

By reconfiguring the bed and armoir in this room, it felt like the bedroom a buyer would want to invite guests to sleep in. There is a desk on the opposite wall since many live and work in their homes in this part of Portland.

When preparing your home to be listed, make the investment in a staging consultation from a professional home stager in your area. The small amount of money invested will reap huge returns.

We provided a staging consultaiton and professional staging for this vacant condo unit. Synergy Staging presents a lifestyle your buyer desires to sell your home fast and for top dollar.  Join the Realtors, Investors, Banks, 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.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

Even in what many are calling the worst Real Estate market in years, we are seeing home staging help homes sell time and time again.

Our Portland home staging company recently staged a gorgeous new build in NE Portland. The wood work and detail was impeccable and the home was worth every dollar they were asking. When it was vacant, the rooms were a bit overwhelming and it could be seen as being overbuilt for the neighborhood.  The builders had to move this property and after sitting on the market for six months, we came in and staged the property.  We mixed a traditional feel to match the built-ins with a touch of contemporary style.

Soon after the home was staged, an offer was accpeted and the owners were thrilled.  While the property was beautiful, they gave the home staging much of the credit, as the difference in appealing to potential buyers was instantly recognizable.  Another client sold on staging is a big win for all stagers.  Proof positive that in any market, at any price point, in any location - home staging helps sell properties.

Here are some before and after photos of this house:

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This vacant 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.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

No, this is not one of those posts about using digital imagery to stage your house.  That is an entirely different topic!  Nor is this a post about looking at pictures from a client and staging long distance with recommendations.

This is a post about our first job where we never met or spoke with our client until after the job was complete.  What an interesting time we live in, where we can stage a house without ever interacting with our client. 

We received an email inquiring about a proposal.  We then went to view the property and entered via a lockbox.  We sent our proposal via email.  The bid was accepted, still without speaking to our client.  We then staged the house.  Ultimately I spoke with the client after we had completed the job to let her know that her home was staged and ready for the Open House.

This is a bungalow built in 1926 with some recent updates.  Here are some before and after pictures of this charming home.

Here is a larger picture of the living room

For more information about this property please contact
Sonya McKinney at Keller Williams at 503-704-2338

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This vacant 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.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

More and more, banks are turning to stagers to help sell the homes that they don't want.  The economy has turned banks into owners of real estate, which is not their business.  They are in the business of financing, not being landlords.  So as numerous homeowners face foreclosure, and banks around the country are becoming the owners of multiple properties, they are trying to find ways to sell their inventory quickly.

Home stagers who have developed relationships with banks are finding great partnership opportunities.  Here is a recent property that Synergy Staging was asked to staged.

This open and spacious home nestled in the hills of Portland is a great home, but hasn't found the right buyer.  Hopefully with the staging in place, an offer will be coming their way soon.  Here are some before and after photos of the results:

If you are not already working with banks in your area, it's worth seeking them out and seeing if there is an opportunity to work together.  They may be surprised to know that your services could be the missing link to getting their homes sold!

I'll post some larger pictures of this home on a follow up blog shortly.

For more information about this property please contact
Annie Domenici of Prudential Northwest Properties at 503-703-2327

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This vacant 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.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

Condo units are generally more challenging to stage than houses because of the logistics of elevators, restricted hours, loading zones, and long hallways.  Our Portland home staging company has staged several units in the Eliot Tower and the experience at this building has been very positive for us and our clients.

Most recently we staged a condo unit on the 2nd floor which has a great feeling as it is just above street level and you feel like you are right in the city.  This unit had previously been used as an office, and now that the owners wanted to sell it, staging it as a home was key.

We used a mix of furnishings and decor that would cater to the target buyer looking for upscale living in a downtown Portland high end building.  Now it's just waiting for the perfect buyer!

Here are some before and after pictures.

Here is a larger image of the Living Room:

For more information about this property please contact
Leslie Hammond of Windermere at 503-497-5386

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This vacant condo 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.

Please call us at (503) 557-2244 for a free no obligation quote so we can help your home sell faster.

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.