Could she be the Mario Andretti of Home Staging?

One of the best parts about being in the home stager industry is watching how people react when I tell them what I do. When I tell people I'm a professional home stager their typical response is…”Wow! You’re just like those people on HGTV!” It’s great to see home staging become more and more recognizable, and helping people understand the value of proper home staging is part of my commitment to the staging industry.

It’s true, more and more people now know about home staging, but sometimes I like to compare it to Mario Andretti --- Most of us know how to drive a car, but not all of us can be race car drivers. The point being is everyday driving and race car driving are two very different things. So when you look at home staging in this fashion, you may discover that knowing what staging is, and actually understanding how to properly stage a home, are also two very different things.

Now I’ll be honest; there are various tasks that home sellers can do completely on their own to prepare their homes for sale. Tasks like cleaning, painting, and yard work can be done fairly easily, but the truth lies in this…

Most people can not be totally objective when it comes to their own homes. This is why hiring an experienced professional home stager is a valuable investment for today's home sellers.

Sellers (and Realtors) can greatly benefit from working with a company like Perfect Place Home Staging because...

As a professional stager, I look at a home through the eyes of a critical buyer. This allows me to see things that someone who lives there simply can’t.

I understand what buyers want to see in homes of different price points.

I continually use my problem solving skills to quickly determine what needs to be done, and then recommend the options that will address those needs on time and on budget.

I’m experience in dealing with all sorts of decorating dilemmas, so Realtors don’t have to worry about how to handle them. They can simply leave it to me.

I can typically recommend trusted painters, cleaning people, contractors, and other service professionals that may be needed to help ready a property for sale.

I know how to bring a room together quickly, and I’m accustomed to staging with furnishings that the seller currently owns, or I will find needed pieces for them to either rent or purchase.

The task of selling a home combined with the demands of everyday life can be very stressful. Home sellers and Realtors choose to work with me because I aim to make preparing a home for market significantly easier and less stressful.

Bottom line --- when it comes to the real estate race, home staging can help get you to the finish line! Here's to seeing you in the Winner’s Circle!

Creative Compromise and the Wall of Wood

There are so many things I love about being a professional home stager. I get to meet lots of interesting people and work in all sorts of homes throughout Southeast Wisconsin and Lake County Illinois. My most favorite part of being a stager is the opportunity I get to use my creative skills in a variety of different ways. As owner of Perfect Place Home Staging I can say with certainty that no two of my many staging projects have ever been the same. Each home calls for a unique approach and I keep my staging projects on time and on budget with the use of creativity and compromise.

I typically approach my staging projects as a series of prioritized tasks. Tasks like painting, repairs, and possible updates need to be coordinated in a timely fashion and of course not exceed my client’s budget. So what happens when there are more dilemmas to deal with, but limited time and\or budget to handle them? That’s where creativity and compromise come in. Here is where my suggestions guide home sellers into deciding what things they want to do and what things they need me to creatively work with.

Here’s a before and after example: This before picture shows a lower family room in a country home in Kenosha County. As you can see the room is jammed packed and I discovered the back wall is quite unique. It’s covered in round log slices from pine trees that were cut on the property. These wood slices were attached to the wall with super strength glue that would not let go. It would take significant time and effort to get all the wood down and resurface the wall for primer and paint. This is where I had to come up with a practical creative solution to best market this room. I quickly came up with a compromise for my client. I said “I have a plan to work with the existing wood wall, so how about we replace this room’s old carpet instead of just having it steam cleaned?” I explained that new carpet could take some of the focus off the wall and show potential buyers some great added value. My client agreed, so I helped to choose a budget friendly carpet and it was installed within a few days.

After the carpeting was done I staged the room with some of the seller’s furniture, a few country accents, and proper lighting. The after picture below now shows a warm nature inspired family room with lots of space and new carpet throughout. I creatively worked the wall into my staging plan and the end results turned out great!

I’m happy to say the home was only on the market for a week! My client received a full price offer at their first open house! Like I said before, No two staging projects are the same. Sometimes I have to find a compromise and use my creative skills to make it work. After all, that is my favorite part of being a home stager.