Loved this home from the moment I first saw it on the MLS. Cute 3/2 house, with loads of potential! Unfortunately, most buyers probably wouldn’t see the potential that I did.

The exterior of the home is simple and clean with a classic mixed brick in warm rusts/khakis and creamy white trim. The leaves and large stump in the yard though give a feeling of not being maintained.

Thankful to some handy work from the best laborer in town (my Dad…hahah), those leaves and stump were knocked out! We also cleaned up the flower beds and added mulch. I believe mulch is the landscape equivalent to a wall color inside your home, it makes everything pop. Lastly, we removed the overbearing metal work on the storm door and gave the door a fresh coat of a light green paint. Ahhhh…isn’t that better?!

As you enter in the now metal-free door, a beautiful fireplace and a great vaulted ceiling greets you; but buyers are likely to remember the lack of color and worn floors instead. Our goal here was to bring out the assets and address any problems.  With color the fireplace now sings…ok not literally, but if it did sing it would be singing, “Look at meeeee!”  We kept colors neutral; remember you always want to appeal to the masses so your buyer pool is larger. A good steam cleaning of the carpets went a long way. You might notice in the before picture the old linoleum floor, beautiful wood vinyl floors now take their place. The floor’s grand total, drum roll please….$10. Seriously folks, that is what I call a great investment! Now with the addition of art, furnishings and accessories, it feels like someone’s home, not just a house. Don’t you just want to curl up on that couch (it’s so comfy) and read a book with a fire going…sigh.

Tip: when you show your home make sure all lights are on and blinds/curtains are open to give some depth and dimension to your room.

Hungry for more? Well good, because the kitchen/dining room is our next stop! I gotta say the size of this kitchen makes me sooo stinking jealous, but that blue…not exactly what you call neutral. I am sure the color is beautiful to some people, but may say pixie stick to others (me included). Also, the blue walls are bringing out the “oak-iness” (because that is totally a word) of the cabinets. Does anyone else notice the strange white molding sitting atop the backsplash? I did, and it was driving me crazy!

And the random white molding is gone. I am sure it was the first thing you saw different, right? Baahaa! We continued the neutral beige from the living room into the kitchen. Not only does this give a sense of flow and openness between the two rooms, but it also aids in lessening the yellow of the oak cabinets. We finished off the room with a good scrubbing and some beautiful furnishings and accessories.

First off…can you tell what this room is in this picture? NO!!! That is why staging your home to sell is so important. Don’t expect your buyers to play “GUESS WHO?” or better yet, “GUESS WHAT?”. This is the master bedroom, but it was lacking a master feeling. For me, I must say the thing that makes me the happiest of all the changes…THE FAN!! Seriously folks, before it was like the mob had created a fan in 1987, lots of glossy white lacquer and shiny, shiny brass. Now, hello to the new, simple, neutral fan that was picked up used for $10 off a swap shop site. The fan wasn’t the only change for this now masterly master bedroom. A strange area to tackle was the ledge under the windows along the back wall.

If you don’t define an area to make it’s purpose known, your buyers won’t know what to do with it. Unknown space = wasted space, wasted space = wasted money.

Now, it is a cozy reading area and a perfect spot for books, decor, etc. The most obvious change was the addition of furnishings and art, which of course brings in the sense of home.

This master bath has a huge vanity with a great space for a stool. Who doesn’t love to sit while you are blow drying, straightening, or whatever else you might do to tame your mane 🙂 but the outdated shower door is what most buyers will be focusing on.A shower curtain goes a long way in this room and the addition of a fluffy white bath mat and towels give a fresh, clean feel–which is important for a bathroom. You always want your bathrooms to have a spa-like feeling, best way to do that…white!!! We topped if off with a few pieces of art and some greenery to the room.

The main bath poses the same problem that the master bath had…the good old shower door. Who made a law that states no shower curtain can be placed in front of a shower door?Give a round of applause for the star of our big change…Mr. Shower Curtain! Not only does it update the space without a huge renovation (if you have ripped out a shower door you know the damage it does to the tub), but it also adds much needed color and warmth. We finished off our last room with some great art which complements the shower curtain and a couple accessories and beautiful white fluffy towels.

When a house is vacant and empty it gives a sense of desperation to sell. But, if you take the time to stage the house, to help define the space, it will assist buyers to envision themselves in the home.

I was so thankful to have the opportunity to do this vacant stage. I love this house, always have, but now I think buyers will too!!

Love this house? It could be yours…check it out!