Home Staging in Portland Oregon Blog

More banks should consider home staging for their foreclosed properties in order to ensure that the home looks its very best for potential buyers who view it online and in person.  One of our local banks has found that staging their foreclosures is a much faster way to SELL them.

This stunning Portland-area home was on the market for 2 years as a vacant property by the builder, and it didn't sell.  No one has ever lived in it.  The bank then got involved and hired my Portland-based home staging company to stage it.  We've successfully staged multiple homes for them over the past year or two, and all of them have sold quickly after staging, even though they'd been on the market for up to three years.  This smart bank not only believes in staging but also improves and maintains the landscaping and has these foreclosed homes professionally cleaned until they're SOLD.  Their commitment to quality is remarkable!

Here are some Before & After photos of this custom-built home;  before staging, there just isn't anything to make you feel that it's a warm and inviting place to call "Home."  Our goal was for buyers to be able to appreciate it's best features.

It seems that if more banks would stage their foreclosure inventory that neighborhoods would be improved, buyers would find great deals, and everyone would be better off.  We hope that home staging becomes a trend with more banks across the country.               (Photos by Room Solutions Staging)

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This home was professionally staged by Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR.  We help homeowners, real estate professionals, banks and builders prepare homes so that they sell quickly.  Our clients appreciate our menu of home staging services including cost effective verbal consultations and staging for both occupied and vacant properties. For a free staging proposal contact us @ 503-246-1800.

This sofa in Portland Oregon's Twenty-Third district was hiding a secret surprise!

Our company was recently contracted to stage a lovely 3-story townhome in Portland Oregon's trendy NW 23rd district.   This historic neighborhood is chock full of upscale boutiques, amazing restaurants and cafes, art galleries and coffee shops ~ all within walking distance.  While at one time this neighborhood was mainly an industrial area with few amenities, it has become one of Portland's most sought-after neighborhoods due to it's downtown location, availability of public transportation, and very high walk score.  The townhome we staged has a walk score of 97 out of 100 ~ considered a "walker's paradise."

The sellers had moved out of state and asked us to work with their existing furniture (all of which is very nice) and enhance it with some of our accessory items to add interest and color.  This type of home staging service is becoming very popular as homeowners and real estate agents realize the importance of presenting a property at its very best for potential buyers who view it online and in person.

Another post will address the "Before & After" transformation of this home, but I wanted to share a wonderful surprise we discovered when staging this Portland OR townhome.  We'd studied the photos we'd taken when we first viewed the living room in this home prior to returning to stage it ....

While the sofa is a very nice Pottery Barn model, it's blue slipcover (perfect for everyday use) looked a bit rumpled and dark for this room, which we were going to warm up with color accents as part of our home staging plan.

We began by moving the furniture into a better configuration for selling this home, highlighting it's best features.  As we put furniture sliders into place under each sofa leg, suddenly we noticed that the dark blue sofa slipcover had a white sofa underneath it -- we gasped with excitement (as only a stager can) hoping that the white sofa was clean and usable.  It took a while to remove the dark blue slipcovers from the sofa and all six zippered pillows ~ but our surprise was well worth the wait!

Look what we found underneath the sofa's slipcover ....  a gorgeous bright white sofa in perfect condition!

Likely the neighbors heard me gasp with happiness .... this was SO much better than working with the dark blue slipcover.

So whether you're staging a home in any of Portland Oregon's great neighborhoods ~ or anywhere else in North America ~ be sure to check under your sofa to see if it's hiding a secret.

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Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR helps homeowners and real estate professionals prepare homes so that they look their best and sell faster.  We service all Portland Metro area neighborhoods and look forward to providing you a complimentary home staging proposal.  Contact us @ 503-246-1800 for more information.

This stately new Hedges Park home in Tualatin OR has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths in 3,830 sq ft.;  MLS# 10065661

This home has exceptional finish work and fixtures!  The exterior is brick and cedar with a tile roof.  3 Decks overlook a beautifully landscaped fenced yard to enjoy the outdoor spaces.

The gorgeous master suite has an adjoining deck and spa bath with huge walk-in closet.

For more details on this exceptional home contact Leon Simms of Windermere/Bridgeport Realty @ 503-201-8868.

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This home was professionally staged by Maureen Bray of Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR.  We help homeowners, real estate professionals, banks and builders prepare homes for a faster sale.  Our varied menu of home staging services include consultations, home staging for both vacant and occupied homes, home makeovers, and paint color consultations.  Contact us @ 503-246-1800 for a free home staging proposal!

 ~ Photos by Room Solutions Staging ~

Don't Forget to Stage the Patio ~ we Staged this one for HGTV's "My First Place"

Sellers, remember that when your home is on the market, all outdoor spaces have the potential to expand your "living space" ~ and you need to "show" buyers how the outdoor spaces can be used.

Our company was selected to provide patio furnishings for a young first-time homebuying couple in Portland Oregon for an episode of HGTV's hit show "My First Place" that was aired today (it will be aired again on April 12th -- check your local listings for air time).

Our goal was to provide this cute young couple with fun, colorful patio furniture that they wanted, to expand the actual living space of their small bungalow.  During our interview before filming, we determined that they wanted a table & chairs, two loungers for sunning, and a barbeque and refrigerator for entertaining their friends.  Here are some Before & After photos of our project ...

Here is the space we were given to work with ... a small concrete patio off the kitchen.  (The budget was for furnishings only, no repairs or updates.)

Our goal was to add color, flowers, and a dining set along with a barbeque (this one had a built-in refrigerator for keeping drinks cold) and a pair of lounge chairs ~ to add "life" to this small patio area.

Here's a photo of Jeff and Jocelyn, the young couple in front of their first place ~ they seemed pretty happy with their housewarming gift from HGTV!

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How do you bring a 1970'q home to the 21st century?  First, call a Home Stager in Portland Oregon.

Our Portland-based home staging company has worked on hundreds of homes, but this one in Lake Oswego Oregon was quite a transformation.  (Every day across North America this scenario plays out:  the client contacts a local professional home stager for a proposal to help prepare their home for the market.  In this case, it was an estate and the family wasn't sure if they should do any repairs or painting.)

When I walked through this house, I could hear it telling me "I'm actually much prettier ~ I have great potential!"  It's true that homes we stage "talk" to us -- so I've learned to listen to them :-).  This home wanted to be much more attractive, and it deserved it.  It's in a very desirable Lake Oswego Oregon neighborhood on a 3/4 acre lot.  When the client gave us the green light for staging, first we provided them with a lengthy "To Do" list which included painting, replacing light fixtures, changing out hardware, replacing flooring, installing new carpeting, deep cleaning every surface, etc.  They were so motivated and got right to work!  We selected the paint colors and the work began ....

UPDATE:  This home was staged, listed & SOLD in just 40 days -- much faster than our local DOM average of 142!  The seller wrote to us:   "Thanks Maureen for all your expert advice and creative design.  It really made all the difference in being able to sell my parents' home so quickly!"

Here are some Before & After photos of this staging project ...  in the living room you saw white walls, white brick fireplace, old carpeting, a hodge-podge of furnishings -- no real opportunity for a buyer to make an emotional connection and fall in love with this home...

Soft brown neutral colors on the walls & fireplace, and new carpeting instantly updated this home.

In the master bedroom white walls & old carpeting didn't invite buyers to move right in ...

In the dining room we advised replacing the brass chandelier with something more modern, plus paint & new carpet ...

A small bedroom is perfect for an Office - after removing the dated wallpaper & short curtains, and painting ...

The family room lacked buyer appeal "before" but like the rest of this home, had great POTENTIAL ...

If your home is languishing in the last century and needs an update .... contact your local home staging professional for help!  Be prepared to do some hard work and you'll be rewarded with increased buyer interest.  Don't forget the importance of good photos for the online listing ~ our company provides photos as part of our home staging services.

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This stunning contemporary style home is located in the sought-after Country Commons neighborhood in Lake Oswego OR

815 Country Commons Lane, Lake Oswego OR 97034

It was staged and SOLD soon after!

Features:  Light & bright open living room with vaulted ceilings, dramatic fireplace and window walls overlooking the tranquil wooded setting on a 30,000 sq ft lot!  Large main floor master suite with deck to level lawn; manicured landscaping.  Freshly painted interior and new carpeting.

For more info on this lovely home contact listing broker Mary Jo Avery, Re/Max Equity Group @ 503-799-3839

(Photos by Room Solutions Staging)

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This home was professionally staged by Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR.  We work with sellers, real estate agents, banks, builders & investors to prepare homes for the market so that they sell quickly!  Our varied menu of home staging services is tailored to fit your budget and your time frame.  Read what our clients have to say about our service and our experience, then call us for a free home staging proposal @ 503-246-1800.

The next episode our Portland OR company did for HGTV's show My First Place is airing on Tuesday March 9th @ 5pm West Coast time .... check your local listings for times.  Be on the lookout for someone named "Peanut!"   :-)

Here's a sneak peek .... tune in to watch this cute young couple who found a new Craftsman-style home in Portland OR for their first place ...

"Portland OR newlyweds Troy and Linea hope their first place will be a craftsman Bungalow. They find a new build in a craftsman style that Linea is ready to bid on, but cautious Troy wants to do a little more research. When they discover that another bidder wants the house, they are pressured to bid immediately, so they actually make an offer that's more than the asking price to be competitive. While that tactic lands them the contract, an inspector turns up trouble in the backyard."

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Our Portland-based home staging company was contracted to stage this gorgeous custom-built home in Tualatin Oregon last month.  This was another foreclosed property ~ and we were delighted to hear that after lingering on the market as a vacant new home since 2008 without a sale, it's now under contract just one month after staging!

This smart and savvy bank knows that staging works!  All of the homes we've staged for them have been on the market for one to three years, and all of them sell quickly after staging.  The bank wins because they liquidate their inventory, the neighborhoods win because property values are maintained, and the buyers win because they get a gorgeous home for a great price.

Here are some Before & After photos of this beautiful home ... it seems to "come to life" once it's staged and that is what buyers are reacting to.  Who can get excited about an empty shell?

In the entry below -- staging helps to pique the buyer's interest to want to see more ... 

The dining room needed privacy from the house next door and also needed staging to warm it up ...

The master bedroom & spa bath had great features, but before staging you didn't know where to look ...

The TV room is found at the top of the stairs, but without staging, it felt like a "pass through" to bedrooms ...

If your listing or vacant home is lingering on the market, call a professional home stager and be prepared for a SOLD sign!

(Photos and staging by Room Solutions Staging)

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This home was professionally staged by Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR.  We work with sellers, real estate agents, banks, builders & investors to prepare homes for the market so that they sell quickly!  Our varied menu of home staging services is tailored to fit your budget and your time frame.  Read what our clients have to say about our service and our experience, then call us for a free home staging proposal @ 503-246-1800.