Are you selling a home and want to make sure it appeals to potential buyers? Consider using a professional home stager to help you prepare your home to make it irresistible. We offer easy cost-effective home staging tips in the form of a home staging consultation proven to reduce market time as well as "hands on" staging to make sure your home shows beautifully to buyers.
If your Portland Oregon home is for sale here's a Staging Tip: Show each room's intended purpose. Otherwise buyers may get confused and not understand what each space is used for. Your goal is for buyers to fall in love with the space, so the way each room is presented will have a big impact on how they feel about the home ~ especially in the dining room, where buyers like to imagine entertaining their family and friends.
Here are some Before & After photos of Dining rooms that we've staged in the Portland OR metro area; all of these homes were Occupied by the sellers while on the market. Using our own creativity & the homeowner's own things from other rooms (sometimes enhancied with a few of our staging props) we showed potential buyers how they could use the space:
If buyers had seen the dining room (above) in this West Linn Oregon home shown as a conversation area, they'd wonder how they could invite guests over for dinner. By taking a dining set from the sellers' storage, we were able to stage a dining room any buyer would love to entertain in.
In the photo above, there was an empty dining room so we scouted out a spare table up in the attic ~ but since it wasn't large enough we found a piece of plywood in the garage & placed it on top of the table (adding a tablecloth concealed everything underneath). This home staging was filmed by KATU Channel 2 News in Portland, who reported that this charming home sold shortly after!
The dining room shown above was being used as a "catch all" storage space so the seller asked us to make it more appealing. By placing a dining set in this room and setting the table, buyers could imagine enjoying this spacious room.
Buyers will find the nook above much more inviting with a simply staged bistro table to add ambiance to the kitchen area; a great spot for a cup of coffee & conversation while enjoying the view out to the deck. The result? This home sold in just 14 days!
This post is Part 2 in a series of Home Staging Tips for Sellers in Portland Oregon ...here's other posts in the series:
Home Staging Tips for Sellers in Portland OR: Appeal to your Target Buyer
Home Staging Tips for Sellers in Portland Oregon: Use Color when Staging a Child's room
Home Staging Tips for Sellers in Portland OR: Enhance your Kitchen
Home Staging Tips for Sellers in Portland Oregon: Don't Show This but DO show That
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For more home staging tips consider a home staging consultation with one of Portland's fastest-growing home staging companies. Room Solutions Staging offers a variety of professional home staging services to Portland-area homeowners, Realtors, Banks & Investors. For a complimentary home staging proposal just call 503-246-1800. Room Solutions ~ Staging that Sells Portland Homes.
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Hi Maureen~ Great post. I love the before and after pictures and all the great tips!!
Maureen, Your staging made a world of difference. I love that you go shopping in people's homes to use what they have..I do the same thing. In this case the plywood worked beautifully and no one would ever know!
I find so many Dining Rooms set up as offices -- yucky poo. Home sellers ofter comment, "well, we don't entertain much" It doesn't matter -- the home buyer needs to envison they can entertain!
Excellent staging Maureen!
Maureen...awesome again! Love all of the red and how you made those dining areas come to life and purposeful. Shopping clients homes and coming up with creative/reinvented uses for their items is one of my favorite challenges with limited budget (aren't mine all) stagings.
Hi Maureen, terrific pix. I hope you won't think I'm copying - I have Dining Rooms coming up in Post #3. I had always intended to to do it. I'll try to word it carefully so that our posts look distinct. And of course, the photos will be different.
BTW, I love the runner sideways on a table set for 2. Romantic yet elegant. Kudos, as always, girl!
Maureen, Great post. But don't come visit my dining room today. Currently my own dining room is housing a loveseat, coffee table and end table due to the fact that my really nice dining set was called into action for a vacant house. And then I found this great furniture on craigslist and didn't have room for it in storage-so now I have a fourth living area! If the real world knew what happens in a stager's own home....
Chrissie ~ Glad that you liked this post, it's #2 in my series of Staging Tips.
Carole ~ Finding what we need in our client's home is one of the most rewarding parts of this job! Most are so surprised to learn that we can use their own things in ways they hadn't thought of.
Karen ~ I've found that sellers often don't use their dining rooms for "dining" but when their home is on the market I always advise showing it as one -- some buyers don't have imagination and you don't want to give them a reason for passing your house by.
Ginger ~ We learn to use what we are given, don't we -- and it's such a good feeling when we find what we need hidden away in an attic or basement.
Juliet ~ Oh, I like doing the runner sideways too. Makes it more casual. Looking forward to reading your next post in the series!
Liz ~ Don't get me started! My own home is a virtual storage facility. I need to find a bigger one so I can actually invite friends over!!
The plywood over the small table was an excellent idea and very cost effective, I am definitely going to remember that one! Everything looks great.
Kate ~ Keeping the client's costs down is often our goal ... so we love to hunt around their home for treasures! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Gret post Maureen. I find myself telling sellers even if they do not use their dining room-buyers DO!!
Cathy ~ Isn't that the truth? That's a good way to explain it to sellers. So often they don't think a dining room is important, but as soon as you put on your "buying hat" -- it can become an issue!
It's that old staging truth: we don't live in homes the same way we sell them. If people want a conversation area more than they want a dining room, fine. But buyers expect a dining room, so we have to give it to 'em. You did a beautiful job with these! I, too, love the sideways table runner. I'll remember that for future reference.
Laurie ~ that old adage sure is right! Not many of us live in our homes the same as if we were going to sell them. But for some reason, buyers expect them to look perfect don't they?
Like your before and afters. You're in on the series challenge too, huh?
Kim ~ Before and After posts have always been my favorites ... I just love the transformation each time I view them.
Maureen - Fabulous (to steal a phrase from Abby Reilly) staging.
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before and After pictures.
Kathy
Thanks Kathy. Working with what the seller already has is sometimes more fun due to the challenge to make it work!
Awesome post and awesome photos! The old plywood trick...we have done that many times for Thanksgiving dinner!
Sharon ~ Glad to hear that my family isn't the only one using the plywood trick! Sure works for staging too ...
These are terrific before and after shots, Maureen. Love the plywood idea and adding the bistro set really transforms that last space. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mary. Isn't what we do FUN -- especially when it results in a quick sale for our clients?
Great examples of defining the space. I too find many dining rooms that are being used as family rooms, offices, or combo dining and office. While it may work for the way they live, it doesn't work so well when it comes time to sell. Your photos illustrate this very well. Beautiful staging!
Morning Maureen, Your words are so true when you stated 'Show each room's intended purpose.' Sounds so simple to us and that is exactly what the buyer is wanting to see.
One question, on the first set of photo's did you do a consult first or did you have photo's to know what props bring to this staging?
Michele ~ Maybe formal dining rooms aren't as necessary as they were in the past? Could be that we're seeing a trend here! Thanks as always for your feedback.
Cynthia ~ on the first set of photos -- yes I did a consult first and discovered the sellers had an extra dining set they never used, out in their garage. So we suggested they get a POD for the excess sofas & chairs ... and in came the dining set when we returned to do the staging.
I recently did a proposal on a vacant large older home. It has a large, completely separate formal dining room plus a huge area off the kitchen for a dining area. The client really wanted to stage the dining room as a music room with a grand piano. I'm embarrassed to say that I seriously thought about it for awhile. But I remembered my good training and convinced him that people like to imagine those lovely big Thanksgiving dinners, so we'll stage it as a dining room and use the grand piano in a nice open spot just off the living room. Glad I stuck to what I know to be true. I think the client actually respected me more for it. At least I got the word that he will use my service. :0)
Pangaea ~ it's true -- buyers want to imagine those holiday dinners ... so for selling, showing a dining room is a good idea. Glad you put that training to good use on your upcoming job.