Home Staging in Portland Oregon Blog

Maureen - Congratulations on doing a great job for your client.  I'm sure the sellers are very happy with an above asking price.  Oops on the flat screen.  Obviously it looks very real.  Congrats again!

Hi Maureen  the manufacturer mus of done a fantastic job for the buyers not to notice that it was a fake.

Hi Laura ~ Thanks, the sellers were indeed very happy! 

Hi Ron ~ Well it looks pretty good from a distance, that's for sure!

Wow, now that's staging! Three days, a bidding war and it sold over asking...  you killed that one! Did they notice that it only got one channel and it was gray? :-)

Maureen, the home looks great, but once it is sold every thing is removed and the new owners are left to their own devices. I was wondering if the stager is ever asked to help stage or design a newly purchased home... more like an interior decorator?

We had a buyer once who wanted to write in the Sellers' cat....the look alike plasma must have been a great copy to have fooled the buyers !

Hi Nancy ~  I guess they forgot to check the channels LOL!!

Hi Carlotta ~ Yes, we do get asked to help clients with furniture arrangement in their new home, and we love doing that!  Thanks for asking :-)

Hi Sally & David ~ Writing in a cat?  Wow, that must have been an amazing feline!!

Now that's funny!  The bidding war after being on the market for only three days is excellent, but the contract requesting the fake flat screen is priceless!  Well done Maureen.

OMG, that is hilarious.  Congrats on the quick sale, too.  LOL on Sally & David's cat comment.  How could someone do that.  did they think te previous owner didn't love their cat?

Congrats Maureen!  Great job as always!!! :)

That's too funny, Maureen. By the way, I love how this room turned out!

Kathy

Maureen, that is hilarious! You really sold them obviously then! Great work! The room looks great, I love staged photos. Thank you again for visiting my blog and for your helpful tip! Enjoy your Friday!

Maureen- I love it!!! Congrats to you and the seller for the quick sale. And, oh, yes.. I want that Giraffe artwork!

Awesome work Maureen!  Did the TV actually look that real?  As a buyer guy I think I'd turned it on and tinkered channel surfed! LOL.  It's a guy thing.

Hi Roger ~ It's the first time I've seen this request in a contract .... the seller thought it was hysterical.

Hi Debbie ~ I can't imagine someone wanting the sellers' cat!!  Like you said, as if the seller didn't want it??  Very strange!

Thanks, Wanda!  I'll write another post about the house staging, too.

Hi Kathy N. ~ Thanks, it was a long narrow room but we used large art to make the ends seem closer (as a stager I know you do that too :-)

Hi Sylvie ~ Thanks, and you're welcome!  That iclipart.com that I told you about was used for the graphic in this post.

Hi Kathy S. ~ Isn't that giraffe art wonderful?  It's by a Portland artist named Eli Halpin.

Hi John ~ I don't think it looks real at all ... and I agree that most buyers would have tinkered around with it ... but from a distance, it looks OK.  Maybe they wrote it in at the last minute after they'd already left the house and were working from memory only.

 

Maureen....Well YOUR staging did it again!!  LOVE how REAL it all seemed......and I still LOVE the giraffe art!  That's what I would have asked for!!!

I love it! And the plasma TV is very eco-friendly as well!

Maureen - That's too funny!  Oh, Kathy beat me to it - I was going to say that I would have had the giraffe artwork written into the contract!  What a great success story - well done!

Maureen, now that's funny.  Tell, them "of course" and you'll be the remote to help them put this house together.  I bet they could use your help!! 

Hi Kathy ~ I'm with you .... I'd have asked for the giraffe art, it's so whimsical I love it.

Hi Doug ~ You're right ... it IS eco-friendly and I hadn't even thought of that!

Hi Sally ~ It was a really fun project and even more so with the excellent outcome.

Hi Ginger ~ Who knows, maybe they'll need help and I'll be close by -- this home is only 3 minutes from me :-)

Haha...this made me chuckle, Maureen.  Someone wasn't playing close attention, and I'll bet they went through the photos to "scan" the rooms for items they wanted to include in the contract prior to submitting the offer.  Love it.

Maureen - we're actually rethinking our use of the Props flat screen tvs. We staged a home that was broken into and the only thing the thieves were after was our television. I don't know if they toured the home and went back, saw us deliver the inventory or whatever but we've also had people pick them up and throw them on the floor when they find out they're "faux".

Maureen - that's too funny! So many buyers ask that they keep the plasma flat screens. It only baffles me because where talking hundreds of thousands of dollars and you can get a flat screen pretty cheap today........................especially if it's a prop - lol! Gorgeous room!

Hi David ~ I think it happened just as you said ... they saw photos later before writing the offer and thought it might have been a real one.  Good to see you here!!

Hi Lynn ~ That's an excellent point about considering that thieves might think they're real.  But I don't understand anyone tossing them on the floor (unless they were planning to steal one and wanted a quick getaway).

Hi Kris ~ You're right about the cost being so much less these days for a nice plasma screen, especially at places like Costco. Thanks for dropping by!

Maureen, that is way too funny.  I had one for free that came with the house when we bought our first home (the model)  12 years ago! It wasn't flat screen back than, but cute little square plastic one. If I would start my home staging business earlier it could work great for my inventory.

Hi Maureen--I hope the buyers inspected the house more closely than they inspected the prop.  What a very funny story!

Pointing out the humor in real estate is also an art today. beautiful staging...congrats !

Maureen - I'm back to let you know your post is in the Daily Drop - Congratulations!

I think I would go out of my way on this one to buy the prop from the staging company, just to get the buyers reaction,IF they are not to embarassed to call ya. 

Great staging! Hopefully they still liked the home enough to buy without the fake TV.

Definitely see if you can include it for them - it would be worth it!!

[***Chuckles***]

And I hope the listing agent would be willing to reimburse you for that expense!

Congrats on the feature!

 

I have had buyer clients request the following in a contract:

The aquarium...

The car in the driveway...

and got them both.

I love it! What a clever way to stage a home with a high end piece of equipment. It is amazing how some certain small things will help sell a great home. Congrats to you on your sale!

 

I have one of those “flat-screen TVs”  in my garage. Paid $89 for it. Has a panoramic photo of Chicago skyline and the picture never changes.

 

They must have loved the picture!  Especially since they will never receive a bill from the cable company. 

LOL.  What a beautiful room and an outstanding testament to the power of staging.

Ive seen those prop TVs and they look clearly fake. They had to have simply forgotten when they were "Gimmee" mode. Gimmee this and gimmee that! Crazy! I LOVE the giraffe art and the 3 wall sconces!

Sounds like the staging really sold this home

Wow.  That's embarrassing.

Tell the new buyers "you can have the TV, but don't sign up with DirecTV just yet.

Does it get ESPN?   
Mel

If it sells the house they can have the prop.  OOOPS.

That is funny. Didn't anyone notice it was plastic or was it so good looking it passed for the real thing.

Simply stated, it pays to stage, yet many sellers are not educated about the financial benefits they get by staging their property. Sellers would drop their price significantly to attract buyers rather than stage their homes with a reasonable price that gets buyers to make an offer because of its irresistible wow factor.

Did the tv have a warranty... ;)

Great job!  Love the look.  Buyers must have been surprised to find that the TV wasn't real!

Too funny!  Great job.

Sally & David Hanson - asking for the cat!?  Maybe one of my kids (they're adults), but never the cat!

That is funny.  I guess legally the seller could agree and pay the staging company the minimal cost for that prop tv....

We all know what the right thing to do is!

Hi Anna ~ Too bad you didn't use it in your staging LOL!

Hi Janet ~ I'm sure they checked the house more closely, YES!

Hi Mike ~ I agree, humor is important -- thanks!

Hi Kris ~ Thanks for letting me know  :-)

Hi Mike D ~ If they'd really like the plastic one I don't have a problem with that at all.

Hi David ~ Yes, for sure they did!! Thanks.

Hi Angela ~ I'm OK with that -- it's not an expensive item. However, I doubt they'll really want it :-)

Hi Michael ~ Ha Ha the seller is the listing agent.  He's still laughing about it!

Hi Mike and Eve ~ Wow!  The aquarium I can see .. but a car ... that's really amazing!

Hi Rachel ~ Well, at a distance it may "look" high end, but it's not  .... I think they were "remembering" that the house had a flatscreen when they wrote the offer and just "threw it in" hoping the seller would say Yes, since their offer was already over the asking price ...

Hi Robert ~ tell me, what does it do in your garage?  :-)

 

That's funny! If I'd been the buyer, I'd have asked for that wall hanging instead... love those giraffes!

Maureen, that is very funny, they didn't take a very close look did they.   I guess you just never know.

I would say OK, you can have that! And not tell them and let them HAVE it!

Maureen, Congratulations on these amazing resuslts. Proves once again how valuable staging is to buyers' perception. By the way, I have a faux lap-top to sell along with that flat-screen if the buyer is interested. lol.

Hi Bob ~ That's right, "free" TV service LOL

Hi Judi ~ Thanks for your kind words about the staging!

Hi Andi ~ You're right, they couldn't have checked it out.  The giraffe art is by a local Portland artist, Eli Halpin.  She's talented.

Hi Jeremy ~ Thanks, your feedback is appreciated ... but it was a combination of the right location, the right price, and a well-presented home that caused the bidding war.

Hi Valerie ~ I doubt they minded, they probably laughed too!

Hi Randy and Nancy ~ Sounds like good advice -- thanks!

Hi Mel ~ hmmm ... maybe with some wire and an antenna we could rig something up

Hi Ric ~ My feelings exactly.

Hi Linda ~ They just didn't look close enough, and likely wrote it in their offer once they'd left the house ... it really doesn't look that real, but maybe from a memory it must have seemed real.

Hi Kimo ~ that is so true, we have to continue to educate sellers that staging done the right way can pay off in a faster sale.

Hi Connie & Dennis ~  Warranty?  Of course :-)

Hi Tamara ~ Surprised yes, but hopefully not too disappointed.

Hi Judy O. ~ Thanks.  I was shocked about the cat, too!

Hi Roger ~ What would that be?

Hi Marte ~ I love those giraffes too!!  They are so whimsical.

Hi Mary ~ I agree that likely, they didn't really check it out!

Hi David ~ Really?  What would happen after they found out it was fake?

Hi Judy C. ~ Thank you!  Perception is everything, isn't it ... and too funny about the faux laptop  :-)

Maureen

That's pretty funny. I would have thought the buyers and their agent would have looked more closely. Great news for the sellers, and good work on your part.

Jeff

HA HA HA. I would not of told them. I would have said later. Injoy the false flat screen. and of course taken pic before.

Good stage prop!

I hope posts like this lead to a lot of business for you. You obviously did a FANTASTIC job!

Hi Maureen - That's really funny! I have seen some pretty realistic looking ones in model homes though. Perfect for the guy who just wants to create an image, I guess. Lol

That's funny.  Thanks for a great post.  I guess they did not look that close.

I once had buyers ask for a lawn tractor, but it was real and the home sat on two acres.  The sellers were glad to get rid of it as they were moving to a 55+ community that included all outside maintenance.

Dear Maureen,

Consumer Reports does not even rate the Plasti-O brand, that is how bad it performs! Very funny.

It does look real in the picture.

Hi Maureen,

It would have been fun to see the home inspector if the sellers had said "okay, tv's yours".

I had a sale last year, vacant home.  Staged, because, well, that's the way a smart realtor sells homes.  The buyer came in with a very good offer, and, requested the furniture and the artwork !  Which then meant, the stager worked it out with the seller, and the stager had to go replenish her stock.

You never know what makes a buyer "buy", but you sure gotta feel good if you're the stager or the realtor selling the home.

Congrats on helping your seller, with or without the plastic tv.

_Claude

Their agent had to be a little embarrassed. 

Keep that for the next book(s) we Realtors® should have been writing all along.  We could donate the profits to help bail out the country!!

Thanks, Jeff ~ I'd have thought so too, but perhaps they were in a hurry since there was a bidding war going on.

Hi Dave ~ We use these in some vacant homes where we want to show "TV room" or "media room" so that buyers can "see" what the space is for.

Hi Joshua ~ That's very kind of you, thanks!  Wishing you much success as well!

Hi Susan ~ they're popular in model homes, and in spaces where we need to show buyers the room's function.

Gene, I agree with you, they must not have!

Hi Steven ~ I'll bet those sellers couldn't WAIT to move from 2 acres to a 55+ community with no exterior maintenance to worry about!!

Hi Dorte ~ Our 'fakes' are from Props by IDM.  Inexpensive and easy to transport, they're so light.

Rocky, I agree with you -- it does.

Hi Claude ~ Thanks for sharing your story of the buyer wanting the furnishings ... talk about a "move-in ready" home for sure!

Hi Michael ~ Maybe for a little while, but hopefully they've already forgotten about it since they were the successful bidder.

Woody, now there's a plan!  Alert your fellow Realtors and start the ball rolling :-)

I always say if you give them what they want, you will get what you want. BTW didn't you know Plastic is in.Wait until you see what the 3D version looks like. LOL, perhaps it was really a typo?

Darned if you do and darned if you don't:

If you do tell them, they may say you are fibbing.

If you just leave it, they will say you were fibbing.

 

You are simply going to have to stop fibbing like that.

Winston, I'm not sure about typos, but the buyers DID think it was real ... however they're happy with the house, so likely it's already forgotten.

Hi Jim ~ You are probably right!!  I'll try to straighten up :-)

Good job!

The right thing is to tell them that they tv is a prop.  Legally, the seller may not be obligated to tell them.

Maybe it's their sense of humor? Hopefully ...... that's it.

Thanks,  Alan!

Hi Roger ~ They now know it's a prop.  They still moved forward.

Hi Lyn ~ They were serious, since they asked for two items to be included ... they'll get the other one, which was "real."

That is a great story! Staging makes a world of difference. Nice job with realistic props!

Hi Liane ~ Thanks for your comment ... glad to hear that you're a supporter of professional home staging.

Hi Maureen,  I am seeing TVs especially wall mounted written into many contracts- these days.  Buyer doesn't want holes in wall or an ugly wall mount that doesn't fit their TV!

That is truly funny! Thank you for sharing :)

Hi Bob ~ That makes a lot of sense for buyers to just write them in.  Thanks for dropping by!

Hi Linda ~ glad you enjoyed it.

Let them know they'll save a lot of money on energy costs!!

Maureen~sounds like a great job in staging the home! Too funny that the buyer would ask and their agent would write it up. Good job!

Here's to a great 2012!

Too Funny! That giraffe art jumped right out at me -- I haven't used whimsical art like that in any staging, but think I will after seeing this! It really grabs your attention and is memorable.

Maureen: I've had clients call me after I've staged to ask me to remove the flat screen TV as they were worried it would get stolen. I'm not trying to trick anyone, but I feel good that the props I use look realistic and do not cause a distraction.

Hi Christian ~ That's a good incentive :-)

Hi Jamie ~ Thanks so much, and the same to you!

Hi Amy ~ That giraffe art is becoming one of my favorites ... it is memorable for sure.

Hi Michelle ~ Nice that they were thinking about the security of your inventory!

It looks real from here! Good Job on the listing. 

Thanks, Jairo!  The house sold quickly  :-)

Maureen, Very good prop! Well, I suppose the stager was happy to let it go. What a boost to her reputation.

Hi Carla ~ well, thanks, I'm the stager!

Yeah, had that been agreed to they sure would have been disappointed buyers! -Kasey

Hi Kasey ~ you bet they would have been!!

Excellent work and very amusing!  Thanks!

Hi Dale ~ Thanks for popping in!