Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR was recently contacted to stage an Occupied home. The sellers were very motivated to get everything in order to make their home presentable and to stand out among the other homes in their beautiful neighborhood. When we visited this lovely home, these "residents" mounted on the living room wall greeted us --
We were able to convince the husband that his mounted trophies needed to be packed away prior to showing the home. The brass fireplace surround was also easily removed, instantly updating this room.
The piano was moved so that it no longer fought with the fireplace to be the focal point. We then staged the living room using only the seller's items, and made it much more appealing to the target buyer. Potential buyers will now find this home friendlier and more inviting.
Room Solutions Staging in Portland Oregon helps homeowners and realtors maximize equity through exceptional home staging. Give us a call at 503-246-1800 and let us help your property sell faster in today's changing market.
Licensed • Insured • Accredited • Certified
2012 Professional Home Stager of the Year - Western U.S.
(Real Estate Staging Association)
Copyright © Room Solutions Staging LLC 2006-2012
"Staging That Sells Portland Homes"
Content may not be reproduced without permission.
These are great pictures, you did an awesome job with this room.
Patty & Scott ~ Thanks for visiting ... it's really rewarding when we know we've helped the seller to make their home more appealing.
Maureen I can't wait to see how quickly this home sells, you did a great job.
Ronelle ~ Thanks very much -- fingers crossed -- I'll keep you posted!
Very well done, girfriend -- I want to mention that moving that piano certainly was a great improvment as well. Everything you touch is awesome! Good lessons for all!
featured in the group, "Real World Home Staging For Newbies"
Karen ~ Moving the piano helped make the fireplace the proper focal point of the room. (Hey, thanks for the feature in the Newbies group!)
Maureen- The room looks awesome! Your "resident heads" made me laugh...I was showing a home to a family with 2 little girls. We walked into the family room and the girls started screaming as soon as they saw the "resident heads". Glad you took them down!
Is the one on the left a goat? Gee that would be hard to kill LOL I hope he's proud of himself.
In a word... WOW! The whole feel of the room changed so dramatically. Fantastic job.
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before & Ater Pictures.
Kathy
Hi Maureen - I'm with Karen. Frankly, the piano was more disturbing to me than the heads, although of course they had to go! Julie
Maureen ~ Great job; the room looks so much better now! I have to say that those animal heads just give me a creepy feeling. I don't think I could live with that, but I guess it's because that sport is not part of my life. I'm sure it is a normal thing to see in certain areas of the country.
Hello Maureen, hope your well. You kind of have to chuckle. Obviously the style of the home just doesn't fit the Hunting Lodge look he was going for with the critters on the wall. Animal heads are kind of overpowering even in a more appropriate setting. I recall several years ago Linda was asked to stage a very nice and very large log home. The main living area was built to look much like an old hunting lodge. Very tall ceilings, natural log beams and very open. And when she walked in she was greeted with a head of the biggest moose I have ever seen. This darn thing covered the overhead area of about half of the room. Needless to say, Linda had to explain that if the Moose did not go, he and the moose might just be the only owners his house would ever know. The moose head went, he sold the home in about two months and he and his moose moved on to their next home. Like I said, sometime you just have to chuckle.... By the way, your project looks great.
Laura ~ I agree, animal heads can be scary to potential buyers (and especially children). This home had other heads that you can't see in the Before photo too ... but they're all packed away now. Thanks for stopping by.
Cari ~ yes, I'm afraid it is a goat ... not my thing for sure. But it's something we see here in the Northwest from time to time.
Kathy N. ~ Thank you for your endorsement!
Julie ~ The piano was totally in the wrong spot, you're right! The focal point really opened up when we moved it.
Kathy P. ~ I'm with you on that subject. When you're selling it's about appealing to potential buyers and not offending them, so in the guidelines we give to our clients, one of them is to "remove all taxidermy items."
hi Gary ~ You're right, sometimes we have to chuckle ... I could just imagine Linda's shock at seeing that huge moose head! At least the setting sounded appropriate. In a lovely traditional family home, it was such a surprise to see these heads so prominently displayed. But you know the old saying, how we live in our homes is so different than how we prepare them for selling! Thanks for weighing in on this subject!
Yikes on the animal trophies! I don't know how people live with them and don't feel like they are being watched all the time.
Very nice job. It's so hard to tell people they need to put things away that mean so much to them and that they do not see as an eyesore. I'm glad you were able to do that. Great job.
Tori ~ Yikes is right! I too would feel those "eyes" watching me ... makes me shudder just thinking about it.
Chrissie ~ the wife in this family understood our point of view and was able to convince her husband that potential buyers would not want to see these dead animal heads. Apparently it was not easy for him to pack them away, but he did -- for that we are grateful. Thanks for stopping by with your comment.
Maureen,
Great job.... It is funny because my husband is a hunter and he has "resident heads" but if we were selling, he would have to get over it !!!
Maureen - You have hit another homerun! I loved this blog because my dad was a hunter and had lots of "resident heads". My mom put her foot down and banished them all to the garage where she wouldn't have to live with them!
Cheryl ~ It's good you have him trained on what to do if the For Sale sign goes up in your yard!! Thanks for your feedback.
Kathy ~ The garage sounds like a good place for them! I've never lived with "resident heads" but those who have probably get used to the idea of sharing their homes with them. Thanks for sharing your story!
OMG - I have never understood the need to display dead animals. Much better now.
I read recently that using mounted heads was a 'new design trend' - I've been seeing them more often in very expensive homes. Hard to believe....
Kimberley ~ I'm with you ... and it's better now without those wild residents. Thanks for commenting!
Thomas ~ It seems understandable in the case of a hunting-lodge type property, not the normal family home (expensive or otherwise). Hopefully it's a short-lived trend! Thanks for your feedback.
Maureen, ever so much better without those heads. Sometimes it's hard to believe that people do that but I just have to remind myself that everyone is different. I can possibly entertain the fact if selling a hunting lodge but as a home, I'm afraid that it would turn off more people than not. Glad to see them removed.
Maureen, great job...as always!
I'm so envious of ya'll getting 'heads' to photograph in your befores.
Gina ~ Thank you for stopping by -- we love it when respected real estate agents like you support staging! You brought up an excellent point -- each to their own. Except when selling, of course!
Dane ~ You are too funny ... if you want some heads to photograph just let us know!! :-)
Maureen,
It looks SO much better with Billy Goat Gruff and the Stag staring at us in the photos! I have had clients with bears, mountain lions, moose heads, cougars, and bobcats stuffed and either hanging on the walls or mounted to stands! My only regret is not capturing them on film for my great before and after photos! NOW I know better - it's one of those "you have to see it to believe it" - as far as how terrible they look in photos - or tacky or icky.
I did have a client with a jackapheasalope - the rare creature not often captured. I did manage to get a photo of this rare find BEFORE I told them to "pack it - it's far to precious to leave out."
- Jennie
Heads will ROLL...my oh my. You did a great job. Of course I am NOT surprized. The piano was so misplaced, like the room, looks more calm and inviting this way.
Jennie ~ Your photo is hilarious! I've never heard of such a creature, but agree it was too "precious" to display when selling the home!
Terrylynn ~ Heads would have rolled all right -- as well as eyes -- if those heads were still in the living room when buyers walked in the door. Thanks for your nice feedback!
So much better...you lucked out having sellers willing to put them away. I had a client once who would not remove the head over the fireplace. Luckily the rest of the house was good enough to get it sold anyways.
Sharon ~ These sellers are motivated to get their home on the market and sold! Thank goodness the husband understood why the heads had to go away for a while ....
Maureen, Thank goodness you got rid of the "dead energy" in there and added lots of life and energy to the spaces....it looks beautiful!
Carole ~ Thank you -- you could feel the dead energy upon entering the house, since this room is right off the entry. We staged quite a few rooms in this large home and the owners seemed pleased with the outcome. Hopefully buyers will too!
Maureen - Great job using the owners belongings, the room looks great! This reminded me of a story. My parents bought a house for me to live in and rent while I went to college. While searching, we looked at a house that had a moose head hanging in the master bedroom DIRECTLY OVER THE BED! So many things came to mind - waking up and looking that thing in the face, or having it fall off and crush you in the middle of the night - imagine that headline "Couple Dies In Bed, Crushed By Giant Moose Head". Well, needless to say we referred to that home as the "Moose house" from then on. These home owners are lucky you saved them from being known as "The house with the dead animals." P.S. My husband is a hunter, but the only evidence is in our freezer!!
Elle ~ Thank you for sharing your "animal heads" story! You're right, sellers don't want their house to be known for such things, do they? It's a great feeling to be able to help sellers see the advantage in appealing to their target buyer by removing anything that may be scary or offensive.
The difference with just a few "small" changes is incredible. Nicely done.
Christine ~ It's so true that small changes can make a big difference. Thanks for your feedback. (P.S. One of my best friends in Ireland shares your name!)
Hi Maureen-
I made my hubby put his "head" in the garage & it still looks spooky out there!
Very nice staging arrangement.
Kathy ~ The garage sounds like a good place for it -- Thanks for sharing how you handled it!!
Wow! It looks like a new room. I always look at the before picture before I scroll down to the after to try to imagine what I would do. I agree with everyone that the piano had to be moved. I was surprised to see it so close to a window. My piano tuners have always told me that I have to place my piano on an inside wall. Outside walls (even without a window) have too much temperature fluctuation that ruins the piano. Perhaps this rule has changed or is an old wives tale?
Anita
Anita ~ that's not an old wives tale about not placing the piano on an outside wall -- it's best not to if it's going to be there for an extended period. In this case, however, since they'll only be in this house for a short while before moving out, and we don't expect big temperature fluctuations, it's OK for a temporary situation. Thanks for your feedback!
Maureen, thanks for clearing that up. I wish it were an old wives tale. I always feel bad for the pianists in my family because they are stuck facing a wall. Seems like it would be so much nicer for them if they could face the outdoors. But, I am off the topic. You did an AWESOME job with the room. Thanks for sharing.
Anita
Reminds me again of the home upriver (that I didn't end of Staging) with two pelts (black bear and some sort of cat) in the master bedroom that were draped over the railing that overlooked the front room. Then there was the gun case in the opposite corner with the deer head flanking it - and the house was being shown like this?!?!?!