This week we staged an occupied home where a dramatic change was made in the Living room. Here's how it looked when I first viewed this property ... it's the first room you see as you enter this lovely home:
The sellers had a beautiful custom-made pool table in the living room and seemed a bit disappointed when I advised that buyers in this price point would be expecting a living room furnished to show how they might use this space to entertain ~ but they were also very motivated to ensure their home appealed to their target buyer. They had the table professionally disassembled & packed for their upcoming move, and we brought in suitable furnishings to show the original function of this room ...
Make sure that your home shows the true function of each room for potential buyers ... consult with a professional home stager (check www.ActiveRain.com) for a great directory of stagers!
Professionally staged by Maureen Bray and the Room Solutions Staging team in Portland OR. We help sellers and realtors maximize equity with exceptional home staging services and reduced market time. Give us a call at 503-246-1800 for a free staging proposal!
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.
LOL! Too funny. This is a GREAT example why home staging can really be crucial in some cases! I once saw the main room set up like a bedroom, and once it was lined with fish aquariums ... can you imagine the nice smell that gave off when entering the room? It's interesting what folks do with their spaces ... nice work, though, in the after shot!
That's definitely not a first! I've seen that pool table in lots of living rooms and even showed a house recently with a pool table in the living room. What gets me is that sometimes the agents actually show pictures of "the pool table in the living room" on the MLS. I believe that when a seller lists a house for sale they should let go of it and turn it over to the professionals. Don't they realize that a house will sell quicker with PICTURE #2?? It ain't easy out there......... Nice post!
This looks great. Most clients think that it is odd to have pool table in the living room or formal dining room. Fantastic job!
Good before and after. Those pool tables have a way of taking over the living rooms dont they.
Definitely looks better...staging usually works great. Thanks for the post.
Kathy ~ I can just imagine the room filled with aquariums -- yikes! Thanks for your feedback.
Diane ~ It does seem obvious to us that picture #2 will help sell the house ... but it's amazing to see those MLS photos with so many picture #1's ... until they get it we will keep educating them!
Patty & Scott ~ I agree that most buyers would think it's odd to see this is a living room, although in the right spot it could be a real feature. This large home has a perfect downstairs family room made for a large pool table. Thanks for your comment.
Karen ~ You're right -- a pool table just completely takes over the room and makes it difficult for a buyer to imagine how they might use the room.
Michael ~ Thanks for weighing in with your opinion. We agree staging helped in this case!
I would have never pictured that. Great job. Staging certainly makes a difference doesn't it!
Jamie ~ Yes, staging definitely showcases the home's best features. Thanks for stopping by.
Maureen, it's no small feat to move a pool table, but you were so right, it needed to go. What a difference in the room, nice job!
Maureen ~ Great job! That room looked lost with just the pool table and two chairs in it. You did a great job with the furniture and accessories; it really looks like a warm and inviting room now.
It's so interesting to see how people live! I just previewed a very expensive home, and the homeowners spend all their time in a makeshift family room in the unfinished basement. You did a great job, and I'm so happy for you that they decided to pack up the table!
Ah man...that is fantastic. I have recommended this SO many times and the owners get so ticked off that I never get any further and don't know the outcome. Let me guess..it didn't happen and the house is still on the market. DUH. It just makes so much sense and why would sellers be so attached to this albatross. (Can you tell I don't shoot pool) May I copy your photos to share with the next such job?
Great job again Maureen!
MUCH better! Pool tables do not sell houses, sometimes they don't even help when they are in the right spot!
Debbie ~ Those pool tables are so heavy and that's why these wise sellers hired a professional company to pack it up for them.
Kathy ~ thanks, hopefully buyers can now imagine how they could use this room. With the pool table it just didn't have any warmth.
Elaine ~ It's true -- we see how people live in their homes is very different than how they need to prepare them for selling!
Ginger ~ Of course, feel free to show these photos as an illustration of how much better a room will look once the "albatross" is removed!
Tori Lynn ~ People seem to either love them or hate them ... so sometimes it's best no matter where they're placed to remove them for selling, you're so right!
I also once had a house that had the pool table in the formal dining room, potential buyers didn't like it. I had the owners move it out and replace with a formal table, looked 10X's better.
Cindy ~ Those tables take up so much space and make it difficult for potential buyers to see the room in any other way .... when they're thinking of the property it will always be "the house with the pool table" instead of a positive, memorable impression. I'm glad to hear your clients moved theirs out too.
Hi Maureen! I actually had a listing JUST LIKE THAT about 5 years ago -- I could not get him to put his table in storage and no other room was big enough to hold it. Never sold -- he took it off the market and built an addition on the back for the pool table!
brought back memories!
Great work as always Maureen. Love the pool tables, most people just have stuff on them and don't use them at all. Crazy and expensive hobby if it's not in use. And, never a Pool room to put it in. It is always in the living or family rooms. Best removed as you did.
For some reason.. this happens alot to me. You really need to speak the "Lets sell this house now" speech. Seems like this happens more with single guys who tend to give up the dining room set in a divorce and invest in a pool table. Very hard to convince the client that he has to pack up his fun... now his guy friends have to find somewhere else to hang out! Believe it or not... I have had to put a table cloth over one and add a couple of chairs... Boy did that take some smooth talking!
Hi Maureen, Great post and I like the before and after pictures. Sure makes a huge difference and shows why staging works. Very nicely done.
Yes, yes, yes, important point made! This pool table
used to be in this room...
I arranged this room, which is right off the foyer/entrance, to a more appropriate purpose - a study/office. The owner loved the change. And now the pool table is in the entertainment area of the house.
This property sold in 3-4 weeks.
Hey Karen ~ So you've had this experience too, but your seller wasn't as cooperative. He should have listened to you -- you're the expert! :-)
Terrylynn ~ I'll wager that as a realtor, you see pool tables where they don't belong quite a bit. These sellers were sad to see it go away but were savvy enough to listen to their stager's advice!
Lori ~ I'd love to see a photo of the pool table that you covered with a tablecloth ~ that must have been something! You're right, especially with a bachelor's "party house" it's hard to convince them to remove the pool table. I'm sure you can be persuasive and charming at the same time though!
Gary ~ Thanks for your feedback .... we wish all agents and sellers realized the power of staging.
Maureen,
I'll have to save this blog for my clients who just installed a pool table in their living room. Even though they have a family room as well they're still going to have to move that table out when they get ready to sell. Hopefully that won't be for a long time.
Maureen ~ Had the same in a great room of a very large home. The room had a floor to ceiling fireplace that no one even noticed. Needless to say out it went and in came the furniture.
The room looks great, nice job.
Maureen,
Good call, great transformation.
Susan C. ~ Your photos show how placing the pool table in the right room works so much better! Thanks for sharing your success story.
Susan P. ~ You know the old saying, how we live in our homes is quite different than how we prepare them for selling -- so your clients will no doubt hear from you about what to do with their pool table when the time comes!
Barbara ~ When there's a pool table in the room, it's difficult to notice any of the architectural features, you're so right. Thanks for weighing in with your story.
Patty ~ Thanks for your feedback. It had to go!
Maureen - I have no idea how I missed this post. What a great transformation!!!
This comes a little late but....
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group; Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
Kathy ~ Thanks so much! Your feature * means a lot to me.
Beautiful job, I have booked marked this one, I may have a listing that has a pool table in the first room you enter and may need some ideas. Thanks for posting.
Penny ~ Buyers want to see how to use the living room space, and the pool table just overshadows the room. Good luck with your listing ~ I hope you can convince the sellers to remove theirs!
Thanks for yout tasking the time to provide us with this information in the Active Rain network. AR is the new "cyber backbone" of the industry, and with it's uplink to Localism.com it will transfrom the marketplace. Agents who don't see which way the cyberwind is blowing are going to find themselves at a considerable disadvantage inside of three to five years.
You gave them first-rate advice, Maureen and the results are beautiful. It all goes back to teaching buyers that how we live in a home versus how to sell a home are two very different things. Good job!
Rob ~ We agree, A/R is the way of the future for real estate professionals!
Kathy ~ Thanks my friend ... as stagers we have to keep repeating that mantra to our clients don't we?