Dog lover that I am, sometimes to keep me company when I'm staging a vacant home I bring along a dog or two ... and then leave them there to enhance the home that I'm staging. Often they appeal to families, the target buyers of many homes that I've staged. Here are a few dogs that have helped me stage vacant homes lately ...
How about you? Do you bring dog helpers along on your staging jobs? Please share!
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These homes were professionally staged by Maureen Bray & the team at Room Solutions Staging in Portland OR. We help homeowners and realtors prepare homes for sale using exceptional staging services for reduced market time and maximum return on equity. Call us at 503-246-1800 for a no-obligation estimate on staging your vacant or occupied property!
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I never thought about using dogs. I think it's a great idea as many people love them.
That is really great never thought of using dogs but lets not forget our friends the cats
Christine ~ among potential home buyers, there are lots of dog lovers out there and these dogs never scare any of them!
Antoinette ~ if we're including cats we'll have to remember that some folks might be allergic to them :-)
Love your Dogs Maureen!
I can't recall using any dogs yet. Seems kind of funny though, because I seem to recall just about every other animal from Monkeys to Frogs. I have even used Super Heros - Do they count as "staging helpers"??? You think they would have been more help moving things around - just spectators!!!
Someone here on AR posted some photos showing realistic cats curled up and "snoozing". That might be a bit much - these dogs are very welcoming. Julie
Maureen, your doggie helpers are the best kind of canines to have in a house that is for sale! They don't shed or growl at Realtors or their clients! And they don't poop in the back yard either!
Michele ~ Super heroes are good to have along too! Yours add a great touch to the boy's room. Thanks for your input!
Julie ~ I remember those cats -- they looked so real they fooled me!
Pat ~ You're absolutely right -- no realtors will be growled at and no cleaning up to do! Don't you just cringe when you're showing a home and find one of those Beware of Dog signs? Thanks for chiming in.
Love your dogs, can I trade my pooping variety in?
Fred ~ Yes -- these dogs are so clean! No maintenance required. Thanks for stopping by.
Maureen, I'm a big fan of Ken Bailey's paintings. The one you have in your blog is my favorite, in fact I have it for my personal use. The bull terrier 'English Breakfast Tea is another great one. Aren't they fun?
The ceramics you have underneath it picks up the colors in the print perfectly!
How cute, Maureen! I haven't used any but... what does come to mind, given that kittens and puppies are so cute is to use them in frames next to bed sides and/or on shelves.
Kathy
Cynthia ~ I love this Bull Terrier canvas and wish I had the other one -- I'll have to look for it. They are so cute and add some whimsy to a staged home. Thanks for noticing the color coordination!
Kathy ~ Your idea to put smaller framed prints of kittens or puppies on shelves or bedside tables is great -- thanks, I'll remember that.
The Bull Terrier does add interesting detail and a bit of comic relief!
Maureen, What a cute title and cute post.. I really like those dogs !!! I love the real kind also. God bless,
I like the bull terrier print - great colors and fun design! I usually stay away from animals when Staging but I like yours.
I especially like the bull terrier print - great colors and fun style!
so a lot of people use frogs as their signatures, does that mean yours are dogs? ;)
Kristina ~ Isn't that bull terrier cute? He looks like he'd be a handful though!
Cheryl ~ I'm crazy about the real kind too! I've loved dogs forever and miss mine whenever I'm out on a staging job. Thanks for stopping by.
Tori ~ I was attracted to the colors as well -- the orange and red make it a real eye-catcher.
Cindy ~ Well I don't really use them that often, but when I do it's in a home that's meant for a family. Funny, I've never seen frogs as a signature item! What is yours?
I love to use the unexpected. Too cute, like the polka dots and stripes too.
Cindy ~ I think that's part of why I use things like that too -- it adds a bit of unexpected whimsy and keeps the staging from looking too stiff. Thanks for your feedback!
Cathy ~ Too cute! Thanks for joining in the fun!!
The last house that I consulted in had three huge Bernese Mountain Dogs. I think if I had added anything else doggy to that house it would have been overkill, don't you? :-)
Kathy ~ Oh my goodness, THREE of them?? That could certainly be a challenge but no doubt you gave them excellent advice on what to do. (btw, what did you tell them to do with those dogs?)
Here I am always sticking my baby's pictures in front of everyone. But I could not resist. She was very productive in assisting me in renting my waterfront vacation home in sunny Fort Lauderdale. This home was one of my most popular and stayed full the majority of the time with weekly, monthly and short term rentals over a 10 yr period. Keep our best friends working. They love being with us during the day and at the same time they are great at warming things up for prospects!
maureen! so cute and very acceptable. Much more so than the taxidermy, don't you think?
Andrea ~ What a cutie! I can see how she helped people "feel at home" by warming things up! Thanks for the photo.
Karen ~ Oh, so much better than the goat & deer heads, Yes!! I mean, who doesn't like to at least LOOK at a cute dog, especially if they can never bark or bite?
Wow...I thought you meant a REAL dog and I was wondering how you did that...then I saw you meant stuffed ...then I read one of the others say she does bring her little dog. Unfortunately mine is a bit too yappy with strangers...but i like the idea of company... Thanks
Celeste ~ The title was a bit tongue-in-cheek ... so it was a surprise to see that an agent brings a REAL dog to work -- but I love it! If a dog is well behaved they could be an asset. I like the idea of having company too and would love to bring my little guy with me ... here's a picture of him
Maureen, here are two I use frequently. I got several on sale at Walgreens and either the pair or one or the other goes into each staged house. One of the cutest uses of stuffed animals I've seen was a large dog, sitting upright in a bath tub sprinkled with irridescent easter basket grass to mimic water, with a stuffed bone in the corner of the tub that said "bite me." Personally I think all staged homes should have something reminiscent of animals, as most potential buyers have at least one animal. Thanks for sharing!
Terry ~ Your photo didn't come through, but I'd love to see it if you could try again ... The dog in the tub with the bone sounds fun! :-) I agree, pets appeal to buyers on the most part. Makes it seem more like "home."
I love your Bull Terrier - I don't have time to post photos but may be able to another day.
Kathleen ~ Isn't he a cute one? He adds some real fun to a staging project. Post photos later if you have time -- thanks!
I love that quilt!
I use all sorts of things to help me make a place seem more like home, including pictures of my cat, extra books, candles, potpourri, small plants, and spare towels. Just a few here and there can so brighten up a home.
Jim ~ thanks for stopping by with your comment. I'm so glad to hear that as a realtor, you understand and promote the value of staging a property for sale. You're right that even a few well-placed items will brighten up a home (including a picture of your cat!)
I love dogs and coffee and I LOVE your dog/coffee art work! Where did you get that Maureen? Just looking at your colorful and whimsical photos make me happy too!
Karen ~ That "Bull Terrier Brand" piece is by Ken Bailey, and I found it at Home Goods. It's also available online at places like this: http://tinyurl.com/54tx3d
Cute post Maureen! Sometimes my REAL dog gets in on the staging action!
Teresa ~ OMG -- your dog "queen" is TOO cute! You're lucky to have such a nifty helper. You should use this pic in your advertising. I've asked my webmaster (my son) to insert a photo of my little guy on my site, kind of as a "mascot."
Thanks for the link Maureen!
Maureen
I heard Martha Stewart say something to the effect that images of DOGS immediately make a home feel welcoming. You are so right on to bring your canine pals along to stage houses!
Paula
Of course you know I love this post. There can of course be too many dogs...but I always place 2 in a prominent position when I stage vacants and on a less prominent (smaller doggies) when it it not a vacant.
Like a dog...I have to leave my mark so others will know I've been there!
This was a recent wall hanging in a home I showed and the clients were clemson fans... they called it the yucky bull dog house.
I loved your staging by the way. Great idea to use dogs. Dawgs on the other hand... might not have been such a good idea for my sellers.
Paula ~ Dogs really can make a house feel more like "home" can't they? Thanks for stopping by!
Dane ~ Oh yes I knew you'd love a dog-topic post, of course! I think you have a wonderful "signature" in your staging projects -- they look fabulous and fun!
Tammy ~ What a fun wall hanging! Having dogs or "dawgs" in a home feels good. Thanks for sharing your fun photo.
Love the dogs! We use them in our offices on the desk in frames instead of family photos. Heck they are our family though, but we can't resist! Great idea. Kym
Kym ~ I love the idea of using dog photos in the picture frames -- that gives a nice homey touch to a desk -- thanks for the tip!
Maureen, that was too cute...you got me at first;-)
Hi Maureen,
And the extra bonus with your canine friends:
There's no hair to sweep up!
Debra ~ LOL, we all need to have a bit of fun sometimes, right?
Susan ~ And that's a big plus -- my current "real" pal is shedding like crazy right now!!
Doggggone it that is cute. Nice job.
TerryLynn ~ Dogs are just too great to leave behind when staging! I'm glad that I can sometimes have their help when staging a family home. Thanks for stopping by ....