As professional home stagers we work with a variety of clients (realtors, homeowners & investors) but some of our favorite clients are bachelors ... they often need our help as a resource to prepare their homes for sale.
Room Solutions Staging in Portland Oregon was recently contacted by the listing broker of this 1908 vintage farmhouse bungalow, who asked if we could help the bachelor owner; he had basic furniture but needed accessories, art & some addtional furnishings. We met the delightful bachelor owner of this charming home and gave him our recommendations for easy cosmetic repairs, a list of items to remove, and scheduled our staging day for two weeks later. When we returned, he'd moved out all of the "excess" furniture, hired a cleaning company, completed some painting & landscaping ~ and the home was ready to stage. We enjoyed this transformation and hope you do as well.
You've seen the typical bachelor's home with a big TV in the living room ~ this home was no exception; we wanted to open up the space so that buyers could imagine living here, so the TV had to go ...
Another view of the living room from the entry hall showed a lack of color & energy ....
Master Bedrooms need to appeal to the target buyers, especially women viewers ...
And who can forget that women buyers are interested in a clean, tidy kitchen?
And we'd all like to have a gracious Dining room for entertaining family & friends ....
This basement wasn't being shown to its fullest potential so we repurposed the owner's existing pieces to show buyers how the space might be used ...
Homeowners who partner with their listing agents and hire professional home stagers will benefit by having a home that is prepared to SELL in today's challenging market! You can find talented home stagers right here on A/R to help you ... look better than your competition!
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Maureen Bray and the team at Room Solutions Staging in Portland Oregon works with homeowners and realtors to prepare properties to sell regardless of market conditions. Give us a call to schedule a no-obligation home staging proposal @ 503-246-1800. We're registered with the city of Portland and fully insured.
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"
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LOOKS like a square rug in living room, I like that. It adds something to the room and is more noticeable once you staged the room. Nice job. Pretty hardwood flooring, buyers love that.
Hi Terrylynn ~ It's true that buyers love hardwood floors, they add much value so we want to show as much of them as possible when staging a home for sale. Thanks for your feedback!
Lovely, Maureen. Professional touches abound. Your at the height of your work. The intimacy and spaciousness both create a condition of warmth, distinction and great appeal. Bravo ! Hopes for a great week ahead for you.
Maureen - beautiful transformation. You did a great job complimenting the seller's furnishings with your accessories. You have created warmth that will appeal to the ladies of the house too! Using the extra pieces is a great way to showcase the lower level. I recently did this in a home and the sellers were so upset they had not been utilizing the space in that way all along. Great work!
David ~ Many thanks for your kind remarks ... you are obviously a man of well-chosen words. I hope the coming week brings you great things as well.
Michele ~ Sometimes lower levels in older homes aren't used except for storage, as in this home. Just placing the extra loveseat there with a couple of extra dining chairs -- working with what was already in the house -- allows buyers to imagine living there. Thanks for your input!
Maureen ~ It's amazing how much space those big TV's eat up! It looks like it appeals to both men AND women now!
What a wonderful transformation of this vintage home. Looks really spacious as well, great job!
Kathy ~ Yes, those giant TVs are so popular but when selling, have to GO! Thanks for commenting.
Eva ~ When staging we try to highlight the home's square footage. Sometimes that means literally showing the floor so that potential buyers can see how large the rooms are. Thanks for your feedback.
GREAT WORK Maureen! What a HUGE difference!! It simply felt so much fresher when you finished your work and I really enjoyed seeing the photos. The dining area really opened up a lot! Excellent! Regards-Kathleen G
Ah Maureen, the ever present BIG screen TV (not a today's flat screen) and the manly recliner. I might have guessed that this was a bachelor's pad except that I see so many homes with the same dilemma and THEY aren't bachelors. Good for you for getting those things GONE! (Where did they go?)
Great work as always!
Kathleen ~ Many thanks for stopping with your comment. As stagers it's so rewarding when we can make a difference in a home -- and bachelor's homes sometimes need that little extra bit of help!
Ginger ~ This young man was so cooperative and didn't mind removing the recliner and the huge TV from the home -- don't we wish all of our clients were as focused on the end result? Thanks for your input.
Very nice transformation Maureen. It definitely looks more inviting and spacious. Big difference in the kitchen too with clean up and just a few touches.
Robyn ~ thank you! The "farmhouse" kitchen in this 100-yr old home needs some updating, but now at least it's clean and tidy; buyers can see it's livable and ready for updates whenever they're able to do it.
Maureen- I just gravitate to the posts with the word "bachelor" in them. I guess it's because I know the transformations will be the best, and yours is right up there!!! Bachelors are so basic in their needs: big TV, ugly recliner, and a bed. You've created a space that will appeal to everyone, and you definitely removed the "bachelor" stamp from this home! Very pretty!
Wow what a huge improvment stagging made to this home. Your buyer has a wonderful Realtor in you for helping him appeal to his buyers.
What a beautiful home and look like you did a great job. I am curious as to how many sell that are staged. Is staging just an added benefit or does it sell homes. We don't have a service like that here.
Maureen -- You did a great job in staging this house. It looks beautiful. I'll bet the seller is happy with your work.
It looks much better after your special touches!
Elaine ~ Bachelors do share some common traits in having the big TV, big recliner, etc.....the "essentials" of life! This client was so willing to do whatever was necessary to have his home market ready -- don't we just love sellers who get it? thanks for your feedback.
Charles ~ Staging does help sell homes, yes! Every market has its own statistics but in general, staging (which encompasses everything from deep cleaning, de-cluttering, & removing excess furniture, to proper furniture placement & adding accessories where needed) is definitely a benefit to both the seller and the listing agent. You might try doing a Google search "home staging in xxx" (insert your city name) and see if any professional home stagers are in your area. A written staging consultation is usually very reasonably priced and provides the seller or agent with an Action Plan to make the home market ready. Give it a try!
Shirley ~ Thank you so much -- yes, the seller was very pleased with the outcome and beleves the reasonable investment will bring a faster sale.
Heather ~ Thanks for your comment ... it's much appreciated. I'm not the realtor, though, I'm the professional home stager that the listing broker recommended to the seller. This seller is lucky to have a realtor who knows the power of home staging, in my opinion!
Amy ~ Thank you, it was a fun project to make the home also appealing to women!
H Maureen . . . you do good work.
Staging is a talent.
Aloha
JIm
Great before and after pictures. Really shows the benefit of what you do.
Hi Maureen, Wow these rooms look sharp! I always enjoy your before and afters
Maureen - great job and thanks for sahring with us so many pictures. Love what you did with the master bedroom.
These are such good before and after pictures. The kitchen before with the trash car sitting in front of the sink was so typical!
Great job! I love the magic touch stagger put on our listings
Hi Maureen...Thank you for the before and after photos. I no longer subscribe to any shelter magazines. I am able to get my fix when I check out posts from all the superb stagers here on AR.
You did a great job for your client.
Kate
Maureen, this bachelor must think you are a staging goddess! Great job.
Very nice job, Maureen. You really opened up the rooms and made the whole home much more appealing and interesting.
Maureen, you did a great job!
Jim ~ Why, thank you, that is a very nice compliment!
Richard ~ Our goal as stagers is to help the home sell faster -- I hope we do that here. Thanks for commenting.
Ronelle ~ As I stager I bet you'll agree that sometimes staging a vacant home isn't as challenging as these occupied ones --- and these transformations are so rewarding, aren't they?
Patty ~ Thanks very much -- the master bedroom just would not have appealed to a woman buyer as it was before .... so we wanted to make sure it looked fresh and welcoming.
Barbara ~ You're right, that was a classic "bachelor" situation ... the trash can in front of the sink. It reminds us that how we live in a home is quite different than how we prepare it for selling. Thanks for your feedback.
Ritu ~ I'm happy to hear that you work with a stager ~ That's a great benefit to your clients!!
Hi Kate ~ Oh, that is wonderful to hear! I get my "fix" here on A/R too, with all of the talent in this community there's no need to look elsewhere! Thanks for stopping by ....
Pat ~ Well -- that might be a bit of a stretch -- but he did like the end result!! LOL :-)
Michelle ~ Thank you! This 100- yr old farmhouse bungalow had loads of charm, but not much to look at .. so we tried to bring in some color and interest. I'm glad to hear that you found it more appealing -- hopefully a buyer will as well!
Maria ~ Thank you for your feedback and kind remarks.
That is really quite amazing. I'm wondering if anyone has staged a home, and then had the homeowner decide to stay rather than moving?
Wow - what a difference you made. Hardly looks like the same place at all. Good job.
Hi Myrl ~ After staging, we've had sellers say "We wish we'd thought of doing (this or that) before we decided to move ..." and sometimes they even hire us to come to their new home to place their furniture in all the right places. We love to help clients whether they're sellilng their home or staying in it! Many thanks for stopping by with your comment.
Bob & Carolin ~ It sounds like we reached our goal, according to your kind remarks -- thank you!
Your pictures are very good and show the true meaning of Home Staging! Home Staging is definitely an art!
Suzanne ~ Thanks for your input -- as stagers we know that it works, don't we? :-)
Great job, Maureen. Now... if only I could persuade sellers in our area to consider staging, but it's all I can do to get them to pay me!
Margaret ~ Well, let's see ... there are a lot of good posts here on A/R about the benefits of staging for sellers....how about that it's an investment in making their home look better than all of the other homes out there .... and that it should reduce market time and carrying costs .... or that it's a tax-deductible expense allowed by IRS Publication 523 ... or that the small cost of a written consultation report (usually between $200-$300) by a professional home stager will allow the sellers to do the work themselves? There are many more, hope this is a good start!
What, you don't like the black recliner?
WoW .... what a difference in the before and after pictures ... great job
Another great job Maureen!! The gigantic TV was really taking over the space and there was no color. The room is now open, bright and spacious... and love the red accents!
Janet ~ LOL the recliner is the bane of many home stagers ~ we always recommend that it be removed to show more floor space!
Roland ~ Thank you for stopping by with your comment - glad you enjoyed it.
Lisa ~ Between the huge TV, the oversize coffee table, and the recliner -- you could hardly walk through the room! Asking the seller to remove those items made such a big difference, and he was so willing to do whatever was necessary -- an ideal client!
Maureen, those are some great before and after photos! Fantastic!
David ~ Nice of you to stop by with your comment -- thank you!
Maureen, this looks like it didn't cost the homeowner too much. Your efforts made the place looked brghter and more cheerful. What a transformation for the bedroom.
Sherry ~ You're right -- this was a very reasonably priced service for the homeowner. He did much of the work himself, working from our list of Things To Do, and we came in and re-positioned his remaining furniture and added a few of our own pieces. The bedroom really did end up looking much better than the "before" version, didn't it? Thanks for your feedback.
How fun and what a difference! Thank you.
I was amazed at the difference you made in the living room photo. The home looks fabulous now. Nice job!
What a difference. Looks great.
Love the exposed brick...in the dining area. I had someone leave a comment on my real blog the other day on an old, old staging post inspired by a post on ActiveRain that brick was out.. or they did not like brick. I was reminded of a past client who is an architect and our search for exposed brick.
Maureen, you did an AMAZING job! It doesn't even look like the same home. I'm sure the homeowner was thrilled with the transformation. Congratulations on the feature too - well deserved!
Big changes there, great job. Amazing how clean and neat makes a room look perfect to show.
Nice job!!! What a transformation!
Staging does make a huge difference
Marcy ~ Thanks, it was fun for us to work on this project with such a helpful client.
Diane ~ Just a few changes can make a big difference in making a home appealing to the target buyer....thanks for your input.
Maureen ~ That exposed brick in the dining room is a real selling feature! It adds a lot of character to this home.
Charlene ~ Many thanks for your kind comment. The homeowner was indeed happy with the result.
Kim ~ You just can't beat clean and neat when selling a home, can you?
Nelya ~ Staging makes any home look better, regardless of the size of the home or market conditions. I hope you're able to recommend a good stager to your clients.
Very nice staging job. One thing it does do for a home is show how much room you have. Rooms packed full of furniture do not do a home any justice. Good Luck
Kathy ~ It's true, one of the main benefits of staging is to show the square footage in a home ... after all, that's one of the main selling features. Thanks for your input!
This was such a great transformation. My favorite change was the bedroom.
Natalie ~ Thank you -- that "before" bedroom was a typical bachelor pad, wasn't it? We needed to make it a bit more appealing to the women buyers ....
Great job. It amazes me how small things can change up a room completely! Some people (like you) just have the ability to make it work! KM
Kristin ~ It's true that small changes can make a big difference in a home looking "market ready." Thanks for stopping by.
Maureen ... thanks for helping out a bachelor in need!!!! pippa
Great before and afters Maureen, thanks for the pics. It really is amazing how much staging can make a difference in appearance.
very nice Maureen. I love seeing before and after pictures.
Maureen, nice work decluttering and featuring the space. All the light in this home is great. We have a few of that same glass top table with copper curls. Works in so many spaces!
Pippa ~ They really do seem to need a bit of extra help, it's true! :-)
DJ and Angelia ~ I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the Before & After pics.
David ~ Aren't those skinny tables perfect for narrow spaces? Definitely nice to have in the inventory ... thanks for your feedback.
Amazing, such a difference. I wish I can convince all my sellers to stage. It would make our job so much easier.
Kari ~ Staging does make a realtor's job easier, you're right! We want to consider ourselves partners with our agents, not merely service providers. Keep trying to convince those sellers -- and thanks for weighing in with your comments.
Maureen - Great work the photos look terrific. It is easy to know why most bachelors could need your help:)
Bill ~ Quite a few homeowners can benefit from the help of a stager, but bachelors do seem to a bit more! Thanks for stopping by.
congrats on all the features! (teehee) You know I simply adore your work and love your friendship even more! talk to you soon
Hi Karen ~ why thank you, my friend -- me too! Looking forward to chatting with you ...
WOW!!! What a testament to staging..absolutely amazing transformation.
Cherimie ~ We love the magic involved in a staging transformation, too -- thanks for your feedback!
Wow, now that house has some cabinets, nice job on breaking them up visually. I have that same photo of the man and woman on the beach, haven't used it yet...love the romance of it!!
Maureen, Wow, what a fabulous job! I'm glad you got rid of that heavy furniture and love the elements you added to make this place just beautiful. Congratulations on a GREAT staging and a feature, you deserved it!
Hi Maureen,
As usual, you are the epitome of crisp and clean. The afters look great!
Cindy ~ No kidding! Have you ever seen so many cabinets? That is a great romantic print, I love it too.
Carole ~ Thank you for your kind support. It really was fun to make this transformation.
Janis ~ That is high praise coming from you ... the master of the transformed home! Many thanks for your feedback.