Ok, Ok, I've been inspired!!! Thanks Kathy Nielson for the challenge and everyone else who has blogged on their favorite transformations of 2008. This was a really tough decision for me. I've had so many homes that I've dearly loved and some that really amazed me when I looked at the before and after photos. Ultimately I guess the one that I loved the most - the one that really surprised me the most when the product was done was a little house in Summerville, SC.
The homeowner called me after reading about our services in the Post & Courier. The article was actually about HGTV Real Estate Expert, Terry Haas, who had just moved to Daniel Island, SC (one of our better burbs). I was also mentioned in the article as was our website, etc. The homeowner had done a little research, visited our website and liked what she saw....
These are the photos of the home from when I did my initial consultation. At the time, the homeowner wasn't sure that she was ready to sell right away. She wanted to take the proper time and consideration to sell the home - to do it right. (When are we lucky enough to hear them say that?)
These homeowners had only lived in this home less than a year. They didn't need to move but didn't love the neighborhood.... not because it wasn't a good neighborhood, but rather because this was a younger neighborhood - a starter neighborhood - and they were retired. They wanted to be more in their own demographic.
As you can tell from the above photos, this creates its own dilemna. Their furnishings, etc are a little more fitting to their personal demographics than a younger mid 20s demographic.
About two weeks after our consultation I received a call from the sellers that they found the perfect home for them and put an offer on it. (So much for no hurry getting the home ready!) With this, they decided to hire us to stage their home after they moved into their new one. Because of the change in market, they were going to list the home for less than they paid for the home and now they were going to have 2 mortgage payments - on retiree income. This meant we better be good at what we do. It definately counted.
Another reason this was one of my favorite transformations is because this home was done as part of a class project. Two of my students were local and became team members (David Moon & Bonnie Mizzell). I clearly remember David saying after class that when we were picking out furniture from the warehouse he was sure it would look awful. He didn't like many of the choices and felt we were 'scraping from the bottom of the barrel'. We did not have much left in stock and sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming when you are new knowing what will fit together and how the end product will work out. I think this was a valuable lesson. Sometimes, it's the accessories and attention to detail that pull it all together. Because we had a basic fluid color scheme and all of our furniture was more or less transitional, we were able to create a cohesive look.
This home did a great job of appealing to it's demographics. The home was one of the quickest sales in that neighborhood and the buyers even purchased some of the furniture.
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For information on home staging in the Greater Charleston Area or for information on staging training programs, please contact Melissa Marro at 843.822.2622 or email me at Melissa@RedesigningCharleston.com
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Author Bio: Melissa Marro, Home Staging Industry leader, Realtor, and entrepreneur offers a unique perspective on New Home Construction, Resale Residential Real Estate, and Home Staging
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For more information on buying or selling in the Fleming Island, Orange Park, or Jacksonville, area, visit StageListSellNEFL.com or call Melissa Marro (marro.melissa at gmail.com), Keller Williams First Coast Realty, for more information (904-466-2093).
