Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates Servicing the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

I am wiped out! After a month of back to back stagings I finally have some time to sit down and post on some of our recent projects. Typically I like my posts to be educational and share some insight on the industry or some recent staging statistics. This project however was a unique situation and the pictures speak for themselves.

Sometimes we just get lucky and get to stage one of the most amazing homes I have ever encountered. Seriously I was speechless when I saw this home and breathless when I got done staging it.

Take a look for yourself- It can be yours for a little over 6 million in Malvern, Pennsylvania in the heart of Chester County.

Special thanks to Kathleen Sheehan Cox www.kathleensheehancox.com of Wood Rich Homes for the exterior shots.

Below are photos of a model condo unit we staged for a builder in Lower Merion Pennsylvania, a suburb outside of Philadelphia. This is actually the 5th time we have staged this model! Each time we stage the model unit it sells, and the builder asks us to move it to a new location in the complex. Buyers love the staged unit and since that is the unit they want, we have to move it.  

The unit we are staging is the same as all the other units. So why do buyers insist on that particular unit and not another? Buyers are attracted to the look of the model and emotionally begin to connect to the space. I think this particular model works because it is designed to intentionally appeal to the typical buyer for this complex: an active adult that is downsizing from a tradtional home or a single woman that is a working professional. We have done more contemporary models for other properties but the classic look of this space is something buyers love because it shows them how their things can look in this space.

Last month I had the pleasure of working with a client in Lower Merion Pennsylvania a suburb outside of Philadelphia. I was brought in to assist a man that was moving to a new home after living in his current home for 11 years. The home was a contemporary ranch in a very tony zip code. The client wanted advice about how we could use his existing furniture to stage his home. Typically I provide clients with a home staging consultation that outlines how the furniture can be placed and what items the client should pack up and how they should accessorize the space using what they have now. This situation was a bit unique. The client had invested a lot of money updating his kitchen and bathrooms but had not purchased any new furniture, artwork or accessories since he moved there. He had moved into the home after a divorce and much of the furniture was mismatched and collected from here and there.  A home staging consultation is typically $300 for most homes. Staging a vacant home is a larger investment.

The easy thing to do would have been to tell him that his furniture would work. We could rearrange the living room and use some of the less personal art. The harder thing to do was to tell him that everything needed to go and we needed to bring in furniture and accessories that not only would be more appealing to his target buyer but also would enhance the new kitchen and bathroom. I chose the latter and told him honestly that his older furniture was upstaging his new kitchen and bathrooms and that he would now need to spend more money to get his home ready for sale.

He got it. He looked at me, looked at the furniture, looked at the dated carpet and got it. The next thing we did was set up appointments to have the rooms repainted and the carpet replaced. He then got to work over the next 2 weeks packing and moving out of the home. The following month our team came in and staged the main areas of his home. We wanted to show a more on-trend look that would appeal to younger buyers and work with the contemporary look of the home. Take a look below- I only wish I had befores to share. His reaction? He wishes he did this 11 years ago!

As a home staging professional I hear clients ask time and time again "Why do I need to stage my vacant home? Can't buyers just imagine how it will look with their furniture?" As always I answer, "No. Buyers need to see furniture in a space so they can mentally begin to move in. Staging gives rooms a better sense of proportion and shows buyers the best use of each space."

Below are some before and after pictures of a home we recently staged in Montgomery Country Pennsylvania. The home is a sleek contemporary space with gorgeous finishes and lots of natural light. Before staging buyers were not sure what each room could be used for. After staging the purpose is clear.

Home Staging is a key factor in successful home sales for many Philadelphia area home sellers.  Below are 3 recent case studies of projects we completed last month. As you can see no matter what the budget, home staging was able to help each home seller with their specific needs.

Home Staging Consultation: Total Cost $300.00

Delaware County, Wayne Pennsylvania

Days on Market Pre-Staging 6 months

Days on Market Post- Staging 2 weeks

We were contacted by the home seller's Realtor to assist her client with getting a new look for her home.  The client was downsizing after living in her home for 35 years and raising 4 children. The home owner had a flair for decorating but the home was overly personal. When buyers entered the home they immediately noticed all her lovely things not the home's architectural features. We met with the home seller and came up with a plan on how to enhance each room. We shared some advice about how to make the home feel more spacious and less personal. The most dramatic transformation was removing her many decorative area rugs and rearranging the living room and den to showcase the space and the hardwood floors her home offers.  The home seller was able to use our advice to stage her home and received an offer 2 weeks after staging.

Home Staging Enhancement: Total Cost $1600.00

Montgomery County, Wynnewood Pennsylvania

Received 2 offers within 72 hours of first showing

Prior to putting their home on the market this Spring this home seller contacted us to give them a plan on what they needed to do to make their home more appealing to potential buyers. They had lived in their home for only 2 years and were relocating to a new city for work. They had enjoyed the home but had not spent much time decorating or settling in. The result was that the home looked cold and uninviting. We started by giving them a staging consultation or report of what they needed to do to make sure each space was in top condition. This included cleaning carpets, repainting and washing windows. We then gave them a proposal for our team to accent their home with our accessories to give it a more completed look. The results were fantastic- the rooms felt warmer, more inviting and welcoming. Buyers agreed- they got 2 offers within days!

Standard Home Staging for Vacant Home: Total Cost $4970.00 ***

Chester County, Wayne Pennsylvania

Received Offer 23 days after staging

*** Total cost for 90 days. Client is now moving items to another property to be staged.

Our team was asked to assist a local home builder with one of his spec homes. We had successfully staged other homes for his Realtor and he had seen work that we had done for other home builders that he was acquainted with. We met with the seller and gave him a complimentary staging estimate. He hired us to fully stage the first floor of his home.  After the staging was completed the Realtor took photographs for his on-line site and began to market the home.  During the first week on the market the buyer viewed the property. Two weeks later they visited again and made an offer. The home builder was so thrilled with the results that he is moving the furniture and accessories to another spec home 2 miles away