Sellers ~ For a Faster Sale, empty those “catch all” rooms and Show each room’s Best Use

Recently, I recalled a staging project in an occupied home that we completed a few months ago.  The home (in Portland’s Hawthorne district) was a charming old Victorian loaded with character, but the room sizes were relatively small and chock full of the sellers’ furnishings.

We coach our clients that since they’re selling square footage, it’s important to show as much floor space as possible.  And that while the room may have served them well with another purpose while they lived there, it’s best when selling to show potential buyers the room’s original purpose.

This home had two living rooms (or “parlors” as they were called back in 1895 when it was built). One of them had become a “catch all” for music equipment and miscellaneous items that didn’t fit somehwere else:

After removal of all the equipment & miscellaneous clutter, buyers could now walk through this room and imagine using it as a cozy seating area.  The original wood floors, a main selling feature, were now exposed and visible, adding instant equity.  (We also recommended that the room be painted a neutral shade, but the sellers weren’t willing to do this and luckily the house sold in spite of it!)

Upstairs there’s a bedroom that had been used as an office space as well as storage for miscellaneous clutter:

After staging, buyers could see the added value of this guest bedroom! Gone were the desks & office equipment and the large area rug (exposing the berber carpeting underneath);  we then added a staging bed, two simple tables & lamps, and used a few of the sellers’ items to warm up the space.

Result?  This home SOLD in a challenging market ~  The sellers were happy and so were we!

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Room Solutions Staging in Portland Oregon provides staging services to homeowners and Realtors to reduce market time and maximize equity. Whether your property is vacant or occupied, we can help!  For a no-obligation home staging proposal, call us at 503-246-1800.