The Happiest Place on Earth?

Disney World is considered (by the Disney Corporation), the "Happiest Place on Earth." If you have ever been to the parks, you can reminisce how mouse ears, fairy princesses, and non-stop cheery music create a magical world that most children, young and old, cannot resist.

Over-zealous mouse fans can unintentionally turn Disney charm into nightmare when trying to imitate the Magic Kingdom in their own room...

Snow White, Bambi, and a myriad of characters turn this room into a cluttered sight. Notice there is no furniture, no decor, just walls full of a busy print. Therefore, when selling your house, it is essential to neutralize the space for buyers.

Neutralizing walls have positive effects:

• Suits various decor styles and colors
• Increases the visual size of the room
• Reduces a cluttered atmosphere
• Appeals to a larger segment of buyers

This room in the picture above has a happy ending... but you will need to check out future blogs to find out!

KFM Staging & Design is a Minnesota home staging company that creates "First Impressions that Sell" in the Twin Cites and Western Wisconsin. KFM specializes in vacant staging and staging consultations. Visit our website for staging tips or to schedule your in-home or online consultation.

KFM Staging & Design
"Creating First Impressions That Sell!"
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A Closet Shopper

Staging a house during a recession may make sellers cringe at the thought of spending money just to "decorate" a house. Although some purchases may be beneficial, most homeowner can shop for free in their very own cupboards and closets. Take a look at some no-cost decorating/staging ideas below.

BATHROOM COUNTER DECOR:
-Rolled hand towels
-Basket of mini soaps, lotions, or perfumes
-Candles

The photo below displays two hand towels arranged on the counter for added color and softness to this area.

KITCHEN COUNTER DECOR:
-Large pepper mill and salt shaker
-Jars of flour, sugar, etc.
-Glass vase with various color beans
-Platters from China set
-Cookbooks
-Fresh fruit

This kitchen is staged using fruit and decorative dishes.

MASTER BEDROOM DECOR:
-Neutral photo frames
-Throw blankets
-Guest pillows
-Empty jewelry box.

This master bedroom was given an instant headboard using photo frames.

Hard times may call for drastic measures, but when sellers use their imagination, they may save themselves a lot of money when staging their home.

KFM Staging & Design is a Minnesota home staging company that creates "First Impressions that Sell" in the Twin Cites and Western Wisconsin. KFM specializes in vacant staging and staging consultations. Visit our website for staging tips or to schedule your in-home or online consultation.

KFM Staging & Design
"Creating First Impressions That Sell!"
Visit MyBlogLog and get a signature like this!

A Balancing Act... of Sorts

Home staging has been identified as a key component to preparing houses for sale. Professional stagers have been known to beautifully redesign a living room within minutes of stepping into the space, leaving home owners scratching their heads and muttering, "Why didn't I think of this before?"

The truth is, there is a fine art (yes, art) to the act of rearranging furniture and setting home accents in "just the right place." More than having good taste in decorating, stagers follow proven design principles that show off the individual layout of a house and highlight the features of each room. To accomplish these tasks, stagers perform a "balancing act" that equally distributes visual weight around the room.

In the photo below, the buffet and glass cabinet AND art work AND lack of space on the opposite wall create an over-crowded and unbalanced room that weighs heavy to the right. Off-centered to the light fixture, the improper placement of the table adds to the uneven representation of this room.

Removing the buffet and cabinet allows the table to be centered under the light fixture and with the window. Eliminating the large furniture pieces also creates a "lighter feeling" on the right wall which results in balanced visual weight with the opposite wall.

Rearranging and/or eliminating furniture while staging serves a specific purpose when preparing your home for the market. When properly placed, your furniture will accentuate the positive characteristics of each room.

KFM Staging & Design is a Minnesota home staging company that creates "First Impressions that Sell" in the Twin Cites and Western Wisconsin. KFM specializes in vacant staging and staging consultations. Visit our website for staging tips or to schedule your in-home or online consultation.

KFM Staging & Design
"Creating First Impressions That Sell!"
Visit MyBlogLog and get a signature like this!

Six Degrees of Home Staging - Wayne Newton

For die-hard home stagers and staging fanatics around the world, home staging is believed to be linked to any profession, celebrity, or life event with-in six degrees.

For our first attempt, let's start with an easy one...

Wayne Newton and Home Staging

1. Wayne Newton is known as Mr. Vegas
2. Vegas's long-running top show was Siegfried and Roy
3. Siegfried and Roy are famous magicians
4. Magicians are known for their sleight-of-hand tricks
5. Sleight-of-hand uses misdirection to bring attention to a desired area
6. Attracting attention to desired areas is a key component in home staging

The master bedroom shown the photo below has several angles with low ceiling points. Having no other point-of-interest, the eye is immediately drawn to these low-set roof lines. Buyer's (especially those over 4'10") may view this master bedroom as a series of obstacles.

The staged photo below shows how staging redirects the eye from negative features by creating a visual display that captures buyers' attention. Instead of focusing on the negatives, staging allows buyers to see how to work around less desired areas of a home.

Some critics of home staging accuse stagers of "covering up" flaws in the house; however, that is a uneducated or misunderstood concept of the profession. Home staging shows us how to optimize the unique characteristics of each house.

*This blog topic is a blatant rip-off of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon that is a rip-off of Six Degrees of Separation.

KFM Staging & Design is a Minnesota home staging company that creates "First Impressions that Sell" in the Twin Cites and Western Wisconsin. KFM specializes in vacant staging and staging consultations. Visit our website for staging tips or to schedule your in-home or online consultation.

KFM Staging & Design
"Creating First Impressions That Sell!"
Visit MyBlogLog and get a signature like this!

Curb Appeal: Winter Edition

Sellers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other snow bound states have a unique challenge with the curb appeal of their homes during the winter months. After the holiday decorations are removed, home owners can apply easy winter staging techniques

• Shovel driveway and sidewalks after every snowfall. Ankle deep snow will discourage buyers before they set their wet foot in the door.
• Salt paved surfaces. Slippery walkways may pose a hazard to buyers and Realtors.
• Remove snow from decks, porches, and patios. Although buyers may not step on to these areas, these spaces will appear larger than if the snow were to remain.
• Remove dog droppings from the yard. You may want to spread fresh snow over the yellow sections to give your yard a clean look.

Curb appeal may be limited during the snowy season, but by using common sense staging practices, sellers can obtain great winter time curb appeal.

KFM Staging & Design is a Minnesota home staging company that creates "First Impressions that Sell" in the Twin Cites and Western Wisconsin. KFM specializes in vacant staging and staging consultations. Visit our website for staging tips or to schedule your in-home or online consultation.

KFM Staging & Design
"Creating First Impressions That Sell!"
Visit MyBlogLog and get a signature like this!