HOME STAGING EXAMPLES WITH BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS

Successful home staging projects with before and after photos

The power of paint & new window coverings

An open floor plan offering great volumes of space with high ceilings and lots of windows - that's what gave this Carlsbad residence such a wonderful feel. However, it was still painted "builder white", had some dated accent wall colors and 10-year old, out-of-style window coverings. The interior was painted with a rich custom color and new 2-inch white wood blinds with detailed valances were installed. The owner was an artist with art everywhere! About half of her paintings were removed, the better ones were re-hung and minor changes were made in the furniture arrangement. Tinting was removed from the windows to allow natural light to stream in, quartz halogen bulbs were installed in all the recessed fixtures and some obvious repairs were made. The home sold for $765,000 within 70 days of the enhancements being completed.

Wall color adds drama to Carlsbad executive home!

This beautiful Carlsbad home had a dramatic open floor plan with amazing Aviara Golf Course views. However, it had never been completely decorated. When the owners called me to sell it, they were completely open to my enhancement ideas. In order to transform the property into "Blue Ribbon" condition, they vacated the property and moved into their new home. The entire interior was painted with a rich decorator color that I discovered in a home I had just sold in Bressi Ranch. Minor repairs were performed, the windows were cleaned, the carpeting was stretched, repaired and cleaned. The stained driveway was re-coated and the overgrown landscaping was trimmed to open up the view. The results were fantastic and the home sold in 46 days for $1,090,000!

Aviara home transformed and sold in 19 days!

This ocean view Aviara home had been on the market with another agent for 224 days. During my initial inspection it was obvious why the property had not sold! The first step was to paint the cold white walls with my favorite Frazee designer wall color. The home was only partially furnished. So, I emptied some rooms and fully furnished others. The artwork was re-hung in better locations and at proper heights. Old wilted house plants were thrown out, the windows and carpeting were professionally cleaned, my decorator added some accessories including a few new towels and a bed spread. The landscaping was over-grown. So, it was pruned back to scale and new small plants and fresh bark mulch were installed. Tinting was removed from several windows to bring in more natural light and a few minor repairs were made. The total spent on home staging was only about $6,500 and the home sold quickly for $850,000. One happy and relieved owner!

Dramatic exterior enhancement in Carlsbad!

When the owner of this Carlsbad home went into a senior community, her financial planner referred me to the family. The home had not been maintained for many years and the exterior changes were dramatic. Stucco repairs were made, the roof was tuned up, and the termite and dry-rot repairs were made. Then, it was painted and the yard and landscaping were enhanced. A lot of the old plants were removed and we increased the size of the lawn in back. The old front sideway was badly cracked. So, it was demolished and a new curved walkway was installed. The irrigation system was repaired and the grounds became a friendly asset instead of a liability. It went on the market for $629,000, was reduced to $615,000 and closed escrow at $600,000.

Less furniture opened up this Vista home!

The owners of this Vista residence were very receptive to my enhancement program and they enjoyed the transformation. The walls were "builder white" - a difficult color to sell. So, the whole interior was repainted a rich interior wall color with crisp white doors and trim. The main living area was crowded. You can see how it opened up when the ottoman, china cabinet and sofa table were removed. This allowed us to add an extra leaf to the dining room table. Other enhancements included new light fixtures, kitchen and bath hardware, mirrors and new white decora electrical switches and receptacles. New white appliances were installed in the kitchen. All the tile was professionally cleaned and re-grouted. Outside, the yard was pruned and replanted. The termite-infested patio cover was demolished for less than the cost of rebuilding it. This opened up the small yard and let more light into the interior of the home. It sold for $460,000.

Encinitas residence goes upscale

This property was referred to me by the previous agent, who had it listed for 90 days without success. The owners had heard about my home staging program, and they were ready to do what was needed to get their home sold. First, we removed clutter from throughout the house. The interior walls were light blue in color with dark blue trim - difficult colors to sell. So, it was repainted with my most popular Frazee designer wall color with white trim. This created a warmer and more sophisticated feeling to the house. The master bedroom window air conditioner was removed and new white wood blinds with detailed valances replaced the existing heavy window coverings. Items were removed from the kitchen countertops and on top of the cabinets. The bright yellow kitchen walls were repainted with the new color. New bath hardware and mirrors were installed and the owner did a fine job of enhancing the private yard. After spending $3,900 for home staging, this home sold within 3 weeks for $525,000.

Small changes can make a big difference!

This stylish Rancho Bernardo residence was well decorated with nice furnishing and custom interior paint. It required only minor home staging to pull it all together. The red fireplace stood out more than I liked. So, it was painted to match the existing wall color. The plain-white secondary bedrooms were painted to match the rich wall color of the rest of the house. The walls and woodwork throughout the house were touch-up painted to perfection. Select pieces of furniture were rearranged to create a better flow and some art work was removed or lowered to be more in scale. The irrigation system was repaired, the lawn over-seeded and new plants were installed in the planter beds. The repairs and home staging took about 10 days to complete.

Home staging sold this Encinitas residence in 60 days!

The owners of this Encinitas twinhome called me after their previous listing agreement expired. They agreed to a comprehensive enhancement program with a $6,800 budget. New baseboards were installed, old built-in speakers, hand-made shelves and two clunky ceiling fans were removed. Sheet rock repairs were performed and the interior was painted a designer wall color with crisp white trim. The lighting fixtures, door hardware and bath fixtures including the mirrors and medicine cabinets were replaced. New white Decora electrical switches and receptacles were installed. The florescent fixtures in the kitchen and the hanging light fixtures throughout the house were replaced with recessed lights with quartz-halogen bulbs. Under-counter lighting was added in the kitchen and framed mirrors replaced the large wall-to-wall mirrors in the bathrooms. The wood cabinets were cleaned and refreshed. Notice how the dining room opened up and the new modern look of the kitchen. The sales price was $570,000.

Aviara executive home required major home enhancement!

This Aviara home was a big home staging success story. The sellers vacated the property and told me to do whatever needed to be done to sell it. The home was over-decorated with dark paint colors, heavy drapes, gaudy wallpaper and dark window tinting. The wood floors were damaged and the berber carpeting was dirty and badly worn. Property enhancement included wallpaper removal, new interior paint, new carpeting, refinishing the wood floors, tint removal and general repairs. We also cleaned up the yard, added many new beautiful flowering plants and took down the child safety fence to show off the spectacular pool with ocean view. The home enhancement was completed in just three weeks and the changes were dramatic. The home sold during the final home staging process for a record high price of $1,375,000.

Carlsbad yard was transformed for only $975!

Because of our almost perfect weather, gardens are very important to Southern Californians. The owner of this Carlsbad residence was very busy in his work and had let the landscaping go "natural". To make the yard more appealing, all the landscaping was removed, a new irrigation system was installed along with fresh green sod, the patio was renewed with cement stain and the fence was repaired and painted. The owner purchased a smaller table with two chairs. Although the yard is small, it looked fresh and appealing once the home staging was completed.

Encinitas rental home enhanced to sell at a top price!

This Encinitas twinhome had been a rental for 10 years and was neglected. I estimate the $13,000 home staging budget increased the sales price by about $30,000. The interior fixtures were removed, the popcorn ceilings scraped and miscellaneous repairs were made. The home was painted, new carpeting installed and the landscaping was enhanced. The bathroom tile was re-grouted and new bath and lighting fixtures and hardware was installed. The changes in the kitchen were dramatic. Six recessed lights with quartz-halogen bulbs replaced the old fluorescent light fixture, the 20-year old laminate countertops were replaced with a faux granite surface and ceramic tile back splash. The cabinets were painted and a new kitchen sink and faucet were installed. During the home staging process, I was excited about the results and suggested a $10,000 increase in the list price. My hunch was right! The property sold just prior to completion for full price - $535,000 - while other homes in the neighborhood sat on the market for months.

Want to stage your home for sale but you don't live in San Diego?

If you're selling your home and want to find a real estate agent in your area who can offer you the advantages of home staging, call Neal Hribar or check the box below for a referral. He knows how to find a home staging Realtor® in your area who will help you sell your home for more money. There's no charge for this service.

Would you like to learn more about home staging?

Keller Williams Realty has prepared a free home enhancement guide to help you stage your home for sale. This handy brochure covers every detail of home staging from start to finish including; creating a great first impression, complete exterior enhancement and making your interior more appealing. It also has a section on the impact of all those important small details. To get a free copy of this home staging guide, complete the form below and you'll receive it in a few days.

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Keller Williams Realty
6005 Hidden Valley Road, Suite 200

Carlsbad, California 92011
Office: 760-496-7935

Cell: 760-822-8690