‘Love It or List It’ New York Style!

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Home Staging New YorkLove It or List It. What does a Seller do when they completely fall back in love with their apartment after it has been staged? 

Do they “Love it” or do they “List it”? Is that show, “love it or list it” real?  Do people really change their plans and stay?

In the case of Sam and Leah Worth, they did both.  Looking to move their family to the suburbs, they decided to list their  3 bedroom/2 bathroom Upper Westside apartment.  The market wasn’t on fire and the real estate broker knew the offers would be substantially lower than what the market was dictating since the apartment was cluttered and worn.   Debbie Oulvey to the rescue!

Home Staging New York with Debbie OulveyA full report was issued to Sam and Leah, with all that they needed to do to prepare their property  for the selling process.  De-clutter closets so buyers can see depth and height.  De-clutter bedrooms so buyers can see space and spaciousness.  A few new pieces of furniture and lighting were purchased and the worn-out pieces were either discarded or moved to storage.  Then, the real work began:

  • All rooms were painted providing a true move-in-ready appeal to the apartment.
  • Windows were cleaned.
  • White hotel shower curtains and towels installed in the 2 bathrooms.
  • New bedding added to all 3 beds.
  • Artwork was hung with a purpose – to drive traffic into the rooms.
  • Sheers were hung in the windows to provide a more intimate appeal to the bedrooms and to block the street traffic visible from the main living space.

After investing long hours to properly stage the apartment, it was photographed and listed.  And the buyers came.  And they came.  And do did the offers but they were not as high as they had wanted (due to the market being a Buyers, not Sellers, market).   One day, Leah looked at Sam and said “I love this apartment.  I love the way it looks now.  Let’s stay for another few years.”  And so they did.

     *        *        *

Fast forward a few years: the market conditions in Manhattan have resurrected and a buying frenzy is happening.  Properties that are move-in ready and priced correctly are moving at a very fast pace.  Sam and Leah are giving it another try, and once again Debbie Oulvey is called in to give them pointers and advice on preparing the property for the next wave of buyers.

For more information on Home Staging New York, please call Debbie Oulvey at 917-428-3965.

“Everything But The Kitchen Sink”! Another Home Staging New York Case Study

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Home Staging New York

Well, in this case, the kitchen sink actually did have to go! LOL This is an amazing Home Staging New York Case Study. Often we do not have such clear numbers to pinpoint success solely based on the staging.  This is one I’m particularly proud of!

When we were hired to stage this one bedroom co-op, we knew that most of the budget needed to be focused on the kitchen.  Kitchen s and bathrooms can make or break a sale, and this kitchen was definitely a deal-breaker.   Metal cabinets with plastic handles.  Yellow formica counter tops.  White appliances.  Poor lighting.  And no stove!

The target demographic buying groups for this unit were a couple who would use the apartment as a pied-a-terre or a first-time buyer.   We knew we had to present a clean,move-in ready canvas to satisfy the needs of these two buyers profiles.   The 7′ wide by 8′ long kitchen space was gutted and we designed a clean, updated kitchen plan that incorporated carrera marble counters, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, new lighting and 12 x 24 inch floor tiles that we ran lengthwise to make the room feel larger.

Kitchen-Pro shot w titleThe seller invested $50,000 in the Staging Design Plan for this property (which included the kitchen renovation, updating the bathrooms, removing wallpaper and skim-coasting the walls, removing window treatments, adding radiator cabinets with bookshelves and adding furniture and lifestyle accessories).  The real estate broker increased the list price of the property by $100,00 after the staging was completed.

At the first open house, he received 3 offers, 2 at full ask.  Our staging resulted in an immediate sale and an additional $50,000 in the buyer’s pocket.

 

Home Staging New York 917-428-3965

Flat Iron Penthouse – Home Staging New York At Its Best!

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Home Staging New YThis 2 bedroom duplex Penthouse in the Flat Iron District showed the “love” of family living. The savvy real estate broker knew that a lived-in look would not translate to offers and a sale.

ASNYC brought in its team of contractors and repaired, repainted and revitalized the rooms. De-cluttering, furniture rearrangement and the addition of colorful pillows and throws created a living room that welcomed Buyers as they entered the apartment from the foyer. The Staging plan incorporated the Seller’s furnishings and even some art that was in storage.

The result: a presentation of clean, neutral, move-in ready rooms that allowed the buyer’s attention to be immediately drawn to the outdoor space – the true selling feature of the Unit.

The Unit was on the market for 2 weeks and received multiple offers. It sold for above ask.

Home Staging New York

Those are the kinds of home staging New York statistics we’ll take all day long!!

If you have an apartment in the Flat Iron district and you’d like to see what a refreshed plan might look like for your home, please contact our lead designer, Debbie Oulvey at 917-428-3965.

Home Staging New York

Home Staging New York With Stylish Success!

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New York Home Staging Success

It’s not that the room looked bad, it just didn’t look its best.  Nor up-to-date. Nor particularly enviable.

Although located in a beautiful pre-war building nestled in the heart of an Upper Eastside affluent neighborhood, the decor of this duplex co-op apartment was not appealing to the buyers who desired a home in this zip code. Home Staging New York is as much about understanding the buyer as it is about maximizing the look of the space.

ASNYC’s Staging plan included painting several rooms, removing all existing furniture, removing over 50 per cent of the artwork, cleaning carpets and windows, buffing wood floors, and replacing light fixtures in the bathrooms and in the dining area. Light-colored fabrics on transitional style furnishings coupled with minimal artwork was strategically placed to allow buyers to focus on the fireplace, the 13 foot ceilings and the open floor plan of the living space.

Prior to Staging, this property sat on the market for nine months without a single offer.

Eight weeks after it was staged, it received an offer at full ask price.

To inquire about these results for your property, and about Home Staging New York in general, please call 917-428-3965 —> Amazing Space NYC.
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Home Staging New York’s Master Bedroom Fit For A King!

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Home Staging New YorkHome Staging New York does not always require a complete gut renovation of a room or the whole apartment.  After all, we offer Lifestyle Staging, not model apartments.  This master bedroom had great storage and built-in lighting.  The ultimate prize was that the room could accommodate a king size bed!  This is a true rarity in New York City’s pre-war buildings.

The crochet afghan and shelves cluttered with books and childish accessories did not exude a sophisticated backdrop.  By adding hotel-style linens to the king size bed, de-cluttering the bookshelves, and adding art, a few lifestyle accents and a floral arrangement, this master bedroom was transformed into a welcoming, sophisticated  retreat.

And the mirror?  Well, what do you think? Kinda fun, no? LOL

Home Staging New York

Home Staging New York for the last 5 years, Amazing Space NYC’s lead designer, Debbie Oulvey, can be reached at 917-428-3965.

New York Home Staging

Home Staging New York With Endless Views!

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Home Staging New York ViewsHow do you stage a property when it is all about endless views? Surely anything you do, would distract from the biggest asset – the view? This is just one of many factors we take into account as we set about home staging New York.  This property presented such a challenge.

You see, when a property is anticipated to attract significant attention from foreign investors and/or buyers, the real estate team might consider staging the property only for marketing photographs and video footage, but not for showings.  Because of our Interior Design background, Amazing Space NYC is often hired to handle this type of project.  We are in and out of the space in a matter of 2 days!

Such was the case with an Upper East Side condominium development that offered several Penthouse Units with panoramic views of the East River and midtown.  Our accent color was inspired by the sky that stretched out from every window.  By creating distinct seating areas in the living room, we successfully eliminated its unappealing bowling alley shape.  Shades of blue were incorporated in accent pillows, rugs, throws, artwork and accessories.

The result: a spacious, elegant entertaining space that offers multiple areas for conversation and endless views.

Home Staging New York with views

Home Staging New York with Endless Views…such a treat! This was just one of the many jobs we absolutely loved working on!

For a consultation on your property for sale, please contact our lead designer, Debbie Oulvey – an expert in home staging New York – at Amazing Space NYC 917-428-3965

Home Staging New York With Views

New York Home Staging – Letting Go Of Your Home So We Can Sell It For You!

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New York home staging letting go“It’s been good enough for me all these years!”

Ever heard that?

Often a Seller is hesitant and resists every step we take to help sell the property. I see that: It’s hard letting go of a home you have created. At Amazing Space NYC, we not only come in with a design and renovation plan, we also add a psychological plan to help the Seller release the property so we can neutralize and update it. We frequently need to eliminate the past and bring it to the future . . . and it works, every time!

While it may not seem obvious, this is often a part of the home staging process. Although the home owner HAS to go, or maybe just WANTS to go, there is still this matter of letting go that is often a strong emotional process. There are cherished memories, there are events that took place in that space. The owner often needs help associating talismans or touch points to items they can take with them. This is just one of many tactics that can be useful in releasing this life chapter so that they can confidently step into a new one.

home staging new yorkIt is this part of a stager’s job that is so valuable to brokers. Once a homeowner has detached from their “home” and start to see the property as a product, negotiations become a lot less fraught and emotionally charged. The offers stop being personal, and become merely transactional. Everyone’s job becomes easier.

For more information, and a consultation, please call Amazing Space NYC at 917-428-3965