Tag Archives: NYC home staging

NYC Home Staging FAQs

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Home staging like any industry has FAQs

When I consult with a real estate broker or a home owner on home staging their property, there are 3 questions I am prepared to answer, as at least one (if not all 3) are always on the “ask” list:

  1. How much will it cost?
  2. How quickly can it be done?
  3. Can you recommend and oversee the contractors and purchases (for projects that involve more than furniture)?

Home Staging FAQ: How Much Does It Cost?

This question is a tough one as there are a lot of variables that must be taken into consideration:

  1. The primary (and even secondary) target buyer’s lifestyle
  2. How would the buyer use each space in the property
  3. What will modestly yet stylishly illustrate “highest and best use” (a real estate axiom) within the context of our objective. (if there’s a game room or library, do we need to have more than one game on hand, or can a single chess set make the point?  Do we need a grand piano, guitar and violin or just a chair next to music stand to indicateMusic Room?)

These are the primary variables, then there is time on the market (we rent furniture and accessories for a 3 or 6 month term), which will also affect the overall cost.
NYC Home Staging

 

Another variable is how much work has to be done to the property to get the property market-ready.  When competing against new construction, the charm of old word details is lost when those details are crumbling, cracked and covered in 30 years of paint. All a buyer sees is ha$$le.  Dated appliances, lighting, carpeting can all cause a property to lag on the market while its neighbors are receiving multiple showings and offers.

Home Staging FAQ: How Quickly Can It Be Done?

I think my record is 2 weeks for a light renovation, furniture design, art sourcing and installation!  The sprawling apartment on the 27th floor in a full-service Carnegie Hill co-op looked fantastic when we completed the Staging, though it nearly killed us to pull all the components together in time for the launch!

Home Staging Ideas

I think this is my favorite view:-

apartment staging by Debbie Oulvey has wine room

 

Home Staging FAQ: Can you recommend and oversee the contractors and purchases?

Yes.  I actually prefer handling the entire project from beginning to end.  It is simpler in many ways for me and much better for the Client. At this point, the home staging is the least of it. Managing the project – from securing insurance and alteration guidelines, coordinating freight elevator and deliveries, scheduling the work  – this can become very tedious and overwhelming.  My company is fully equipped to handle the prep work that might be required prior to placing any furniture, art or accessories into a property.

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If you would like your New York City Apartment home staged, please call 917-428-3965 and ask for lead designer, Debbie Oulvey.

 

Home Staging NYC Kitchens Take A Light Touch

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Kitchen - AFTER

1. Throw down some style!

NYC kitchens tend to be small. How much actual cooking gets done is hard to imagine, though many New Yorkers proudly proclaim they can create multiple course dinners in theirs: “it’s all in the timing”. So as home stagers, when preparing a NYC apartment for sale, we need to be able to suggest cooking could happen in the space. some place to eat whatever’s been created?  Well, that calls for even more creativity!  Here are a couple things I keep in mind when home staging nyc kitchens – with examples from a few of my favorite recent successes.

1. One Big Bold Design Statement

Add style in the form of a design element – just one – whether it’s a striking piece of art, or a hide rug, or a state of the art coffee pot… even a retro fondue pot – and you will find the space packs a punch beyond its size.

NYC home Staging a kitchen

2.  Deep Clean – grime and gunk has to be removed, and grout given a good bleaching.

2. “White Glove Clean”

Seriously, clean even if you need to re-grout as a result…because with less accessories to look at, the buyer stares into the corners. It is worth hiring a pro for this, unless you’re newly single and vigorous scrubbing would be therapy.

NYC home staging

3. Find Seating – somewhere close

3.  Seating

Even if there’s only a counter  or even a shelf, add a few stools and now buyer’s can see a separate space for a chai latte. The reality is that space will become where everyone uses their laptop, pays bills, and wraps presents, but in a small space, the horizontal spaces are a premium.

NYC Home Staging

4. Dress the kitchen sparingly, but with useful things

4. Dress Barely, One Flimsy Layer More Than Naked

Nothing on the counter is too barren, and as we’ve discussed earlier, it gives buyers nothing to look at beyond the grout lines and corners. A coffee pot, if gleaming, is fine as is shiny toaster. 3 trendy cookbooks in a row, if in mint condition is eye-catching, but one open is fine, too. A bowl of glossy red apples is an easy play, though it might suggest Fall to local buyers. Those red apples are grown upstate in lovely rambling orchards. Lemons, limes adn grapefruits last a little longer, and as they age, they can do you a great turn by cleaning out the insinkerator while aromating the room pleasantly.

NYC Home Staging with red accents in a kitchen

5. Accessorize the stove with a punch of color.

5. Put a pot on the stove.

Otherwise, its an awful lot of black! Just make sure the pot or kettle is in mint condition; a beaten up old favorite only sells “country”!

For advice on staging your kitchen when you go to sell your apartment, do reach out to me – my team is available for staging consults by appointment. The wait’s not too long!! :p 917-428-3965

NYC Model Redesign – Real Stager Required!

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NYC Home Staging for Model Units

Before, when it was decorated by a high-end designer

This is the original “Model” for that space. It is on the 27th floor. When I was asked to model the 29th floor space we looked at the problems with this one and made them go away on 29. The furniture that was used in the original models reminds me of a low ranch in Long Island, not an upper east side apartment worth millions of dollars. Redesigning this space on a higher floor, we immediately knew what NOT to do: No chandelier or oversized floral arrangement in the dining area that blocks the views and windows. A white fireplace instead of a clunky, dark brown media console. a larger, more expensive wool rug to anchor the seating area. And layers of elegance using furniture, art and accessories.

Here’s the After:-

NYC Home Staging

AFTER – interior redesign by the team at Amazing Space NYC.

Bleak and Basic Before Staging This NYC Home

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Before Home Staging NYC One Bedroom Appartment

A new paint color, a thorough cleaning and a simple, but effective, Staging Design by Amazing Space NYC and this one bedroom condo on the Upper East side sold in ONE day at full ask,  with multiple offers and a bidding war.

One bedroom condos are a dime a dozen in New York City. The post-war units tend to all look alike.  A single window, the parquet floors, the open plan… it’s a common look.  How to make this one stand out? How do we create a memorable event that will capture the buyer’s attention and elicit offers?

This before photo is a bit dark, but you can see the whole space is awkaward… and yellow.  ASNYC approached this space as we do every property: we identify the target buyer, renovate as much as the budget allows,  deep-clean the rooms and then illustrate how the next buyer can advantage of what’s there.

NYC Home Staged by ASNYC

 

A fresh coat of Elmira White HC-84 provided the perfect backdrop for a combination of contrasting furniture and large pieces of dramatic artwork.  Since red is a color that traditionally spurs people to action, touches of red were incorporated to add punch and purpose.  The staging design plan created the “wow” effect we consistently strive for, which then led to several buyers having the “I gotta have it” reaction.  We just love when that happens!

Multiple offers and a bidding war that resulted in an accepted offer heads above the ask price.  It’s fun to be able to report such an amazing success!

For your own potential success story, please call 917-428-3965 and ask for lead designer, Debbie.

Decks – NYC Home Staging Exterior Spaces

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Outdoor spaces are a premium in Manhattan real estate. If you have one as part of your property, it needs to be emphasized and made the most of.  Amazing Space NYC (ASNYC) gets asked about home staging exterior spaces often, particularly in the extreme seasons of high summer (exhausting heat and humidity) and deep winter (darn cold and windy!)  should you bother?  Yes!

For this exterior space, we rented trees for the photo shoot and brought in pillows, towels, dinnerware, lanterns and some faux grasses.   ASNYC successfully revived these 3 decks and created an oasis that beckoned buyers to lounge, dine or entertain!

The Results:  SOLD – 99% of ask.

Home Staging NYC decks and penthouses

 

For more information, please call Amazing Space NYC – 917-428-3965 and ask for Debbie.