No Vacancy

Y'all are going to be so proud of me. Remember how horrible I claimed to be about remembering to take Before After photos of our projects? Well this weekend I finally remembered. I captured the before & after of everything -- even projects within projects. (I so rock!)

The project this weekend was yet another vacant house . . . sigh. And not just some itty bitty vacant shack. This home is huge! We're talking more than 5,000 square feet of empty. Well, I say it's empty.  The owners left two beds to sleep in when they visit, but unfortunately they left nothing else. So the gigantic empty house with two lone beds shows like a flop house -- a look that just wows potential buyers.

This lonely little bed is sure to wow buyers . . . NOT!

The focus for this project was twofold. First, the property desperately needed an injection of life and light into the huge empty space. With no one around to turn on lights, open blinds, and set the stage for buyers, this was going tough. Secondly, those beds really needed to convey a less lonesome look. The depressing sight was sure to leave buyers with negative feelings about the property, so that problem had to be rectified. 

An easy fix would be to haul in a bunch of rental furniture to solve the problem. Unfortunately the budget for this project was nowhere near being large enough to furnish a 5,000+ sq. ft. house with rental furniture. In this case, we needed to stick to the important spaces -- kitchens & baths, and focal points like the amazing architecture in the great room, and correcting trouble spots like the beds. Our affordable solution: Key Area Staging.

I've talked about Key Area Staging many times before, but it really is a great solution for giving buyers a positive impression of a vacant property. Logically, a vacant home should be the easiest for buyers to envision themselves living. With no furniture or personal items to detract or confuse them, buyers should be able to picture their belongings in the space. Historically, though, that is not the case. Buyers have much more trouble imagining their stuff and getting a positive feeling from vacant properties than they do with an occupied home.

Here's how we helped give buyers an idea of this vacant home's full potential . . .


Great Room - BEFORE

This great room was showing, well, not so great. Without furniture, pumping up the personality of the unusually shaped room was tricky. It couldn't be overdone, but clearly it needed something to accentuate the amazing architecture.



Great Room - AFTER

Adding a large gallery-wrapped oil painting, a basket with a neutral throw, and some decorative accessories invite buyers now to look up from the bland fireplace and notice the interesting lines of the room. Here's the view buyers get when they enter the room . . .

Great Room - AFTER

In the kitchen we struggled with low light, lots of continuous bland colors, and very few areas available for pizazz-injecting accessories.

Kitchen - BEFORE

Because the cabinets were low and continuous, we had to make sure that accessories packed a punch. Everything we added had bright colors; increasing the elements of light in the room.

Kitchen - AFTER

In the cooktop area, the issue of low light was especially noticeable. Even more vexing was the unusual angles of the space. The unconventional design could easily be a negative to buyers.

Kitchen - BEFORE

We had to show off the amazing potential of the cooktop area. To do hat we added dramatic accessories that displayed the space and offered light -- even when the lights were off. We settled on a large, silver platter on a stand to reflect light and show off the countertop capacity. Take a look . . .

Kitchen - AFTER

The round shape of the accessories soften the harsh angles, while the light, reflective colors add light to an otherwise dark area. Just look how much space there is. It certainly shows off the potential much better than the dinky little candle set in the Before picture.

The hall bath is my favorite transformation in this home. Here's how it looked when we arrived . . .

Bath - BEFORE

 

Bath - BEFORE

That printed shower curtain with the birds & butterflies kinda screams, "Your grandmother should live here!" So look people, the deal on baths when selling a home is that buyers are looking for spa-like baths. That means simple accessories and white linens. Save the printed stuff for your next place. When you're selling a home, plain white in the bath is best.

Bath - AFTER

 

Bath - AFTER

See how the white shower curtain, white rolled towels, and a closed toilet lid help the bath to show much more fresh and clean.

Now for Sad Bedroom #1 -- As you know, when we arrived the bedroom looked like this . . .

Bedroom - BEFORE

What you really can't see from the photo is the size of the room. The room is actually quite large for a secondary bedroom. But with the sad little twin pushed up against the wall, the room looks small and shabby. As for that black, depression-inducing bedding -- ugh! I don't even want to talk about it. This room needed help.

Bedroom - AFTER

We could not completely furnish the room to show off its size, but with a few accessories we were able to give buyers an idea of the room's potential. The addition of large, brightly colored art, a big pop of color from the bookcase, light-injecting accessories, and a pale blue pillow eliminate the depressing feel and show off how great the room can be.

The master bedroom, a.k.a. Sad Bedroom #2, was nearly as depressing as the Bedroom #1, but not quite. We still had to cope with the same obstacles -- lots of space and a very small budget. Here's what we had to work with . . .

Master - BEFORE

Like Bedroom #1, we added a bedside table for a big pop of color, large art, and accessories. Another thing we did to make this master show like a master should was to tidy up the bedding. The comforter was ill-fitting and messy -- not a good image to convey to buyers. We removed some pillows and reduced patterns for a well-kept appearance. Take a look . . .

 

Master - AFTER

In the master bath we were challenged with an unconventional layout. The bathtub looks lost off to itself.

Master Bath - BEFORE

Master Bath - BEFORE

To remedy the problem, we added some accessories and art to fill the vacancies and add life to the bland, monochromatic room.

Master Bath - AFTER

Master Bath - AFTER

Finally, there was one more bath that needed our attention. Like the others, it lacked personality and light.

Bath - BEFORE

Bath - BEFORE

This room was not on our original to-do list, but we hated to leave it as-is. So we scraped together a few accessories to give it a more impactful presence. We swapped out the busy shower curtain with a more subdued one found elsewhere in the home. Then we used coordinating linens (which we also found) and some light-colored accessories on the counter. For a last-minute project, I think it turned out great.

 

Bath - AFTER

 

Bath - AFTER

If you have a vacant home that needs a personality pump-up, consider Key Area Staging. It's a great way to inject light & life in an otherwise dark and dreary space.