Century Old Home Staged with Contemporary Twist

A former Santa Fe Governor residence, more than a century old,  receives an interior facelift with contemporary furnishings through home staging and design in Santa Fe, NM.

The majority of homes in Santa Fe are Adobe or Territorial style, however this one is truly unique with original stone walls, basement, deep seated windows, and guest rooms upstairs boasts an unusual design in Dutch Colonial architecture.

It would have been easy to prepare this home as a typical home staging project by using furnishings that reflected an older period. However, we chose to step it up and move away from the ordinary or expected by bringing this home into the present and upgrade it to project the lifestyle of an upscale buyer. Using a palette of grays, cream and champagne, plus incorporating glass, silver and reflective surfaces this home showcases an elegance which is warm, comfortable and affordable, one that is sure to attract a home buyer with discerning tastes.

Each room is uniquely styled to take advantage of showcasing the architectural features, critically important when selling a home. We chose to have the upstairs guest rooms remain true to the original design, however focusing on the needs of a present day buyer and staged it to showcase the unlimited possibilities. The master bedroom, bath and adjoining studio/office space received a much needed facelift before putting it on the market.

As a home stager, offering full-service project management, we helped the seller by preparing the home for sale by removing the excessive furnishings, plus enormous eclectic decor, painted the interiors and exterior, identified and updated neglected areas and then prepared the home using our home staging techniques. Our crew worked diligently to maintain the characteristics of this historic home.

615 Webber Street is within blocks of the Roundhouse and Santa Fe plaza and is approximately 2000 sq ft and includes a 500 sq ft detached casita, which is equally as warm and comfortable, plus can be used as a rental. To see more of this home on MLS201503782 with Francie Miles at Barker Realty.  To receive more information on home staging in Santa Fe contact us on our site at www.homestagingsantafe.com.

Living Room with stone fireplace

Entry looking into Living Room with wrought iron hand rail

Original wallpapered bathroom with claw foot bathtub

Master Bedroom with hard wood flooring

Back view of 615 Webber Street from casita

Side view of 615 Webber Street

 

Holiday Trimmings and Selling a Home

A conundrum is upon us...how does one style and stage a home for sale and keep traditions alive while celebrating the holidays? With Thanksgiving on our doorstep and Christmas just around the corner decorating a home is on everyone's mind, well that is after we've shopped all those great Black Friday savings!

Home buyers are well aware that sellers will decorate their home, during a selling period, for the holidays, but just how much should the seller decorate is the big question!

Everyone has a different approach on how much holiday spirit they use to decorate their homes. In some cases it may be too much of a good thing while your occupied listing is on the market. Paring down may be the answer as well as considering these questions:

• Can a potential buyer see the beauty of the floor plan?
• Are the characteristics of the home showing through?
• Will potential buyers be able to envision living in this home through all the trimmings?
• Does the home look like a retail shop with trimming galore?

If you've answered yes to any of these, then we need to talk! It's great to show the spirit of the season, but this year may be the one to trim back on some of the trimmings while your house is on the market. Showcasing the home as a comfortable, warm and inviting place is important, as well as being able to see the beauty of the floor plan, and with a few trimmings this holiday season it may just be the trick to get it SOLD!

If there's any uncertainty or hesitation, contact me. I can help your listing look its best, with a phone consultation or in person, even while you are home during the holiday season.

Perhaps you have a vacant home that is screaming for attention? Home staging may just be the answer it needs to feel like home and sell quickly. I can help here too.

Photo credit - www.westernlivingmagazine.com

Neglected First Impressions

I recently visited a home for sale, where the seller assumed that they didn't need to maintain its appearances since the "for sale" sign was up. This is a common thought that serves no purpose other than to have the house sit on the market for months, have no interest from potential buyers and disengage the agent from really promoting and advertising the home, and selling it! Bottom line - can a seller afford to keep the house on the market when attention-to-detail is a minor expense?

If the front of the home, which should be pristine, is neglected what does it say about the inside of the home? The home, especially if vacant should shine! Buyer's as well as agents, are not interested in cleaning up after a seller, unless it's a fixer-upper and is being sold as such, but then that is a different story for another day. There's such a competitive market out there can a buyer really afford to disregard appearances?

First impressions to consider:

• Clean up dead plants, scattered leaves, dirt and trash, blown in with the wind that has gathered along the walkway and front door.
• Overgrown branches, scraggly bushes and weeds must be cut back, trimmed and removed.
• Wear and tear or paint peeling on the front door, should be stripped, painted or stained and if the door is heavily damaged replace it.
• Front doorbell and lights - do they work? If not, replace or repair and clean the light fixture to rid of cobwebs and dirt.
• Windows - should be clean and sparkly, and check the window screens are they tattered, damaged or not hanging properly? If so, get them fixed.
• Snow - yes, it's that time to think about it. Hire a neighbor kid to shovel the driveway, front walkway, porch and steps and scatter Snow Melt to prevent accidents.This will protect you as well as create an invitation to see the home. No one wants to tread through snow and ice to see a home. Make it as welcoming as possible.
• Don't have trees in your yard, but your neighbor does? Leaves know no boundaries - have them cleaned up especially if it's on your property.
• Unable to maintain the home yourself because of location? Then hire someone to do it for you.

Paying attention to these areas will encourage "drive-by" lookers to want to go inside, once inside make certain the house is just as pristine as the out. Again, no one wants to look at a home that has remnants of the previous occupant, or one that they will need to clean. Buyer's want move-in ready homes. What does yours imply?

Do you know the impression your home is portraying? If you need help to identify what needs to be done, contact me, as a professional home stager, I'm trained to know what to look for and a third-party viewpoint is helpful. I can provide an assessment for both inside and out to help you sell your home quickly, whether it is occupied or vacant.

In this competitive seller's market can you afford not to have a pristine first impression?