Virtual Home Staging Consultations Available Now Whatever your feelings on the current stay-at-home orders, the pace of re-opening our country or the fear of being affected by the coronavirus. Whatever your feelings on becoming an at-home educator, a cook, and wearing a mask to go to the grocery store - we all share one thing in common: we want to do our part to take care of those we love most.  To that end, at Starfish Home Staging & Redesign we are doing our part to flatten the curve and take care of our loved ones by staying home as much as possible, continuing to support local sm ..read more

You’ve been trying to sell your home and you did everything you thought was expected of you. You connected with a real estate agent, had professional photos taken of your house, and opened your home to numerous strangers as they paraded around your halls on private tours and open houses. But after weeks of your home being listed, not a single reasonable offer has been made. Sound familiar? Currently, the median number of days a home sits on the market is 41 days. And, of course, the longer your home sits on the market the more control homebuyers have when it comes time for negotiations. So, ta ..read more

Staging for a Picture Perfect Holiday I’m deviating from the normal type of blog I post this month. But for a home stager, holiday meals are like the Olympics of the profession. I set tables all year long designed to help homes sell all the while envisioning my own gorgeous Thanksgiving and Christmas spread. (Can you tell I love the holidays?!) Over the years I’ve learned valuable holiday staging tactics that have helped me make these all-important meals with family and friends true memory-makers. And sp ..read more

STAGING It’s NOT Personal! With occupied consultations, I always begin by sharing with the client the difference I see between staging and design. I want them to understand that my role as a stager is to help guide them along a path to optimal home marketing, not to critique their design style or choices.  Here’s how I explain it to them … Design IS personal. It is about you. What reflects you. What speaks to you. What colors you like. How formal or casual your lifestyle is. Wher ..read more

Pillow Talk How throw pillows help your home speak for itself! Reduce your living room to roughly a 2” x 3” two-dimensional depiction (how it looks on your phone screen when buyers first start a search). What do you see? Not much! Detail is missing and the more “visual clutter” you have (more on that in a future blog post), the less calming and therefore less interesting your home photos become. Buyers won’t feel drawn in and won’t be as eager to come take a first-hand look. Ente ..read more

Pillow Talk How throw pillows help your home speak for itself! Reduce your living room to roughly a 2” x 3” two-dimensional depiction (how it looks on your phone screen when buyers first start a search). What do you see? Not much! Detail is missing and the more “visual clutter” you have (more on that in a future blog post), the less calming and therefore less interesting your home photos become. Buyers won’t feel drawn in and won’t be as eager to come take a first-hand look. Ente ..read more

A few of my favorite things … I LOVE Christmas! And since many retailers seem to be jumping on the “Christmas in July” bandwagon with Black Friday sales and more, I decided to do some celebrating of my own. One of my favorite songs (while not technically a Christmas song, but often highlighted during the holidays) is “My Favorite Things” from the movie Sound of Music. My children hear it almost nightly and know multiple verses by heart. It is so soothing and uplifting and always puts my heart in the righ ..read more

The Dos and Don’ts of Kitchen Staging Encourage buyer’s to eat their hearts out with inviting kitchen accessories! Ask any realtor the top three selling points in a home and I guarantee “kitchen” will always make the list! It seems buyers are obsessed with the latest in backsplashes, current cabinetry and hardware, statement islands and endless countertops. Knowing the “kitchen” will be a top selling point is reason enough to focus your staging efforts on this “living room you ca ..read more

How to avoid “stage” fright Preparing to have a professional stager join your home selling team You’ve decided to sell, hired a realtor, settled on list price, and now your realtor says “let’s call in a professional stager!” Immediately your blood pressure spikes! Selling can be stressful enough; who needs or wants a professional decorator coming in and critiquing your design style, judging you on the number of kids’ trophies you have displayed, turning up a nose at your overstuf ..read more

5 Steps Straight to a Buyer’s Heart Stage “Emotional Connection Points” Just Like the Pros Close your eyes. Imagine sitting in a cozy chair reading a book by lamplight next to a crackling fire. Sink into a giant ocean of bath bubbles taking in the smell of lavender and rosemary as candles cast shadows on your bathroom wall. Venture out to your back patio to sip wine and watch the sun set as you wind down your day. Now imagine you walk into a house for sale and can immediately see ..read more