As professional home stagers, we deal with top-quality furniture every day of the week. When it comes to bringing out the best in the homes of our clients, we don’t settle for anything but the best… just like you. As you can imagine, after having done this for many years, we have become quite good at spotting the perfect piece of furniture!  In the process, we have accumulated a large inventory of fantastic couches, chairs, tables, coffee tables, and much more.

We love our furniture, and we hate to part with any of it… but from time to time we simply must reduce the size of our inventory. And today is one of those times.

Of course, we prefer to give our friends and our customers the first chance… so we are excited to offer that opportunity to you.

Visit our online store at http://www.professionalstaging.com/products and take a look around.

Whether you are looking for custom couches, desks, end tables, kitchen tables, or a wide variety of other furniture items, we are sure that you will find what you are looking for. These items are gently used and in fantastic condition—and were purchased from some of the most upscale furniture stores in the nation.

Below is a brief sampling:

Living Room Sofa

Beautiful living room sofa in in plush brown velvet.

Desk

Stunning Taracea desk with ornate detail. Never used and in excellent condition

Custom Couches

Beautiful custom made couches with Ebony finish fabric. Rarely used and in great condition.

Coffee Table

Large coffee table originally purchased from Brooks Interior. Beautiful distressed copper detail on the base with a thick glass top. Perfect for a formal setting!

Kitchen Table, 6 Chairs

Beautiful kitchen table and custom upholstered chairs. Chairs are 21W – 24D – 48H.

Large buffet with Asian detail

Approximately 4 ft high

The above is just a brief sampling of the amazing furniture we are offering.

And of course, when you purchase from our consignment store, you know that you’re getting the finest furniture available. At MHM Professional Staging, we use only the best, most tasteful furniture available in the country—and each of these items has our personal stamp of approval.

So if you are looking for that perfect piece of furniture for your home, visit our online store today! You’re sure to love what you see. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in contact with us.

Every piece of furniture is top-quality and only gently used—so if you’re in the market for stunning furniture, take a look at a sample of our offerings below:

Coffee Table

Large coffee table originally purchased from Brooks Interior. Beautiful distressed copper detail on the base with a thick glass top. Perfect for a formal setting!

Kitchen Table, 6 Chairs

Beautiful kitchen table and custom upholstered chairs. Chairs are 21W – 24D – 48H.

Large buffet with Asian detail

This eye-catching buffet is approximately 4 ft high.

End table

Entry table

Entry table with granite top and stone mermaids on the base. Beautiful round table with amazing detailing.

Large coffee table

Large coffee table with brass elephant detailing on the legs. Pretty black crackle finish on top.

2 upholstered chairs

Coffee table and three end tables

Beautiful wood, stone and iron detailing. Coffee table is oversized.

Rob & Stuckey Brand – Two oversized leather couches and one oversized chair w/ ottoman

Comfortable dark brown leather with metal rivets in the arms.

Tommy Bahama desk

Tommy Bahama desk with map drawer.

Two leather wingback chairs with alligator print

Stunning painting with lavish gold frame.

Glass top kitchen table with pretty wooden base

Comfortably seats 4-6 people.

4 ft tall wooden chest from a castle in Spain

Amazing detail on the entire piece.

Large wooden armoire

Large wooden armoire originally from a castle in Spain. Beautiful hand carved detailing on the entire piece.

Huge custom made entertainment center

With two bookcases on each end and center armoire. Two end pieces have glass shelves.

Incredible chairs once in a castle in Spain

These chairs feature beautiful detail.

Pretty overstuffed chair with tassel detail

Study Desk & Chair

Luxury dining table with seating for 12.

Beautiful iron and wood dining table with extra leaf to extend. Gorgeous dining chairs with lavish upholstery and brown leather seat.

At MHM Professional Staging, we work with nothing but the finest furniture each and every day. If you are looking for that perfect furniture piece, take some time right now to browse the complete selection at http://www.professionalstaging.com/products. Feel free to contact us today if you would like to learn more!

If you are selling your home, the first impression it makes on a prospective buyer is every bit as important as the previous examples.

Most buyers may not realize it, but by the time they’ve parked in the driveway, walked up to front door, and spent a couple of seconds inside, they have already formulated a powerful impression of the home—for better, or for worse. A great first impression doesn’t guarantee that the buyer will love the home, and a bad impression doesn’t completely eliminate the possibility of an offer—but the first impression does go a long way.

That is why professional staging experts focus primarily on creating the best possible impression. Below, we are going to discuss some of the tactics that are often utilized. To learn more, please contact us today!

1)     Pay special attention to the front yard and driveway. Many sellers don’t give a thought to the outside of their home—after all, it’s the house itself that counts, right? In reality, the “curbside appeal” of a home is very important. Take time to tidy up your driveway and have your yard looking its best. These are the first things your prospective buyers will notice—so send the right message!

2)     Consider baking cookies or cake. There is nothing like walking in the front door of a home and smelling the delicious aroma of fresh-baked cookies. In addition to smelling great, this will make your home feel welcoming and inviting—always great feelings to create!

3)     Focus on the lighting. The lighting of a room is rarely something that a buyer will consciously notice—but good lighting can completely change the feel of a room and a home. For starters, make sure to double-check all the bulbs in your home. A professional stager may add additional light or make other changes to maximize the appeal of each room.

The first impression is everything when it comes to home staging. If you are preparing to sell your home, contact MHM Professional Staging today and let our team of experts bring out the best in your home. If you would like to learn more, give us a call today!

If you’re in that situation, and selling your home for a fair price is at the top of your priority list for 2012, below are three steps that will help you expedite the process.

1)     Revamp your marketing strategy to make your listing feel “fresh”. A major challenge for the owner of a home that has been on the market for months is overcoming the “old news” aura that can surround the listing. Whether it is re-listing the home or offering additional value, find a way to generate a buzz for your home. You should also consider listing in publications or directories that you haven’t yet utilized. Your home may have been on the market for 90 days, but when a potential buyer sees it for the first time in the local newspaper, it looks fresh and exciting to him or her.

2)     Consider investing in professional home staging. Whether a buyer realizes it or not, the appearance and the “feel” of your home play a large role in determining whether he or she is interested—and how much they are willing to pay. For that reason, it is vital that your home looks its best at every showing. This means enhancing the “curbside appeal” of your home— ensuring that your property looks its best from the perspective of a drive-by prospect. And it also includes color selection, furniture layout, and de-cluttering. And while investing in a home staging professional requires an up-front investment, generally between 1-3% of your asking price, studies have shown that staging services increases the final sales price by 8-10%. You don’t have to be a financial professional to recognize the value in that equation!

3)     Identify and resolve potential “problem areas” for your buyers. Though it’s not necessarily logical, in many cases small problems like scratches on the wall or rubber stains on the floor can be a turn-off for buyers. It typically requires only a small investment of time and resources on your part in order to resolve such minor issues—but the psychological impact of eliminating these perceived negatives can make all the difference for a buyer. If you’re having trouble identifying such issues, ask a friend or family member to look through your home and identify any problems you may have missed.

If selling your home is at the top of your to-do list in 2012, these three steps will help you cross it off quickly. To learn more about the impact that professional home staging can have on your listing, get in touch with us today. Good luck… and here’s to a prosperous and happy New Year!

What many sellers don’t realize is that there is a proven strategy which requires an investment of 1% – 3% of the home’s asking price… and generates an 8% – 10% return!

That strategy is home staging. Essentially, home staging is the art of temporarily decorating a property with the intent to sell in today’s market. It includes interior design, some decorating, marketing, real estate, and set design all rolled together.  The bottom line is that home staging increases the appeal of your home to prospective buyers—allowing you to sell more quickly and for higher prices.

Is home staging right for you? The questions below will help you make that determination—to learn more, feel free to contact us today!

1)     Are you in a hurry to sell your home? For many sellers, time is of the essence. Whether you are moving across the country or simply across town, many families and individuals need the proceeds from their home sale in order to get situated in their new home. Others have specific deadlines, such as the beginning of a new school year or semester, by which they must have their home sold. If you’re in a similar situation, home staging is the solution. By creating an irresistible appeal, home staging is proven to dramatically speed the process of selling. If you’re in a rush, home staging will help you meet your deadline!

2)     Would you like your home to captivate prospective buyers as soon as they walk in the door? First impressions are everything when it comes to real estate—and professional home staging experts will ensure that your home looks its best. Starting with the driveway and the front yard, home staging professionals maximize “curbside appeal”—motivating prospective buyers to get out of their car and walk to your front door. Once they walk in, the impression that our staging experts create will be irresistible—and chances are, you’ll be getting an offer before long!

3)     Are you concerned about the price you receive for your home? For many sellers, the primary concern in this depressed housing market is simply receiving fair value for their home. It’s a buyer’s market—which means that there are plenty of houses available for buyers to pick from, and as a result, sellers try to close the deal by dropping their price. You don’t have to go that route, however—because home staging is shown to increase sales prices by 8-10%. Considering that the cost of staging is typically 1-3% of the asking price, staging is a no-brainer if maximizing your sale price is important!

Would you like to learn more about home staging? Contact us today—we’ll be glad to answer your questions and help you sell your home quickly, easily, and for the highest possible price!

The last thing you want to spend the holidays on the phone with your realtor or poring over paperwork. And selling your house before the start of the New Year avoids unnecessary complications when it comes time to file your taxes.

But if you are like many homeowners looking to sell, your home has been on the market for many months. The real estate market is struggling—and for many, the only way to sell quickly seems to be by slashing your asking price.

If reducing the price you are looking for doesn’t appeal to you, don’t worry—there are other approaches. Below are three suggestions to help you sell your house before the holidays, without reducing your asking price:

1)     Partner with an experienced agent. If you haven’t done so already, it’s important that you choose to work with an agent that has a track record of success. It’s always tempting to sell your home by yourself in order to avoid paying a commission, but in many cases the right agent will more than pay for him or herself by securing a higher selling price than you could have. Your agent has specialized knowledge of your local market as well the expertise needed to market your home effectively. If you don’t already have an agent, now is the time. They’ll help you sell your home quickly, and for more money than you would otherwise receive.

2)     Offer incentives. Sometimes, the prospect of additional value is all it takes to close the deal. This could mean covering some or all of your buyer’s closing costs, offering a seller-funded warranty, or anything else you and your agent can come up with. Adding value is a common strategy in the world of marketing, and it is a winning strategy while you are selling your home, as well.

3)     Utilize a home staging professional. At the end of the day, a buyer is going to choose your home in large part based on the appearance and the feel. It’s absolutely critical that you have your home looking its finest. This includes an emphasis on the “curbside appeal” of your home— ensuring that your property looks its best from the perspective of a drive-by prospect. It includes an emphasis on furniture layout, color selection, and on de-cluttering. And while investing in a home staging professional costs money, typically between 1-3% of your asking price, studies have shown that staging typically increases the sales price by 8-10%. You do the math! Contact us today if you’re ready to begin!

The real estate market may be slumping, but that doesn’t mean you have to slash your asking price if you want to sell before the holidays! For more information, please feel free to contact me today.  

But there were a few tips in the list that we have not talked about here, and I thought they deserved some attention. Again, they focus on the mindset of the buyer, and the goal is always to make the prospective buyer become an actual, confirmed buyer.

So, how to make them feel the most comfortable? Firstly, make sure the temperature in your property is set at an optimum level, depending on the time of year. Many sellers turn their air conditioning off when they leave for the day, and when realtors bring interested potential buyers over, it’s either too hot or too cold. This does not make for a good first impression! In these cases, leave the temperature where you like it, so your potential buyer will feel comfortable and not too hot or cold.

Another tip offered is one that sellers may be familiar with, but it bears repeating. Baking cookies just before an open house can really make a difference. The smell lingers around a kitchen for hours afterwards, and subconsciously inspires happy thoughts in anyone who visits. By the same token, be sure to avoid cooking anything with a strong aroma before a viewing if that aroma is more overpowering than pleasant. An hour before an open house is not the time to start frying up some onions and garlic!

Speaking of the senses, there is a tip on that list that relates to sounds. Or, more specifically, noise. Once you live in a place for long enough, you stop hearing the background noises like traffic, or a railroad track or ongoing construction. But a potential buyer will certainly notice these noises, and certainly will not appreciate them. The list suggests playing some light music inside the house, quietly enough to be pleasant and not overwhelming, but loudly enough to mask some of the outside commotion.

Finally, the most important thing for home sellers to remember is that the buyer has to picture himself in your property. What that means is, you have to make it look as impersonal and neutral as possible, which can make emotionally tough to do, but is essential. However much a potential buyer likes your home, they can easily be put off by the giant family portrait that dominates the living room.

Like the writer of the Shiloh Street, I cannot guarantee success within 28 days purely as a result of following all these suggestions, but they will ensure that viewers of your property feel comfortable and happy when they’re there, and that’s the big step towards them seriously considering making an offer.

At MHM Professional Staging, Inc. we aim to maximize a property’s sellability, and one of the main rules is to make sure that all the staging techniques fit with the character and style of the property. Since no two properties are identical, no two staging solutions will be identical, so clearly each property has to be staged in its own unique manner, one that complements the property, and does not clash with it. The most successful sellers are able to identify a home’s best details, and draw potential buyers’ attention directly to those details. There are plenty of rules we have for all property sellers, but today I want to focus on some things that are property-specific.

Here’s an example: We often encounter properties with beautiful high, lofty ceilings. These make rooms look airy and open, and are a highly-desirable feature. When we stage this kind of property, we strive to make sure that everyone who walks into the room immediately notices the ceilings, and so we try and put in various tall, vertical accessories, to ensure that people’s eyes are drawn upwards. Just having short, small elements in the room would defeat the purpose of the lofty ceilings, and may even make the room look overwhelmingly big and cavernous, so we would use something linear like an indoor tree, or a large potted bamboo plant – things that are tall enough to make you want to look up. If the ceiling is the home’s best feature, we really want to show it off.

The style of the house itself is also something to take into consideration. There’s usually not much you can do to change the style, so we try and embrace it. Again, there are some specific dos and don’ts associated with different property styles. We have helped stage many contemporary homes, where the appeal is that they are architecturally very modernist. These properties often minimalism, so we keep them very uncluttered, and would throw in as few pieces as possible, all of which fit the scale of the room.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Neo-Classical properties are celebrated for being stately and lavish, so elaborate flowing curtains to match the lengthy windows would be a nice touch; or accessories that are from the late 18^th century, when Neo-Classical architecture was at its most prominent. Antique silverware on a large dining-room table would certainly give off the correct image.

A farmhouse or a cottage in a rural setting could benefit from things like baskets, milk-jugs, and similar old-timey, rural accessories. The minimalist, contemporary house I mentioned earlier? Not so much.

Again, as a seller, you don’t want a potential buyer to be put off by things that are within your control. Make sure the character of your property is well reflected by the accessories and furniture inside it, and you should be in good shape!

Luckily, we know how to position your home to attract a broad range of home buyers – including selecting the right artwork for your walls. We find that it’s best to keep artwork simple. To present the home in the most appealing light possible, the best artwork does not feature images of people. Instead, we prefer to use pieces that portray visuals of nature, flowers, landscapes, geometric shapes and still life subjects. At the most, a piece might feature a silhouette of a person, or a figurative rendering of someone.

We steer clear of the people images to stay true to our overall goal in every staging technique that we use. Our objective is to help your prospective buyers imagine themselves living in your home. If they see images of people who are not similar to them in appearance, they are required to do a little more mental work to envision the house as their own home. Leverage the power of home staging to make it as easy as possible for your buyers to feel comfortable – and that includes the artwork on your walls!

How about the other aspects of choosing the best art to hang in your for-sale home? Color is very important in artwork, as it’s a perfect opportunity for adding pops of brightness to a room that’s full of neutral background colors. Of course, make sure that the hues in your home’s artwork coordinate well with your current punches of color that are found in your pillows and accessories.

Selecting the right size – or scale, as we say in the staging business – is also vital. The scale of your artwork should be proportional to the height and width of your wall. If you are hanging art on a wall that’s smaller, then you might consider hanging a modestly sized framed picture. Alternatively, if you are filling a larger wall, select a large scenic piece that is scaled appropriately. Additionally, should you be decorating a room with two large walls, we like to balance the walls with a similarly sized “mass” of artwork. If you hang a large piece on one wall, adorn the second large wall with a collection of sizes, so the room feels right.

The truth is that your prospective buyers will be evaluating many other aspects of your home to determine if they would love it enough to purchase. While they might not directly consider your art as something important (after all, it doesn’t stay with the home), the subconscious cues that they receive from the art can set off either positive or negative feelings for them. It’s our job to make sure your buyers are getting the positive vibes!

When your house is on the market, an orderly garage will win over organized types, multi-sport athletic families and car aficionados. Your sparkling garage will tell the organized personalities that they can live a chaos-free life in this home, while the sports and car fanatics will see the abundant space available for all their sport gear and car accessories.

Scrub down and Touch Ups:

Wash everything! Scrub the walls, sweep the floors, clear the cobwebs from corners, and dust any window sills. Wash down the garage door. Outdoor spaces can accumulate lots of muck over the years, so clean your garage as if it’s an indoor space. Some families consider it as such, so they will want to see an attractive room, clear of any dirt. You might want to consider using a pressure washer. If you rent one, go ahead and pressure wash your driveway, and any tough dirt and mold stains on your home’s exterior.

Flooring is critical – inside and out. You wouldn’t tour people through your home if the carpet was pulling up, so if there is paint peeling from the floor, be sure to repaint or perhaps consider an outdoor carpet. This is very appealing to someone who values their car and wants it to fit nicely and not get hit by bikes, etc.

Purge!!!

Clean out the belongings that you do not need, and donate them to charity. The point here is to minimize the number of storage boxes and bins sitting around on the garage floor, or even on storage shelving. Even if you have to clear boxes of belongings and rent a temporary storage unit to get it out of your home, do it! Just like the indoor rooms, the last thing prospective buyers want to see is an overcrowded garage space. If your storage of camping supplies and lawn care tools does not appear to fit comfortable in the square footage allotted, then the buyers will see this right away. Their most immediate thought will be, “If they can’t fit all their outdoor stuff in this garage, then I sure won’t be able to either.” Alternatively, when you present your garage as neat, clean and clutter-free, prospects will admire your ability to live an organized life. The perceived life of orderliness will tug on their heart strings and help them envision themselves living that type of lifestyle in your home.

Final Touches:

Here’s a hot tip that most sellers don’t think of: if your garage stores your pest control artillery, tuck those roach sprays and mouse traps out of sight. If you don’t hide these, your buyers might imagine themselves stumbling upon a rodent in your home if they bought it. What a turn-off!

Conclusion:

The garage is key in showing your home at its best. Clean it up, get it clear of clutter, and it can really become a selling point in setting you apart from the competition down the street. Put on some gloves and get going!