My mother was an executive chef. During her career she worked for a number of hotel restaurants in Seattle and Bellevue as well as a resort in Sun Valley, Idaho. The number one thing she would say to me was, “the eyes eat before the mouth does.” Which basically means presentation is everything.

I love to look at listings. I love reading the home description, the year the home was built, and most of all, I love the listing photos. This is essentially the baby book for this home and the listing photos tell a story. Presentation is everything.

When I see a vacant home listed, my heart drops. I read the description, check how many bedrooms and bathrooms, then try to guess via the photos which rooms are which. Obviously a kitchen is a kitchen, and a bathroom a bathroom (though a little tricky to guess when there are multiple bathrooms of the same style), but then it becomes quite a task if there are multiple living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms.

I always appreciate when realtors will place some nice towels and a vase of flowers or potted plant in each of the bathrooms and perhaps some bottled oils and tea towels in the kitchen to warm up the space. I always appreciate your thoughtfulness and attention to detail to give these rooms a little love.

The problem is that the other spaces are huge voids. The photos show an empty space, with a window, some include a closet or a fireplace, but which rooms are they, or is it the same room? How big is this bedroom and will it fit my king bed and 2 dressers? Or is it the size of a small office? This is such a guessing game for me personally, and can become quite frustrating for home buyers. Giving the overall square footage of a home is helpful for the listing, but not when it comes to determining room sizes and layouts.

Imagine living overseas and you’re moving to our region for your new job. You must rely solely on your realtor here and the listing photos, sometimes a family member who lives here already to help you determine if this will be the right home for you and your needs.

Buying a home is a huge commitment both financially and emotionally and it can be a little scary when all you see are photos of undefined spaces. Staging a home is not only important for open houses and for showings, it’s essential for listing photos. Especially when you factor in that nowadays 7 out of 10 home buyers expect to see a well maintained well furnished home, both when touring and in photos. Staging a room gives dimension and provides the function for the space. It gives the space definition and purpose.

When I first enter a home to provide a proposal, I visualize how the home will function at its best. I take my time walking through room by room before going back to take photos. I don’t want to label a room until I’ve seen the entire home first. Some spaces can be a challenge, and it takes a little creativity to space plan it in order to showcase its best purpose and function. From there I create the perfect layout for that specific home and create a picture perfect portrait for you the realtor to proudly display both on your site as well as the major real estate sites.

This is what I do best, it’s my passion, and I would love to make all your listings come to life both in photos and for showings by providing staging services for you.