Berkeley Parents Network: Staging a House

Berkeley Parents Network

Staging a House

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Services & Businesses > Staging a House

Stager for a home in Alameda
Affordable stager
Staging for a sale- who pays?
Stager for a small bungalow

Stager for a home in Alameda

Feb 2007

We will be selling our Alameda home sometime this year and would like recommendations for professional stagers. Ideally we would like someone who won't mind answering some questions in advance, since we are completely clueless about the process, cost, etc. Anon

We used Lindsay Kunis last year for a staging job and were very pleased. She and her husband own Form, a vintage (modern) store on College. Her work is definitely on the modern side, but everything she provided had clean, classy lines. Everyone who went through our apartment said ''wow''. Laurel

Carole Johnson of Purple Door Designs is absolutely someone you should talk to. Her office number is 233-4467, and her cell phone is 508-5659. Carol has an incredible sense of design, and she can make the home you want to sell into the home that others will want to buy! Her website is www.purpledoordesigns.net. David

You should really try Bonnie Ross. I have used her for two home sales and she is amazing. She has an excellent eye and many good quality pieces, which is not always the case with some stagers. She uses a lot of antiques but in a way that works with various styles of homes. My first home was a craftsman, and the second a mid century and both times, her things worked with mine very successfully. She can work with pieces you have or bring everything in, which ever you prefer. She is a Real Estate agent her self, but will stage for homes listed with other agents. However, I think it is cheaper of you use her as the listing agent, and she happens to specialize in Alameda. Give her a try - she is a lovely, talented person and very easy to work with. A true professional, and you will earn back your investment many times over. (510) 339-4788 http://bonnierosshomes.com/
katie

Hi there, Just wanted to recommed Grace McHugh 510-521-1741 for Staging. She did a wonderful job for us last year and at a very reasonable price. She is very creative and has lovely pieces. As an example of her gift; we were struggling for days to find the right color to paint the kitchen, she looked at the swatches for about 30 seconds, said ''use half strength of this'' and it was exactly right. I'm always amazed by people who can do that! We have also worked with several real estate agents on the island with mixed results so if you are looking for more prospective realtors to interview, I would highly recommend Kane & Assoc., specifically Liz Kane, Marie Kane and Hanna Fry - all excellent. Good luck!

In response to the person in Alameda looking for a professional home stager, I am writing to recommend Star Lightner and Erin McDevitt, and their company Bungalow. I saw a house they staged on 62nd Street in North Oakland and it was very tastefully and beautifully done. I am sure they would be happy to talk to you about cost and other issues. You can reach them at 510-332.5559. http://www.bungalowhomestaging.com/
Anna

Affordable stager

August 2006

I am looking for a home stager and the listings on the site are 4+ years old. Can anyone recommend someone they have used more recently, especially one who is affordable? Thanks Vivian

A friend of mine had fabulous results with Nest Egg, phone number is 510-464-4566. The business is run by Christine and Katy, both have a great eye for design and are professional and friendly. Their website is www.nesteggstaging.com. You can view some of their work, hear recommendations, etc. They have been in business for 4 years and focus in Berkeley, Oakland, Albany, Kensington, El Cerrito and Richmond. Kim

I would like to recommend a designer whom I have been working with. Her name is Kari Grosz, and her number is 925-899-7201. I have had two projects with Kari, and my current one involves a major remodeling for more than half of my house. Both experiences with Kari have been wonderful. Kari is very talented, very resourceful, and she can work with any budget the homeowners want to spend. Also, despite her busy schedule, she is always very responsive and nice to work with. My recommendation of working with Kari is without reservation

For those of you looking for a phenomenal job in staging your home I have the woman you need. She has experience, fair prices and will do a fantastic job for you. She is responsible, attentive and easy to work with. I am certain you will be satisfied with her work beyond your dreams. Her name is Christie Rigg. Phone number is (510) 703-1910 auspark[at]netscape.net
Alison

Staging for a sale- who pays?

Feb 2006

We are getting ready to sell our home and the realtor of course recommends staging which costs btwn.$3-4000. What has been other peoples experience with this and is it always the seller who pays for it or do the realtors sometimes pay for it? Thank you.
anon seller

I interviewed 3 seller's agents to sell our place in SF at end of last year. One offered to split staging costs 50/50; one offered to just give us tips on how to rearrange furniture/what to put in storage, etc (in lieu of professional staging); the third wanted us to pay for all the staging costs but had lots of contacts so we could do everything quickly & at reasonable cost. Kat

I guess the question about staging should really be who pays if you don't stage your home?? Congratulations on having an agent who suggest that you do stage your home. It is a wonderful marketing tool that helps potential buyers invision your home at its best potential and usually commands a much higher price than a non staged property. But let's say that the staging does indeed bring you in a best case result of an extra $50,000 on your sale. Then the $ 3500-$4000 investment did indeed bring you in more money. Most agents estimate the additional revenues at approx $20,000 for staging (Still a good return on a $3500-$4000 investment). But Even at the large sum of $50,000 more the agent would only make a little over $1000 which would not make sense to pay for the staging at all. So if you are thinking about not staging because you don't want to pay the staging fee you may want to figure out what it will really cost you not to stage your home. Paula

Paying the stagers is usually done by the sellers. However, if the real estate agent really wants your business, she may pitch in. When we recently sold a house in the $1 million range in Montclair, our agent recommended we spend about $20K fixing up and staging the house. She kicked in $6K of her own money to pay for the upgrades. She also lowered the real estate agent commission from 6% to 5% which she said is pretty standard when you get over $800K. Luckily, all the work and staging paid off, and the house sold very quickly. Recent Home Seller

Stager for a small bungalow

Feb 2002

We are getting ready to sell our small 2 bedroom/1 bath home. Does anyone have a recommendation for a stager?? We have an older bungalow type home in upper rockridge with lots of wood around the doors & would like someone that could accent this. I would prefer someone that could do more of an "arts & crafts" approach vs. the more modern styles seen in newer homes. Thanks.

Barbara Davison is an excellent stager with good experience in real estate and an intuitive sense of what works for her clients. She lives in Oakland. Office phone/fax: 510-336-1007. ~Colleen

I would recommend The Design Shop. Their phone number is (510) 655-7800. Their e-mail is theshop3@earthlink.net. I have seen their staging in a Victorian and it was very tasteful and appropriate for that particular house. They will be staging my own home soon. olga

I recommend Stageright for home staging. Terry Gillen has lived and worked in the Berkeley area for years and is very pleasant to work with. One of her business partners has extensive experience as a professional interior designer. They have successfully staged a range of homes and are very familiar with Arts & Crafts-style and older homes. Terry can be reached at 528-3356. Denise

My friend, Jackie Thompson, is a professional stager. You can ger her website at Hearthstonedesign.com. She said for the person asking about staging a craftsman style home that she could steer her to a friend that specializes in that style of home staging, but I know if you went with Jackie, she would do a good job for you. She has been doing this for a number of years and is very talented. She knows about Feng Shui and has put that to good use in her staging. Good luck. Trisha

I'm writing in response to the people looking for a good stager for their Rockridge bungalow. Gregory Odle at Berkeley Bungalow (on San Pablo) has done some successful staging for people with bungalows. In fact, he staged his own home a couple of years ago and ended up getting an outrageously high. He can be reached at berkeleybungalow@mciworldcom.net or at his store (510) 981-9520. Good luck! -Cybele

I would like to respond to the Anonymous person looking for a stager for their home. Her name is Karen Brown, and her phone # is (510) 527-6219. She has a beatiful, simple sense of style. Good luck! Renee

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