By Jessica Pack
Having a working partnership with a flipper, we are sometimes asked at the last minute to stage a home. Sometimes, the request comes because the projected timelines of completion don’t happen when they are supposed to. So, we, as stagers, do what we can to accommodate.
Enter the case of 1128 E Columbus St. We received the “911” that the house was ready and needed staged yesterday! What can we do?! Get it it on the market! We need to sell! Sell! Sell!
Personally, I accept that challenge and raise my coworkers a nickel bet on how long it will take for the home to go into contract.
In this case, I had not seen this home at all prior to walking in for the stage. We will call her “Mrs. Sanctuary” took time out of her weekend to come into our warehouse to pull/pack/ prepare for the move so it was all ready for us and the movers on Monday morning.
Public images of 1128 E Columbus on the auditor website made me do a double take because this home received a MAJOR transformation. Yes, it had a wrap-around covered front porch before but now that porch is glorious AND a huge covered back deck was added. Honestly, the house itself is on the smaller side at 1346 sq ft, so having so much additional usable outdoor space had to be one of the many reasons the house was only on the market 12 days.
Inside this 1909 house, all the amenities of 2021 awaited. Everything was fresh and clean, white and grays. The kitchen/dining space was so spacious. Between the table and bar seating, we chose seating for six but there was easily room for double that should the leaves be used in the table. Having those kinds of options made that space extra user friendly.
Our goal as stagers is to give potential buyers ideas of what a home could look like. I know people who truly cannot “see” things in their mind’s eye. Call it a blessing (or a curse) that I see EVERYTHING in my mind’s eye… all the time… With the small footprint at E Columbus, we truly didn’t add all that much, but what we did add immediately created warm spaces that felt like someone lived there…someone with astounding decorating skills (wink* wink*)
The flippers exposed the brick in the living room and added a new mantle. I will call it a rich room and by that, I am referring to the color pallet. Deep browns and saturated shades of blues took the room to another level.
I was working on the 2nd floor when my coworker put this room together. My mind’s eye thought the space would be laid out in one way, while, it turned out, my coworker saw it another way. Because I had one vision in my head, I was blown away with the actual layout that had been created. It was a definite WOW moment.
In the second story, all I have to say is, “Windows, baby!” Whether the layout now is the same as the original floor plan from the 1900’s I cannot say, but the flippers did amazing work. This home took advantage of the light from all four sides of the home AND a skylight was added in the master. It was like a little paradise up there.
Here’s another stager moment: I literally went through a dozen incarnations of the decor placement on the master dresser before I was finally 100% happy. It was like one of those days when you don’t like your outfit and you proceed to grab multiple items and try on MANY before you land one you like. That happened to me the day we staged this house.
Every week we get a calendar for work which includes all upcoming stages and other work. I swear I hadn’t even recovered from being (a little bit) sore from staging this house when I saw on the calendar that it was already in contract and we would be de-staging it in days not all that far ahead. If I wasn’t still ouchy, I’d pat myself on the back on a job well done and a stage that resulted in a super fast sale. Go Sanctuary!
…on to the next! …and I forget who won the nickel.
