Not only big city dwellings can benefit from staging but quaint country homes will do much better when presented in an attractive way. In this example a single family home in Deleon Springs, FL just outside of the college town Deland received a staging before it went on the market. Agent Susan Rose Pynchon with Charles Rutenberg wanted buyers to feel welcome and highlight the space with some comfortable furnishings. Stager Helen Bonello-Strauss proposed a simple design with neutral colors to accommodated the fresh grey paint colors. Since the budget was small to do upgrades Helen suggested painting the tired kitchen cabinets in a fresh white and changing some of the dated light fixtures. The house looked nice after its overhaul and the response after the firts weekend on the market was great. The sellers received multiple offers and the house went under contract in days. No one can say that’s not fast for a location on a sleepy country road.
Author Archives: Malte Strauss
Chic without the shabby – How to include the rustic elements
Chic without the shabby – How to include the rustic elements. This newly renovated home is an example how one can marry traditional elements with some rustic features and still arrive at a coherent design. This house in the gated lakefront community Lake Sheen Reserve has access to the Windermere Chain of Lakes and offers a boat ramp and a boat dock as well as a private beach. It just went on the market for $ 530k and is open for showings. The house just underwent a cosmetic renovation in which mostly the kitchen and bathrooms received a visual overhaul. It had nice crown molding and wainscoting, some windows features plantation shutters. These were nice features the designer Helen Bonello-Strauss wanted to preserve while infusing some rustic elements to add texture and interest to the place. The family room had an outdated entertainment center built in, which was perfect for one of those old boxy TVs. Unfortunately for the entertainment center, due to technological innovation it became obsolete and had to make room for a new feature wall made of grey stained ship lap pine boards. To blend the feature wall with the existing trim we wrapped the existing crown molding around it and trimmed the edges in white. The beautiful wood is a vibrant backdrop to a 65 inch TV and a recessed mounted electric fireplace. The existing kitchen was worn and tired. The kitchen contractor simply swapped out the cabinetry with white solid wood shaker style cabinets and a vibrant exotic granite. The bar top was eliminated to give a larger work and prep space in counter height. The odd island shape was changed to a larger and more functional rectangle and now offers more storage space. Instead of the regular drywall surface below the counter a stained ship lap had been installed. It corresponds with the TV wall on the opposite side of the family room and helps to pull the space together. The wall color in the Kitchen shows a dark accent color in the same family of grey as the wood siding used for accent. This house is an example how different elements like formal and traditional looking plantation shutters and rustic elements can form a symbiotic relationship and create a balanced and calm atmosphere. The contrasting colors help to give some visual interest and create impact in the space. Since all chosen colors are pulled from a neutral palette of taupe and grey the contrast does not feel busy or loud. This house is proof that you don’t always have to rip everything apart in order to refresh your surrounding. Some elements from its former life can find purpose is its newly designed appearance. Even when your entertainment center is obsolete, it does not mean you have to gut the rest. Find the classic elements that will yield to a new language and elevate your design.
Victoria Park home carefully re-designed
After the Orlando area Stager Helen Bonello-Strauss redesigned another house with the same floorplan in the same street, the owner wanted to have their house transformed in a similar way. After all, the previously redesigned property on 119 Birchmont Drive in Deland sold in less than a week to a young family, that fell in love with the great location and the updated appointments in the house. See the final product after 141 Birchmont Drive got its decorative makeover. The 4 bedroom 2.5 bath house is now being offered for sale for $ 272,500 by Susan Rose Pynchone from Charles Rutenberg, 386-804-3131.
Fabulous Vacation Rental Home transformed
This stunning, luxurious and turnkey vacation home had just been fully re-designed and appointed to the highest standards. Sold fully furnished. The kitchen remodel includes granite counters, all stainless steel appliances, with convection oven, and french door refrigerator. The bathrooms feature granite counters and stylish under mount porcelain sinks, designer tile. All new wood laminate floors in living areas and bedrooms, fresh paint inside and out, fully furnished with flat screen TVs in all rooms. The double split floor plan has two luxurious master suites thats invite you to sleep just a little bit longer. The other two secondary rooms are modern but cozy and share a Jack and Jill bath with double sinks. This house allows up to 8 guests most comfortable accommodations or simply use it as your primary residence. The community permits and is geared towards short term rentals and due to its short 8 min ride to Disney and proximity to restaurants and shopping enjoys a large popularity among international and domestic travelers. The pool features a hot tub and paved deck, privacy curtains and a covered sitting area. Call your realtor now! It is available for showings anytime!
Victoria Park Re-design
Victoria Park Re-design – The beautiful Victoria Park neighborhood in Deland offers a golf course, club house, tennis courts and a whole array of activities for its diverse clientele of residents. This beautiful 4 bedroom 2.5 baths home just completed a full cosmetic remodel and now shows better than it ever did. There is a lot of detail that had been added, a larger kitchen with a huge Island that even houses a beverage cooler. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances and Designer Tile round up the centrally located kitchen. We also added custom built ins and trim work in various spots throughout. Last not least the house received a gorgeous staging job to finish it off. This beauty is going on the market with a very competitive asking price of $ 274,800. Call Agent Malte Strauss 407-416-9659 for a showing.
Sold in a weekend
Sold in a weekend! This staged home received 4 showings during the first weekend on the market while generating 3 offers before going under contract. None of the buyers offers were below asking price. The house must have been cheap, one might argue. But that is far from the truth, so much as a record pricing for any recent sale for a house of that size in the neighborhood. The house sold just a few month ago for $ 192,000 and underwent a cosmetic renovation to now fetch a stunning $ 241,500 a mere 3 months later. Designer Helene Bonello-Strauss was responsible for the sensitive re-design of the property. The most drastic change was a new kitchen with white shaker style cabinetry, floors and a lot of paint and some tile work to update it and make it appear fresh and current. The professional staging just rounded it off. “You have to give the buyer a vision of what the house will look like.” So the design expert. “When I do design consultation for Flippers I develop a coherent vision for the whole house, while taking existing features into account.” The success proves her right. While updating a property there are sometimes existing design features that can be incorporated in the design, that will bring value to the finished product. In this case the somewhat dated floor to ceiling mirrors in the formal living room received a custom frame. Now the mirrors appear current and stylish and create depth to the space. A nice way to make use of a feature and a fantastic opportunity to reflect style. Design and staging by www.idesigntosell.com
Gorgeous lake front pool home just came on the market
Gorgeous lake front pool home just came on the market – Sometimes there are homes that check all the boxes. This might be one of them. This newer home in a gated community just underwent a full renovation. This house not only has a nice and open floor plan, it also features a huge pool area that overlooks a serene lake. In this home built in 2003 the beautiful new kitchen is enhanced by stainless steel appliances, nice granite counters and a designer tile back splash. The complete renovation of this residence is accented by a fabulous staging job. The formal areas are designed to be contemporary with a hint of beach vibe in the formal living room. The slip covered Tommy Hilfiger sofa gives homage to the Hamptons in a relaxed, dressed down kind of way. The wall mirrors received a white frame treatment to bring a more contemporary side to room. The formal dining room appears glamorous and crisp with a chrome light fixture that finds the same language as the round dining table the leather chairs and a round mirror that helps to bounce light back into the space.
The family room presents its practical side with a sleek but comfortable sectional that reference the same color palette of neutral tones. The designer Helen Bonello-Strauss chose muted light colors within a spectrum of greys to make the spaces blend together. The wall behind the sofa is accented in a deeper tone of clay to give a bit contrast to the light furniture. The master bath continues the clean color palette with classic marble counters and a white theme, supported by the plantation shutters, vanity cabinets and shower tile. The house is ready for showings and offered at $ 239,800 for the new owners.
Beautiful Lakefront Home Remodel
There is nothing more soothing than to have a gorgeous water view. Interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss topped this beautiful makeover with a gorgeous staging job. Nice vistas inside and out. This Lakefront home in the Mt Dora area is is offered for sale by Realtor Mike Derenthal and Monica Cook. http://derenthalrealtyorlando.com
Open house Thursday October 20th, 2016 from 12 noon to 1:30pm
Open house Thursday October 20th, 2016 from 12 noon to 1:30pm – Come to our catered Brokers Open at 5300 Lazy Oaks Lane, Orlando FL 32839. We showcase one of our staged properties and offer a catered lunch with Jumbo shrimp, smoked salmon, lobster spread, Italian cold cuts, fancy cheese selection, salads and off course some champagne. It is a brokers open for the real estate industry but members of the public are welcome. If you can, please RSVP to listing agent Kisly Varga 321-two nine nine-3552.
Here some pictures of this beautiful home:
The drawback of open plan remodels
What is the best move a house flipper can make these days? It is the open plan concept. With that we refer to a floor plan change in which the separated kitchen and living area gets united to an open living space. Taking the walls away creates a large single space that has dining, living, and kitchen area in one great room. While this style of living is greatly popular these days it can be difficult to sell. So in a way it may be the most genius move as well as the worst decision a developer can make. Buyers are often overwhelmed and confused when confronted with an empty space. To remedy the irritation the property should be staged. This will end the questions of what is going where and will everything fit. It showcases how the space can be used and offers extra value to a buyer. It also provides reference on the scale while offering a map to a modern and sophisticated lifestyle. While most older homes in Orlando have kitchens that are separated from the living and dining room, these days the trend goes to large kitchens that allow for entertaining around the kitchen island. While you are contemplating to literally open up house property to multiple offers, make sure you lay out a floor plan with your furniture that makes sense to a buyer. It will create value and ultimately will yield a higher return.
This newly staged house received 4 offers in one weekend
This newly staged house received 4 offers in one weekend – Agent Harif Hazera had his Longwood listing on the market for over a month without any offers. Just one weekend after it had been professionally staged by www.idesigntosell.com the listing received multiple offers. Harif writes in his email:
The offer is for FULL ASK and we received 3 other offers! You guys did an amazing job and I couldn’t be happier.
We are happy too. This is truly proof that staging done right will create value. Nothing else had changed. The house received plenty of showings before, and the price had not been changed after the staging. It simply showed it true potential. The investor on this renovation flip is considering staging more of his properties with idesigntosell.com. We are looking forward to be part of this success again.
See the “before” and “after” of this Longwood home
See the “before” and “after” of this Longwood home – Realtor (R) Harif Hazera from BHHS Florida Realty was looking to give his nicely renovated listing in the Wekiva area the competitive edge. See how the open floor plan now makes sense and shows its full potential. Before the transformation the large tile floor offered little definition to the space. With the comfortable furnishings it shows an example how the room could be used and give the large room some scale and perspective.
See what generated multiple offers on this house the first day
See what generated multiple offers on this house the first day. Sellers typically want to sell fast for a high price. Take a look what it took to make this quick sale happen. This house located in the crossings of Lake Mary was like most other homes in the neighborhood until stager and interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss got her hands on this property. See what difference some cosmetic changes and a great staging can make. The property received multiple offers within the first day and went under contract swiftly.
Interior design job sold Maitland Mid-century modern home
This beautiful modern home sold after its full remodel. This true mid century modern home is proof that design can sell a house. The goal was to take the modern lines and transform it into a current version of itself. With a more open floor plan this house had become a 21st version of itself, catering to the needs of todays home buyers. We congratulate the new owners to a posh abode and look forward to our next completion.
Maitland staging job – house closed
This nice ranch house underwent a full remodel. Fortunately it sold after a fairly short market time. Multiple offers gave the seller the best offer to choose from. The design theme was a bit updated traditional to give the house a broad appeal to a lot of buyers. Congratulations to the seller. We are happy you made us part of your success.