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THE GREAT INDOORS: Setting the stage with Luxe Home
Local home design firm Luxe Design helps sellers get a leg up on the housing market.
THE GREAT INDOORS: Setting the stage with Luxe Home
Reporter Meg Augustin takes you inside some of Philly's most fab dwellings to showcase the city's unique grasp on design and architecture.
In today’s real estate market it can be hard to make the decision to sell. With a lot of families downsizing and a new wave of retiring Baby Boomers leaving their homes, it’s definitely a buyer’s market. But for those of you on the other side of the door, there's still hope. The key to selling a house today is attraction and allure. Besides total renovation, there’s no better way to get a leg up on the market than by staging. Staging entails arranging a room to be as appealing as possible to potential buyers. While most people take care of their homes and have a sense of pride in the way they keep it, everyone has certain tastes. Staging keeps options broader by fitting rooms in a way that suits more expectations.
To better understand staging and its influence on the real estate market, I headed to Luxe Home (1318 Chestnut St., 215-732-2001), a Philly-based interior design shop. Other than offering extravagant, rich and beautiful pieces, Luxe Home has been a one-stop shop for design consultation and, of course, staging. While the group often works with developers, they are open to every project. “It’s the same process in anything we do," says designer Katelyn Goodman. "Whether you are renting or selling, what we do is create the ability to envision the potential in a space."
That became obvious while flipping through their portfolio. While decisively high-end in their work, Goodman brought up some good points that could be true in any situation. For one particular project she was faced with a one-bedroom condo that she knew was appropriate for young, professional clientele. “There was no office, though, so we made one," says Goodman." Instead of pushing all the furniture against the walls like most people want to do, we made the small space multi-functional.” By adding pieces to a room that complement the space and appeal to the buying demographic, you open more doorways to the buying public.
More than just creating a beautiful product, the process is a great investment. According to Barb Schwarz of stagedhomes.com, staged homes sell faster and for more money. Most of the time, a staged home will sell in less than 30 days, whereas non-staged homes often stay on the market for an additional four months. More importantly, staged homes generally sell for 5 to 10 percent more — making the sometimes costly process pay off in the end.
(megan.augustin@citypaper.net)
Contact Meg if you have a home, apartment or condo you'd like to see featured in an upcoming post.
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