Give her the gift of a beautiful home this year with a Mother’s Day gift certificate for an Interior Design or color consultation from Nothern Lights Home Staging and Design. Happy Mother’s Day to all you beautiful Mothers out there!
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A growing trend with home buyers is the desire for outdoor living space. Over 51% of buyers say this is really important in their decision to buy. Creating a great outdoor living area will give a great return on your investment when preparing your home for sale.
Younger buyers in particular are looking for patios and outdoor areas. Outdoor living space increases the functional square footage of a home so is even more important in small homes. Sliding doors or French doors leading to and providing a view of your outdoor space helps bring the outdoors in, and creates a sense of a larger space.
Creating a space to entertain or just a great seating area surrounded by attractive landscaping or flowers can make an emotional connection with homebuyers. It doesn’t have to cost alot to set up an inviting outdoor area. Create an atmosphere that looks like a great place to hang out with family, entertain friends or just relax.
Great photos of your outdoor space at different times of year on your listing helps to not date your listing if your home has been on the market for a while.
Your outdoor space and curb appeal is just as important as your indoor space when it comes to selling your home. Great photos of your outdoor space at different times of year on your listing helps to not date your listing if your home has been on the market for a while.
To learn more about how home staging can help you sell your house fast and for more, see my article on FAQs for Home Sellers on Home Staging.
Check out my home staging services to see what is right for you. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.
Give a home staging gift card.
Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
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Mary Ann Benoit of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design shares tips on how you can spend a little but make a lot with home staging when selling your home on Seward Public Radio’s “Market Minute” with Nicole Lawrence.
Nicole and Mary Ann discussed how home staging can be used as a marketing tool for your home sale.
They discussed some of Mary Ann’s home staging projects, the cost of home staging, why home staging works even in a seller’s market, how a seller can make more on their sales price with staging than without.
They discussed some of the various report and statistics about how home staging affects the sales price and time on the market.
They discussed some of the details on how spending a certain amount on home staging can reap the benefit of selling your house for up to 20% more.
Nicole Lawrence of Seward Properties “Market Minute” show is a wealth of information for home buyers or sellers on the Seward Real Estate Market. You can hear her show every Thursday on Seward Public Radio on 91.7 KIBH-FM, Seward, Alaska.
To learn more about home staging and how it can help you market your property, give Mary Ann a call at 907-362-0065.
info@northernlightsstaging.com
Over 35 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building,
Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World
Seward, Alaska, January 17, 2018 – Northern Lights Home Staging and Design of Seward, Alaska has won “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. Northern Lights Home Staging and Design provides Home Staging, Interior Design, Color Consulting and Social Media Marketing services in South-Central Alaska including Anchorage, Seward and the Kenai Peninsula. Northern Lights Home Staging and Design was chosen by the more than 35 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
The Best of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 35 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2017. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2018” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
“We all deserve to live in a home that is beautiful, functional and reflects our unique style. Our goal is to help you “make magic happen” in your home” says Mary Ann Benoit, President of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
“The Houzz community selected a phenomenal group of Best of Houzz 2018 award winners, so this year’s recipients should be very proud,” said Liza Hausman, Vice President of Industry Marketing at Houzz. “Best of Houzz winners represent some of the most talented and customer-focused professionals in our industry, and we are extremely pleased to give them both this recognition and a platform on which to showcase their expertise.”
Follow Northern Lights Home Staging and Design on Houzz at http://www.houzz.com/pro/northernlightsstagingalaska
About Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Mary Ann Benoit, is the foremost home stager in south-central Alaska, and provides an award winning, versatile, and unique one-stop shop for home staging, Interior Design, Color Consulting, Vacation Rental Staging and social media advertising services for homes and vacation rental properties.
Customers and colleagues describe her as “the best at what she does” and her work as “stellar”, “fantastic”,” amazing”, “innovative”, “prompt and professional”. Known for giving “above and beyond service”, being a “delight to work with” and “a great coach and mentor”, “hiring Mary Ann is more than worth every dollar and led us to success, and a new future.”
The only home stager in south central Alaska with training as a home stager and with a degree in Interior Design, Mary Ann is a highly gifted leader in her field, providing premier home staging of vacant, occupied and vacation rental properties as well as social media marketing to make your property outshine the competition online. She is an expert at helping the average homeowner sell their home profitably so they can move on quickly and with less stress to their next adventure. She provides diverse and unique Interior Design and Redesign services for clients looking for an affordable way to update and upgrade their space using primarily what they already have. When you grow and change in your life, but your house hasn’t, Mary Ann can bring new life to your home so it works for you and tells your story! She provides interior consultations, home face-lifts, space planning, color consulting, home styling, personal shopping, digital photos and video and virtual consultations nationwide.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.com.
What is Home Staging? Wondering if there is a magic wand that you could wave at your house to make it sell fast and for more? Well, there is! It is called home staging. Find out “What is home staging” in this video on FAQ’s for Home Sellers on Home Staging.
Home Staging is a marketing tool that uses decorating to show off a home’s best features while downplaying its flaws. Done right, staging creates an emotional connection between home and buyer, leading to a faster sale at maximum value.
My report, FAQ’s for Home Sellers on Home Staging has tons of useful information on every question you may have had on home staging. Whether it is, what is home staging, how much does it cost, what is the process, who pays, why it works or for how much more your house may sell for if you try staging, it’s in here!
Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. Click on the pictures to learn more. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.
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Prices subject to change without notice.
Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
One of my favorite home staging jobs was when I staged another home stagers house. What??? Yes, even home stagers can benefit from home staging when selling their house! Why? Two reasons:
A home stager can see your house for the first time as the buyer will see it. They will notice all those things you no longer see and can give you great advice on changing those things, not just to look nicer, but to also appeal to your target market.
Target market? Whether you realize it or not, your house, based on its location, price, neighborhood, local schools, and other data will appeal to some buyers more than others.
A lower priced home near good schools may appeal more to first time home buyers with children. A professional home stager will know your market conditions, who your target market is, and will stage the house to appeal to those buyers.
In this home staging project, I helped another home stager by providing that objective view, by staging her home and serving as part of her support team. I also developed the social media advertising for her home sale, and provided support when times were stressful! Check out the before and afters in this video.
So how did it go? Here is what the seller had to say about the process.
Mary Ann deserves a “stellar” rating for her home staging services, talent, experience and knowledge as a Professional Home Stager. A home stager myself, my husband & I enlisted Mary Ann to take on the oversight of staging our home when a new job and relocation required us to sell our $575,000+ home in a lagging real estate market, & a very busy time in our lives!
Her perspective helped us make decisions that were hard to make but that were in the best interest of our home sale. When the home staging was competed and a professional real estate photographer captured the essence of our property for an excellent Internet presence, Mary Ann also created a fantastic Face Book Page & a video to help boost our online marketing and show the property in a way that real estate listings could not. We had immediate requests for home showings, and fantastic feedback from home buyers and real estate folks during the entire listing period.
In addition to Mary Ann’s staging talent & knowledge, she provided us with constant professionalism and personal service by staying in regular communication with us during our home listing; by being on time and meeting deadlines; by reducing our stress because of ongoing support and her experience; by completing all work, then following up with our additional requests; by reducing our staging costs by using furniture & decor we already had; by updating, & increasing our Face Book Page presence & audience; by ensuring that we were satisfied with her staging, costs & marketing services; and by being part of the team that successfully got our home sold in a bleak real estate slump .
Because our home was staged to show all of it’s features and to attract home buyers, our home sale was solid, and profitable. Had we not staged, or had we poorly staged our property that was in competition with other homes, it is safe to say we would have been forced to drop our sales price, significantly, and received less profit for a future home purchase.
Mary Ann was not only a home staging contractor, she was, for us, a coach, a mentor and a great support in a very stressful and high anxiety time in life! Home staging is worth every dollar, but hiring Mary Ann Benoit, of Northern Light Home Staging & Design, was more than worth every dollar and lead us to success, and a new future. Stacy Goade- President of Alaska Premier Home Staging
Getting ready to sell your home? Get your online home staging consultation or staging service today. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.
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Prices subject to change without notice.
Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
There are many reasons why your house won’t sell. Common reasons include condition, buyer appeal, price, marketing, market conditions and you!
To sell a home fast and for the price you want, it has to appeal to buyers! Buyers want a move in ready property that is clean, modern, well maintained and that they make a connection with and can visualize themselves living in. It has to be at a price they can afford, and they have to know it is for sale!
Don’t try to hide issues from buyers like covering odors with freshly baked cookies or other silly tricks. If your house won’t sell, fix the problems and be honest and disclose any issues with the home.
If your house won’t sell you also need to consider your role in the problem.
Here is an example of a home staging project I did that had many of the problems listed above, had been on the market for many months and was not selling or generating interest.
After the house was taken off the market, repaired, properly staged, new photos taken and the price was lowered to meet prices more in line with the location, the house sold within a few months.
Why not get things right before you list and save yourself time, money and stress. Get a home staging consultation to learn everything you need to know and the you can stage it yourself or have it professionally staged.
info@northernlightsstaging.com
Prices subject to change without notice.
Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
It’s a new year. Why not make a resolution to make your house beautiful! But how! Here are ten ways to make your house beautiful in 2018.
You are much more likely to get the end result you want if you start with a plan. Many people just start buying things they like, hoping that it will all work together in the end. This usually does not work. A designer can help you come up with a great and affordable plan. It starts with understanding your own style, what you want and how your design will enhance how you live in your space.
It is easy to see pictures in a magazine or online of a room and think, “I want that”. To have a beautiful house you love and will be unique, you need to tell your own story! Those pictures may serve as inspiration, but the items may not fit well in your space, fit your lifestyle, or work with things you own. Find things you love and are meaningful to you, give them a place of honor and build the design around them.
It is better to buy what you love, even if it is more expensive and it takes longer to get all the pieces you want than to rush to finish your design project with cheaper items. The things you love will make you happy over the long term. Try to find classic items that will stand the test of time, rather than something trendy. Trends fade quickly as will your interest in it.
Color makes magic happen, affects the way you feel and is easy to change. Painting is an inexpensive way to make a dramatic difference. Get help from a color consultant or Interior Designer to determine the perfect colors for you that work with your finishes and furniture.
Add magic to a space with layers of light. Find beautiful fixtures that add overhead lighting, mixed with lamps at mid-level and task lighting. Accent lighting on art and under cabinets look great.
We often collect so many things that nothing has a chance to shine. Get rid of the things you do not love. Give the things you love a place of honor and enough uncluttered space around them so the eye is drawn to them and you can appreciate it. You can always put the other things away and change out the items you want to highlight for variety.
A great interior design perfectly suited to you happens in layers and takes time. Be patient.
Your space should not only look good but feel good, give you a place to re-charge and feel like your favorite place in the world.
Using more neutral colors for the walls and furnishings allows you to change the other colors in the room such as accent pillows, art and accessories as often as you like for variety.
If it looks good, feels good and you love it, do it!
Ready to make your home more beautiful? Call 907-362-0065 today.
info@northernlightsstaging.com
Ever wondered what life as a home stager is like?
Many years ago I got a degree in Interior Design, and although I used it on some jobs and always loved it, my life took a different path and I became a wildlife biologist. Three years ago, I decided I wanted to start some type of creative business. Working for the government as a scientist was not exactly feeding my creative spirit! One day when taking one of those fun quizzes on Facebook, called “What is your true profession”, the answer I received was “designer”. I started playing the “what if” game in my head, wondering what my life would have been like if I had stuck with Interior Design as a career. And then I thought, why not now? I decided it would be the focus of my new business, Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
While researching how to start a design business, I came across information on home staging. I really knew nothing about it and the whole concept of decorating a house to sell sounded fascinating. I thought it would be a great aspect of a design business.
After researching various home staging courses, I decided to take Debra Gould’s Staging Diva course because it seemed to be the most focused on how to successfully run a home staging business, rather than just teaching how to decorate. And I am so glad I did!
The course was fantastic and I continue to stay connected with Debra and other stagers from the class through coaching and conference calls. Part of the journey I love is the wonderful generosity, community and friendships I developed with this group of amazing creative people. Some have taken me under their wing and served as mentors when I was just getting started, and others I continue to collaborate with, developing products, articles and brainstorming ideas to make our businesses better.
After starting Northern Lights Home Staging and Design, I found my life as a home stager is fun and rewarding, and it feeds my creative soul with the great benefit of helping others. I love walking through a house during a home staging consultation, and on the fly determining all the things that can transform the house, make it look beautiful, connect emotionally with buyers, and help my clients. It is like an improvisational home staging dance. I also love staging vacant homes, where I have a blank slate and can do whatever I want! I love working with occupied homes, where I can see the story of the home owner, and bring out the beauty that is there by bringing a fresh eye, highlighting the important things the house wants to show. When you listen, the house speaks to you and tells you what makes it special. I love it when I am done with the staging and the home seller says “Wow, I wish we had been living like this all along…maybe we shouldn’t sell”!
And there were some totally unexpected benefits as well. I have another business, a bed and breakfast which I started in 2002. Once I started learning how home staging is an amazing a marketing tool that connects with buyers, I wondered if I could apply the same concepts to my bed and breakfast. I did some experimenting and found that it at least doubled my bookings and income and helped me attract my ideal customers. It transformed my business. And, doing this added a specialty niche for my staging business to help others with vacation rental properties with home staging.
From my home staging course, I learned or was inspired to learn all kinds of new things including designing my own word press websites, creating video for advertising, how to write a blog and create a newsletter, how to publish articles for magazines and do radio interviews. I also was inspired to continue my education and become a color expert and strategist, and add color consulting to my list of services. The home staging training opened so many doors to learning that helped me in numerous aspects of my life. And I think it is just the beginning!
It all gives me joy. And like any business, while there are times when business can be slow or clients can be difficult, it is all worth it and I am so happy this is what I am doing. If you are someone that has wondered about being a home stager, I say, GO FOR IT!
info@northernlightsstaging.com
How much does it cost is usually the first question I get from home sellers! A better question might be can home staging help me sell faster and for more! Think of home staging as an investment, rather than a cost.
That investment will depend on the size of your home, if it is vacant or occupied, if the stager will do everything or just a consultation, followed by you, the seller, doing the bulk of the work. It also depends on whether suitable furniture and accessories are present in the home or if items need to be rented.
Stagers charge a fee for a consultation and give an estimate (based on an hourly fee, or a flat fee) if additional time is needed. A monthly rental fee may apply for furniture and/or accessories.
On average, stagers charge $400-$600 for that initial “working” consultation and about $125/hour for their time after that. Furniture and accessory rental costs vary based on what is needed to properly showcase your home.
Just like a home seller shouldn’t pick a real estate agent based on the highest quoted sale price for your home, a stager should not be picked based on the lowest bid. In both cases, the agent and the stager may be quoting that price just to get the job. You get what you pay for. Quality counts.
Staging will always cost less than your first price reduction. An increased sales price of your home, faster closing, and reduced holding costs, will more than cover the staging investment and all with a whole lot less stress!
Some popular options include:
More and more Realtors are covering the cost of a consultation as part of their marketing plan, leaving any further investment up to the home seller. If you like to DIY, a home staging consultation may be all you need to properly prepare your home for sale. Learn more about the costs of home staging and how it works in my blog article, Home staging- How it Works and What it Costs.
https://northernlightsstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Home_Staging_How_it_Works.mp4
Let’s get your home staged today. Start with a home staging consultation, either in person or online. From there, you can take the information and stage it yourself, or we can work together or I can do it all for you. Whether you will be living in the home while it is for sale or it will be a vacant property that needs everything, I can help.
Some other services you may find helpful are a color consultation if your staging consultation highlights the need for re-painting the interior or exterior. Virtual staging is an option if in person staging will not work for your vacant property. And vacation rental staging can help you increase your income, bookings and attract your ideal customer.
The right paint colors can help you sell for more. The wrong colors can decrease your sales price. Get this report, normally valued at $5 for free when you sign up to receive monthly color, design and staging tips.
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Give a home staging gift card.
