Megan Morris - MHM Professional Staging

About Megan Morris and MHM Professional Staging, Inc.: MHM Professional Staging, Inc. is lead by Megan Morris, CEO and founder. At the lead of the MHM team, Megan has translated strong values into the company’s core mission. Under Megan’s wisdom, MHM is equipped with the expertise and necessary skills to stage your home in the most visually appealing light. Founded in early 2010, MHM Professional Staging, Inc. has quickly grown into one of the most sought-after professional home staging companies in the Central Florida area. With over a decade of experience, MHM Professional Staging leadership has built a prestigious reputation for exceeding expectations, getting results, and making a lasting impression. MHM cherishes the continued loyalty of our past customers, and continue to strive forward in meeting the needs of our future customers. http://www.professionalstaging.com

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Summer Staging Success: Six Tips

When it comes to selling your home for more money and in less time, there are few better investments that you can make than home staging. Professional home staging is proven to increase the selling price of a home. Of course, success doesn’t happen automatically – and one of the most important things a home seller can do is stage their home in a way that matches the look and feel of the season. Here in Florida, we’ve got at least another two months of summer to look forward to—so today I am going to cover six tips to help you stage your home more effectively this summer.

If you’ve got a garden, stage it! If you have a garden, take advantage! Do any touch-ups or organizing that may be needed, and then find a way to ensure that it gets the attention it deserves. One of my favorite ways to accomplish this is by placing a beautiful bench in an area with a great view of the garden. Place it in the shade, if possible, so that prospective buyers are comfortable sitting and soaking in the beauty.

Stage your yard. Summertime is all about being outdoors, and if you have a great yard, it’s important to leverage it as much as possible. Set up some outdoor games like croquet or something similar. Or strategically place some chairs and a nice table where buyers can sit, enjoy a cool drink, and enjoy a great view of the lawn. One word of caution: make sure that you don’t create a feeling of clutter or disorganization. Keep your lawn well organized!

Use summer colors. Colors like blue and green are perfect for the summer season. Use these colors in accent pieces, tablecloths, and elsewhere. As always, don’t overdo it with any particular color scheme—use color tasteful!

If you have a deck or patio, spend time making it look great! A well-staged deck or patio can be a crucial factor in convincing a buyer to choose your home. Keep this space organized, clean, and welcoming. If possible, offer to serve drinks or a snack to prospective buyers and let them enjoy the outdoors from the comfort of your deck!

Flowers are always a great touch. Strategic use of flowers can be very effective. Consider “summertime” flowers like daisies or sunflowers in your kitchen, in the living room, or on your deck/patio. Not only do they look great, but fresh flowers smell great as well!

Don’t neglect anything outdoors. Every part of your yard should be addressed. Prospective buyers touring the premises will look everywhere—not just where you want them to. Keep it clean, well-organized, and welcoming. If you have areas that need weeding, mowing, or hedge-trimming, get this done immediately.

Summer staging can be a lot of fun—but more importantly, doing a great job will help you sell your home for more money, and in less time. If you’d like more information, or if you would like our professional staging team to help you sell your home, please get in touch with us today!

 http://www.ProfessionalStaging.com

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Home Staging Secrets: How to Stage Your Bedroom

When it comes to staging a home, one of the most challenging rooms to stage can be the master bedroom. On one hand, you want to create a private, intimate ambience—but it also can’t feel boring and isolated. It’s also very difficult to view your bedroom objectively, as it is the typically the room that is most uniquely yours. Today, we’re going to share seven tips to help you stage your bedroom in order to create the most appealing room possible for your prospective buyers.

1) Don’t overfill the bedroom. Many sellers, in an attempt to make the room seem larger and more exciting than it was intended to be, will pack it with furniture. If there isn’t room for a proper sitting area, don’t bother trying to create one. It won’t fool anyone—but it will make your room seem smaller and more cluttered.

2) Make it restful. Even if you enjoy having a TV or a treadmill in your bedroom, you should eliminate these items while staging the home. The bedroom should feel serene and relaxing—not like a place to be productive or to entertain guests.

3) Make sure that you have plenty of time to make your bed and clean up laundry before showing the home. It is very easy for a bedroom to get messy—we all know that. But when you’re trying to sell the home, it’s essential that you discipline yourself to keep the room as pristine as possible. Prospective buyers will want to look in closets, as well, so make sure that they are well organized.

4) Get rid of miscellaneous objects like laundry hampers. DVD stands are another example. While practical, these objects contribute to a feeling of clutter. They will also draw attention away from the best attributes of the room.

5) Replace your bedding with a neutral style. Yes, you love your bedding. But staging your room is not about what you love—it’s about creating mass appeal. Neutral colors and styles are the best way to do this.

6) Keep your windows clear. Natural light is desirable, particularly in a bedroom. Keep your shades open and the paths to the windows clear. In addition, if your bedroom windows provide a great view, make sure that you showcase it.

7) Pay attention to your bedside tables. Get rid of stacks of books, magazines, and other odds and ends. These objects will attract attention and keep prospective buyers from focusing on the best attributes of the room. And while lamps are great, ensure that they are of a size and style that complements the headboard, pillows, and bedding.

Staging a bedroom well is one of the most difficult parts of staging a home. It’s very difficult to remain objective about a room in which you’ve spent so much of your time. These seven tips will get you started in the right direction, but if you’d like to learn more, please get in touch with us today!

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Home Staging 101: Address the Problem Areas, Part Two

As I explained in part one of this series, one of the biggest issues for home owners and realtors attempting to sell a home quickly and for maximum value is the existence of certain “problem areas” that drive the value of the home down. In the previous article, we shared two examples of problem areas, as well as our strategy for overcoming them. Today we are going to look at three more.

Small rooms off of other rooms.  This is a classic situation that arises when you custom built your own home and wanted an office off the master, a workout room off the master, or even a massage room off of another room.  It might all have a purpose for you but can you imagine how mysterious it would look when all of the rooms are empty?  Yes, some people can immediately imagine what they would have there, a nursery, an office…  but others do not know, and they are perplexed.  When a Realtor tells me that the buyers are asking what could go here or there, we have to listen to their concerns and give them an idea of the room’s potential.  I listen to the Realtors, as they know the demographics and what kind of buyer is looking in this neighborhood.  If it is mostly young couples that would need a second office, then that is the way I would stage it.  If it is for a family, I might stage it as a nursery.  We do not need to put too much into this room, just enough to give it some function and a hint of the possibilities.

Windows in disrepair: If your screens are torn, bent, or otherwise in disrepair, repair them. If repairing them is impossible, remove them entirely… no screens are better than unsightly screens. Take a look at your window panes, and make any repairs that are necessary. Drapery rods should be properly secured to the walls and should function properly, and of course the draperies themselves should be clean and appealing.

Poorly lit rooms: Nothing will ruin the first impression of a home or specific room within as home as quickly as poor lighting. Below are several ideas to help brighten up poorly-lit rooms, courtesy ofAbout.com:

Replace dim light fixtures

Install additional light fixtures

Install (quality) sun tunnels or skylights

Remove heavy drapes to let the light stream through windows

Repaint some rooms with colors that reflect light

Trim tree limbs that shadow the house

Dirty and fogged windows are another buyer turnoff. Clean them inside and out to bring in more light. If possible, replace any double-pane windows with broken seals. You can find them by looking for a foggy residue that cannot be removed.

Your home may be in a great neighborhood. It may be in great condition. It may have a fantastic floor plan. But no matter how many positives there are, the existence of even just one problem area can drive the value significantly lower if the area isn’t properly addressed. If you’d like to learn more about common problem areas and how to address them, please feel free to contact us today!

http://www.ProfessionalStaging.com