Staging your Home to Sell

Lorraine's Chicago, "Staging your Home to Sell" episode.
Steve is interviewed by Lorraine Denham of Coldwell Banker Lincoln Park. Click here to see a clip of the episode.

web.

3form.
3form is a leading manufacturer of award-winning, eco-friendly translucent resin panels. The use of 3form panels in one of our projects is featured on the company's website. View photos here.

project: Erie-Green Condominiums lobby renovation

background.
We were contacted by a couple that Steve met about a year before at a Lincoln park townhome we had staged. They told us that the reason they called was because the staging of this townhome was so effective that they were seriously considering buying it. They soon came to realize that the attraction to the townhome had been in the way it was staged rather than the property itself, which was actually completely impractical for their lifestyle. They ended up purchasing a condo in river west. The condos in their building were loft-like and nicely appointed, but the lobby was very generic looking and didn't relate at all to the condo units or to the architecture of the building. Our clients – and several other residents – were planning on selling their condos within the next year, and they knew that they would be competing against a large number of condo units on the market. They feared that the lobby would be a big turnoff to some potential buyers. It was, after all, the first – and last – impression they would have of the property.

goal.
We wanted to create a lobby space that was contemporary and complemented the architecture of the building. But first and foremost, we wanted to make the space welcoming. The building was in an urban, almost industrial feeling area - surrounded by concrete and asphalt. Because of that, we also felt it was important that the lobby provide a smooth transition between the outside world and the homes of the residents. We accomplished this by changing the lighting and by introducing organic elements – in a non-traditional way – into the space.

result.
We accomplished our goal...the lobby turned out great! The residents were thrilled and the lobby's new look generated renewed interest in the property from potential buyers. The owners that were waiting for the remodel to be complete listed their units, and the first unit sold for $10,000 more than any units had sold for prior to the remodel.