studio D Home Staging Photography

Confessions of an Open House Addict

Turns out, New York home staging and other real estate professionals like us aren’t the only ones who frequent open houses…

Columnist, Ronda Kaysen writes in her recent New York Times piece (which includes a quote from studio D’s own Jane Saidenberg!) entitled, Confessions of an Open House Addict

“I guess you could call me an open house lookie-lou. Some people try on shoes for fun. I try on houses.”

studio D Home Staging Photography

Family room of a Greenwich Village townhouse staged by studio D in 2018

And Kaysen- as evidenced by her column, is certainly not the only person motivated to check out the latest neighborhood open house for reasons other than the immediate want or need to actually purchase a new home… She even goes so far as to outline the three main categories of other “open house lookie-lous” which she claims are easy to spot…

“The Snooper: You live in the neighborhood or building and arrive without a coat or in your running clothes. You’re there to size up the competition.

The Confirmation Seeker: You recently bought a place and want to make sure you haven’t made a terrible mistake.

And finally, the Aspirational Buyer: You’re looking to see what a glossier version of your life might look like. Rather than ask about the carrying costs, you ask about that fabulous table lamp.”

studio D Home Staging Photography

An eat-in kitchen we staged in West Chelsea shows potential buyers (as Kaysen puts it) how “a glossier version of your life” might look

In fact, we know a thing or two about using home staging to bring the “glossier version of your life” fantasy to life for open house-goers in New York and San Francisco. As quoted in Kaysen’s column, Jane Saidenberg, Managing Director of studio D’s NYC division says, “We want people to walk in and say, ‘Oh my god this is so beautiful, I want this! And I can have this!’”…And she’s right! That’s exactly how we aim to affect anyone (serious searchers and window shoppers alike) walking into any of our staged homes- because as home stagers and other seasoned real estate professionals know, you never know who your buyer will end up being. And sometimes, life surprises us…

Read Ronda Kaysen’s full New York Times article here, or contact us to learn more about home staging in New York and San Francisco.

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