Organize, Simplify, Solve. “If a home doesn’t make sense, nothing does.” ~ Henrietta Ripperberger
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If you’re preparing to sell your home, you may wonder if staging is really necessary. After all, isn’t it just decorating? While both involve design choices, staging and decorating serve very different purposes—and knowing the difference can make or break your home sale. Decorating: Personal Style and Comfort Decorating is the process of making a house feel like your home. It reflects personality through paint colors, furniture styles, artwork, and accessories. Decorating answers the question: What do I love? From bold accent walls to cozy family photos, decorating creates spaces that are meaningful and personal. Staging: A Marketing Tool for
Continue Reading →Open Concept Sells Homes: Why Staging Makes All the Difference Open concept floor plans continue to be one of the most requested features in real estate. These layouts feel spacious, modern, and ideal for entertaining—but only when they’re presented properly. That’s where professional home staging is essential. Without walls to define each room, buyers often struggle to visualize how to use an open layout. Staging solves this by clearly defining functional zones through furniture placement, area rugs, and strategic accessories. A staged home shows how the space flows—from the living area to the dining space—creating a natural, welcoming feel. Vacant
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Is it hot enough for you? 2020/2021 will go down in the realtor history books as the hottest market ever experienced. Properties are receiving multiple offers, with some offers well over asking price, sometimes to the tune of tens of thousands. So why stage if demand is high? First answer – all the same reasons apply as if the market was slow; have great photos, create emotion, etc. Second answer – not all properties are selling on day one and the costs associated with so many Days on Market can be staggering. The property described in this case study is
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We are excited to share some of our favorites from this past year. The challenges that came from COVID-19 affected us all, from masks and social distancing to a shift in priorities in how we utilize, and stage, our homes. Staging offices and study spaces…
Continue Reading →Staging a Different Lifestyle in 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed our homes into multifunctional spaces, serving as offices, schools, and entertainment centers. In today’s market, highlighting how a home can seamlessly adapt to these changes is essential. Features that were once considered drawbacks may now be assets, and staging should showcase the full potential of a space to meet modern needs. Enhance the Home Office With remote work becoming the norm, a dedicated home office is a key selling feature. Staging should emphasize a workspace that is both private and productive. A well-staged home office with a desk, ergonomic
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Staging’s purpose is to minimize time spent on the market and maximize value by creating a product with the broadest buyer appeal. Stagers watch for changes in current furniture styles, color trends, and most importantly, lifestyle changes to achieve this. Every year, sometimes more frequently, new and distinctive color palettes are shown by designers and paint companies. Furniture styles, accent pieces and accessories update with similar or greater speed. One look at the lines at HomeGoods or At Home is evidence of ever evolving trends and the impact on our lives and wallets. Lifestyle changes normally happen more organically. Before
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January 25th marked the Year of the Rat in the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. Rats can be curious, smart, fierce, and intelligent. But one rat in particular, the woodrat – or packrat – shares another trait with humans. Our tendency to collect. We collect friends, activities, habits (good and bad), and things. Packrats, whether animal or human, collect items in their home that may not be needed or used but sometimes have personal or other value. It can be difficult for some to resist the R.A.T., or resist the urge to Reactively Acquire Things. Those who display packrat behavior commonly retain
Continue Reading →Staging is about creating the broadest appeal for potential buyers. Each house has unique features that require special attention. But, we can’t help but to have our favorites. Here is a list of TLC Home’s Top Ten of 2019.
Continue Reading →All About TLC Home’s organizing and staging experts, and how we can help you achieve your goals. Terry L. Cooch, Founder, founded TLC Home, LLC in 2007. Beginning TLC Home was a natural progression, giving her the opportunity to share what she has learned while raising a family of 6 children and two dogs in Arnold, MD. Making a comfortable home was always a priority for Terry, but organizing had to become a priority, as well. In the last 30 years of caring for a family, home and business, she has developed practical techniques in time management and space efficiency
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TLC Home completed a new type of staging project just before Thanksgiving: New Construction. 551 Leftwich Lane in is part of a new townhouse community in Annapolis, MD. New Construction properties present their own challenges when it comes to staging. A new, modern, open floor plan means standard Living Room, Dining Room, and Kitchen spaces aren’t separated, instead offering two large open spaces and a small nook. We chose furnishings that reflected the modern style and space and made the house feel like it could be a home. We purchased a modern style desk for the nook to show how
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Has this wave of crisp, fresh, fall weather inspired you to make a big change? When we feel the urge to change or improve our life or our home, it often results in large organizing or home maintenance projects. Change is a natural and important part life. But now you have a really, REALLY big job ahead of you and don’t know where to begin. You’ve acknowledged the need for change and have learned to sort into Keep, Toss, Donate, but you’re still stuck. Whether it’s a mountain of paper in the office or a heap of clutter in the
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Telling clients how to prepare their home for sale is the easy part. You know what condition the house needs to be in and how it should look to get top dollar. The tricky part is getting owners to buy in and take action. If not done well, asking a homeowner to make changes often results in a poorly prepared house or worse – not getting or losing the listing. If the goal is to achieve a successful sale, homeowners must want to make the necessary adjustments. It can sometimes feel like getting a kid to eat their vegetables. We
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Terry founded TLC Home, LLC in 2008 as a Professional Organizer logging hundreds of hours helping individuals get comfortable and functional in their homes. Terry knows how to make a home attractive too! She soon added staging to her services and became an ASP certified Stager in 2012. 
