It's a beautiful mid-summer in the city, with gorgeous sun-soaked days and sunset-filled nights — perfect for showcasing your home for maximum return. So, how do you make your property stand out during the busy summer season? At Smith & Berg Partners, we’re big believers in home staging.
At SBP, we provide our clients with white-glove, concierge-style service that extends to every aspect of the home-selling process, including staging. We work closely with Los Angeles’ top staging pros to ensure every property we list is presented in its best light (literally!), maximizing appeal to potential buyers and often resulting in quicker sales at higher prices.
But not all staging is created equal. SBP's relationship with three premier staging firms in LA — Vesta, Taylor Miller Home, and Luxury Staging — play a crucial role in our success for our clients. And guess what? We got them for an exclusive interview, right here on T&T.
For insights into the latest trends and techniques for summer staging (with some serious photo evidence from SBP listings), look no further. Let's turn your property into the star of the real estate show. Now dive right into what the experts have to say.
Vesta: Elevating Neutral with Tonal Colors and Textures
We asked Brett Baer, Co-Founder and President of Vesta, about key staging trends during the summer season in LA:
"We’re seeing a surge in adding more tonal colors and textures to elevate the neutral-only trend we have seen over the past few years. The natural organic aesthetic that we have seen over the past 3 years is here to stay, but the addition of more eclectic and unexpected pieces will be seen throughout upcoming trends."
306 Georgina Ave
And when it comes to outdoor spaces, Maggie Grillon, Senior Director of Southern California at Vesta, emphasizes the year-round appeal of California living:
"We’re lucky here in Southern California; we have year-round sunshine and our goal is to showcase the true essence of California living no matter the time of year. We curate our outdoor designs toward the style and needs of the home rather than the season."
Vesta's approach to staging 306 Georgina Avenue, a recent Smith & Berg Partners listing, focused on creating a modern, light, and bright design with a beachy twist while maximizing functionality. This strategy paid off, with the property selling at 105% of the list price after just three days on the MLS.
Taylor Miller Home Staging & Design: Fashion-Inspired Seasonal Adaptations
Founded by partners Larisa Miller and Terence Taylor, Taylor Miller Home Staging & Design brings a unique fashion-inspired perspective to home staging. They explain how this influences their approach:
"Fashion is about beauty, function, taking creative risks, and the feeling that is evoked when these factors come together well. We approach home staging in much the same way, while also keeping in mind the needs of the potential buyer."
726 North Las Palmas
But, of course, this approach differs throughout the seasons. Here’s how they describe their vision for summer staging:
"During the summer season, we avoid heavy fabrics and dark colors, choosing instead to use cotton, linen and light, colorful palettes. No one wants to walk inside on a hot day and see faux fur and wool blankets on the beds!"
For 726 North Las Palmas Avenue, another Smith & Berg Partners listing, Taylor Miller Home Staging and Design let the home's youthful air and colorful palette guide their choices, resulting in a colorful, modern design. This approach contributed to the property receiving 7 offers after just 11 days on the market and closing at 111% of the list price.
Luxury Staging Design: Highlighting Indoor-Outdoor Living
Luxury Staging Design, a premier LA staging firm, emphasizes the crucial role of professional staging in today's market:
"Home staging is an investment that can pay off by increasing buyer interest, potentially leading to a quicker sale at a higher price. Staged homes photograph better, leading to more appealing online listings. In today's market, where many buyers begin their search online, this can significantly increase interest."
They go on to emphasize the importance of tailoring staging to the specific characteristics and potential buyer demographics of each property's location and market. For summer staging, they note:
"We definitely highlight the indoor/outdoor lifestyle potential in every home that we stage. Our strategy is to use clean lines and stylish furniture that is current with design trends, integrating them tastefully into the staging to appeal to modern luxury home buyers."
This approach was evident in SBP’s listing on 4938 Morse Avenue, where they selected stylish, modern furniture pieces of premium quality to complement the home's upgraded neutral palette. The result? Multiple offers after just two days on the market, with the property closing at 103% of the list price.
The SBP Advantage: Compass Concierge
At Smith & Berg Partners, we complement our in-house, white-glove concierge service with Compass Concierge — an innovative program that helps sellers prepare their homes for the market without upfront costs. Compass Concierge works by:
1. Fronting the cost of home improvement services with no interest or fees.
2. Allowing you to work with your SBP agent to determine the most impactful improvements.
3. Repaying the cost from the proceeds when your home sells.
This program is particularly valuable for staging, enabling sellers to access top-tier services without immediate out-of-pocket expenses. By combining our partnerships with LA's top staging experts and the financial flexibility of Compass Concierge, Smith & Berg Partners offers a comprehensive approach to preparing your home for a successful summer sale. Our goal is to help your property stand out, potentially leading to faster sales and higher offers — all while minimizing your upfront costs and stress.
If you're considering selling your home this summer, let SBP lead the way. Contact us today at [email protected] to learn more about how we can help you achieve your real estate goals this season…and always.