See How a Stager Reworked a Prewar Apartment With “So Much Potential” (You Won’t Believe the Transformation!)

Written by

Sarah Kuta
Sarah Kuta
Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. Her work has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Robb Report, Smithsonian magazine, Lonely Planet, and other publications. She has a degree in journalism from Northwestern University.
published Oct 10, 2024
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yellow cluttered living room before home staging
Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

When home stager Jason Saft, the founder and “chief magic maker” at Staged To Sell Home, first saw this pre-war, two-bedroom apartment in New York City’s Greenwich Village, he had a good feeling about it — despite the fact that the property had lingered on the market for nearly two years. 

“It was so cute and had so much potential, it just needed a fresh perspective,” Saft says.

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

The property was in an ultra-prime location on a tree-lined street in the West Village, says Saft. But it had a few things working against it: It was still in its original condition, and it was a ground-floor, rear-facing unit; it was also cluttered with the owners’ belongings. Though hundreds of prospective buyers had considered the home, none of them decided to bite — until Saft worked his home staging magic

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

“It’s one of my all-time favorite projects,” he adds.

The 930-square-foot apartment is located in an architecturally significant building that was constructed in 1918. With original crown moldings, hardwood floors and 9.5-foot-tall ceilings, it felt spacious and bright — a perfect starter apartment.

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

But the unit needed a little love, and buyers were likely turned off by the prospect of refurbishing it, Saft says. 

“Many people do not have the time or money to renovate right away,” he says.
The property wouldn’t budge, sitting on the market for months and months — until the sellers called in Compass real estate agent Shari Matluck. Working together, Matluck and Saft strategized to refresh and reposition the home.

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

Saft managed to give the property a full facelift, without doing any construction. The entire staging project cost about $15,000, which is about average for the type of work involved — mainly, cosmetic changes, some heavy decluttering, new lighting, changing up wall treatments, and staging furniture.

“Our approach is to visually clean up every area and make the home look and feel as if it has been updated to make the home more approachable to more buyers,” he says. “The more someone easily sees themselves living in a space, the more offers come in.” 

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

In the kitchen, Saft added an eye-catching, graphic wallpaper from Roommates Decor all the way from the floor to the ceiling. In contrast to the white cabinets and appliances, the busy print featured colorful lemons, flowers, and leaves against a black backdrop. And his bold move paid off.

“The kitchen was one of the most bold things I’ve done, even to this day, but it felt right considering the location, price point, and size,” he says. “The feedback was incredible. Everyone loved it.”

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

In the entry hallways, Saft also added wallpaper, but in a more subdued gray striped print. He gave the yellow den a fresh coat of paint — Benjamin Moore’s “White Dove” — and pared down the decor while keeping a few of the owners’ pieces as visual anchors. He also staged the den as a guest bedroom.

In the living room, he carved out a little dining nook and brought in large mirrors to bring in even more natural light.

Throughout the home, he sprinkled in a curated selection of furniture and decor to help tie everything together.

Credit: Shannon Dupre, DD Reps

One of the more subtle transformations in the space was how Saft decluttered the bathroom — like any bathroom, it was filled with the daily items that were used by the previous owner, but Saft cleared away counter space to help buyers imagine themselves in the space.

“I really wanted to simplify what was there,” he says. “We worked with a lot of the owners’ items and only brought in pieces that were more well-scaled for the space.”

In the end, the team re-listed the home for $85,000 less than the original asking price — $980,000, down from $1,300,000. Saft says his makeover, coupled with the lower price, helped get the apartment across the finish line. It sold for $940,000.  Plus, within 20 days of Saft staging the apartment, it went under contract. The lightning-fast deal is a “true testament to the idea that you can make any space look and feel emerging with a small budget,” he says.

“I’ve always said a successful staging and sale has three main factors: presentation, pricing, representation,” he says. “Often, if all three are not synced up, you don’t have a successful sale, But this combination is what we strive for in all projects.”