Monica Panato Homes

Property for sale Sitges Castelldefels Olivella

Home Staging is not decorating! ;-)

" A coffee table screaming I am not you, has gotta go!" ........I love this scene in "Just like that", The realtor goes straight to the point, buyers have no vision (or not all of them). It shows how Home Staging it´s an absolute MUST when it comes to marketing a property. In the States, realtors only work with staged properties.
This apartment is stunning, however, home staging is not equal to DECORATING. Decorating means personalizing, home staging is the opposite. Neutral is the key!

This was one of my AHA moments.. #HomeStagingstory

Home Staging Sitges story

EVIDENCE: when you are a realtor, no matter if you are at a dinner party, at the beach, at the hair salon, walking your dog, or sunbathing, as long as you are with people you will get the question. But that day, it was different.

This story begins with lunch, a typical Sitges winter weather sunny lunch, where a large table of multinational-like-minded people (MY MOST FRIENDLY FRIENDS), shared experience, opinions, laughter, wine, and paella. We were sitting by the terrace of the iconic Hotel Terramar, supporting its last years of activity from 1933, before becoming the sophisticated ME Sitges.

Pictures of my flat in Sitges at the time

While discussing the real origin of the word cappuccino, which is still an unresolved matter, Nina asked me the question: “ By the way Monica, how is the property market doing?”…..but unlike any other occasion, this time she continued saying “ what really bothered me when I first moved to Sitges and started looking to buy a house, I was frustrated about the little effort that the real estate agencies made on staging a property on the market, we saw old furniture, extravagant walls colors, unpleasant filthy rooms, not nice!” so I said, “Aha…. tell me more…!?”. So she started explaining how successful the home staging in her home country Sweden is, and how owners and buyers can benefit from it. Brillant! This was the beginning!

I started practicing Home Staging with my flat in Sitges that was for sale at the time

I did the training to become a home stager and start practicing with my own property and I proved that Home Staging in the property market is a necessary tool, it was the time to start!  

    Beautiful staging of a villa for holiday lettings

    Beautiful renovation and staging of a villa for holiday lettings

    Emma and Giles decided to buy their holiday home here in Sitges. When they first took contact with us they had a clear idea of what they were looking for: a villa with a pool and nice outdoor space to use for family and friends to spend their holidays in the sun. Eventually, a property to rent out for some weeks in summer for holiday lettings.

    We presented our proposition of villas for sale and we also started a little search in case we were missing something like we always do for our clients. After a previous exchange of emails, Emma and Giles flew over to Spain to visit the properties; our connection was immediate. Emma in particular was very organized and well informed of many technical and legal details, I remember she had thousand of questions, we still laugh about it with her!

    Long story short, my colleague Silvia found a property in an amazing location with beautiful views and a great plot. There was one only challenge: it was a mess! Rooms with impossible colors, statues in the garden, old-fashioned bathrooms, and kitchen, etc, etc… When I  visited this property for the first time, I thought “this is amazing, I need a client with THE VISION”.

    Emma and Giles were the first buyers to visit this house and were very excited to keep on with the project. We advise a few professionals that helped them manage the works and adapt the house for the holidaymakers.

    Here is their buying and renovating experience!

    What is the Home Staging?

    Other Before & After

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