HAMPTONS ESTATE: TO STAGE OR NOT TO STAGE?
Okay. What do you do if you have a massive brand new empty $35 million dollar Hamptons estate listed on the market with no nibbles? Let’s see…what would I do…? Hmmm…? Thinking…? Hmmm…? A first world “problem” – I know. A non-dilemma dilemma that must be figured out!
The answer to the first question is two fold…lower the price and stage the house with furniture and then see what happens.
That’s exactly what was decided for this 12,000 square foot mansion with 7 bedrooms and 7 baths sitting right on Georgica Pond in the Hamptons. The home is listed by Sotheby’s.
About two years ago, I did a post here on COCOCOZY featuring this exact home when it was empty and was listed at $35 million dollars.
Now the home is cautiously filled with an edited selection of furniture and the price has been lowered to $29,999,995.
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| Unstaged – Empty living room in Hamptons estate with parquet floors and oak paneled walls. (above) |
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| Staged – Living room now features two sets of furniture in front of each fireplace. (above) |
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| Unstaged – Large empty living room needs something to warm it up! (above) |
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| Staged – Open kitchen area, breakfast nook and sitting area feature understated white furniture. (above) |
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| Unstaged – The empty chef’s kitchen with dark stained wood floors. (above) |
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| Staged – Master bedroom features a modern upholstered bed, some lamps and nightstand. (above) |
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| Unstaged – The wood paneling and the windows play center stage in an empty master suite. (above) |
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| Aerial view of the exterior of this waterfront Hamptons estate. (above) |
I liked this house way back when it was a blank slate – empty…no furniture…allowed me to dream. In my view, the staging here doesn’t really add or detract. It serves a practical purpose of showing buyers what the house looks like furnished. Let’s see what happens now!
What do you think of this mansion before and after of sorts? Do you like the home better staged with furniture or as an empty blank slate? Do tell in the comments below!
Happy Monday!
xo
Coco
P.S. Am back from Atlanta. Was fun catching up with everyone. Will share market roundup soon. Please check me out at @COCOCOZY on COCOCOZY Twitter or COCOCOZY Instagram – I shared a few pictures from market and a video too!
Absolutely beautiful, but I’d never live here. It’s too big and cavernous. I’m sure it would suit someone else perfectly though:)
STK, NYC
It must have been the price? The house is beautiful and people who spend this kind of money always have professionals to advise them.
Exhausting. Who can spend all day long in such giant spaces? Ridic.
Sorry, I think that the design is not up to the standards that should be exhibited in a $29,000,000 or even $10,000,000 house.
Mary
I would have waited for the market to stabilize. Realtors should know that nothing in that price range is selling. Smart money is still laying low. The mirrored staging in the living room strikes me as unimaginative. No matter how big the bucks people respond to warmth. This house has none. More color!!
As a home stager I always feel a vacant house has no heart. Most buyers cannot visualize a vacant space & staging really helps. I do agree with an earlier post that more color is needed!
That place is so big even the staging furniture gets lost. How can you make a home out of warehouse?
Awful soul-less piece of four walls. I would never be happy in such place – it has no character at all.
Furniture does add a handful of warmth but when empty, the house just looks so sad. I am not surprised at all it hasn’t sold in 2 years.
Anneli x
Wow! What a massive estate..Hopefully someone will purchase it and give it some love.
http://www.bungalow1a.com
This is definitely a “too much is never enough” sort of home, so I think that the staging has failed miserably. The bowling alley that the stager has created, does the house no favours. (please excuse the “u’s”, I’m Canadian…lol) For someone to look at this home with its expanse of windows, galleries, paneling and inlaid floors and then pronounce the the home has no character, floors me. Although I cannot imagine a home such as this in my future, I certainly can appreciate it and imagine it for some fortunate family with kids and dogs playing chase and hide and seek.