Julia Wesselkamper Group: Setting the Stage; Changing a Life
After raising a family and living for over 30 years in their beautiful 7,000 square foot home in Indian Hill — complete with a pool and four acres of land — Danya Karram and her husband, Michael, decided it was time to downsize to something more manageable. Plus, as Karram says, “The home deserved a new family.”
Karram, a financial planner, is highly organized and task- focused. She knew what to do and when. What she didn’t account for, however, was the emotional toll this transition would take on her and just how hard it would be to separate from the house she so cherished. However, working with The Julia Wesselkamper Group at Coldwell Banker Realty helped make that transition bearable and enjoyable due mainly to the group’s complimentary staging services provided for all clients who list with them.
“After 30 years, there was a lot of emotional connection to the home and the property,” says Karram. “Staging really helped because it made it easier for me to detach from the house.”
A Coldwell Banker Global Luxury specialist, Julia Wesselkamper holds the prestigious Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation. In addition, she is a member of the Real Estate Staging Association, and an Accredited Staging Professional. More than a decade ago, Wesselkamper launched Stage It by Julia, a full-service home staging company that works in concert with the real estate arm of her business enterprise.
When it came time for Stage It by Julia to work their staging magic, the team asked the Karrams to leave for the day. When the pair returned home, their jaws dropped at the first sight of the transformation.
“As we walked from room to room, it was so much fun to see the house through a fresh set of eyes,” says Karram. “I could see it becoming a home for a new family.”
Wesselkamper and her staging team took the homeowners’ personalities out of the house to allow potential buyers to see the home’s attributes and flow of the space without being distracted by possessions. Distractions include everything from personal photos to furniture placed in the wrong space. For example,
Wesselkamper’s team angled the chairs in one of the rooms so that the architectural elements of the windows were more visible. Just that minor change helped improve the sense of flow.
As CEO of the staging company that bears her name, Wesselkamper oversees each project, bringing her innate sense of style and professional training to every detail. At the Karram home, Wesselkamper created a warm, inviting atmosphere by
putting fragrant candles and fresh flowers in every room. She transformed all of the guest rooms into children’s rooms. In the lower-level rec room, since it was around Valentine’s Day, she created a fun candy bar.
Every room was staged — from the pantry to the closets to the garage. Wesselkamper didn’t neglect the outdoors, either, despite it being winter.
“The pool was closed, but Julia set up greenery in my pots outside all around the pool,” Karram says. “She also set up a fire pit and chairs. She creates cozy conversation areas, inside and outside, so potential buyers can visualize using the entire property.”
Karram was thoroughly impressed by Wesselkamper’s eye for knowing what needed to be done.
“She moved things from room to room. She knows what to do and where and what should and shouldn’t stay,” Karram says. “And, by the way, staging is different than having good taste. Again, it’s about highlighting the accessibility and flow of space to let the house shine.”
Because Wesselkamper has a pulse on what buyers are looking for, she translates that knowledge into her staging.
“She’s able to stay fluid in the process because the market and buyers are changing daily,” says Karram. “And because no third party is coming in, she can make that transition quickly — that very day!”
Wesselkamper and her team, who have amassed an impressive inventory of items, walked through Karram’s house, returned to their warehouse and pulled things they knew would work.
“They collaborated as a team, but Julia is the mastermind behind the scenes,” says Karram. “Staging is a labor of love for her. It’s not just a job; it’s a vocation.”
Want to learn more about staging and selling your home? The Julia Wesselkamper Group is located at 9321 Montgomery Rd., Ste. C, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242. For more information, call 513-720-4496 or follow them on Facebook.