LEFT:Lee Hoehne pointed to the area in the master bedroom that needed help. She planned to install curtains, among other things. RIGHT: Hoehne kept the bed but added the curtains and valance behind it and the small table to the left. World photos by Madeline Steege and Lou Sennick

Home staging, which has received national recognition via television shows like “Designed to Sell,” has now come to Coos Bay.

Lee Hoehne, of North Bend, started Lee’s Home Staging earlier this year.

“The idea of doing staging is not interior decorating. It’s mostly merchandising,” Hoehne said. “What you’re trying to do is open things up and reduce clutter.”

The Bay Area native combined her experience as an interior designer and a manager of a bed and breakfast for 12 years, with her training that earned her certification as a home staging specialist.

Hoehne said sometimes improving the looks of a house can be as simple as applying a little paint and planting some colorful flowers, as was the case in her latest project at Rachel Richardson’s home in North Bend.

“She has a yellow house that had a black retaining wall,” Hoehne said. “We painted the wall white. I told them to buy about a half a dozen mums to plant across the front. It sure made a world of difference. I can’t believe how much nicer it looked.”

Hoehne said that when a client calls, she first does a written consultation for them. A staging consultation lasts anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, and costs $50.

“I start right at the curb and go through the back of the house and do an evaluation,” Hoehne said.

She said the client is given the option to stop right there if they want and do all the suggested work themselves.

At the Richardson home, Hoehne focused on sprucing up the lower level of the house and gave Richardson ideas on what to do upstairs. The cost of the job was $250, the average cost for home staging, according to Hoehne.

One of her biggest challenges at the Richardson house was putting away things that had accumulated over the years.

“Everywhere they had tons of books,” Hoehne said. “They love to read. But, the idea is to open up the space. The whole idea is the prospective buyer could imagine themselves, and their own family, in the space.”

In the bedroom, Hoehne suggested taking down some shelves and removing a desk that had become a catch-all, converting the space into a reading corner by moving one of the bookshelves and a comfortable chair to the corner.

In every room, Hoehne helped Richardson remove an array of things that made the house look cluttered.

“We help pack, clean, paint, rearrange and reorganize,” Hoehne said. “We do whatever is necessary to showcase the home to help sell it faster and for top dollar.”

The cost for home staging can range from $100 to $500. At every home, she presents the client with two different prices, with it costing more if Hoehne does all the work herself.

 “If they help with the painting, packing up ... it costs a lot less,” she said.

She also tries to get any children living in the home involved in the process. She takes into account that they may be moving soon and by having them help, she thinks it could reduce some of the stress.

Hoehne also will stage a vacant home or business, by adding vignettes — strategically placed furniture and plants to create little scenes.

“It makes the place more inviting,” Hoehne said.

Richardson said getting Hoehne’s help has done more than just make her house more sellable.

“She’s been able to really make a difference in our lives,” Richardson said. “She’s helped us to not only get rid of the clutter, but get rid of the stress.”

“That’s what makes it worthwhile, when people appreciate what you do,” Hoehne said.

Hoehne compares what she does to homes, to what manufacturers do with packaging.

“It’s like an item on the grocery store shelf,” Hoehne said. “When you’re selling a product, you want it to look its best.”

For more information, those interested can call Lee’s Home Staging at 267-5565 or e-mail dalenlee@verizon.net.