Home Prep · Before and after
Clear it out, clean it, fix what buyers notice, then show every room at its best. Here is what that looks like in homes DB has prepared for market, and what the research says it is worth.
102.8%
DB's average sale price as a share of the original asking price, on his sold listings 2012–2024, from his MLS records, checked against public sale records.
99.7%
For comparison: over the same years, the typical single-family home in the City of Los Angeles sold for 99.7% of its asking price, and the typical home of any type for 99.2% (TheMLS market statistics, 2012–2024).
1–10%
More in the dollar value offered for a staged home, reported by 29% of sellers' agents in the National Association of REALTORS® 2025 Profile of Home Staging. Nearly half (49%) said staging cut the time on market.
Buyers have to picture themselves living there. In the same NAR survey, 83% of buyers' agents said staging makes that easier, and the rooms that matter most are the living room, the primary bedroom and the kitchen.
The steps agents recommend first cost the least: decluttering (91%), a full cleaning (88%) and better curb appeal (77%). That is where DB starts on every house. Contents get sorted and cleared, then come cleaning, repairs, paint, landscaping, and staging where it helps. Licensed trades handle any work that needs a license; DB plans it, coordinates it and keeps it on schedule.
Every house is different, and no one can promise a price. For a number you can actually rely on, DB needs to walk the property with you.
Sources: National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging (1,266 REALTORS® surveyed in February 2025; margin of error ±2.75%). DB's figure: his MLS records 2012–2024, checked against public sale records. Market figures: TheMLS market statistics, City of Los Angeles, 2012–2024.
Read NAR's staging reportBefore and after
In each pair, the top photo is the house as DB found it. The bottom photo is the same room, ready to list.
01 · West Hollywood
Left to a family member who lived out of state, this house needed everything. DB handled the cleanout and managed the rehab with licensed trades, then had the living room staged so buyers could see how it lives.
Sold over asking.
See the whole West Hollywood project
Before
After
02 · Venice
This studio loft was in daily use as a workspace, with work on every desk and papers pinned to the walls. Cleared, cleaned and professionally photographed from the same spot, it shows what a buyer is paying for: the high ceiling, the tall windows and the French doors.
Before
After
03 · Los Feliz
Same room, same angle. The skylight, the wood floors and the island were always there; the clutter hid them. Cleared, cleaned and shot by a professional photographer.
Sold over asking.
Before
After
04 · Chatsworth
A probate sale that needed court confirmation, with a lifetime of collectibles on every surface. The contents were sorted and cleared, and the room cleaned top to bottom before the photographer came.
Before
After
05 · Chatsworth
Same house, boxes stacked to the shelves. Once the garage was sorted and emptied, buyers could see the space itself instead of someone else's belongings.
Before
After
06 · Los Feliz
Yellow walls and worn carpet before. White walls and bare wood floors after, so the window seat and the French doors do the selling.
Before
After
07 · 11656 Montana
The kitchen and the living room the day DB walked in, before the cleanout began. After photos to come.
Before
Before
All photos are from DB's own listings. Licensed trades handled any work that needed a license.
Walk it with DB first. He will tell you what is worth doing before you list, what is not, and what buyers in your area will actually pay for. No pressure.
