About Us...
We don’t want your house to be overlooked or swiped on by.
Our passion is helping houses tell their story—by transforming them into marketable showcases, turning favorable first impressions into lasting ones that inspire buyers.
Hi! I’m Amy Nelson, founder and owner of Home Transformations Staging. I’m based in Butler, Mercer and Lawrence Counties, just north of Pittsburgh, PA, and also provide online staging services, no matter where you are located.
I have sold quite a few of my own houses, two...
of which were as a single mother with children between the ages of 1 and 15, and one while preparing to move across the country (yes, with said children!); I've also extremely down-sized twice, once when moving to a house half the size, and another when further down-sizing to a house half that size!
Who knew? "Staging" wasn't a 'thing' back when I sold my first house, but I got new bedding for all beds, rearranged my furniture, and put a ton of things into a storage unit, because I innately knew I needed to make the house look great to the buyers.
In purchasing my own houses, I painfully had to overlook distractions in photos and during showings that, upon the first impression, somewhat scared the buyer in me away! (In fact, one time I passed by a house due to the photos and its poor presentation, only to relook at it 4 months later on a whim, and then bought it!)
I knew there had to be a better way to market houses, one that could get sellers more money and attract more attention from buyers.
So in March 2020 (bad timing, I know), after going through 3+ staging certification programs, I started Home Transformations Staging with the goal of increasing the appeal of every house on the market, and have been working with Realtors, homeowners and investors to “level-up” homes for sale ever since– even more so after recently retiring from a full career in education.
It was actually destined to be, because in my younger years you could always find me drawing elaborate floor plans, visiting model homes, and redesigning Barbie and Ken’s cardboard box rooms. (Um...my friends may or may not have complained that we spent too much time setting up the houses and not enough time playing...)
I knew there had to be a better way to present houses for buyers, one that could get them more money and attract more attention if they just did 'certain things' that would appeal to more people.”
How I help sellers:
(AGENTS: Please see my Realtor's page to learn how I can help you!)
It isn't enough anymore to find an incredible Realtor. Buyers are savvy, young, and have different expectations nowadays. I know and have worked with many area agents, and collaborate with them regarding the timeline and goals for your sale.
I'll meet with you at your house for a thorough Marketable Home Consultation, non-judgmentally giving you very specific recommendations for every room, making adjustments if there isn't enough time or money. As scary as this sounds, I promise you that most sellers have a lot of fun during this process! The Seller's Action Plan we develop will show you the fastest way to selling quickly and for the most money possible.
I can provide more inventory support if needed. Most of the time, the sellers are blown away by how their house looks and feels to THEM! Now imagine what emotional impact that has for buyers. And since buyers buy on emotion, this is the goal!!
For vacant houses, we'll come with everything needed to make each room feel great and stand out memorably to buyers. (And isn't that the goal!??)
In the end, we will have set up your house to present as "marketably" as possible; making it one that attracts a larger pool of buyers and stands out in the market compared to others in your price range.
In the future, I’d love to continue staging houses and be able to offer more support to agents throughout the USA on how to approach sellers about staging and prepare their houses for the market.
Just recently, I was honored to have been named one of Fixr.com’s “50 Top Experts in the Home Staging Industry as a ‘Home Stager Driving the Industry Forward 2025,’ noted for her expertise and knowledge, experience, and growth as an inspiration to others."
Home Staging and ReDesign Certifications:
* Staging and ReDesign Certifications -- Home Staging Resource /Audra Slinky
* e-Design Certification -- Home Staging Resource /Audra Slinky
* Color Strategist Certification -- Land of Color / Lori Sawaya
* Occupied Consultation Specialist Certification-- OCS Bobbie McGrath
* Registered Stager with the Compass Concierge Program and--
* Coldwell Banker's RealVitalize program through Angi.
Professional Educational Career:
Bachelor's Degree: Grove City College, PA; Elementary Education
Master's Degree: University of Texas and University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas; Education
Principal's Certificate: Slippery Rock University, PA
Elementary Classroom teacher and Campus Curriculum Coordinator -- San Antonio, Texas (15 years)
Instructional Reading Coach -- Grove City Area School District, PA (18 years)
Retired - June 2022
FAQs:
Q: What is home staging?
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A: Home staging is the visual marketing process of strategically arranging a property to highlight its best features, attract potential buyers, and facilitate a faster and more profitable sale. Home staging can be anything from a consultation, to supplementing with a stager’s items, to fully staging a vacant house.
Q: Why is home staging important?
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A: Home staging is crucial as it helps create a more marketable, visually appealing and inviting environment based on what buyers want, allowing potential buyers to envision themselves living in the space. It often leads to quicker sales and potentially higher offers.
Q: Will I have to move everything out of my house for it to be staged?
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A: No! If you are living in your house while selling, a stager can respectfully and creatively problem-solve with ‘no-judgement’ to help you set up your house for what buyers want to see and feel, by using the furnishings and décor you already have with minimal additional purchases. We know you still need to live there, so we make it work for your life but yet maximize the value of the house.
Q: When is the best time to stage a home?
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A: A home should be staged before it is listed for sale, as a house is never as valuable as its first day on the market. Staging prior to listing ensures that the property looks its best from the start, capturing the attention of potential buyers. Houses get 5x’s more views in the first few days on the market, so staging makes it stand out even more.
Q: Can’t I stage my home myself? I am good at decorating.
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A: Staging isn’t a quick tidy-up, plumping pillows, or your decorating skills – it’s about visual marketing. We use design principles of balance, scale, and color, combined with neuromarketing research, to highlight certain features for buyers while using your items, often in a new way or location. Homeowners are emotionally connected to their home, so it makes it hard for owners to effectively stage it. Hiring a professional is well worth the investment as they will make powerful recommendations with solutions that you may never have thought of to attract a wider pool of buyers.
Q: Will staging guarantee a higher sale price?
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A: While there are no guarantees in real estate, well-executed home staging can contribute to a higher perceived and actual value, potentially leading to more views, showings, and competitive offers from buyers. See this link for National Association of Realtors statistics on home staging report.
Q: If I call you, will it just be a sales pitch?
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A: No! Informational calls are so I can find out about your house and your particular situation, and get to know you a little bit. I can tell you about services I have that might be a good fit for you, and we can make a plan from there. There's no pressure, only possible solutions with the goal of making your house as marketable as possible.
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