PHOTOS BY ZACH ALDEN-BROWN/EXPOSURE IT

When moving from Texas a little more than two years ago, Laura Witowski says her family was looking for both location and historical features as they decided on a home in Pittsburgh. 

“We wanted to be close to the city and work, plus it was a chance to own an old house with a lot of character, which had always been on my bucket list,” she says. 

They found their perfect home on Pittsburgh’s North Side at 1208 Boyle St.  

“It’s close to almost everything you could want to do in Pittsburgh,” Witowski says. “It’s really wild to hear visitors come from other cities to attend sports games and say, ‘I can walk there from my house.’ You can’t really ask for anything more Pittsburgh than that.” 

Now, the family is once again moving on. Helping them are Realtors Ashley Blair-Lightholder and Alyssa Olenych of Howard Hannah’s North Hills office, who listed the property for $375,000 in December.

Blair-Lightholder and Olenych knew they had a gem on their hands with the three-bedroom, 1 ½ bathroom attached home; they also knew marketing it would be key to selling in the real estate world’s traditionally slow holiday season. 

For that help, they turned to local staging expert Germaine Gladu. 

“What sets her apart from the pack is that she’s not just a stager,” says Blair-Lightholder. “She offers a boutique service that encompasses anything and everything that gets our clients to the finish line. From packing to property prep, she tackles each home individually, understanding the goal is not just to fill the house with furniture.” 

By using warm neutral furnishings and interspersing just the right amount of statement pieces, Gladu staged Boyle Street in a way that allowed the home’s character to shine through — and that allowed buyers to envision their own lives in the 1,600-square-foot house. 

Built in 1900, the home itself is a blend of historical details and modern finishes, a juxtaposition the real estate team wanted to highlight. 

Using clear Lucite dining chairs, a lush fur rug, bold art and geometric patterns, the chosen staging pieces showcased the home without overpowering it. Those touches, combined with artful renovations over the last few years, plus an unusual double lot in the North Side, likely helped this home go under contract in less than a month.

Blair-Lightholder says staging has the potential to increase the value of a home, which is something homeowners should consider when weighing the benefit of hiring a stager. 

“When she’s involved in one of our listings, they have a 90% chance of selling in multiple offers, over asking and with better terms,” she says of Gladu. “In fact, when we use Germaine’s services, we’ve never had to keep a home staged for more than a month.” 

Blair-Lightholder and Olenych add that while they love to work with professional stagers, there are some simple things anyone can do on their own to help their home stand out. 

“Declutter and pack up anything that won’t be used during the sale,” says Blair-Lightholder. “Paint rooms that are bold colors neutral unless the color enhances the space. Lighter, neutral colors are particularly important in bedrooms and in kitchens with dark cabinets.” 

She also suggests lowering beds to make ceilings appear higher and swapping out bright or busy curtains with a light, neutral option while the home is on the market. She adds it’s easier for the next homeowner to envision themselves living in a home if it feels a bit like a blank slate. 

As for Witowki, while she’s a bit melancholy about leaving the home and city her family has come to love, her hope is the next owners will be just as happy at 1208 Boyle St. 

“I hope they love it as much as we did and enjoy how much character it has,” she says. “It really felt special to live somewhere that had been standing during whole generations of lives and major world events taking place over time, and to get to be a small part of that history.”

About: Central North Side
Population: 2,686
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Residents of Pittsburgh’s Central North Side neighborhood enjoy easy access to all of the city’s main arteries. From this home, residents can also catch regular Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses and can walk or bus to the North Side’s T stops. It’s also a 20-minute drive to the airport via Interstate 376.
Schools: Pittsburgh Public Schools (pghschools.org)
Neighborhood: The Central North Side neighborhood is an extremely walkable and pedestrian-friendly community with abundant restaurants, coffee shops, bars and retail stores. There’s a farmer’s market on Friday nights and regular festivals that bring entertainment and vendors to the community. There are two public elementary schools in the Central North Side neighborhood that residents can walk to as well. Other community destinations include multiple museums, the National Aviary and Randyland. 

Neighborhood data provided by Niche.