Designed to Sell

Some flowers to brighten your day to begin!

In real estate, target marketing is essential. Every house needs to appeal to the highest number of potential buyers but you also have to be aware of what demographic will be looking at your home. Will your buyer be an executive looking to upgrade or relocate to a new area? Will the potential buyer most likely be a family with children? Does your home and area appeal more to a retirement age group, single adults, or first time buyers? When I stage a home I take all of this into consideration before doing my design plan.

This week we did a home in a great location. It is, however, a small condo with a savvy homeowner that wanted to target market to the young upwardly mobile, single person or couple and first time buyer.

I love it when my client does my work for me...I have never had one that knew much about target marketing until this homeowner! This woman was my dream client. She was receptive to all my ideas and direction and did everything I suggested. This was so refreshing and I guarantee it will sell her home much more quickly and for a higher price. A hard working, cooperative client makes all the difference. (Note to self when it is time to sell your home!)


My client wanted me to do a Pottery Barn look as she had actually asked some twenty somethings what they would like to see if they were looking for a home. Brilliant, don't you think?

One thing that made this project so delightful was that it is vacant and empty. Before it was staged the kitchen was remodeled along with both bathrooms. New wood laminate flooring was installed downstairs. Upstairs it has new carpeting and each bathroom has updated flooring, cabinetry, and fixtures as well. This made a tremendous improvement to the property. I assisted my client in selecting some of it including the paint colors, etc. and so when I arrived to stage it ~everything was like new and coordinated and ready to be designed.

This home owner understood one very important element to selling her home. You must invest money in making the best presentation possible, IF you want a short market time and the highest possible selling price. Also she paid attention to the details. The competition out there is fierce.

This client was also willing to rent furniture to make sure everything was good quality and the proper scale and the right style for the look she wanted. I use Cort Furniture for all my clients and I love going down to the showroom and picking out an entire household of furnishings to make it work. The person at Cort that is the most knowledgeable and helpful to me is Iuliana.

The only thing that the client already had and wanted to use was the master bedroom set and since she sells Ralph Lauren bedding online, she wanted me to use the bedding ensemble she had chosen. The bedding is an aqua and cream set so aqua was the color I wanted to feature. When you have a small home keeping the colors consistent makes it flow better and look bigger. So with aqua in mind and PB, I set out to find what could help create a Pottery Barnesque look, in a great neighborhood, for a first time buyer.

I know you like before and after photos but
this house was nearly empty so most of the rooms
looked something like this a few days ago.

Anything would be better than empty, right?
Only 5% of the population can visualize how their furniture
would fit and look when looking at an empty room.
Here is what it looks like now...
Double click the photos to see more details.

The living room has light, neutral, contemporary upholstered furniture. Most of the art work in the house features geometrics. The zany area rug has several colors in it and includes the predominate colors through out of aqua and pumpkin, black and brown. The geometric figure that is most dominate in this room is the circle.

Taken from the stairway landing.

The wall in the living room opposite the front door.
An entry is a great place to put a mirror.
It is said that most people just love
seeing themselves when they walk into a place!
Funny, huh?

I wish you could see this piece better. It has nine drawers and they are painted black and brown and aqua and goes great with the area rug. The silver-toned, round mirror compliments the other round features of the room.

The dining area is connected to the

end of the living room and also the kitchen forming an 'L'.

In the kitchen and dining area I stuck primarily to the aqua and black. I selected this round table for its modern design and it was the smallest table they had at Cort.

This is a small area and is also the walk way to the patio so I had to allow for getting to the slider. Round is better in a situation like this as it prevents possible injuries if you were to accidentally run into the table walking through. Note that the chairs are not placed at 12-3-6-and 9 positions in relationship to the slider, but at 10-2-4 and 8. This gives you a lot more walking room. It also adds interest to the table setting. Try this even with a square table if you have limited space. Angle the table as a diamond instead of a square to your slider or wall. You will be amazed!

I used a mirror to visually enlarge the space and to connect the kitchen and dining area. When staging sometimes it is fun to 'over stage' an area and use a little whimsy. I used the large, wooden, black flower with the bling as the centerpiece on the table~ just to be an eye catcher and to tie into a black charger on the counter that actually has rhinestones around the edge. It adds a little youthfulness and fun.

I kept the kitchen really simple as it is small
and I wanted it to give it an open, airy look.

Upstairs the condo has a master bedroom, one bathroom
and a secondary bedroom which I did as an office.
The home office with faux computer.

In the office the same type of geometric, modern art has
been used along with the black, brown and pumpkin colors.

It is nearly impossible to photograph a small bathroom but I wanted to show you what I came up with for the towels. I found and purchased this art piece and remembered I had some black and white towels in the warehouse with a design very similar to the design at the top of the picture. I thought it might be fun to combine the black and white and orange and this is the result.

Double click to see the pattern on the picture.

Here is the Master Bedroom and the aqua we started with.

The area rug in the living room allowed
me to add in some other colors to the entire condo
and still keep it flowing.

These two photos not the greatest but gives
you an idea of the rest of the master.

I enjoyed this project. Although I have staged lots of condos, I have primarily worked with executive and family home buyers in the past. Having someone request modern design was a new experience. I discovered I had to buy a lot of new things for this home. I haven't had to do that in a long time as I do have tons of inventory...it just was not suited to this house. And on top of that, the last house I did also had a lot of aqua so the accessories I might have been able to use were out.

This project proved to me once again that it doesn't matter so much what you are working with, but rather where you put it, when you are designing a room. It may not be your taste but, with the proper design principles implemented, you can get great results. All I can hope for is my next client to be just like this one!

And now it is Friday and I am beat! I am planning to do some relaxing things today to rest my brain before the weekend. Have a great one!

Staging An Occupied Home For Sale

This is the home we staged last week. I am just experimenting on making a slide show with SmileBox and you are my Guinea Pigs.


Staging an occupied home presents challenges that a vacant home does not. You have to work with what they have, keep the home livable, and bring in things from the warehouse to enhance it. All this happens after an extensive consultation and "to do" list for the homeowner which includes items for removal, cleaning up, de-cluttering, new purchases, repairs, etc.

In the best of all worlds, they follow my written instructions to the letter and everything goes according to the design plan I have worked up from my photos. Often we come and find things not exactly the way we had hoped and then the order of the day is ~ adjust and smile.

We decorate the entire house in one day. It is hard work but very fun too. I could not do this without the help of my assistants, Emily and Maureen. They are the best! Nor could I do it without the technical assistance of Jim who helps me move all the heavy things to the houses and de-stage it when it is sold.

Once the written report is done I take that and my photos and begin the process of deciding what I have that will work in each room in the house. The tricky part is coordinating a feeling with colors, art work , accessories, floral and plants, linens, dishes, etc. that will pull the house together.

For this house we brought over two very full van loads of accessories from our warehouse. I spent about $50.00 to buy things we didn't have, but that is minimal and normal now that we have a pretty substantial inventory. As it turned out, I didn't even use the items but, that is OK...there is always another house. (Hopefully!)

What made this home more difficult was the colors in the main rooms are so muted. As an example the sofa is a salmon and muted blueish gray, patterned fabric. It is very hard to make that "pop" as the overused term goes. One of the best colors for making a house come alive is red and that just would not work in this house. Also things like wallpaper in the dining room remained in place although removal was recommended. The chandelier, a favorite treasure brought from their larger home was installed here, but is way over-scale for this room. That meant finding dishes in our collection that were the right colors to blend with the living room and somewhat plain, and having a shorter centerpiece than I would normally use so it wasn't nearly touching the light fixture. Every detail has to be considered. So, come on in and take the tour!



Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our objective is to make the house look inviting and spacious and well cared for by the owners. We also try to make it look like real people live here so it does not have the sterile quality of a model home. We want the prospective buyer to think they would just love to live here where everyday is restful and wonderful! We realize they have probably been working like crazy to get their home on the market too, so when they come here we want things to look and feel done! We want them to feel like they would be leisurely stepping up...!

What do you think? Did we do it?

The Three P's of Selling Your Home

It use to be said that in selling your house it was location, location, location. Things have gotten a little more complicated these days. Of course in part this is due to the economy but there are other factors that contribute to my new list.


Place: Of course this is still very important but when you go to sell your home that factor is already established and you have to work with where you already are. As neighborhoods change this can be very frustrating as what once was a beautiful place can change over time. There is little we can do about how our neighbors care for their property although it totally affects the sale of our homes. We also have little influence over new construction around us that can take its toll as well.

Price: Many people think they can set the asking price for their home. Actually this is not the case. The comparable sales (comps) in the neighborhood actually set your asking price. If you have a good agent you will not be asking more than what the market will bear. There is a tendency to think our homes are worth more than they are, especially since the bubble has burst!

Sometimes it is not the best idea to go with a friend or relative as your agent, as they may tend to want to go along with your wishes even when the asking price is too high. Sometimes professionalism and friendship do not mix well. If you do use someone you know well make sure there is an understanding in advance of the listing. If you do not like the price of course you do have some recourse, as you ultimately decide to sell at the lower price or remove the house from the market. But if your real estate agent is worth their salt (and many are), you don't get to say, "I want to ask $1,000,000 for my house because I think that is what it is worth!" when the market will only bear $650,000.


If you are over-priced your house will sit on the market for a long time and you will lose the golden opportunity to sell during that incredible first few weeks when the house is fresh on the market. Once your listing becomes stale it is hard to recapture enthusiasm for it in the real estate community. The rule is the longer the house sits~the lower your selling price will be.

Presentation: This is the place where you actually have some real control. The market is very competitive and the expectations of people are high. It is industry standard now to have your home professionally staged for sale. Did you know that homes sales are based on emotional decisions most of the time? People want to improve their lives with a better house, better, neighborhood, etc.

Professionally Staged by Interiors by Design

They are often exhausted from the work they have just completed on their own homes and want to move into a great, "work free" environment. Of course we all know intellectually that all homes require a lot of work but they do not want to think about that when they tour your home.

The words flooding their minds should be fresh, clean, beautiful, comfortable, inviting. You don't want them thinking, paint, updating required, needs new landscaping, fences are falling, terrible carpeting, etc.

Of the three P's this one is where you can really make a huge difference in the money you put into your pocket as you turn over the keys. Make it shine like a diamond and you will dramatically optimize your chances for a great sale!

Luxury Has A Changing Face

This article was in an E-Zine from a local furniture rental company called Welcome Home in Dublin, CA.

"I had the pleasure to attend a great seminar and networking event last week that was just too good not to share. There were so many points relevant to our industry, my mind has been buzzing ever since. The seminar was entitled "Redefining Luxury in the West," given by Michael Wollaeger, Editor-In-Chief of Western Interiors & Design magazine.

Michael spoke eloquently about a new type of luxury emerging in the West that is influencing the global marketplace. Michael explained that this luxury is societal driven and is changing how the most important and influential builders, architects and designers are creating the hottest new living spaces. This is so apropos to what we do in the real estate industry, meaning that many of these trends need to be incorporated into how we market homes.

This new definition of luxury isn't about scale and abundance anymore. Space, in and of itself (and especially in the West), is a luxury. We have moved to an era where protecting space, such as in National Parks, holds great value. Architects are now being driven by the idea of land and sky, instead of just abundance. A very small space can now be viewed as luxurious simply because of the view. Even in urban areas, the idea of incorporating the cityscape view into the design is now more popular than trying to block it out.

Sanctuary places in the home to retreat from reality are now more popular than ever. This includes reading retreats, massage & yoga rooms, hotel style master bedrooms, and spa-like bathrooms. Spa style master baths are trending towards materials with rough textures; stone and metal and mixing them with natural light.

Indoor-outdoor extravagance is a trend that is gaining more and more momentum with sumptuous fabrics, rugs, lighting, and furniture for outdoors emerging in the marketplace. Now designers can fully furnish outdoor living spaces with formal dining and sitting areas.

Another major trend that is influencing almost every aspect of our lives is The Green Movement. In the luxury market, this trend has translated itself in many ways. Reclaimed materials, such as wood and metal, are unique and therefore luxurious. They are not obtainable to everyone. They are not materials that anyone can just go out and buy. They are rare and often have outstanding unique patinas. There is a desire for a sense of purpose to reuse and connect to the past to create a sense of soulfulness. The use of natural materials from local sources is now more luxurious than the idea of importing materials from half way around the world.

Small house lavishness has also emerged from The Green Movement. Buyers are seeking ways in which to make small spaces work in multifunctional ways. They want solutions that are easier on the planet. They want to make purchases based on what makes them feel good about themselves and their lives.

All these trends are on the cutting edge of Interior Design today. So how does, and should that, relate to how we market and sell houses now? We have the opportunity to use the knowledge of these trends on every home we prepare for sale. Often times when we need to market a home with an older floor plan that does not have a dedicated home office, we create a home office in one of the bedrooms. Even though our lives are now more dependent on the use of home computers than ever before, the ease and affordability of wireless networking has made the reality of a small laptop in any room of the house easily obtainable. We are trending towards using that space (that used to be for the home office) as a luxurious personal retreat. It can now be a yoga room, meditation space, or massage room. Almost any master bath can be made luxurious looking by adding the right accessories, art and plush towels. An unusual corner of a room can be transformed into a relaxing reading retreat. The best part is that with a professionally staged home that capitalizes on these luxuries, they are easily translated to the buyer with good photography on the internet.

You have the opportunity now to market homes this way. Will you stay on the cutting edge with current trends, or keep doing things the same way and expect your results to change?"

Before and After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After


Before ~Everything in this display cabinet is too small.
Note the horse collection
Double click to enlarge

After~Larger scale looks so much better.
It almost doesn't matter what you put in
here as long as it is the right size.

Before

After~Horse collection where it can be appreciated more.

Before

After


Before

After

I'll post the Circlepix on Monday
I apologize for some of these photos~weird exposures
~the Circlepix will be better!

Posted by Bonnie at 3:53 PM 3 comments

Circlepix of Our Recent Home Staging

Circlepix of the Craftman Style House

Click here to view our last house. The agent involved was able to convince the seller to go under the 2 mil 50 for a quicker sale.

Enjoy~check out the virtual tour~when it starts to repeat just click on the next room
Living room~ Office...Family room~kitchen..master bedroom~bath.

Posted by Bonnie at 4:17 PM 0 comments

Check This Out!

This is a site that shows pictures of the staging for Ellen's House.

Personally I think considering they probably got paid at least 10 grand and the stuff they had to work with this staging is weak~especially the living room. The mantel is terrible. What do you think?

Puzzle Pieces

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Puzzle Pieces

Emily & Maureen

Today was another stretching day. Shortly after receiving the news that Hazel's condition had worsened over night, we had to leave to stage this house. I wanted to just flee to Utah but so many people were depending on this being completed today that it has to be done before I could leave. Fortunately for me, I got it all organized and planned yesterday, and Jim and I delivered everything to the property last night, so with the help of my trusty assistants things went pretty smoothly.

This house looks dramatically different than when I first saw it a few weeks ago at the consultation. The clients did a lot of work, removing some wallpaper and lots of painting, replacing the light fixture in their dining room, etc. It really updated the house which is a must for a good, quick, profitable sale. I hope this slide show isn't too annoying but I thought it was kind of fun with the puzzle pieces. Before that though I wanted to show you one of the bedrooms.

One of the challenges I like to work on now is using what I have in the warehouse rather than constantly having to buy new things for each house. On this rented daybed I realized that I needed to use a bedspread that was a queen size and so I sorted though my things and most of my bedding is fluffy and puffy but I did buy this red spread at Walmart a few years ago on sale for $21.00. I was thinking one day I will use this for staging. Today was the day. Then I added the red and white pillows from another set. Then I had to find some art work and and pillows for the bed. As I was looking at the set of pictures above I realized that one had a lot of green in it so while sorting through pillows I thought about trying to mix in some green pillows.

I wasn't too sure about it until I went outside and saw this!

Nature can be very inspiring. If God can use it and does use it~it works for me. Red and Green go so far beyond Christmas. Then we found this on the patio~perfect for the room and didn't cost us or the owner any extra money for a side chair in that room.

It turned out to be one of my favorite rooms in the house. I think the most dramatic change is in the family room but all the rooms underwent some drastic changing throughout the day. All in all, it was a good day and no news was good news from Utah. Hopefully the baby is resting comfortably tonight and the doctors have a plan for tomorrow... I am so thankful to be going there tomorrow to see her and help with the family. And I am glad all my houses are done for right now. Whew!

Enhancing Your Home Through Staging

Home Staging for the sale of your home is very different than decorating a home you plan to continue living in. The staging is to create a set, not unlike you would see on the stage of a fine play. This set is used to help the buyer envision living in your home. This is something that people generally have a very hard time doing without the staging. One of the things we do as professional stagers is we look at target marketing. What type of buyer is most likely to be interested in this home and then we stage to that spectrum of the market while at the same time keeping it broad enough to appeal to the largest number of the entire market. As an example, a home that would appeal to an executive buyer is going to look a lot different than a home presented for the first time buyer.

One of the most important things you can do as a seller is to realize that once your home goes on the market it becomes a commodity and you need to try to emotionally detach from it. This is very hard to do with something as personal as your home. Stagers are interior decorators that specialize in marketing your home and we will sometimes bring something to create a mood or feeling in the home that may not be in line with your personal taste or may not be something you would want to live with long term. As an example, all stagers use silk floral arrangements and greenery as we are not in the business of growing and/or maintaining plants during market time. You may not prefer silks but for staging they are the best and there is no maintenance required. By the same token we may remove some thing that you treasure because it may not be the best fit for what we are trying to accomplish or it may be too personal, too dated, or too valuable to be left out while on the market. All these things are carefully studied out when a stager is making a design plan for the project. These decisions are based solely on the best way to enhance the home and should not be taken personally.

Many things are taken into consideration when the fee is established. Some of those things include, scope of the project, the size of the home, the number of rooms and areas in those rooms that need enhancing, the number of items that either come from our warehouse inventory, shopping time and cost of items that may need to be purchased, transportation costs, number of trips and distance to be traveled, hours worked, number of assistants needed, rental of inventory to be used over the selling time, time required to develop the design plan, pulling and packing inventory, destaging and restocking, clerical time, etc. It takes about a week of preparation time before we arrive at your door on the day of staging.

For an agreed upon price we will bring in accessories, greenery, plants, floral arrangements, bathroom & bedroom linens, decorator pillows, some art work, patio table decor, and other things that will be add additional ambiance to help the prospective buyer imagine that their live can be better than ever by purchasing your home. We will create the emotional factors that are proven to make the buyer fall in love with the property. Studies have shown that people buy homes based on how the home makes them feel when they walk in. That is our specialty and we love what we do. We give it our very best effort and our main goal is a high selling price and a quick sale while being supportive and considerate of the home owner’s needs while living in the house during market time. We incorporate excitement and life into the home which give it that little extra spark you don’t get in a model home sometimes. These extras have become the norm in this market and buyers expect it.