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Boston Model Units

Sunday, January 31st, 2010

Guest BedroomModel UnitI spent a lot of time this week working on a model unit in the South End in Boston.  Model units are usually my favorite projects.  I learn a bit about the type of people the builders are expecting to be their buyers.  I then research the styles, colors, etc that appeal to that group and get to work. 

This last project was especially fun because it was a young, very diverse group I was designing for.  Students and young doctors - male and female- in their residencies. 

I chose a lot of really current colors and patterns.  Plums, soft purples and bright apple green in the living room.  Modern art hung above the sofa and cute armless chairs in a gorgeous chocolate across from the sofa. 

The guest bedroom was a platform bed with a simple duvet folded down with an amazing lamp.  So simple and yet so pretty when it was finished.

The master bedroom was my favorite of the three rooms.  It was this beautiful bright yellowish green bedding with a white bird pattern and the duvet was trimmed in black as were the shams.  It is stunning.  I paired it with black grommet top draperies and glass lamps with black satin shades.  To quote one admirer “Julie, this looks so boutique hotel!”   What a great compliment.

The real trick with model units is making the space look homey and appealing which can be tough if you do not really know what is appealing to the buyer.

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What a Week!

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Hampton Project Before

Hampton Project After

 

I thought this week was going to be relatively quiet. Boy was I wrong.

The week started out at a Staging of a 2800sq ft bachelor pad in Hampton New Hampshire. The house itself is gorgeous but just needed a few tweaks to appeal to a family. I brought 15 drapery rods, 4 window shades, and 20 window panels along with a truckload of accessories, bedding, pillows, etc. Unfortunately, I was a little off in my estimating of how long it would take to transform this space - gee just about five hours off. In the end the difference was amazing. If you want to see the before and after pics check out this link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=178470&id=66273677111&ref=mf

What I love about that staging job is that I used a lot of accessories, colors, etc that I have not used before and they turned out beautifully! Hint: red drapes are amazing! They really brighten up a dull room, especially when complimented with red pillows and other splashes of red.

Tuesday I met with Jessica Grant of Jess Foto to swap new head shots for some design help in her new studio in Winchester. What a great day! We had a blast. She is off buying gorgeous drapes and working on paint colors as I type this. I cannot wait to see the final product.

I just signed another model unit in Boston - an apartment complex in the South End. I am very excited about this project. The buyer is a young 20-something single person so I think we can have some fun with this. I am thinking West Elm and CB2 for inspiration.

I am still working on that Staging Class schedule for this year. I HOPE to have that to you soon!

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Finishing my Model Unit

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

I expected yesterday to just be an easy breezy day. All I really needed to do was hang some drapes in a model unit, layer in some additional accessories, and buy some draperies for another client. Of course nothing really goes quite that smoothly with me.

I arrive onsite with draperies, accessories, and my steamer in tow to finish my model unit. I am excited, I love to see things come together. So first I find out there are residents in the model….hmmmm this should be interesting. Their apartment is being worked on so the model unit is their home for the day.

The wife is lovely and is sharing her decorating stories with me while I am clipping in drapes, hanging shower curtains, and unwrapping accessories. She leaves to go to the library and leaves her husband who is deaf and blind with me. Luckily, he is sitting in a chair listening to a walkman. (not sure how that is possible but whatever) At one point I am trying to expand a drapery rod so the drapes are on the outside of the window frame. The rod splits apart, the rings slide off with the panels and I come crashing to the ground to top off the pile. The husband has not even flinched. It is like something out of a sitcom. I could be impaled on this drapery rod and he would have noticed nothing.

The wife comes back later and I am steaming out drapes. She says she and her husband are going to lunch. At the same time a group of doctors show up to tour the model. About 10 minutes later the husband is looking for his wife. She went to lunch without him!!! So off I go to find the wife so she can come back to collect her husband. Luckily, I find her in the corridor and she has realized she forgot her husband. Yikes.

So the wife, the husband, and the team of doctors leave the unit and I am….finally….left alone with my steaming. I wrap things up and head out.

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What a day

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

So yesterday went from being a slow office catch-up day with a quick trip to Home Goods in the middle to Calamity Jane all in about three minutes. The good news is that it was all good things that caused the calamity.

The Union Leader newspaper in Manchester NH is running a story tomorrow about the Home Seller’s Classes I offer in conjunction with Sue West from Space 4U Organizing. At least I think that is what the article is about. I guess I will find out for sure tomorrow. So Sue and I were emailing back and forth much of the day, I was gathering photos to be featured in the article. Which made me realize it is sooooooo time for a portfolio of before and after pictures. I really am so bad at that.

Into this mix came a client who missed a deadline for a promotional offer so I tried to go to bat for her to have the vendor still honor the discount, shopping for drapes for a client, and pulling my puppy off a bed pillow - or what was left of it and all of its stuffing off of him. Argh.

More Home Seller Class dates coming soon. We have one in February, an April one and a September one.

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January 5th, 2010

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

I cannot believe it is the start of a new year and a new decade. A lot has changed at NESG over the last year; changes we are really proud of. The recession has taught us, like a lot of other business owners some tough lessons. However, we are happy to say that we are not afraid of change and the challenges have made us smarter and more determined than ever.

So what kinds of changes can you expect to see from us in the new year? First, we are going to have newly updated photos on our website that more accurately reflect the quality of work we do. Next, we are planning out our class calendar in advance this year so soon you will know when all of our staging classes are - way in advance, we have also vowed to really challenge ourselves creatively this year. We are committed to being well-informed and on the cutting edge of design trends. But at the same time we want to experiment with new textures, colors, and revisit styles of our past, kick up classic looks, and take a few risks. We know that by challenging ourselves in this way we are only going to be better designers, and that means we will continue to deliver a better service to our customers. You will also see us in some new areas in the new year. We have really been working a lot in Boston, the south shore, and now on the Seacoast of NH even more. We are thrilled to be making new friends in so many new areas. We are also going to have new contests, new classes, and a few other surprises that are way to big and too much of a secret to divulge now…..but let’s just say you will be surprised!!

Stay tuned… more funny stories, pictures from projects and reflections on our work coming soon.

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Did I actually work?

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

I am not entirely sure that I what I did today can be considered work.  I had a meeting with Ed from my networking group this morning at Panera that shockingly enough did not involve pastries.  Ed actually gave me a great tip about how to present my statistics to people going forward and it is something I am very excited to implement into my information.

From there I had to rush home, pick up my doggie, who is very sick, and take him to the vet in North Andover.  Ugh!  He is now in the doggie hospital overnight and I am going to visit him again in a little bit.  I had to actually cancel a consult to take him in.  I never miss appointments, so I feel really guilty, but my poor fuzzy buddy was truly miserable.

On my way home from Andover, I learned (the very hard way) that the Audi wagon I am driving is also a manual shift with the shift buttons on the steering wheel.  I bumped the downshift button while turning off the turn signal and downshifted into second gear while going 60 miles an hour.  Awesome!  So between that and my new rearview lipgloss mirror this car and I are getting along fantastically.

When I got home I answered a ton of emails, found a great staging quiz on Realtor.com which I posted a link to on Twitter (yay!  finally something interesting for twitter), researched a competitor here in New Hampshire, checked my email distribution website to see how my email about the class is doing, spoke with a couple of realtors on the phone, and am now waiting to hear back from a potential new client.

I also called a friend in Bedford NH to see if she can help me find a house for this staging class of mine.  I have interviewed a few homeowners and have not found a great space yet.  I still have quite a few days so I am not really nervous about it…..yet.

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Friday - Jamaica Plain and the Leather District

Friday, July 10th, 2009

Ahhhhh!!   I cannot believe it is already Friday and it has been a week since I updated this blog.  So much cool stuff has happened this week too that I guess you will miss out on.  Oh well, I guess that is what happens when you are busy, right?

My phone is on vibrate this morning and is buzzing like mad from emails I am getting in response to the email blast I sent this morning about my restyling class.  What a great way to start the morning.  I am emailing people back while getting ready for my appointment, packing up accessories, and walking the dog (with curlers in my hair….so funny!).

So today I was meeting a Realtor from  Jamaica Plain at a listing of his that is going on the market shortly.  It is a great space that has a huge, lower level bonus area that would make a fantastic master bedroom suite.  Since I might be the last person on earth without a Garmin I get horribly lost in Roxbury after I sit in a major traffic jam caused by someone who decided to just park his car in the left turn lane and then surround it with cones…..seriously?  I end up calling the Realtor and he directs me in…Yay!

I finally get to the space and it is fantastic; I cannot wait to see it when it is completed.  As I am taking the tour, my cute outfit is getting more and more dusty.  I think I should have skipped the red patent Gucci flip flops too.   Why have I not learned to dress down when going to construction sites?   Ugh!  At one point during the “tour” I have to walk down this very scary (well, scary for me because I am super clumsy) stairwell.  I am convinced I am going to plummet to my death (or broken leg) because there is no railing right now.  I know that once there is a railing and the stairs are finished they will be spectacular.

We now have to race over to the Leather District for his Broker Open House getting food on the way.  I have to follow the Realtor so that I do not get lost in Roxbury (or worse).  I have a few more accessories in the trunk to liven this listing up just a bit more.  I actually find parking in Visitor (yay!!) which is a miracle because South Street looks like a demolition site.

I have some yummy sushi and some beef that I cannot spell or pronounce but is delicious, meet a couple of developers that are super cool and are open to letting me bid on staging jobs for them going forward (awesome!), and head back to my office.  Of course 93 is a parking lot because it is Friday but that is okay, I return calls, email while stopped, and totally jam out to the radio.  Now, if only I had not forgotten my sunglasses.

Now onto scheduling a couple of consults, wrapping up the details of the Broker Open House that I am co-sponsoring next Tuesday with a mortgage broker and real estate agent in Bedford, and signing more people up for my staging and restyling class.

Now I am off to grab cocktails with some friends!!  I love Friday afternoons!!

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Tips Towards Selling

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

It has been proven and is continuing to be proven that staging your house does help generate a sale. Most realtors or homeowners may try to “stage” a house themselves, but the reason that there is a market for staging companies is because it takes a true professional to know how to take a unique floor plan and mold it into a creative layout that is both functional and attractive. Some staging techniques are obvious and easy enough for the homeowner to implement on their own, but to obtain an overall result, well that is where the professionals come in and bring with them the “less obvious” tools that will really make your house shine. Although it is always best to seek a professional stager to ensure that you are getting a true impartial and well calculated method that has been proven to get results, there are some tips that homeowners can do on their own to get started.

The first thing, and this may be the hardest thing, is to depersonalize your house. The home buyer needs to visualize your house as their own and they can’t do that with photos of an unfamiliar family decorating each room. Next, and this may be the most obvious one, although you would be surprised at how often it goes undone, clean up! Make the beds, clean out closets to contain only minimal clothing items, make sure toilets are flushed and cleaned, and trashes are taken out.

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The kitchen is a good place to focus a lot of your efforts. If getting new appliances and cabinets is not in your budget, try painting the cabinets a neutral color and replacing their hardware, maybe replace old linoleum with new or inexpensive tile.

The outside of your house needs to shine just as much, if not more than the inside. In order to get potential buyers in you need to first get them to the door. You can have the most fantastic looking house on the inside, but if you have an overgrown lawn or unnecessary items cluttering the porch than buyers will pass you by for a more appealing home. After all, the outside is your first impression. Start with mowing the lawn, remove the leaves from the gutters and remove out of date furnishings, such as lights or awnings. Add flowers for color and trim overgrown bushes.

By touching on just some of these changes can help give you an advantage over your neighbor. Think of what would turn you off if you were looking for a prospective home, for everything else, ask a professional stager!

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Furniture Rental

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

yankeebedRight now the majority of my business is short-term furniture rental. We rent furniture to homeowners or realtors that have an empty house to sell. We select furniture that will appeal to the target buyer and set it up for our clients. It is an investment for the homeowner and typically a three month minimum rental. So why do we go to all this trouble and expense when clearly the homeowner could just show the home empty? The answer is that time and time again the furniture helps the home sell quickly and in some markets it is an absolute necessity.

We all know that the furniture rental works. If it didn’t, then builders all across America would not furnish their model homes. Anyone who has been to a model home knows that these models would just not have the same effect if they were empty. The same goes for an empty home. It is just not as appealing as a furnished home.

So how do you know if furniture rental is going to help you sell your house? Well first you need to look at the other homes that are on the market in your area. If your area is flooded with empty homes for sale, or if you have a lot of competition in your market, furniture rental would be a good way to set your home apart from the others. Furniture rental can also be a good idea if your home is sparsely furnished with your own furniture or your home is furnished but with really old or worn out pieces. The cardinal rule in staging is that anything that distracts a potential buyer from looking at the beauty of the home must be removed.

Once you have decided you think furniture rental is the way to go you need to make sure you do it right. First you need to decide where you will rent the furniture. There are several companies out there and you just need to find the right one for your style and budget.

Now you just need to make sure the furniture you select appeals to the target buyer without putting off anyone else. It is essential that you ask your real estate agent who the most likely buyer is. Your Realtor will know the market and will be able to identify a target buyer.

Then you need to determine what rooms to furnish, as you usually do not need to do them all, and what the look will be. This is where the furniture rental companies come in handy. Tell them who the buyer is and what kind of home you have (contemporary, Victorian, etc.) they will know what look to help you go for. Then you just need to set it up and wait for the offers to roll in.

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How is this Possible?

Monday, May 18th, 2009

question-marks1I have been doing some research lately about real estate agents and home staging.  The results of this research are both interesting and disturbing all at the same time.

I have been working with several real estate offices across New England since I first started staging homes about four years ago.  All of the agents I have worked with have been very pleased with the work I have done and their listings have almost always been under agreement in 30 days or less.  However, it occurred to me recently though that I am typically working with only around 5% of the agents in each office.  Now certainly some agents will “stage” their listings themselves and some will hire other staging companies.  Based on the information I have gathered this accounts for roughly another 5% of the agents in these offices.  So what about the other 90% of the agents?  Why are they not using staging to prepare their homes for sale?  I actually found a statistic online that said only 0.4% of real estate agents use home stagers. SERIOUSLY?!?!?!  0.4%  that means less than 1 in 200 agents uses home staging.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development reports that a staged home will sell, on average, 17% higher than an un-staged home.  Additionally, according to a National Association of Realtors survey, homes that sold after four weeks on the market sold for 6% less than ones within the first four weeks!  So with this being said, and given the statistics above, how and why is it that the majority of real estate agents are not having their listings staged?

With all the shows about home staging and home selling on HGTV, TLC, etc is shocking that home staging has not become more of a norm.  I am so curious why it is that it seems the majority of agents are NOT staging their listings.  Is it a hassle?  Is it the fear of offending their clients?

Thoughts?

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