Last week Los Angeles home staging company Moving Mountains Design staged this Valley Village beauty. I first started working with the homeowner in December 2009. He was very proactive about getting his home into top shape and he hired me for a home staging consultation. Over the next 6 months he and his wife worked very hard to complete my recommendations included in the comprehensive home staging report provided.The results were fantastic!
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
San Marino home staging - Staging a San Marino Pool home.
What a wonderful experience to stage this fantastic San Marino pool home. The homeowner is a real estate agent I have worked with before when she and a partner wanted another home staged in San Marino. I have even consulted on her personal residence. She remodeled this home with a new kitchen with granite and Viking appliances, new bathrooms, new hardwood floors, and it looks fantastic.
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
We started with a simple question: Who are the most influential people online right now?
That's what The Influence Project is designed to answer. By participating, you will have your picture appear in the November issue of Fast Company magazine as part of an amazing photo spread.The more influence you demonstrate, the bigger your picture will be.
You may discover that you're more influential than you think.
Influence is not only about having the most friends or followers. Real influence is about being able to affect the behavior of those you interact with, to get others in your social network to act on a suggestion or recommendation. When you post a link or recommend a site, how many people actually bother to check it out? And what’s the likelihood of those people then forwarding it on? How far does your influence spread?
This is the type of influence we’re looking for. We want to find the most influential person online. Who knows? It might even be you.
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
We recently completed staging this very chic and modern condo loft in Valley Village, Los Angeles.
My clients are real estate investors who understand the added value that home staging brings to any real estate listing. Since I've staged several condos and model homes in Pasadena and Glendale for themthey've experienced first hand that home staging will help their listings sell faster and for more money. As a Los Angeles home stager, I have to be familiar with all areas of the Los Angeles area and understand who the buyers are and what they are looking for. This loft style condo has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms on 2 floors. I wanted to show there was enough space to have a comfortable seating area and dining table as well as the counter bar in the living room/kitchen great room.
This home is not yet listed. As soon as it is, I'll update this post
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
This Los Angeles home stager had a busy week last week with all the stagings and destagings. I'm excited to have been able to stage this classic Larchmont Village cottage just a block away from Larchmont Blvd. in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles. I initially did a consultation including paint colors. The home went into escrow before we were able to stage it, then fell out. I'm very sorry it didn't sell, but I'm happy we had the opportunity to stage it.
3 bedrooms (2 ensuite) and 3 bathrooms, French doors opening on to the patio and pool, privacy galore plus a beautifully landscaped yard are the recipe for the perfect entertainers home in a desirable Larchmont Village location. Beautiful period appropriate light fixtures and check out those barrel vaulted ceilings!
For more information about this classic Larchmont Village Hancock Park cottage, listed at $1,399,000. contact the listing agent Mark Leonard, MDL Realty (310)266-9964
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
As a top notch Los Angeles home stager, my clients expect me to bring beautiful, realistic silk, faux or fake flower arrangements to use in their homes or listings. While most people would prefer live plants, due to the expense and need to maintain them, it is not always realistic to use live plants. Here's photos of 2 arrangements that I made to use in this Larchmont Village Hancock Park home staging project this week.
I really enjoy creating these plant and flower arrangements. It allows me to create exactly what I want and need for my home staging projects.
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
We staged this beautiful Pasadena luxury home this week. I had gone to see this home approximately 3 weeks ago and had done a home staging estimate for the builder/home owner and listing agent.The owner decided that he wanted to put the home on the market without staging "to test the waters". After 2 weeks of a "lukewarm" reception, he agreed to have the home staged by Pasadena's finest home staging company, Moving Mountains Design.
Upon viewing this home I recognized that the rooms were A) HUGE and B)undefined. I've staged hundreds of homes, and it was hard for me to figure out how to place the furniture in this house to bring the living spaces into focus - I can only imagine what home buyers thought when they saw the house empty.
The dining room was so large, I put 2 dining tables together to make a large sqare table, which worked quite well.
Since the walls of the entry were curved, I hung a French tapestry on the wall to accentuate the curve. The round rug also highlights this feature.
I didn't measure it because I didn't have a 100' measuring tape with me, but I think this room was 60' or more from end to end. I broke up the large expanse with area rugs (the one in the foreground is 10'x14') which helps define the space.
This luxury Pasadena new construction home has 5 bedrooms, including a downstairs 2nd master bedroom, and 7 bathrooms.
The home sits on a huge lot. There is room for a tennis or sports court.
For more information about this fantastic Pasadena home, contact the listing agent Delphine Therrien at (626)287-5968. MLS # 22139319. PFAR caravan on 6/24/2010.
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
Interested in learning about who pays for home staging from a home stager's perspective? This is a great post by Oregon home stager Margaret Oscilla with some facts and statistics about home staging and how to address the cost with your clients.
As a professional home stager in Los Angeles I feel the homeowner should pay for staging, however we have been seeing more and more listing agents offer to pay for staging in order to get the listing and make sure the home sells quickly and at a higher price. I always recommend that the listing agent structure the deal so that the home seller pays all up front home staging costs and the listing agent reimburses the home seller at the close of escrow. The home seller will be more invested in getting the home sold (keeping it clean, orderly and in good shape) and the listing agent is protected if the seller is unreasonable or the listing is cancelled for any reason.
With many homes on the market and fewer home buyers, home staging has become more in demand than ever before. Several agents and home sellers have asked us lately – who should pay for home staging?
Home staging makes houses easier to market — they look and “feel” better in person and in the listing photos. A quick sale of course benefits the real estate agent. Should they pay for staging?
One example to consider: If a home seller had carpets that needed cleaning, would the real estate agent advise them to do so? Of course. But they normally wouldn’t consider paying for the cleaning. Likewise, home staging is an important part of home selling, and home sellers should pay for home staging.
Occasionally, sellers can’t afford to pay for home staging until after the home has sold. What then? We’ve brainstormed with agents and sellers and find affordable and win-win solutions to this situation. Real estate agents are cautious (and reasonably so) before investing in staging listings that may not sell quickly and need to develop their marketing plan prior to committing to paying for staging.
We’ve worked with many different scenarios, and find frequently when sellers pay for staging, we obtain the best results. Why? When sellers are invested financially, they usually value and implement the recommendations we give them.
While I do think it is the sellers responsibility to pay or share in the cost of home staging, I do believe it is the real estate agent’s responsibility to educate the seller on the value of home staging. I continue to be surprised at how unprepared many sellers are when entering the Oregon real estate market. Home sellers need to be informed of the statistics revealing:
Staged homes sell quicker than unstaged homes
Over 90% of home buyers look on the internet for homes
Homes that look great online get more showings
A 2009 study reveals staging is a necessary improvement that yields a high rate of return – over 500%
Homes that linger on the market are targets for lowball offers and price reductions.
Staging always costs less than a price reduction!
Also home sellers benefit greatly from:
Understanding what buyers are looking for when visiting their home
Knowing that sellers form a STRONG impression from the curb and within the first ten seconds of entering their home.
How important lighting, room function and flow is to impressing buyers
Learning how to declutter, clean and prep their homes for sale effectively.
Once sellers understand the competitive nature of home selling in 2010 they are more likely to be willing to invest their money in a staging consultation or to pay for vacant home staging. We work with a variety of payment situations, depending on the seller and agent. For example:
Home Seller contact us directly for a consultation or staging services and pays for all staging expenses.
Agent refers clients to a professional home stager and educates seller on the value of home staging
Agent provides a staging consultation for their listings,
Agent agrees to reimburse home seller for a staging consultation at closing
Some agents pay for consultations and have a written agreement that if the listing is terminated, they will receive reimbursement for their expenses.
We work with a few agents who refuse to list properties when home sellers are not willing to work with a home stager. They won’t spend their time, energy and marketing budget on homes that aren’t ready to compete.
On existing listings that linger on the market, use a portion of a price reduction to invest into staging – improving the appearance and price at the same time.
Each listing and situation is different, but finding a way to obtain the competitive advantage home staging provides is important to both the real estate agent and home seller.
Need more ideas on how to incorporate staging into a new listing? Contact a professional home stager for other creative ideas and enter the 2010 real estate market knowing your home is making the best first impression possible.
Moving or improving?Creative Concepts and Contracting has the expertise to showcase your home's full potential, stretch your budget, and maximize your time.
Professional Home Staging - Reliable Contractor Repairs - Beautiful Results!
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
This post is in remembrance of all the who fought so valiantly 66 years ago so we could live in freedom today.
On June 6, 1944, 66 years ago, approximately 160,000 US, British and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, in a concerted push to defeat Hitler and Nazi Germany. 10,000 American men died on the beaches of Normandy after a perilous crossing of the English Channel.
I was saddened to see that there was no mention of this being D-Day in the Los Angeles Times or the Pasadena Star News, only an AP article about efforts to protect one of the locations from the effects of erosion.
A few statistics:
160,000 Allied troops took part in the assault
There were 10,000 American casualties in one day
5,000 ships crossed the English Channel on the morning of June 6 to deliver troops and supplies
800 planes dropped 13,000 paratroopers behind enemy lines. Many were shot out of the sky as they drifted to earth
These maps are part of a display at the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
A couple of years ago, my husband and I made a pilgrimage to Normandy, France. Neither one of us had family members who participated in D-Day (my father was a defense plant worker and his father served in the Pacific), but we felt it was an important part of our American heritage to stand where so many had died fighting so we could live free.
We booked a tour with Overlord Tours out of Bayeaux, France due to reviews we had read on-line. We signed up for Tour #2, a tour of Utah and Omaha beaches and surrounding areas.
Our guide, Laurent, at the start of the tour
Our tour guide, Laurent, was very knowledgeable and passionate about all things D-Day. He, like many other people we met on our trip, love Americans and frequently expressed their appreciation of the sacrifices the American people made to help defeat Nazi Germany and expel them from France.
The tour inspired both sadness and awe. Standing on Utah and Omaha beaches, looking up at the German gun emplacements, it was hard to believe that anyone survived landing on the beach that day. The American troops were caught in a horrific cross-fire from German guns on a very deep beach with no cover for hundreds of yards.
2 movies worth watching are The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan. Both accurately depict what the Allies were up against landing on the beaches of Normandy.
Normandy Beach landing in Saving Private Ryan
Pont-du-Hoc landing in The Longest Day
Another remarkable must see is the mini-series Band of Brothers.
Here's some photos from the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer:
Some facts about the American Cemetery at Colleville:
The cemetery sits on 172 acres on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach
It holds 9368 graves of soldiers killed during the assault on Normandy
307 graves are marked "unknown"
1557 names are listed in the Garden of the Missing, those who's remains were never found
There are 4868 British soldiers buried at Bayeaux Cemetery. There were also 946 Canadian casualties as a result of the assault on Normandy.
Map of Normandy Beach assaults as seen from the American Cemetery
View of Omaha Beach with map in the foreground from the American Cemetery. American soldiers had to run across that wide expanse of sand while being fired upon by German soldiers and gun emplacements.
If you only get to make one overseas trip in your life, or are wondering where to go on your next vacation, I highly recommend making a pilgrimage to Normandy. You will be welcomed with open arms by the locals. You will see some beautiful countryside and eat some delicious food. And you will be paying homage to true American (and British and Canadian) heroes, who richly deserve our admiration and respect.
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
Tuesday we staged a beautiful Pasadena home in the Michillinda Park area after being called in for a home staging consultation the previous week.
Though occupied, there was very little furniture in the living room and the dining table in the formal dining room was very casual. We completely refurnished the living room and dining room and accessorized the 3 bedrooms, kitchen, family room and 3 bathrooms. In addition we staged the guest house.
For more information about this beautiful Michillinda Park area Pasadena pool home, contact the listing agent, Dick Davis at (626)233-8377
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price.She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
With many homes on the market and fewer home buyers, home staging has become more in demand than ever before. Several agents and home sellers have asked us lately – who should pay for home staging?
