An experienced house stager has a lot in common with a fully-loaded Swiss Army Knife™.
Since WWII, the trusty Swiss Army Knife™ has been the go-to tool for soldiers, campers, fishermen, construction workers, even Hollywood Bowl goers (mainly for the corkscrew and for slicing cheese:o). I even have a Swiss Army Knife™ in my home staging tool kit! The Swiss Champ™ has 35 tools or "features" and there's not a lot you can't fix or attend to with a Swiss Champ™in your pocket.
The more experienced the home stager, the more tools she is likely to have at her disposal.
I like the think I'm the Swiss Champ™ of home stagers. Like the problem solving Swiss Army Knife™, Moving Mountains Designcan be the solution for many home selling difficulties:
- Need advice on how to add umph to your front yard to enhance curb appeal? A home staging consultation will cover that
- Need a recommendation for inexpensive carpet, granite counter-tops, reliable movers or storage? I've got several to choose from in my contact list
- Don't know what color to paint your living room to appeal to more buyers? I know the perfect color
- Not sure if your furniture will help or hurt the sale of your home? I can assess your furniture and let you know if I think it will advance your goal to sell your home for top dollar
- Is your home vacant and feels empty with no furniture? I can provide a few rooms or a whole house of furniture, artwork and accessories to make your home look like a model home
- Don't have a real estate agent to list your home? I've worked or interacted with 100's, all over Los Angeles, Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley and I know who does a good job
- Not sure if you should spend the money on remodeling your house for sale? I can tell you which upgrades should help with a faster sale or a higher selling price
- Do you need to sell your home fast and as-is? I work with real estate investors that can close escrow in as little as 1 week for all cash - no banks, no mortgage approvals, no appraisals
If you're the listing agent, I can help you with:
- Photographing your listing after staging. I'll provide professional quality photographs of the homes we stage for use in marketing
- Writing your marketing materials
- Sending an email blast to 1,800+ real estate professionals on my mailing list
- Convincing your client of the importance of doing certain repairs, upgrades or staging in order to effect a faster sale at a higher price
As you can see, an experienced home stager has a lot in common with the trusty Swiss Army Knife™.
Smart home owners, real estate agents and real estate investors have one in their pocket. Do you?
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2015 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
2014 RESA Top 10 Professional Home Stager2010 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Michelle has staged hundreds of Los Angeles homes, many of which have sold with multiple offers, above listing price.
She works with home sellers, listing agent, builders, flippers and asset managers to prepare homes for sale throughout Los Angeles and North Orange County.
Moving Mountains Design provides vacant home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs, foreclosures and auction properties for real estate investors and asset managers. Builders hire us to stage their models or to help move inventory when sales slow down.
For more information about our Los Angeles home staging services, contact Michelle at (626)385-8852 or by email.
Click here to see our Los Angeles home staging portfolio
Click here to go to our Los Angeles home staging blog
Click here for more information about home staging in Los Angeles and how we can help sell your home faster and for the best price
Hello Michelle,
Thanks for your informative post. I agree.
Nice call to action...hope it brings you lots of biz.
Thank you Krista and Li!
Michelle- I love Swiss Army Knives and you're right.. a Home Stager comes with many tools all packed into one neat package.
Michelle - what a great parallel to draw! I have DEFINITELY learned to be more prepared and with the proper tools since becoming a stager....never know what skill, item, or tool you might need!
Kathy: I have a SAK in my car, my purse and my briefcase. I think every real estate agent and home seller should have a home stager to help solve their home selling problems.
Sharon: I thought of it when I pulled out my SAK the other day to fix a hinge in a client's house. I like to be the problem solver.
Michelle - Ok, I had to see where you were going with the "home stagers are like Swiss army knives"... you did not disappoint! Of course, my favourite arm of the SAK is the wine bottle opener, but nuff said!
Glad you liked the post, Sally!
Great psot...so many things in your tool kit!!!
Okay.... you just officially assigned yourself a new nickname. SAK it is, from here on out!
In all seriousness, your experience as a home stager in Los Angeles, surely sets you apart. Great post and great analogy.
Kathy
LOVE your analogy, too, Michelle! We certainly do carry a lot of "tools" in our bags, hearts and minds. One thing I've noticed lately is how many women carry a SAK with them - as a tool, not for protection. Interesting.
Thanks, Jo.
Kathy: Thank you.
Julia: I've been carrying a SAK for years!
Great Analogy Michelle. We carry not only a lot of tools but a wealth of knowledge that we have received through education, training, and fellow stagers and AR!
Hi Michelle--great post; great analogy. Like the Swiss Army knife we never know what tool we will be called upon to use but we are expected to have them all with us. Love this post.
So true, Wendy! Thanks.
Janet: The better prepared we are, the more valuable we are to our customers.
Love the analogy you are right as Stagers we do focus on ALL the details. Yes I too have a SAK in my tool bag.
Thanks, Jacki!
Love it-I do not go anywhere without mine!!
Increasing the tools in my belt is something I'm working on constantly. Great analogy, Michelle!
Thanks, Cathy Lee and Beth.
Michelle - just reading your post made me want to hire you to stage my house and I am not even selling. :) Great info!
What a nice thing to say, Wanda. Thank you!