Michelle Minch Home Staging Pasadena & Los Angeles, CA

There is nothing more valuable to a business person (home stager) than a happy client who volunteers to tell the world how highly he thinks of the service you provided. They are truly worth their weight in gold.

Last month we staged a house in Valencia, CAfor our client. Happily we destaged it a little more than a month later (last week) because it sold and escrow was about to close. Please keep in mind that approximately 50% of the homes on the market in Valencia are foreclosures and short sales.

Here, in its entirety, is the email testimonial I received from my client today (bold, italics and underlines and links are mine):

Hi Michelle.

Here is my testimonial. Please feel free to use it in your web site or Active Rain and edit as desired. All I ask is that you show my name as simply Michael (no last name) of Valencia and not mention the street address or price. You could show some before and after shots if you'd like. (Photos appear below)

Thanks so much for all you've done!

Michael

I cannot overstate the importance of Michelle Minch's staging in the fast sale of our small Valencia home.

Our house had largely contained sparse, tired, undersized furnishings - most notably in the living room. When one has lived in a house for so long with basically the same decor, you become comfortable with its familiarity but oblivious to its dreariness. We didn't want to invest in new furniture that might be inappropriate for our next house, yet we didn't want to rent just anything. The help of an expert was needed.

A few months before we planned to put our house up for sale, I read an L.A. Times article about home staging that mentioned Michelle Minch and her company, Moving Mountains Design. The timing was excellent. Although we had attended some open houses where staging had taken place, we had never thought of using such services ourselves. The quotes from Michelle in the article not only convinced me to have our home staged, they also won me over as a client of hers.

Results? When Michelle was done with our house, it had never looked better. It looked its best at a time when it simply had to look its best. Beautiful, well-placed and sensibly-coordinated furniture and accessories (incorporating a portion of our better existing furniture) made every room look inviting. Michelle drew out the home's potential for all to see. Even the iffy carpet and dated kitchen were overshadowed by the attention drawn to the true qualities of the residence. I could tell that prospective buyers had sat down and lingered in the living and dining rooms based on the slightly displaced throw pillows and chairs.

Michelle had great exterior ideas as well. For example, replacing a fortress-like solid wood gate with an attractive wrought-iron gate in the front yard made a noticeable difference in curb appeal.

I must also add that Michelle's photography was better than that of our real estate agent's "professional", and consequently we insisted on using several of her shots in the on-line gallery.

The bottom line? There were three purchase offers within 72 hours of the MLS listing. Two of the offers came from people who had seen the house during a "preview period" before it was staged but were not compelled to make an offer until after it was staged. Five days after the MLS listing, we were in escrow, and escrow just closed last week. The final sales price was only 1% below our asking price that had purposely been set high to come down further than it actually did.

I believe that the cost of the staging was a bargain compared to the return we received.

In a buyer's housing market of foreclosures, short sales and high inventories - not to mention rising unemployment, financial turmoil and Government bailouts - Michelle Minch's staging skills made our home stand out from the other sellers' by giving it a competitive edge that resulted in a rapid sale at a better-than-expected price. I unequivocally and enthusiastically recommend that you take advantage of this woman's talents.

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A few disclaimers:

1. I promise I did not pay my client to write this testimonial

2. I promise I, in no way, coerced or blackmailed my client to write this testimonial

3. I am not related to this client in any way

4. He is just one very satisfied client who volunteered to tell the world how happy he is with our home staging services

Living Room before staging

Living room after staging. The new furniture really helps to update the living room and makes it feel more welcoming

Master bedroom before staging

Master bedroom after staging.

We purchased new bedding for the client, as he planned to continue occupying the home while it was on the market. The bedding is his to keep. The bedding purchase price was incorporated into the original staging estimate.

Thank you, Michael, for your very generous endorsement of my work and for being such a wonderful client to work with. Nothing makes me happier than to see nice things (like a fast home sale at a great price) happen to good people (you and your lovely wife).

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*Los Angeles Home Staging - A Happy Client Is Worth Their Weight In Gold*copyright 2008 Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved.

"From condos to cottages to castles, we don't sell real estate, but we know what makes real estate sell" For truly exceptional service and expert assistance in preparing your home to sell please visit our Los Angeles home staging web site or call Michelle Minch at (626)441-8975. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have about the benefits of home staging to help you sell your home faster and for a better price, even in the current market.

Home Goods is opening a store in La Canada!

I was very excited to read in the Sunday Los Angeles Times today that Home Goods is opening a new store in La Canada-Flintridge. I will no longer be forced to drive the 26+ miles in each direction to shop at one of my favorite home decor stores. The new store is just a hop, skip and a jump from my home and my warehouse.

The new store will be located at the La Canada Flintridge Town Center at the intersection of Foothill Blvd. and Angeles Crest Highway (2 Fwy.). This is the new shopping center that will also house the new Sports Chalet.

La Canada is becoming quite the shopping destination!

I do a lot of shopping at various Home Goods stores around the Southland depending upon where my projects are located. I have gotten some terrific deals, not only for home staging, but also for my interior design projects. If you haven't been to a Home Goods, I recommend you check them out if you are in the market for furniture, linens, towels or home decor.

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Contact Moving Mountains Design Home Staging for all you home staging and interior design needs. Call Michelle Minch at (626)441-8992 to discuss how we can help you prepare your home for a faster sale.

Staging an updated Craftsman in Alhambra CA.

Moving Mountains Design Home Staging is know for staging multi-million dollar luxury estates in the Los Angeles Area. But we also stage lots of more modest homes in lower price points.

Last week we staged a beautiful updated Craftsman home in Alhambra CA. The homeowners were very willing to do most of the suggested repairs and fixes, beyond those they had already undertaken, and they followed my instructions to the letter, especially on the curb appeal issues.

Living room of updated Craftsman in Alhambra before home staging. Those window treatments darkened the room and made the ceiling feel lower.

Living room of updated Alhambra Craftsman after staging. Notice the difference removing the window treatments made.

This home had many beautiful upgrades (like granite counter tops in the kitchen and bathrooms) yet still managed to maintain the period charm characteristic of many Craftsman homes like a beautiful fireplace and wainscot.

Fireplace does not stand out. And the window treatments make the home look dark and fussy, not light, bright and updated.

Now the fireplace is the centerpiece of the living room and the room is divided up in a way that each area has purpose.

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*Alhambra Home Staging - An Updated Craftsman*copyright 2008 Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved.

For more information about Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design, please visit our Los Angeles home staging web siteor call Michelle at (626)441-8975. Moving Mountains Design has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Sunset Magazine and numerous other national and international publications. Don't settle for second best: choose the home staging company with the track record and portfolio that demonstrates our ability to help your home sell faster and for the best price.

Los Angeles Interior Designer on Hollywood Hills master bathroom design project - the design. Part one of a multi-part series.

I was recently called to redesign the bathroom of a gorgeous two story Spanish home in the Hollywood Hills. When I was first contacted, I asked the homeowners to peruse some shelter magazines and compile photos of bathrooms that they liked, and photos in general of any subject that appealed to them either by color, composition or just gut reaction. I find this approach helps to save a lot of time in determining the direction the design should go to best suit the tastes and expectations of the homeowner.

During our first meeting the homeowners showed me several photos, but kept going back to one in particular. By the end of the meeting we had decided that this photo best represented what look appealed to them for their new bathroom. Through my questions and their answers I learned how they would be using the bathroom, how that use would differ from their current bathroom, what were the absolute "must haves" and what were the "we'd really like XYZ if it will fit and we can afford it". We also discussed color with the help of my trusty Benjamin Moore paint fan. I took copious measurements and photos (I will post before photos after we empty the rooms in a few weeks to protect my clients' privacy). Once we settled on a color scheme, I used a photo similar to this one (this is a stock photo I purchased; the actual photo was taken from a magazine and I don't own the rights to publish it:o)) as color inspiration.

Here are the Must Haves that were on the homeowners' list:

• 2 separate sinks, his and hers
• Make-up/vanity area included with her sink
• Lots of closed storage space for beauty products and cosmetics
• Soaking tub large enough for two
• Insulate wall of bathroom to help with afternoon heat gain
• Replace 3 windows with low-E dual pane casement windows to help with heat gain
• 2 ventilation fans (currently none)
• Faucets with lever handles instead of X shaped handles
• Undermount tub and sinks
• Add HVAC ducts to bathroom (currently none) for heat and A/C

Would Really Like to Have (if space and budget permit):

• Separate tub and shower
• Steam shower
• Separate enclosed WC room (toilet)
• Nickel finish (brushed) on faucets and fillers
• European style frameless shower glass
• Small refrigerator for cosmetics built in to her vanity area

This is an older Spanish home with lathe and plaster walls, some of which are curved (on purpose!). In order to accomodate their "Must Haves" and as many of their "Would Really Like to Haves" as possible, I was going to have to "steal" a closet from an adjoning bedroom for more space. I'll tell you, measuring the space and figuring out the relationship of the various spaces (some curved) we were going to use to create this bathroom was very complicated and required taking measurements from several different directions to make sure everything lined up.

Here is the as-built (before) floor plan:

And here is the floor plan of the final design:

As you can see, by "stealing" a closet from an adjoining bedroom (lower right, where the tub is) I was able to give my client all of their Must Haves and all of their Would Really Like to Haves:

*Separate tub and shower

*Separate private WC

*Her sink and vanity/makeup area with plenty of room for storage

*Separate sink and counter for him

To Be Continued: Hollywood Hills Master Bathroom Design Project- Material Selection

*Hollywood Hills Master Bathroom Design Project - The Design* Copyright 2008 Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved.

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Michelle Minch, Principal Designer and Owner of Moving Mountains Design is an award winning Interior Designer and Home Stager. Her Interior Design, home staging and film design projects have been featured numerous times in national and international publications. Michelle can be reached at (626)441-8975 or visit her Los Angeles home staging and design web site.

This Long Beach home sold two weeks after staging (after sitting for two months with no offers) and the homeowner was thrilled. 60 DOM before staging - SOLD in 14 days after staging by Moving Mountains Design. Here is her testimonial:

"Michelle Minch is absolutely delightful to do business with, and a genius at what she does (STAGING!!). My beautiful "cottage" was on the market for two months without a decent offer. I had the greatest realtor ever and she was working the property. And we had to keep dropping the price along with the crazy and difficult market. But no offers!!

I read an LA Times article about Michelle and her staging successes and decided I needed her help. When I called Michelle, she responded quickly and professionally and got my home staged quickly. And two weeks later my home was in escrow!! I only wish I had called on her to stage my house when I first put it on the market. I am convinced I would have gotten a far better price and sold my house much quicker. Thanks to Michelle and her crew for all their great work and for helping me and my realtor get the job done. Great work!!"

The homeowner had already moved out of the house and up to Oregon where she was hoping to purchase a new home and retire. She had left a lot of furniture and accessories which were going to be sold in an estate sale once the house sold. The garage was packed to the rafters, and much of what we used we found by digging through the boxes and stacks. We staged this house with the homeowner's own furniture (mostly) and some accessories. I brought some accessories, bedding, towels, artwork, silk plants, a blow up bed and a coffee table.

Dining room before staging (above)

Dining room after staging (right)

Master bedroom before staging (left)

Master bedroom after staging (right)

Staging by Moving Mountains Design Home Staging was a very inexpensive and cost effective way to get this home sold quickly. This was a modest house and we staged with modest furniture. Staging doesn't have to be fancy or complicated to be effective. But it does require an experienced professional stager who understands the market and how to best use the available resources to squeeze maximum appeal from the home and furnishings.

When we staged this house, I could see 4 other houses for sale from the front yard. When we destaged, the same 4 houses were for sale and an new one had been added.

While we were staging, after we first got there, a Real Estate Agent showed up to show the house to a client. They practically ran through the house and back out the door. 3 hours later, after we were done staging and I was photographing the house for the listing agent, another Real Estate Agent showed up with another client. They walked slowly through the house and lingered in every room. They were there for over 1 hour. I know because I couldn't finish taking my photos. I kept hearing the client (and potential buyer) exclaiming how cute the house was and how it was everything she was looking for. Would she have felt the same way if she had seen the house unstaged? Probably not.

Here are some shots of the family room:

Can you hear the echo looking at this before picture?(left)

Family room after staging (right)

*Long Beach Home Staging: Photos and Testimonials* Copyright 2008 Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design Home Staging. All rights reserved.

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Please contact Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design Home Stagingfor more information about staging your Los Angeles area home. Call us at (626)-441-8975 or visit our Los Angeles home staging website. Don't settle for second best. Choose the home staging company that has the track record and home staging portfolio that proves our ability to help get homes sold quickly.