Earlier this year, our finishing carpenter, Paul, dedicated a lot of time, largely unpaid, for a project for a family member of ours who was "displaced" by Hurricane Ike.
To help repay our debt to him for his tireless efforts, we re-designed a guest bedroom in his house in Cow Island, Louisiana.
We had to break some pretty basic rules, but they were necessary.
Here's the layout we had to work with:
Please note the doors on every wall, causing furniture placement issues.
We had a HUGE Pre-Civil War 4-Poster (w/Canopy) Bed, that belonged to Paul's Grandfather. We also wanted to see a writing desk in this room. No closet - the house was built in the 30's and closets as we know them today were not invented yet, lol.
So, we had to edit a few distractions - chiefly being the single window, the awkward electrical box, and the secondary door to the office. In old houses in the South, doors were everywhere to take advantage of a any and every passing breeze. A room could not have enough doors during this design phase. The attached parlor has a large wardrobe closet. We hope to get to do that room this winter.
Here's the Before and Afters:
Our Team:
It was loads of fun working with such fabulous period furniture. The desk is from Paul's wife's family. It was her travelling school-teacher mother's, and it actually was transported weekly from school to school in a covered wagon.
I dunno when we will get to work on a project as interesting as this one again. It was a kick!
~Michelle
This week has been a major turning point for my staging company and for all Home Stagers and Real Estate Agents in Louisiana.
I have come back from my CSP Elite Training Course taught by
the incomparable Melissa Marro
and I am now a CSP Elite Instructor.
Melissa Marro & Michelle Molinari
Big Whoop you might be thinking, as you click out of this blog. If you are a Stager or an Agent, you might not want to hit that back button just yet.
This is a revolutionary course that will, beyond a shadow of a doubt, demonstrate not only the impact of real estate staging to Agents, but also provide a step-by-step solution on how to diplomatically implement local staging professionals seamlessly into an Agent's repertoire.
It is not a Lunch and Learn. It is a full-blown 7 hour course, taught by local professional stagers. Once you take this class, staging and selling the purpose for staging is completely de-mystified. You will walk away with all the tools and materials necessary to be more than just an agent who offers lip service in this arena.
Sellers need you to be an expert in your field. Taking the CSP Elite Course allows you to become an expert in the Gentle Art of Persuading your Seller to Stage - to embrace the best opportunity they have to protect and recoup their equity quickly and to avoid price reductions.
Curious? I certainly hope you would be. Stagers and Agents alike can visit the CSP Elite Website for details.
Melissa Marro, Executive Director of North American Operations for Certified Staging Professionals has opened this class to ALL stagers regardless of designation!
The sooner you get trained, the sooner the Agents in your state can truly get busy making their businesses grow exponentially by finding and utilizing professional stagers effortlessly and with incredible results. Her class is FANTASTIC and she blew us all away with the new Elite Program. She is an incredibly successful stager located in the Charleston, SC area and a true professional.
Agents - you can go to www.cspelite.com and find out if a trainer can come to your location and teach you this crucial business survival tool that will sell your listings faster, generate higher offers for you sellers, and REDUCE YOUR MARKETING EXPENSES - all to make your job easier while you earn and keep more of your commissions.
Don't let this opprtunity slip away. It's beneficial for everyone, and for the Real Estate Industry as well. Become proactive. Move those listings with proven techniques and with proven stagers! CSP Elite will show you EXACTLY how to incorporate staging into your existing services.
~Michelle Molinari
Certified Staging Professional, Feature This... Real Estate Staging,www.FeatureThisDotDotDot.com
CSP Elite Instructor, Certified Staging Professionals, www.CSPtraining.com
Lead Virtual Designer, www.CurbAppealForDummies.com
President of Acadiana Real Estate Staging Association, www.AcadianaRESA.com
Okay, so I started doing this Virtual Thing in 2007.
I was a color consultant working for a Benjamin Moore retailer. We only had ONE color person on Saturdays, and it was moi.
I was SLAMMED from the moment I arrived to the moment I left. No potty breaks, no lunch, no diet cokes to wet my whistle. My yap was flapping 90 to nothing, as I helped answer questions, persuade, cajole, and reassure people about paint color for their projects.
So, I started using the Benjamin Moore Color Viewer with my customers. Neat tool, as it helped me convince customers faster, sell a larger volume of paint, and get on to helping the next person who needed me that much sooner. Nevermind the part where I actually could finangle to squeeze in a slice of pizza now and then.
But the tool seemed limited. I could show them a nice color on the wall of their own house, but sometimes the dated hunter-green sofa they intended to replace would be throwing it off. Or, their plain ceiling-white paint or the flourescent fixtures would cast a morgue-like glow that would make everything I tried look just plain nasty.
But, I did what I could, and it helped quite a bit. Exteriors were my favorite, as they were never flourescent-y lights to thwart my efforts.
But sometimes, I 'd come up with a brilliant, truly inspired and totally fresh exterior color scheme customized to PERFECTION with their roof and brick, only to have the client say, "I don't like it."
It would burn my biscuits!
I knew if they could just see it without that dead grass patch on the lawn from the kiddie pool and overgrown landscaping, and envison nice, lushly manicured flower beds & some tidy, darling shutters, they would just flip out. But, sometimes, they just couldn't see what I was seeing in my head.
And so, my pursuit began for a way to get the image out of my head and into my client's. I 've used everything but the kitchen sink to improve the realism and NOT delve into a completely CAD image. Our images are not just based on the original photo, they ARE the original photo, with a few changes we would absolutely make if we were actually there on the premises, to enhance the architecture and flow. There is an awful lot more to staging than furniture, accessories, and potted plants.
Sometimes, we depict the image with a better paint color to warm the space. Sometimes, we add detailed brickwork to an exterior that needs grounding, Occasionally, we need to throw the whole book at it, showing potential buyers what it would look like to remove a non-loadbearing wall to open up a tight floorplan, or completely rennovate a dreary, dated kitchen. It's all about selling the immense potential most homes truly have, without actually breaking the bank for the seller, or pulling a fast one on the buyer.
It's been over 2 1/2 years of virtual imaging for our company. We have expanded to include two new virtual designers, whom are still in training, and have been for several months. The programs we truly require are not invented yet, but we are putting along just the same, working with what we have available. The learning curve is a doozy.
But acceptance is gaining, and new virtual designers are being hatched every day. I hope this newest branch of the Staging Industry keeps it's standards high, and it's virtual work true to the concepts of Staging set by our predecessors. It ain't called VIrtual Real Estate Decorating. It's supposed to be Staging, through and through, only on the Virtual side of the track instead of the Traditional side.
~Michelle Molinari
Certified Professional Stager, Feature This... Real Estate Staging, www.FeatureThisDotDotDot.com
Lead Virtual Designer, www.CurbAppealForDummies.com
President, Acadiana Real Estate Staging Association, www.AcadianaRESA.com
Consider your options carefully. Staging is unregulated but specialized field of expertise regarding many factors, including, but not limited to, the target demographic of the property, the architecture, the location, and the amenities the property offers.
Unregulated means there is no authority to oversee the education and qualifications of someone who wants to call themselves a "stager", virtual or otherwise.
Virtual Staging is a specialized field within the staging industry. It basically breaks down into the insertion of design ideas onto an existing image of a room or exterior of a house.
How one decides which ideas to use is crucial to the overall impression a virtual staging image makes. Experience separates the wheat from the chaff. Anyone can insert images and propose ideas for staging onto a photo with any Photoshop program. Anyone at all.
But experienced, professional stagers are not just anybody. They are keenly aware of what ROI (return on investment) a project carries. They are purveyors of cost-effective ideas that can enhance a property in the exact way that follows ever-changing buying trends. Translating that to the Virtual Staging Arena is crucial to showing a buyer not only what is possible potential a property holds, but how to depict that potential in a straightforward, highly desirable, and cost-effective way.
Virtual Staging is marketing, but it has an unmistakable relationship to the art of revealing an instinctual verdict of value about a property. There is more to it than Photoshop + Furniture = Staging.
If you are considering sourcing a quality virtual stager, consider these tips:
Do they have actual experience in the field of Staging?
Do they offer Traditional Staging as a Service?
Do they have any Staging Education?
Are they affiliated with any reputable staging associations, such as RESA or the IAHSP?
Does their portfolio reflect a clear sense of design skill and execution of actual staging rules and concepts?
There is more to staging than simply "photoshopping" in furniture, art, and accessories to a photograph.
Quality staging encompasses a myriad of skills and fields of learning, including layout, style, architecture, demographics, color theory, ROI knowledge, product knowledge, DIY capabilities, current trend awareness, and a strong ability to create dynamic flow to tell a story about what life could be like living at that particular property, with a little elbow grease from the buyer.
So, do a little homework to determine who you are hiring to Virtually Stage your listing.
There's more to it than one might think.
~Michelle Molinari
Professional Results ARE possible when you have great advice
and a visual plan to follow tailor-fit to your listing
by a Professional Stager.
Call us today and find out how we can help you whip those listings into shape using encouragement and sound staging principles, as well as a "GOAL IMAGE" to help your buyers embrace the concept of Staging to maximize their architecture and push their property ahead of the pack!
~Michelle Molinari
(337) 652-3983
Certified Professional Stager, Feature This... Real Estate Staging, www.FeatureThisDotDotDot.com
Lead Virtual Designer, www.CurbAppealForDummies.com
President, Acadiana Real Estate Staging Association, www.AcadianaRESA.com
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Full Service Interior Decorating and Certified Professional Staging Team, We specialize in Virtual Staging, Curb Appeal, and helping DIY-ers attain a faster, more lucrative sale.
We are a family-owned and operated Design, Decorating, and Staging Team. With over 40 years combined experience, we create savvy solutions for residential spaces.
As Certified Professional Stagers we offer to transform your "well-loved home" into an highly desirable and marketable commodity. The result of employing the effective tools and concepts of Real Estate Staging puts more of your equity in your pocket faster. A lukewarm buyer doesn't feel any urgency to make an offer, and often bids lower than you expected or needed. When the buyer is completely smitten with your property, they place a bid quickly and are more likely to offer the asking price. 
Our team consists of Carol Hebert-Harper, Michelle Molinari, Sue Eldredge, and Paul Broussard.
Carol has been an interior decorator for nearly 35 years. She has designed for clientele in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Houston, and has returned to her hometown of Abbeville, Louisiana. Carol
presently prefers the fabrication and design aspect of her craft, solving design and lighting issues.
Two of her daughters have followed in her footsteps to work for Feature This...
Michelle works in the interior design field, and is a color consultant for a major industry leader in the field of decorating. She brings her knowledge of computerized imaging and cutting-edge trends to the staging arena. Michelle is also a graduate of Certified Staging Professionals and a member of RESA. When you call Feature This..., Michelle will be there every step of the way of the staging process, from the initial consult to your first Open House.
Sue is an artist, faux finisher, and professional organizer. Sue coordinates our project team and generates enthusiasm and ideas for streamlining the overall appearance of your property using careful accessory selection and installation. Sue is also a Certified Staging Professional and Member of RESA, the Real Estate Stagers Association.
Paul Broussard is a master carpenter with a lifetime of experience. Paul works with us on-site to make your spaces live up to their potential. Utilizing his skills, he dramatically directs the buyer's attention to the details that excite them to make offers.
Our clients are sellers who truly desire to realize their maximum equity from their property in the shortest period of time. Some sellers can wait on their equity, and those are not the clients we target.
We stage to SELL! We don't stroke egos, either yours or ours. We are not some hoity-toity design team that is seeking prestige. We are a fully-capable, hands on, money-saving and money-making force to be reckoned with. Staging requires the ability to use limited funds in the most creative and impressive ways. That means getting dirty, brainstorming the best solutions for the most value, and bringing the seller on board our creative voyage. It's not all guest towels and flower arrangements. It's paint brushes, power saws, sore knee-caps and sweat trickling in our eyes. AND WE LOVE IT!
The only thing we love more than staging is CELEBRATING A SUPER-FAST SELL!
Dear Michelle, Just a note to thank you for your help in improving our home's appearance. Michelle, you are most professional, knowledgeable, patient, understanding, and you really care!! Your support throughout the project was reassuring and comforting as well. It's easy to see that you love what you do. In today's world you are most definitely, a breath of fresh air!! We really appreciate all your efforts and want to thank you so very much!! Sincerely, Sandy & Phyllis M.
Dearest Ladies,
I cannot begin to thank you enough for the wonderful job you did at my home. It was with wonder and satisfaction that in a morning's time I watch how good taste and imagination can make such an amazing difference.
Needless to say, my property, which had been on the market for six months, sold to the first customer who viewed it after being staged by your company!
I would recommend your services to anyone who needs to sell their home; as you are efficient, professional, and artistic.
Thanking you again,
~Renee R.,
Lafayette, La
Dear Miss Carol,
I just wanted to tell you and your girls thanks. My mom told me I'd have a nice little apartment when I came home from Iraq, but I wasn't expecting anything like this! It looks really good, and I feel right at home. It was more than a pleasant surprise. It is AWESOME!
~ Matt F., Abbeville, LA
Dear Ladies,
However can I express how much it means to us to have our beach house so beautiful! It has been a long journey since the hurricane, and I cannot tell you how it soothes our souls to come here now. Our "Old Hollywood Style" bathroom is just spectacular. Thank you!
-Mr. and Mrs. Bradley O.,
Galveston, Tx.
Dear Michelle,
We are VERY happy with our bedroom. I never thought that I'd be living in something this appealing, unique, and special-it's just right for us. Like your mom said......it's casual elegance. The original artwork you did is so personal and it means so much to us. And that fireplace Carol, Paul, and Sue built is unbelievable! We truly have a master suite now, and we love it!
Thank you so much for everything you, Sue, Paul, and Carol did for us.
~Melissa and Patrick H., Abbeville, LA
Dear Carol, Sue, and Michelle,
We are so very pleased with the kitchen rennovation and the color scheme for the rest of the house. It looks absolutely gorgeous. I love my granite, but I love the island Carol made even more! What a wonderful surprise and what a great use of my extra tile. You gals really have a way of bringing it all together. We didn't understand how raising the counter height would make such a big difference, but now, that part of the kitchen is a natural gathering place for our family. To think that before, it was just a space I stacked the mail!
Whenever anyone asks how we coordinated everything so beautifully, I tell them we just picked up the phone and called "Feature This". Thank you, for everything, and for all the details we never would have thought to consider.
~ Eddie and Cathy F.
Forked Island, LA
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