Jaynee Acevedo, Capital Style Home Staging

I can create magic anywhere

"Jaynee can dig through your glove compartment and come out with dinner for six". While this is not true (depending on the glove compartment), I've always been known for making wonderful somethings out of simply nothings.

Well-travelled daughter of an international airline pilot and a home economics teacher, I have grown up appreciating all cultures, all cuisines, all climates, all colors, all customs.

Years of event design for Washington DC caterers has given me experience in designing for the public, private and international sectors. I've designed countless parties at Smithsonian museums, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, The National Gallery of Art, embassies up and down Massachusetts Avenue, the Old Executive Office Building, The Jefferson Memorial, The Capitol, The Supreme Court, The Library of Congress, historic homes such as The Barney House, Dumbarton Oaks, Mount Vernon, Woodlawn Plantation, Collingwood on the Potomac, The Building Museum, Departmental Auditorium, The Audubon Society, The Heurich Mansion, Scottish Rite Temple, and in hundreds of private homes of Washington's political, social, and corporate leaders. I've done events for clients living hours away: Philadelphia, Lynchburg, Annapolis, Harrisburg, and Richmond. Creating event spaces using furniture, equipment, lighting, florals, and of course, food has been my career. Staging is simply catering without the food. I've done it in huge, empty (and typically stunning) spaces, and I've done it in tiny, crowded row houses in Georgetown. I know how to create visual and actual flow -- and magic -- anywhere.

As quoted by Staging and Real Estate Author Barbara Ballinger in her Syndicated Column, June 27, 2007:

There is a fine line between de-cluttering your house so that homebuyers can picture themselves living there with their own possessions and leaving some things about so they know someone else has lived in and loved the house.

While most real estate practitioners can offer you tips on what to keep and remove, other professionals also have jumped in to help with a list of do's and don'ts. Some describe themselves as professional organizers; others call themselves stagers. Both groups share the same goal that the practitioners do: make your house look so divine that buyers won't be able to resist making a bid.

But the process is more art than science, says Jaynee Acevedo, founder of Capital Style Home Staging, Kensington, Md. She tries to have each room tell a story. In one house, she recently had some of the six bedrooms "tell" that they could be used for other purposes than sleeping. One became an office, one a nursery and one a playroom, says Acevedo, a member Staged Homes, a staging organization.

Her fees - and those of most stagers and organizers - vary depending on the size of the house and scope of the project. Acevedo's consultation fee is $225 (THIS, OF COURSE, IS AN OLD PRICE.....I NOW CHARGE $275), but she charges extra for doing any physical work or buying or renting furnishings.

The good news is that there's a payback. According to a Staged Homes survey, houses that sat on the market for more than five months sold within two weeks after being staged. Houses that were staged before going on the market sold in less than two weeks. Staging also boosts equity nearly 6 percent, the organization says. Of course, this is not going to be the case in every market, but it shows that staging does have an impact.

For the full article: http://www.thetruecitizen.com/news/2007/0627/News/041.html

Areas of Expertise

HARMONY - "We're moving in together, and nothing matches!"

Ecclectic works, and sometimes by adding and taking away just a few things, new magic can be created. We can do this together, or I can do it for you.

CONCLUSIONS - "Now that Dad's gone, Mom's health is failing. How can we comfortably move her closer, into a smaller place?"

Senior downsizing can be emotionally difficult, but need not be traumatic. The earlier the change, the better for the Senior, as they're more able to be a part of the process. Respect is paramount, and when the transition is complete, everyone can be happy.

NUDGES - "I want to stage the house myself, but I just don't know where to begin."

Let me meet with you for a consultation. This gives you a jump start, with a detailed photo essay, suggested purchases, suggested vendors, a goal calendar to help you get started, and a follow up visit to make sure you stay on track.

ESSENTIALS - "I travel to Bejing this Thursday, and the house has to be on the market in three weeks!"

When your lives are so full that you need help, call me so I can muster the troops and hit the ground running. We are efficient, thrifty, and respectful, and can get you on the market, lookin' good. We can bring in house cleaners, handy men, renovation experts, rental furnishings, accessories, and art work. Landscaping needs to be refreshed? No problem. Too many things in the garage? No problem. You need a team to get everything done, stylishly and quickly? No problem. We're on the way!

___________________________________________________________________

Motivated homeowners with tiny homes love working with me because, I can very quickly help them edit and transform their spaces. In small rooms, staging (for sale or for living) can literally double the floorspace, and the difference is enormous. While I have successfully staged vacant homes, my favorite projects are re-designs. I cherish the opportunity to re-purpose, refresh, and re-arrange what people already have and love.

Capital Style is a Green company in that: we work to use what homeowners have on hand, we purchase the most renewable furnishings and accessories that are available, we recycle as much as possible, use and recommend Earth-friendly cleaning materials and supplies, and are thrifty in all our business practices.

Raves from recent clients

Jaynee;
We simply cannot thank you enough! The house looks fantastic!!! We love the way it looks - you did such an amazing job - we are just thrilled. I will keep you posted on how things go. In the meantime, we will take good care of all of your items. I now have two girlfriends that want your number (I will give them info on your new website too) because I can't stop talking about you. Linda & Jack March 2007