Connie Tebyani, Platinum Home Staging Los Angeles to Santa Barbara

Most of you wouldn't know, but I volunteer in my son's Kindergarten classroom for 2 hours every Monday morning and I am also the "Classroom Parent". A month or so ago a new boy came to the class that I immediately could feel that something was "off".

Every Monday morning, I make a point to make sure that I wash his face for him, try to comb his hair, etc. Yesterday morning while doing my weekly lessons with the class he came to my table and sat down. His finger nails were black with dirt; obviously they had not been trimmed for WEEKS, maybe months, and this morning his hair was so bad that I don't think he had been able to take a bath in at least a week. His name is Branden, he will be 6 next month.

While leaving the table to move on to the next lesson Branden's shoe fell off and I could immediately tell how embarrassed he was. Not because his shoe fell off, but because as I helped him to put it back on I noticed that he was wearing women's socks. They were so dirty, that whoever had put them on him that morning, had rolled them up at the toe, so that his little foot would at least be in a "clean" part of the sock. When I also noticed that his shoes were on the wrong feet, he said, "that's OK, please don't take my other shoe off." He is from a single parent family and I can tell that they care about him as he was dressed in several layers as it was very cold - but obviously they are just doing the best that they can.

I am the first to admit that I have done my share of "complaining" this year with how tough business and times have been (thank God for what we DO have). But I have taken it upon myself to do whatever I can as it breaks my heart into a million pieces to see this. I contacted the school Principle to see what the best way to deliver items would be as we believe that the family may even be living out of their car.

In the last 24 hours my family and friends have already collected over 3 bags of clothing, 2 bags of food, 1 bag of toiletries and almost $200 in gift cards to various local stores so they can buy items they need and/or want that we may have forgotten. The School, which is also doing a toy drive, actually added his name to their "Santa's list" where the needy children of this particular school will get to go into the room of donated toys (they've collected hundreds) and pick out any one that they want for Christmas.

This is my Christmas Me-Me: Thank you & God Bless, Connie

Thanks to Cathy Lee for tagging me for a Christmas MeMe: Now I Tag

Kimo Stowell, Michelle Minch & Fernando Rosado

*************************************UPDATE***************************************

I've been contacted by several generous souls on how one can "donate" to this young boy and his family. After meeting with the School today, what they REALLY need most is food. Gift certificates to stores in our immediate area are Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, Big-Lots and Target. If you would like to mail gift cards or certificates, you can send them to:

Peach Hill Academy 13400 Christian Barrett Dr, Moorpark, CA 93021

Attention Mrs. Welch (Principle) or Mrs. De los Santos (V.P.)

Include a small note that your gift is to go to Connie Tebyani's "Adopted" Kid ;-) They'll know what you mean - please don't refer to him by name. THANK YOU, for all of your generosity!!!!

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I must admit that considering the current economy, when it comes to selling a home or property; Home Staging will deffinetly give you your biggest bang for marketing dollar.

Whether it's a simple Home Staging Consultation, where we give you a typed 7-10 page report of what needs to be done by you to prepare your home, or fully utilize our services in Owner Occupied Re-Designs, Vacant or Model Home Stagings; HOME STAGING WORKS!!!

HOMES ARE SELLING!!! Buyer's ARE buying IF your home or listing is the BEST on the market at the RIGHT PRICE. For so little money, which such HUGE results, we wanted to share with the world our Home Staging results in our little "2008 - Home Staging Review"

January 2008 - Vacant home home opens Escrow in just 7 weeks after Staging!

February 2008 - Platinum Home Staging, Inc. Stages celebrity homes as well!

March 2008- West Hills, CA home sells in less than 10 weeks AND - PHS, Inc. is featured in the LA Times!

April 2008- PHS, Inc. Stages $20M home on Kauai, Hawaii
And a Home Staging Consultation in Oak Park, CA helps get it SOLD IN JUST 10 DAYS!!!

May 2008- Home in Oak Park gets the PHS, Inc. touch and sells in record time!

June 2008- Ventura home on the marina sells in less than 3 weeks!
And a Home Staging Consultation in Agoura Hills, CA leads to 5 OFFERS and $20,000 over asking!

July 2008- Los Feliz home sells in ONLY 5 DAYS after Staging with Platinum Home Staging, Inc.!

August 2008- Giving Back to the Community: Platinum Home Staging, Inc. Facilitates, Organizes & Decorates a home for Foster Kids in Los Angeles, CA.

September 2008- Westwood, CA home SELLS in 22 days AND PHS, Inc. is featured in the Ventura County Star!!!

October 2008 - Platinum Home Staging, Inc. adds Interior Design to it's Resume!

November 2008 - Condo in Westlake Village, CA sells in 30 days after Staging!

December 2008 - A Pacific Palisades town home gets transformed and 3 offers!

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. is looking forward to a bright 2009 and beyond

PLEASE: share your Home Stagings Results and Successes in the comments, let people know that HOME STAGING WORKS even in today's economy!!!

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc. 2008 All Rights Reserved

This blog is for Realtors, Sellers & Stagers alike regarding the photography that might be taken this season to sell your listing or home.

Home Owners: Although you might be tempted to trek out the HUGE holiday tree and all the trimmings please keep in mind a few things before you go overboard on the trimmings. Your house, while on the market for sale, is no longer your home - it is a product for sale. While you should still live in your home, be aware of what you put out first and what might be included in your listing photography. Keep in mind as well that whatever you unpack to decorate with now, will only add to what needs to be packed up to move later should your home sell quickly.

Sure, a beautiful picture of the holiday tree in your living room might make your home feel warm and inviting - but what about in April if your home hasn't sold? Even a wreath on the front door can tell Buyers looking at your internet photos that your home has been on the market for a long time (too long)

Realtors: Take these same thoughts into consideration when taking photographs of your listings before placing them on the MLS, or discuss this with your professional photographer ahead of time. If your Seller is planning a big tree trimming party, maybe the photographs can be taken before the event so that every picture doesn't scream "I've been on the market since December" when Buyers are looking at the listings in June. Or at the very least, make a mental note that if a home has not opened escrow by say Valentine's Day, that you update and CHANGE the listing photography on ALL your marketing.

The same goes for Mother Nature; in areas where snow is inevitable to taking curb shots of the home, make a note that at the first thaw you get updated pictures of the outside of the home. And you if you're in an area that just got dumped on in the past month WITH snow, do you want all of your listing photos to be showing bright Spring flowers???? The reverse holds in this case, if buyers are looking at your internet photos NOW (when there has been a foot of snow on the ground for the past month), those great curb appeal shots taken in the summer are now screaming "been on the market for months!".

Stagers: Yes, we are visual beings by nature and many are now offering holiday decorating services. Again, think ahead. If the home remotely has a chance of being put on the market in the next 6 weeks, cautiously advise your home owners about the amount that might be used in decorating and not going overboard. I once Staged a house just before the holidays in an "autumn theme" (pears, pumpkins, fall colors, etc) only to have the LREA bring in a full X-mas tree to make it look "more festive"..... in a highly demographically Jewish community. Our job as Stagers is to ensure the home is marketable to the general population, and always remember those all important before and after shots. You don't want all your after shots to be holiday themed to show prospective clients "this is what I can do!" when it's the 4th of July.

I'm NOT a scrooge, I LOVE the holidays - but as professionals we need to think and plan ahead.

PLATINUM HOME STAGING, INC.

Home Staging the Los Angeles and Ventura Counties

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. was contacted by the home owner of a condo in the Pacific Palisades, CA for a Staging Bid. After turning the appointment into a Staging Consultation, the Home Owners knew they were going to need to put some good 'ol fashioned elbow grease into the house before they could list it at a price that was competitive in their market. (A Staging Consultation is a room-by-room action plan of what needed to be completed by the Home Owners before Staging could take place, and repairs that need to be done before the home is placed on the market. Usually taking 2 - 2 1/2 hours depending on the size of the home)

The Home Owners are both award winning Graphic Artists and used their home as their offices as well. Although they loved color, they had painted every wall, ceiling and room in flat white. We used almost all of their own furniture, editing out a few peices, moving lots of things around, and adding a few beautiful peices of artwork and accessories to complete the home and a showcase gallery.

Take a look at some of the before and after shots:

You would never believe that this was the SAME HOUSE!

Yes, this IS the same room! In the before pictures, all the windows and doors were boarded up.

This condo is 3 bedroom, 3 1/2 bath with attached 2 car garage. Completely updated and renovated throughout from floor to ceiling incluging ALL bathroms AND kitchen! Currently listed at approx $1.5M in Pacific Palisades, CA

Here's to a quick sale!

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Platinum Home Staging, Inc. has been recognized and grown into a tremendous success built on customer service, integrity and best of all, customer referrals. Specializing in Home Staging, Interior Decorating and Model Home Interiors. Serving the greater Los Angeles & Ventura County areas. A home's first impression is the most important one. A home should be inviting and memorable; to stand out among the hundreds of homes that Buyer's may be looking at. Selling a home, is in fact, selling a product. Market the product, "package" it to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. After all, ...How you live in your home, and how you sell your home, are two completely different things. Call us today at (805) 553-9952

Subscribe to my Blog

Platinum Home Staging, Inc. has been recognized and grown into a tremendous success built on customer service, integrity and best of all, customer referrals. Specializing in Home Staging, Interior Decorating and Model Home Interiors. Serving the greater Los Angeles & Ventura County areas. A home's first impression is the most important one. A home should be inviting and memorable; to stand out among the hundreds of homes that Buyer's may be looking at. Selling a home, is in fact, selling a product. Market the product, "package" it to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible. After all, ...How you live in your home, and how you sell your home, are two completely different things. Call us today at (805) 553-9952