This week the TV show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo is often called "the city of Good Neighbors" and the proof is the Buffalo show has had more volunteer sign ups then in any other city in the county. The extra workers meant that extra properties, not just the selected TV house, can have mini-makeovers. In the surrounding blocks; yards were raked, porches were painted, and new roofs put on. This neighborhood had definitely seen better times and finally got a much deserved boost.
I was fortunate enough to help them on Monday. I was assigned to the "community revitalization team". Yes, I raked lawns and scraped old paint off a house. I was a part of something that could possible turn that whole area around. The team I was on was proud to do this work and felt great about our contributions.
Not to diminish this part of the day in any way but...
A little before lunch our group was asked to be extras in a scene the on-site director was shooting. In the scene, Ty Pennington was demonstrating how a piece of furniture will be made and included in the new house. They blocked out the scene, rehearsed, tweaked, and re-shot the scene a couple of times. In two of the takes, Ty was standing right beside me! Yep - I was elbow to elbow with him! And yes, he is as energetic and goofy as he appears to be.
In case you didn't know - No, he does not do a lot of the physical manual labor but he did seem to know a lot about the woodworking and creative process that goes into creating a room. (above photo not taken by me)
With all my luck, my part will be on the cutting room floor but that's OK. Helping the area, assisting those who need help and just being part of this terrific program was enough for me.
It was a great day. I definitely plan on going back later in the week. I enjoyed helping the community and shooting a scene was a fun bonus - slight compensation for my blisters.
The Realtor Magazine recently published on article on selling during the holidays.
The article, Holiday Decor That Brings Out the Best, by Barbara Ballinger highlights key points such as
It is a great article to share with those selling right now. It gives sellers and Realtors specific suggestions on how to balance enjoying the holidays without compromising being ready to sell.
Hope you enjoy the article,
Julie Dana, an Accredited Staging Professional, and lover of tasteful holiday decorations.
This blog could also be titled 'What I did on my summer vacation'. A realtor who regularly uses me for staging consultations hired me this summer to help with "flipping" a house that now is so gorgeous will list at over 1 million. It was hectic, scary and most of all fun being able to pick out all the lighting fixtures, granite, hardwood flooring, and paint colors. In this area (Buffalo, NY) staging house in this price range is not that common.
Here are some pictures:
Julie Dana
I just had to share this photo I took last week. It is a house not far from mine in the western New York/Buffalo area. It is not for sale but they now have excellent curb appeal. The gate, fence and even the lions are totally made from snow. I guess when you get lemons - make lemonade (or when you get snow in March...)
Yes, I think it is cool but let's hope in melts soon. I want spring!
PS. It did not cost anything to draw attention to this house. (I feel a marketing idea brewing.) And if you want to "try" a fence before you buy, here is one way to do it.
A local TV channel (WIVB Channel 4 Buffalo, NY) was doing a series on "Banishing the Winter Blahs". They asked me, Julie Dana of The Home Stylist, to do an uplifting room makeover as one of their tips on making yourself feel better during the heart of the winter. The TV segment aired on Feb. 20th.
It was a fun project to work on and was basically a mini-redesign. I only brought in a rug and some accessories. These minor style elements made a major impact. Here is the article Home Stylist helps cure winter blahs link and on that page is a "video on demand" button.
I hope you enjoy it!
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My company, The Home Stylist, services Buffalo and WNY. I am an Accredited Staging Professional and nationally known author on home staging. Get my expert Home Staging help to get your house SOLD.
The Buffalo and Western New York areas are relatively new to the concept of home staging. This is good news for homeowners and savvy real estate agents. Getting a house staged, accessorized and totally prepared for buyers will set it apart and appeal to the most buyers.
By hiring The Home Stylist, you will get a national recognized expert in the field of home staging. In fact, Julie Dana wrote the book The Complete Idiot's Guide to Staging Your Home to Sell.
Her home staging expertise can also be viewed in the books; 301 Simple Things You Can Do to Sell Your Home Now and for more Money Than You Thought and in The Complete Idiots Guide to Selling Your Own Home.
The Home Stylist. Julie Dana is an accredited staging professional (ASP) specifically trained in buyer psychology, marketing, and housing trends. Julie Dana has owned and operated The Home Stylist (www.thehomestylist.com) for over 7 years which has included staging hundreds of houses all across the nation.
No one else in this area has the home staging credentials, experience and national reputation as Julie Dana of The Home Stylist
Many sellers or agents don't know what to expect when they hire a home stager. Let me tell you how I work.
The Home Stylist provides the homeower with a professional and objective evaluation of what needs to be done to the house to make it sell as fast as possible and for as much money as possible. Getting a home staging evaluation is the first step. At this consultation I professionally review the house - curb to attic. From this evaluation worksheet, I work up a staging plan to implement. This plan specifically tells the owner which rooms to tackle first, where to spent the money - and where not to. At the end of the meeting they get to keep the evaluation/worksheet to help work the plan. A copy can also be made available to the real estate agent.
Next step is getting the job done. I can assist with this as much or as little is you would like. It is up to the owner. Many times homeowners can tackle the tasks themselves. Sometimes the work is hired out. After the "to do" list is done, the last step is to accessorize and prep for showings and open houses. This is an optional service but highly recommended. The accessorizing step gives the house the ‘Wow" factor. It sets this house above the competition.
Another helpful service The Home Stylist offers is online consultations. No matter where you live, you can get individualized recommendations from your photos. We have been successfully virtually decorating and staging for over 5 years. Check out these innovative services: The Home Stylist's Online consultations
My philosophy about home staging is that it is more about creativity then money. Home Staging is about marketing and what sells not about decorating. Give me a call. I can help get your house SOLD. (716) 912-1581.
Just wanted you to know that we have an offer on our house. Thank you so much for all your help. We absolutely love our house now. We're going to hate to leave it. We got a lot of good feedback from people about it. One realtor said it showed beautifully. Another said it was night and day. You did a great job. Thanks again.
Jim and Kathy C, Grand Island, NY
Just wanted to share with you the good news that we sold our house the same day of the open house. All your good advice really paid off, we got close to our asking price.
We lucked out too in that we had our open house along with others in our neighborhood in the same price range and ours really stood out because of the staging. Now we have to find a house quick because we have to be out by July 3. Yikes!
Looking forward to calling you for decorating advice on our new house, only this time it will be so much more fun.
Thanks again.
John and Sue D, Kenmore, NY
Julie,
John and Chris Kroschel gave us a copy of your book before we put our
house on the market last spring. We read it, followed the advice and it
worked. In addition to making the bathrooms and kitchen shine, we
decluttered rooms, added new plantings, and moved furniture around to
clarify the purpose of each room. The house looked great when we were done.
(So good that we wished we had done this years ealier!). The real sign
of success came when we received two offers on our house within 10 days
of putting our house on the market. We ended up accepting an offer over
our asking price in the midst of a slow market in a small town that
often has houses that languish on the market for months on end. We were
thrilled.
Thanks for your great guidance and your great ideas. We'll pull the
book out again when we move into our next home!
Amy and Hans Walter-Peterson
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