Designer Furniture and Accessories Sale Starts June 6, 2009

May 29, 2009

One of my favorite Los Angeles furniture and accessories stores, Grace Home Furnishings, is having a major sale beginning June 6th. The mailer I received today says “up to 75% off regular price” on all floor merchandise and warehouse inventory. That’s a major discount on some seriously beautiful furniture and accessories.  If you have been thinking about redoing your living room, dining room or master bedroom, now’s the time to do it. Grace Home Furnishings is located at 11632 Barrington Court in Brentwood Village, Los Angeles 90049.

If you’d like some assistance purchasing furniture or figuring out what to do with it once you purchase it, give me a call. That’s what I do:o))

(626)441-8975

Los Angeles Home Staging – Staging a Pasadena Rental

May 22, 2009

Do smart landlords and property managers hire a home stager to stage Los Angeles rentals?

Yes, because they understand the value of having a beautiful guest house, apartment, condo or townhouse to show prospective tenants. It works the same way as home staging when selling a home. The better the rental looks, the more tenants you will have to choose from. Nicer people want and will be attracted to a nicer place to live. It’s that simple.

Being a smart landlord, and being a professional home stager myself, I staged my Pasadena guest house for lease. As a home stager, I know the power of beautiful pictures that show off all the charm of a home on the market, whether for sale or for lease. My Pasadena guest house is in a very desirable SW Pasadena location near Huntington Hospital and is tucked away in a corner of the backyard. I want to make sure I get the best possible tenants, and I am doing what I can to attract someone great.

I decided to do a vacant home staging for my guest house and put furniture in it for showing and photography. It’s available for short term lease, furnished or unfurnished. I staged it the last time it was vacant and we got a wonderful tenant who relocated from Seattle while working for a local HMO on a 1 year contract.

If you know anyone who might be interested in leasing this very groovy 800 sq. ft. guest house (1 bedroom/1 bathroom) furnished or unfurnished, in a very desirable Pasadena neighborhood, please let me know. Its available now, and we’re asking $1,750/month, including gas, electricity & water. It is air conditioned, has a newer refrigerator, stove and washer/dryer. One off street parking space. No pets allowed, but we have 3 dogs and a cat that would love to meet you:o))

I know from personal experience that staging rentals will attract wonderful tenants. I have beautiful photos to post on line and the guest house looks warm and welcoming in person. Since the majority of Los Angeles home buyers and renters are searching on line for the perfect place to live, the photos of my guest house are sure to stand out and attract lots of positive attention.

Yes, smart landlords and property managers do hire a professional home stager to stage Los Angeles rental property. I’m proof positive.

Click here to go to the Portfolio Page

Los Angeles Home Stager’s Tips For a Smooth Move

May 16, 2009

I spent the morning with Ram Katalan, owner of Northstar Moving in Chatsworth, CA. Ram is a great guy. I first heard about him in  Fortune Small Business Magazine last year. Here is a link to the article Moving On Up. He invited me to his moving and storage warehouse and boy was I impressed. Even though it’s a warehouse, the place is spotless and neat as a pin. I’ve been recommending him to my home staging clients and real estate agents ever since we first met.

As a home stager in Los Angeles, I frequently help my clients pack before moving. Ram taught me a lot about proper packing techniques. One way to save money when you move is to pack your own boxes. Here are some cost conscious tips for packing so your possessions arrive at your destination in one piece:

• Use good quality cellophane or plastic packing tape. Don’t use masking tape. It’s not strong enough. If you have a lot of boxes to pack, a tape gun will make the job go faster.
• Tape the bottom of every box with 2 or 3 strips of tape that wrap up the side. Tape the top closed the same way. Run two strips of tape along each side of the opening and one strip down the center. Don’t use flimsy boxes if you want your stuff to arrive undamaged.
• Make sure boxes containing fragile items are clearly marked on top and sides.
• Use small boxes for heavier items like books or your cast iron skillet collection; larger boxes for light weight or bulky items, like a down comforter.
• Most professional movers use unprinted newsprint to wrap items, not bubble wrap. White newsprint is inexpensive and recycleable. Ink from printed newspaper may soil or discolor wrapped items. Use the unprinted paper available from most movers, truck rental companies and box stores.
• Wrap each item individually. Wrap small items then wrap the wrapped item with tape. You will be less likely to throw it away when you are unwrapping. If a fragile item has a lid, wrap the lid separately then taped the wrapped items together so they don’t get separated.
• Stuff top, bottom and sides of boxes with crumbled paper. This helps prevent the contents from shifting, rubbing and possible breakage.
• Fill boxes full to prevent boxes from being crushed. Don’t pack fragile items too tightly. Stuff the empty spaces with loosely crumbled paper.
• Label the contents of every box and the room where it belongs on top and at least one side. Label any boxes/items “STORAGE” that will go directly to storage, but also label what the box contains and what room it belongs to. The more information you put on the box (for example, master bedroom-brown dresser-top drawer) the easier it will be to unpack and find things.

When you’re done moving don’t throw your moving boxes away. Many moving companies will pick them up and reuse them or you can sell them on Craigs List. Did you know many moving companies and truck rental companies also sell used moving boxes at a discount? That’s another tip for saving money and keeping some moving boxes out of the landfill.

Money Saving Home Staging Tip – Get A Home Staging Consultation, Then Do-It-Yourself

May 15, 2009

I’m contacted daily by Los Angeles homeowners who recognize the value of hiring a professional home stager, but think they can’t afford it.

Here’s a money saving home staging tip: hire a professional home stager for a home staging consultation and then do the recommended work yourself.

When you call Moving Mountains Design for an occupied home staging consultation in Los Angeles, Pasadena or Long Beach you’ll have some options:

1. Verbal Only Home Staging Consultation – We’ll walk through your home (including exteriors) and discuss the work that needs to be done to get your home in market ready condition. I’ll make paint color recommendations, suggest the optimal furniture layout and discuss what items need to be pre-packed or donated. You can ask any questions, show me carpet samples and paint chips you may have picked up. You take all the notes and you do the work on your own schedule. $250 for up to 2 hours, $150/hr. over 2 hours
2. Comprehensive Home Staging Consultation – My assistant and I will walk through your home with you (including exteriors) and outline the work that needs to be done to get your home in market ready condition, same as above.  My assistant will take extensive notes and I’ll email you your  custom and very specific comprehensive home staging consultation report. Your report will contain all the recommended changes and tasks that we discussed. In addition, I’ll include information about how to prepare for open houses and showings, how to stage your closets, how to stage your garden, how to stage your garage, and how to stage your kitchen cabinets. Once again you save money by doing the recommended work yourself. $350 for up to 2 hours, $150/hr. over 2 hours
3. Extended Home Staging Consultation – Once you’ve completed all or part of the suggestions in your Comprehensive Home Staging Consultation, the Moving Mountains Design team will come in and complete any portion of the work you would like. The more work you do yourself, the more money you will save. $150/hr for 2 stagers or by fixed bid.
   

All of the above options are billed on an hourly basis, with a  2 hour minimum. Options 1 & 2 rarely take more than 2 hours. The time to complete option 3 depends upon how much work your have done yourself, and how much work is left for the Moving Mountains Design team to do. An estimate to complete all the work outlined in the Comprehensive Home Staging Consultation or the Extended Home Staging Consultation is included with the final Report, if you prefer to have us do the work.

To schedule a home staging consultation appointment, call (626)441-8975 or send us an email at Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com

Moving Mountains Design – We know what makes homes sell!

Los Angeles Home Buyers Want a Move-In Ready House

May 13, 2009

Home buyers in the current Los Angeles, Long Beach or Pasadena real estate market want a house that is move in ready.

Home buyers don’t want an allowance to repair the roof, replace the carpet or repaint. Allowances are for teenagers. They want a well priced home, in a decent location, that they can move right in to without spending another dime.

Here’s what happens when you offer a $5,000 allowance for repairing the roof that should have been replaced 5 years ago:

1. The buyer thinks “What else didn’t they repair that they should have?”
2. The buyer thinks “What structure got damaged by the leaky roof?”
3. The buyer thinks “Is it really going to cost only $5,000 to repair the roof?”
4. The buyer thinks “How much time will it take me to get bids, hire a roofing company & get the work done?”
5. The buyer thinks “What happens if (fill in the disaster: it rains, the contractor absconds with the deposit, a worker falls off the roof)?”
6. The buyer thinks “The seller must be desperate since the house isn’t in good shape.”

Here’s what happens next:

The buyer accepts your offer of $5,000 to repair the roof, and then also knocks off another 10% because they think the house is not in good condition or you are desperate…

~or~

The buyer rejects your house and moves on to the house down the street that is move in ready.

By not repairing your home before you put it on the market, you are asking home buyers to assume risk and additional expenses. Many home buyers are already investing every penny they can get their hands on in order to purchase a home. They are unable or unwilling to purchase a home that will require repairs before they can move in. Additionally, the condition of your home may effect  the appraisal causing the buyer’s lender to refuse the loan.

Want to get a Los Angeles home sold? Price it right, hire the best full service Realtor you can find, hire a professional home stager and make sure it is in move-in ready condition.

Money Saving Tips For Choosing Carpet When Selling Your Los Angeles Home

May 13, 2009

You’ve decided to put your Los Angeles home on the market and you realize that one of the many things you need to do to prepare your  home for sale is to replace the worn, stained, Chartreuse or stinky carpet that was installed when Jimmy Carter was president. Good idea, with one caveat: If you have hardwood floors under the existing carpet, don’t re-carpet. Remove the old carpet and spend the money (often times less money) having the hardwood floors refinished. Hardwood floors trump carpet every time when putting a home up for sale.

OK, you’ve peeked under the old carpet (by lifting a corner in several rooms) and you see plywood, sub-floor or concrete. Time to go carpet shopping.

Here are 6 money saving tips for choosing the right carpet to prepare your Los Angeles home for sale:

1. Don’t buy expensive carpet, but do buy the least expensive carpet  suitable for a home at your listing price. For example, if you are selling a home in Highland Park that’s priced at $450,000, you can get away with purchasing less expensive carpet than if you are selling a home in Pasadena that will be listed at $1.5 million. If the carpet is going up steps, choose a denser carpet so it wraps the edge of the step without showing the mesh backing.
2. Choose a light, neutral color carpet. You are not choosing a carpet that you have to live with or love. Remember, you are preparing your home so it appears move in ready for your buyer. Choose carpet that is cream, tan, beige, pale gold, caramel or cafe au lait. Lighter colored carpet makes a room feel larger and a neutral color is more likely to match existing tile or flooring already installed in the house. Additionally, neutral colored carpet is more likely to go with a potential buyer’s furniture.
3. Choose a smooth texture. You may love that floral cut pile texture, but there is a good chance that potential buyers won’t. I usually recommend either a cut pile (like a Saxony or velvet texture) or a cut and loop combination with (without a sculptural pattern). These two choices tend to look more expensive than loop carpets.
4. Shop around for price. Many big box stores slap a private label on carpet that is available elsewhere to make it more difficult to shop around. Don’t always assume a big box store will give you a better price than an independent carpet store. Many independent carpets stores price their broadloom carpet very competitively. They want your business and, if you find the right store, you will probably get great service backed by years of experience.
5. Keep it simple. It is best to use the same carpet throughout the house. It makes the house feel larger rather than chopping it up room by room. The cost of carpet will be less since pieces left over from one room can be used to complete another room.
6. Don’t offer a carpet allowance. Allowances are for teenagers. Buyers today are expecting homes to be move-in ready.  They want you to go through the hassle of replacing the carpet.  They’ll accept your allowance and still offer a lower price.

If you need help selecting the right carpet  to prepare  your Los Angeles home for sale, call Michelle at Moving Mountains Design (626)441-8975. We’re happy to help.

Photo by Joseph Robertson

Los Angeles Home Staging-Home Stager Moves Mountains in Altadena

May 8, 2009

Los Angeles Home Staging – Home Stager Moves Mountains In Altadena, CA

A couple of weeks ago I was hired to do a comprehensive home staging consultation for a Craftsman cottage in Altadena, CA. After completing the consultation, Moving Mountains Design was hired to stage the home, but it wasn’t your typical Los Angeles home staging. Instead we performed a Staging Intervention and we Moved Mountains to complete this home staging project on time and on budget.

My assistants, Melissa and Michelle, worked on the house with me over the course of two weeks (including painting and repairs). Besides the paint crew, the carpenter and electrician, there were also 2 movers from the moving company (to move excess items into storage) and 2 furniture movers from Brook Furniture Rental who place the rented staging furniture. The home owner also donated a truck load of clothing, home accessories, books and furniture to Goodwill. Whatever wasn’t in donation condition was hauled away by 1-800-GotJunk.

Before (this was after we tidied up a little bit – you couldn’t see the floor when we walked in):

After (what a difference a Staging Intervention crew makes):

Following are before and after staging photos of some other areas in the home.

Boy's bedroom before and after photos

We lived up to our company name to complete this job – Moving Mountains Design. We moved mountains to declutter and get this home into market ready condition!

Moving Mountains Design – We don’t sell homes but we know what makes homes sell!

*Los Angeles Home Staging – Home Stager Moves Mountains in Altadena* ©2009 Moving Mountains Design and Michelle Minch

If you are considering staging your home or redesigning your home to live, Moving Mountains Design is one of the most respected  home staging companies in Los Angeles, Pasadena or Altadena, Call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design at (626)441-8975. You can also contact us via email at Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com .

Grow Blueberries In Your Los Angeles Garden!

May 7, 2009

I am a unrepentant blueberry lover, and I’m thrilled to report that, yes you can grow blueberries in your Los Angeles or Pasadena garden. I’ve discovered they’re best grown in containers rather than in the ground. Blueberries are acid loving plants and it’s easier to create the ideal growing environment in a container.

This is the 3rd season for my blueberry plants and they’re bigger and more productive than ever. I grow them semi-organically in half barrels that I purchased at OSH, planted in organic soil for acid loving plants (Organic Camellia and Azalea potting mix from Armstrong Nursery). The only fertilizer I use is old coffee grounds spread around the base of the plants on top of the soil (don’t want to disturb the roots). Since my husband is the coffee drinker, I am at his mercy whether he will purchase organic or standard coffee, hence the “semi-organic” label. In addition,  I use 1 or 2  inches of peat moss and organic potting soil (for acid loving plants) as a mulch in the spring.  I make sure they get watered regularly. And that’s pretty much it.

I grow 2 different varieties of blueberry plants in my Pasadena garden: O’Neal (2 plants) and Misty (1 plant). They’re both Southern High Bush blueberries, which means they have low chill requirements and tolerate heat well. Growing 2 different varieties improves the size of the berries and the quantity. Both varieties are “early” berries. I just harvested my first bowl of O’Neal berries today (Oh, Happy Day!). The Misty plant which has plenty of green berries on it, usually ripens a week or two later than the O’Neals.

Last year, I got about 3/4 of a gallon of blueberries from my 3 plants. This year, I expect to double that. Blueberries come into their own when they are about 5 years old, and can produce for another 15 years. The mockingbirds have discovered my backyard blueberries and now we are at competing to see who can get to the ripening blueberries first.  My husband built a cage around the blueberry bushes this weekend, made of hardware cloth (coarse screen) and bird net, so I’ll have a fighting chance.

Pasadena Gardens & Curb Appeal – Where Do Artichokes Come From?

May 1, 2009

No, artichokes don’t come from the produce aisle at Whole Foods. Artichokes are plants that grow quite well in Pasadena and Los Angeles gardens. The plants are native to the Mediterranean region of Europe and N. Africa, with which we share a similar climate.  Artichokes are grown commercially along the California central coast in places like Santa Cruz & Castroville.

Artichokes are easy to grow here in Pasadena and Los Angeles from seed or seedlings and are semi-perennial. They may bear fruit the first year but more often than not, the largest “chokes” will grow in the second or third year. If you are growing artichokes to eat, you will probably want to replace your plants after the fourth year.

Artichokes sprout multiple chokes throughout the growing season. The largest choke, also known as the King is usually significantly larger than the rest of the chokes and grows up from the center of the plant. The chokes nearer the top of the plant are usually larger and they get progressively smaller as they get closer to the ground and reduced sunlight.  Each plant may produce 10 or 20 additional chokes and are usually harvested in spring and fall.

If you’re not into eating artichokes, know that they also make a striking landscape plant. The plants which average 4′ in diameter and just as tall, produce large spikey silver gray leaves.  If the chokes are not harvested, each choke produces a huge blue/purple thistle-like flower which is beautiful in the garden or makes a long lasting cut flower.

Photo of artichoke flower by Anna Majowska

Los Angeles County Home Staging – Staging an Altadena Spanish Revival

May 1, 2009

Moving Mountains Design was asked to stage a 3 bedroom 2 bath Spanish Revival home in Altadena last week. This 2,275 sq. ft. home, built in 1928 by one of the first female architectual designers and contractors in CA, Anna P. Latham, had been on the market for almost 3 months. We were contacted by the listing agent, Judy Rubin and asked to breath some new life and appeal into this listing. The house has great bones and a pleasing layout, but empty it didn’t feel like the great family home it has the potential to be.

When we first looked at the house, the fireplace was painted a bright coral color, along with some other architectural details. I suggested that the coral color be painted out to match the walls. I’m a big supporter of using accent color to call attention to certain architectural details, but in this case it wasn’t the right color or location.

Here are some before and after staging photos of this really charming (after staging:o)) Altadena home:

Before (left) & After (right) photos of the living room and dining room

Here’s the living room and dining room from another angle:

For more information about Los Angeles County home staging, home staging in Altadena or preparing your home for sale, contact Michelle Minch at (626)-441-8975 or via email

Michelle@MovingMountainsDesign.com. You can also visit our Los Angeles home staging web site to see our portfolio of before and after staging photos.

* Los Angeles County Home Staging – Staging An Altadena Spanish Revival *©2009 Moving Mountains Design & Michelle Minch. All rights reserved

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