A Real Estate Agent Gets Real About Home Staging
February 26, 2010
Here’s another animated video about home staging. In this video the real estate agent talks to her client about the necessity of hiring a professional home stager. The homeowner is a do-it-yourself home stager, and the results are, well, interesting.
©Copyright 2010 Michelle Minch & Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved. Copyright includes video, script and contents. Be original, don’t copy!
Pasadena Based Home Staging Business Gets Results!
February 21, 2010
This article recently appeared in the Pasadena Star News, on February 9, 2010. Very exciting!
Just click on the article to be taken to a PDF of the article.
Los Angeles Home Staging Video – A Real Estate Agent Talks About Home Staging
February 20, 2010
Here’s a video I created about home staging. A real estate agent talks about home staging to their client.
©2010 Copyright Michelle Minch and Moving Mountains Design. All rights reserved. The contents of this video, including the dialog (spoken words) are protected by copyright. Please do not copy. You can create an original video at Xtranormal.com
This Los Angeles Home Stager Has Earned Her RESA-PRO Designation!
February 14, 2010
I’ve earned the RESA-PRO designation. Yay!
I’ve met all the requirements, passed all the tests, and now I have the right to use the RESA-PRO badge on my website. As a home stager in Los Angeles and Pasadena, I need to prove to my clients that they are getting the best of the best. The RESA-PRO designation proves that I am experienced, I am professional, I am ethical, I am insured and I recognize the importance of continuing my education.
RESA-PRO home stagers:
- Must adhere to the Real Estate Staging Association Code of Ethics
- Must pass the RESA Ethics Exam with a score of 80% or higher
- Must be in business for at least one year
- Must show proof of home staging business insurance
- Must prove they have a business bank account in their company name
In addition, RESA-PROs must complete a number of home staging contiuning education classes over the course of 2 years in order to maintain their RESA_PRO status
As a home owner or a real estate agent, seeing the RESA-PRO designation gives you an extra measure of assurance that I’m a true professional (not a hobbiest) and you’ll be treated ethically.
If you’d like to find out more about the RESA-PRO designation, visit the RESA-PRO website.
Staging Your Closets With Feng Shui
January 20, 2010
If you’re like me, the thought of tackling a major job like cleaning out your closets makes your head spin, whether you’re doing it to stage your house to sell or for better Feng Shui energy.
In Feng Shui, having orderly closets and dressers is a very good thing. Having closets and dressers that incorporate some empty space is desirable because it allows room for new energy (and Jimmy Choos 
) Holding on to old, damaged or unused items creates clutter, which slows down the flow of energy (Chi).
In order to get started organizing your closets, many professional organizers advise you break the project down into small chunks, so its not so overwhelming.
Only have a half hour to spare? Clean out a drawer. 15 minutes? Get rid of all the wire hangers and dry cleaner bags cluttering up the closet.
- Remove everything from your closets. Assess everything and determine if it is really useful. With the exception of some seasonal items, if you haven’t used it in the past year, you should get rid of it (donate, give away to a friend, recycle or throw it away). If your closet is full of outdated, ill fitting items, there is no room for anything new to come into your life and it is a drag on your energy. The goal is to get rid of clutter and make space.
- Vacuum out the closet once it is empty. You will be amazed (and grossed out by all the accumulated dust and dust bunnies you’ll find).
- If you have the time, energy & money ($20-$50 depending on the brand of paint and what supplies you already have on hand) repaint your closet. It will look soooo much better when you’re done.
- Put the items you are keeping back in the closet in an orderly fashion, and in a manner that allows the item to be useful and of service to you. No matter what anyone tells you, if the organizational system is not organic to your way of doing things, you won’t be able to maintain it and it will devolve into chaos quickly. I invested in Elfa type closet organizing systems for all our closets, and I consider it one of the best investments of time and money I have made. I can see everything I own and can choose what I want to wear quickly and easily. Stores like the Container Store will help you design your closets for maximum efficiency and you can install the elements yourself to save money. Need something even less expensive? Check out the closet organizing systems at IKEA or Target.
- If possible use all the same hangers (you can buy nice wooden hangers from IKEA and they are inexpensive)
- Have the hangers facing the same way (most people prefer hooking hangers over the top of the bar from front to back as opposed to under the bar back to front)
- Separate the types of clothes – group shirts with shirts, pants with pants, dresses with dresses
- Organize by style – group all short sleeve shirts with short sleeve shirts, long sleeve shirts with long sleeve shirts, etc. Go one step further and organize by color (all white shirts together, blue shirts together, etc.)
- Organize by color – after you’ve separated the clothes by type and style, the gold standard is to organize by color – all white short sleeve shirts together, all blue slacks togehter, etc.
- Put all shoes on shoe racks, hanging shoe organizers, or clear plastic shoe boxes.
- Whenever possible don’t keep anything on the floor of your closet except shoes and those should be neatly organized on shoe racks.
Home Staging Tip:
If you are staging your closets because you are planning on selling your home, then the closets should be no more than half full. Pre-pack any clothes that you want to keep but won’t need for the next few months. Put the unneeded items in storage. Label every box well so that you can grab a particular item in the event you need it. Follow the tips above regarding what to keep and how to organize the remaining items.
Charitable Clothing Donations:
If you have women’s business clothing you no longer wear, please consider donating the clothing to an organization like Dress For Success - The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Another great Los Angeles area orgnization is Clothes The Deal. They provide business training and appropriate business attire to men, women and at risk youth job seekers in need.
We’re here to help. Contact us if you need help organizing your closets or for more Los Angeles home staging or practical Feng Shui information.
Staging A Business – A Hollywood Advertising Agency Office Makeover
November 8, 2009
This week I was called to makeover a Hollywood advertising agency office.
I was given 2.5 days to shop and install new furniture, artwork & accessories for the reception area, conference room, kitchen, a big open workroom with 8 computer stations, hallways & restrooms. In addition, one office was converted into a lounge/game room.
This Emmy Award winning agency, is bidding against some “big boys” for some exciting new clients. They wanted to make over the look of their offices to better reflect their abilities and talent.
Conference Room Before "Business Staging"
Conference Room After "Business Staging"
As you can see, I replaced the mixed chairs (that sent mixed messages), moved a movie poster (into the game room) and “requisitioned” 2 mirrors from other rooms to give the conference room a sophisticated “we’ve got it going on and we can handle anything you throw at us” look.
Adding a beautiful succulent arrangement and a few well edited mid-century pottery pieces to the entertainment center, ties the room together.
Office Before Conversion to Game Room
Game Room Lounge After "Business Staging" (60" LCD TV to come)
I closed off a door at one end of the room to give us more useable space to create the game room/lounge.
The two black leather sofas were repurposed from the entry and the conference room, as was the coffee table. The book shelf was moved to the opposite end of the room, and a large painting was used to hide the second door. The movie poster from the conference room was moved into this game room where its more appropriate. A 60″ LCD TV will be installed tomorrow. The repurposed coffee table supplies lots of space for the TV, gaming consoles, and various other electronics.
Reception Area Before "Business Staging"
Reception Area After "Business Staging" By Moving Mountains Design
The reception area was rather uninspiring before it was staged by Moving Mountains.
Now its tastefully furnished with some personality and fun pops of color.
Here’s another shot of the reception area:
Another Shot Of The Reception Area After "Business Staging"
This is just one example of what this Los Angeles home stager can do with a modest budget and a tight schedule.
Home Staging Is #2 In Top 12 Home Improvements Survey Results
November 6, 2009
Do-it-yourself Home Improvement Project
Home Gain released their 2009 Top 12 Home Improvements Survey results yesterday.
The Home Gain survey, completed by 1,000 Realtors, listed 12 top do-it-yourself home improvement projects for people getting ready to put their home on the market.
Click here to go to the Home Improvement Survey results
The top 5 recommended home repairs with the greatest return on investment were:
1. Cleaning and decluttering
2. Home staging
3. Lightening and brightening
4. Landscaping
5. Repair plumbing
If you’re unsure where to start with your home improvement projects, hire a professional home stager for a home staging consultation.
When you hire Los Angeles home staging company, Moving Mountains Design, for a home staging consultation, we visually inspect your home, both interior and exterior. Based upon our extensive staging and design experience, we’ll recommend the most important repairs and upgrades you can make to maximize the appeal of your home to potential buyers. We provide you with a written Comprehensive Consultation Report which includes paint colors (if painting is recommended) and carpet color recommendations (if carpet needs to be replaced) as well as pointing out items that need to be repaired, areas to be de-cluttered, furniture placement and improvements to your landscaping. If we feel it would be in your best interest to purchase new bedding, towels or throw pillows, we’ll include some inexpensive places to purchase those items. You can do as much of the work (or as little) as you would like. Our services are a la carte.
We have a Rolodex full of service providers, including moving companies, painters, cleaning services, carpet installers, handyman services, countertop fabricators and landscapers, among others, if you need help completing the preparation of your home.
In the event you need rental furniture, art work or accessories (if the house is vacant or you need a few pieces to augment what you already have) we can provide that as well.
Moving Mountains Design maintains a large warehouse of rental accessories, art work, plants, bedding and towels for use in vacant homes. We can dress up any style of home from Craftsman to Contemporary, be it a condo, a cottage or a castle.
Call Michelle today (626)441-8975 to arrange for your home staging consultation. Moving Mountains Design is among the top home staging companies in Los Angeles and Pasadena, based upon our experience and excellent track record of getting homes sold quickly. We know what makes homes sell!
Home Staging An Occupied Los Angeles Cottage in Silverlake
October 25, 2009
We had great success staging this 1920’s cottage in the Silverlake area of Los Angeles.
The home owners received multiple offers over listing price during the first week the home was on the market.
Occupied home staging can sometimes be a little tricky.
The home stager has often has to use the home owners’ existing furniture and take into account the lifestyle of all the occupants. In this particular case, the home owners’ have 2 active teenage sons and a dog.
Silverlake Living Room Before Home Staging
Silverlake Living Room After Home Staging
I did a home staging consultation for the home owners about a month before the house was scheduled to be listed on the MLS.
As part of the Occupied Home Staging Consultation I gave the home owners the following information:
- Furniture and personal items to be removed
- Areas to be de-cluttered
- A new furniture layout plan
- Recommended paint colors
- Recommended a Los Angeles moving & storage company, Northstar Moving, that could store their excess furniture and personal items until the house was sold. Northstar will also be moving their furniture once escrow closes.
- Discussed items that needed to be repaired
- Recommended some cost effective ways to update the kitchen and make it more appealing
Here are before and after pictures of the kitchen update:
Cottage kitchen before home staging
Cottage Kitchen After Home Staging Updates
Cottage kitchen before home staging
Cottage Kitchen After Home Staging Updates
Besides decluttering, notice the new cabinet hardware, new paint, new tile countertop and open shelf above the sink (the cabinet doors were removed to create the shelf).
The home owners were a dream to work with. They took all the information in the comprehensive home staging consultation and ran with it. They completed all the work themselves on time and within their budget. Moving Mountains Design provided artwork and accessories and I photographed the house a few days before listing on the MLS. We emailed the photos to the home owner and the listing agent (who did a fantastic job, by the way) the photos for use in the MLS listing, on-line marketing and print brochures.
Dining Room Before Home Staging
Cottage Dining Room After Home Staging
For more information about our Comprehensive Home Staging Consultation or Occupied Home Staging please call Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or contact us via email
Holiday Home Staging and Decorating in Los Angeles
October 25, 2009
Los Angeles home staging company, Moving Mountains Design, offers Holiday Home Staging as part of their home staging and redesign services.
Thinking of having your home, office or business professionally decorated for the Holidays? We offer holiday decoration and Home Staging for the Holidays in Los Angeles and Southern California for private residences, restaurants, businesses and commercial buildings.
Our team of home stagers will transform your home or business with holiday decor, be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or New Years. Our styles range from very traditional Norman Rockwell style, to contemporary, to eclectic/artistic/international style. Many holiday decorations are available for rental and most are available for purchase.
Last year we were hired by an Encino homeowner to stage his home for Christmas.
Grand Entry staged with beautiful Christmas Tree
The home had a beautiful grand entry that was the perfect spot to put up this magnificent 15′ Christmas tree.
Due to budget considerations and weight restrictions, the homeowner requested we use an artificial Christmas tree. A real 15′ Christmas tree would have weighed enough that it would have required a crane to lift it upright and would have required a very large base to keep it upright. Either the weight of the tree or the weight of the crane would have cracked the marble tile floor. Additionally, the tree would have had to be trucked down from Washington or Oregon and the homeowner wanted a “greener” option. We chose a high end tree that truly looked real.
Live garland was used to give the home an old fashioned Christmas aroma
In order to give the home that organic Christmas tree smell, we draped real spruce and pine boughs on the banister of the double staircase. The boughs were decorated with pine cones and blown glass Christmas decorative balls. In addition to the Christmas tree we decorated the fireplace mantles in the living room and family room and provided some decorations on the front of the house.
Did you know home staging and redesign isn’t just for preparing your home to sell?
Moving Mountains Design can give your home that home staging “WOW!” look for the holidays, too.
We can create the idyllic guest room for your holiday guests, freshen your living room with new a furniture arrangement, accessories and paint, or help you purchase a gorgeous new formal dining room table & chairs. We can even arrange for beautiful rental furniture and accessories.
We can handle almost any holiday decorating curve ball you might throw us.
- Want a live Santa and his reindeers at your holiday party? No problem
- Want your home completely furnished (or refurnished) in time for Thanksgiving? No problem
- Want a 20′ tall lighted menorah in your front yard? No problem
- What holdiay decorations made entirely of auto parts? No problem
- We have strategic alliances with construction contractors, prop makers, and film industry prop rental houses throughout the region for the best service and selection.
The only limitations are your imagination, money and time (so get your holiday order in early)
Beautiful Christmas Decorations
Call Michelle Minch at Moving Mountains Design (626)441-8975 for more information about Holiday Home Staging, redesign and interior design in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County and Southern California.
And yes, we will travel outside of Southern California to create spectacular holiday displays, staging or redesign anywhere we can get to by plane, train or automobile.
Curb Appeal Tip: Improving The Appearance Of A Concrete Block Wall
July 15, 2009
If you’re preparing your home for sale or just want to beautify your yard, here’s a home staging tip on how to improve the appearance of a block or stucco wall.
One of the biggest eyesores affecting curb appeal is a big concrete block or stucco wall right outside French doors or the kitchen window.
While the block wall probably provides security, privacy and noise control, they are usually butt ugly! I discovered a brilliant, simple and inexpensive solution on the CaliBamboo web site. By attaching 2×4’s top and bottom to the face of the stucco or block wall using concrete screws or anchors, it enables you to attach bamboo fencing panels and give the wall a much more pleasing appearance.
This bamboo application could work well with many architectural/garden styles.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet and is considered a renewable resource. Bamboo is also amazingly strong, durable and insect resistant. Many Bamboo cultivars grow particularly well in Los Angeles gardens.
Click here for more extensive instruction on how to face a block or stucco wall with bamboo.
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