“Why?” You ask. The real estate interested buyer has seen on countless TV shows on channels like HGTV, DIY Network and a half dozen others what an army of contractors, designers, and stagers do to properties to make them more salable. They are willing to pay a good price for their next home but they know exactly what they want. They want updated floor plans. They want nice upgraded features. They look for granite counters, stainless steel appliances, nice wood floors, updated light fixtures and most of all a designers vision of what the property could look like. They want to be wowed, they want to be impressed. They have seen dozens of homes on TV that look like a million dollars, and some that are actually worth much more than a million dollars. You, as a potential home seller, are not only competing with your neighbors who are selling their homes, you are competing with the vision buyers have on how their new home should look like. They have seen bathrooms they like, they have seen kitchens to die for, and they already have a laundry list of items they are searching for. Unfortunately the faded wallpaper from the time your house was built did not make that list; Nor does the worn laminate countertops or the beige carpet in your living room. If your house looks in the buyers mind anything less than perfect they will not make an offer or at least deduct a considerable amount of money on the price they are willing to pay for the property. If you do not create a vision on how the property should look like and how buyers would see themselves living in the house your chances of a sale drop significantly. The new generation is all about individuality and the expression of their lifestyle. It is a generation that is used to have instant gratification. It is not the generation that saved up for a decade or two to buy a house. They want it now! They don’t want to go through a long drawn out process of renovating a house but rather have a turn key property ready to move in. Buyers today have certain expectations in life. They have an idea how their lifestyle should be, and how their house will help them achieve that goal. They have a vision that they look to make a reality. They have seen it on TV. The endless shows of fixer uppers, flipping, decorating and contracting might not have schooled them on how to achieve the results themselves, but it certainly has taught them what they are looking for in your house. If you are hoping for a top dollar sales price you better ‘up’ the game and get ready to deliver. You should seriously consider having a design professional on your team. Remember, your buyers are listening to professional designers for years.
Tag Archives: orlando
How to use shine as a design element
How to use shine as a design element – Color and form are important elements that one should consider in design. But the surface textures might be as important to your final product as other aspects of your design choices. This example of a vacation home was sold sight unseen from the pictures provided. The buyer fell in love with this cheery remodel home even before setting foot in the house. Instead of the typical choice of carpet or wood floor the Orlando interior designer Helen Bonello-Strauss took high gloss porcelain tile as the floor covering to give this house some style. With 1400 sq ft this house is not the biggest in the neighborhood. So the fit and finishes had to make a lasting impact. While the bedrooms received a frieze carpet for a warm textured look, the living area, kitchen, and wet areas show a large 20″ tile with white high gloss finish. The spaces flow seamless and the contractor was able to lay the tiles in all the traffic areas without interruption or change in pattern so that no threshold would interrupt the flow. The grout lines in a matching white were tiny with 1/16 of an inch and almost disappear. The reflective surface makes the light bounces of and gives you some mirrored effect, opening the space and offering a clean fresh look. The maintenance aspect of this floor is undeniable. Easy to wipe down and hard wearing, these floors are deemed to last. The house quickly found its use as a vacation home, that is rented out during the time the owners don’t have use for it. The durable floor itself helps to curb maintenance efforts and cost. The contemporary style with the oversized comfortable furnishings deliver the promise of a relaxing time in stylish surroundings. Who would not want to stay in such a place? You want your house to shine in all it glory? You may want to consider a smooth move. Even if it means for you subscribe to a high gloss lifestyle.
See the staging transformation of a newer home in Deland Florida
See the staging transformation of a newer home in Deland Florida – This property located in the nice and quaint college town Deland Florida left not much to wish for. The spacious home boasts over 2800 sq ft of living area under air and heat. There are formal living and dining room, the kitchen that opens to family room and a matter suite on the first floor. The second floor has three bedrooms and a large open loft area. All spaces were quite nice sized and renovated, but the empty house did not offer much that makes a buyer remember it. It was priced very competitively well below some other comparable sales and remained unsold for three months. Interior designer and decorator Helene Bonello-Strauss came in to give this listing a competitive edge. Her first order of business was to convince the owner to replace the carpet in the formal living area with a nice dark laminate floor. She also recommended to add a French door refrigerator to the kitchen. These changes already make a difference with many buyers. Especially young families are cash strapped with the cost related to their real estate purchase. An expensive refrigerator included in the transaction saves the buyer cash funds as they are able to roll the extra price into the financing. The staging created a tremendous change in the property. The combined formal living and dining now looks stylish and up to date and provides clear defined areas to socialize with guests or to have a meal together. Although the room received a new wood floor, Helene used area rugs to give the different spaces some separation and anchor the furniture as vignettes. The family room of the kitchen got fitted with a comfortable brown leather sectional. The material and color suggests a comfortable and durable spot for the whole family to hang out. “The loft area is the selling point”, so stager Helene Bonello-Strauss. She imagined the most likely buyer for this house to be a family with children. The open flex space upstairs should be a living and play area dedicated to the children and their friends. So the designer fit the room with a TV area where some oversized chairs invite visitors to kick back and watch a favorite movie or game. The ottomans function as a chaise or offer additional seating when needed. In addition there is a desk space that allows the kids to do homework or explore their creative side with arts and crafts. The air hockey games table is the eye catching wow factor for the youngsters in the purchasing party. The designer finds it important to cater also to the children when designing a house. Yes, the adults are the ones who make the ultimate buying decision, but if the kids fall in love with the house the chances of a sale are exponentially larger. The association of realtor’s identify school location and additional space requirement for the children two of the main motivators for a move. This loft area is designed to be a hit with the younger crowd and offers so many uses with different seating, play and entertainment options. Hey, who knows – dad might want to occupy the space with his friend for some weekend sport watching. One thing is for sure: this transformation is deemed to be a hit for the whole family. We keep our fingers crossed and will report back once the property went under contract. If you know someone interested in a house in that area have them contact their Realtor. The address of that property is 720 Gordonia Ct, Deland FL 32724.
Orlando Bungalow sold after redesign
Orlando Bungalow sold after redesign – This 1920’s bungalow sold after a complete rehab. The transformation took a full year after a few setbacks and changes in the architectural plans. The old garage/workshop was transformed into a guesthouse and the main house underwent a full transformation. The staging was set up to show the elegant side of this charming home and give the property some sophistication to attract the younger city dwellers. With a 3 bedroom and 2 full baths in the main house and a self contained guest house with its own bath and kitchen facilities, this house would cater to a family as much as to a couple or a single person. The Orlando interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss wanted to make sure she has the property set up to speak to a large audience. A house, that is close to a hundred years old, was in itself something special in the central Florida market. With that age it had to show its modern side while maintaining an architectural integrity that would fit a traditional bungalow. The kitchen and bathrooms were gut remodeled and received all new fixtures. While giving the house up to date functionality it was important to the Designer to maintain some classical design elements and materials. The tile are mostly classic white marble with a band of mosaic in the middle of the tub surround. The tub is a freestanding tub with simplified lines that reminds one of the claw foot tub of yesterday. Here Helene wanted to keep a similar form while updating it at the same time. The master received a walk in shower with glass enclosure and a modern multi-jet fixture. The wall tile are also the white marble accented with black glass mosaic inlay. The vanity in the master has quite a traditional appeal with traditional woodwork and a marble sink. New fixtures can be updated but show a homage to traditions at the same time. It is a designers tightrope walk that will be risky. No one wants to spend a small fortune to end up with a dated design. At the same time it may be a mistake to bring in design elements that are in contrast with the architectural integrity of the structure. The ideal solution is to enhance the architecture and take design elements from that same style and era and fuse them to a new identity. If the viewer has the feeling that the design solution is one that was meant to be for the house, the quest was successful. It is not always easy to bring the past into the presence and create something that looks authentic and intentional. Sometimes it needs a bit of imagination and the willingness to look back. In design there is no one-size-fits-all. Good interior design is not only the task of designing for a client or a target audience, but also designing for a specific style. Speaking the same design language as the architect who drew up the plans decades ago, while rejuvenating the appeal can create tremendous value in the eye of the potential purchaser. Don’t hide the style of the house. Take it in and embrace it for a great result. Let the house show its heritage with pride. There is a story hidden in those walls. Listen to the whisper of past decades and bring your version of that story to the surface. You will find that in re-imagining the story of an old house you will uncover many facets of yourself.
See how Realtor (R) Elisa Edwards had her Windermere townhouse listing transformed
See how Realtor (R) Elisa Edwards had her Windermere townhouse listing transformed – The agent from Watson Realty Corp. had a listing in Windermere on the market for a few weeks when the owners agreed to a drastic transformation. The staging should give the marketing the competitive edge and show the true potential of this newer townhouse. The house got furnished by professional stager Helene Bonello-Strauss. The style used here was a modern look with rustic and eclectic accents – a mix that had shown to be very attractive to a large audience of homebuyers.
The empty townhouse did not show all that it could be when it was vacant. The owner was happy to hire www.idesigntosell.com to help with the transformation. The open concept living room with an unusual dining space in the kitchen required a good solution to visualize the potential the house has. Most breakfast nooks are set up for smaller round or square dining spaces. This one had a long bench and a narrow space between the breakfast bar and the back wall. Designer Helene Bonello-Strauss found the ideal solution with an elongated table that would sit 4 to 6 people easy. While making the most out of the space it left plenty of room as the traffic area is left wide open.
The living room was set up with a fairly large sectional. This shows off the size of the room and leaves enough room for a desk and chair on the back wall. That offer multiple uses for the new owner. The desk can be used to pay bills or for the children to make their homework while the mother is preparing meals. The room is designed in a way that if functions as the social hub for the house with many uses combined in one room.
The master bedroom can be described like ‘a day on the beach’. Light blue walls led the way to a fresh and airy color scheme. Instead of chunky dressers Helene chose a set of two chairs covered in white cotton and a small round wood table to create a spot to relax and read a book or have a morning coffee. Having a small settee or a chaise in the bedroom can add additional use to a room that otherwise would be only used for sleeping. This truly transforms a bedroom into a suite.
Anyone interested in this beautiful townhouse contact the agent at www.elisaedwards.com for further information.
Winter Garden home sold in 15 days after staging
Winter Garden home sold in 15 days after staging – Realtor (R) Scott Butts with Remax 200 Realty sold his listing on Rainfall Drive in 15 days market time, after a professional staging job from interior designer Helene Bonello-Strauss. The average market time for homes sold in the same neighborhood last year is 70 days according to the central Florida MLS system. The owners had already moved out so the staging should help to show off the spacious formal living area with the adjacent family room off the kitchen. Realtor Butts suggested to the owners to consider professional staging to give the house the competitive edge over the other listings in the area. This obviously seemed to be a smart move and it shows that a good Realtor can do wonders for your sale. At the same time a great staging job can help to achieve your goals in record time. Sometimes it takes a few things to work hand in hand for a successful outcome. We congratulated the owners on their success. And our team at www.idesigntosell.com looks forward assisting other real estate professionals and homeowners with their goal to expedite a sale and to maximize the profit.
Staging of a 4 bedroom renovation flip – sold in a weekend
This newer home was despite its young age in severe cosmetic neglect. Two bathrooms and the kitchen were gut remodeled to give the house a new life. The staging brought the whole transformation together. The texture and patterns in the family room united the whole look into one unified design. The neutral pallet is composed of light grays and accented with a chevron pattern in the breakfast nook. The curtains with its irregular stripes create strong visuals and repeat its colors in the rug in the family room. The kitchen design with its dark walnut cabinetry boasts a beautiful backsplash that showcase glass mosaic tile with stainless steel accents. Here the pallet of greys is repeated so that the whole room functions as a coherent unit while preserving plenty of its visual interest. The darker accent wall to the back centers the view while the neutral almond paste color on the other walls make the room light and airy. One way to create a focal point is the use of an accent color. Here the TV wall seemed the obvious candidate to use a contrasting color to set the light furniture off. This house located in the gated community in Twin Lakes in Deltona drew quite a crowd when opened for showings and sold within the first weekend on the market. The first family viewing the house made an offer and the investor accepted. The superb renovation did half the job. The professional staging by idesigntosell.com completed the vision. Please see the video below for a full impression of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of this project.