Do you know what a Peloton is?

Kudos if you do!  My husband did, but then again he's a cycling enthusiast, For the rest of us here's the def. according to Wikpedia:

Peloton: a field, bunch or pack is the large main group in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) near (particularly behind) other riders. 

The point being? 

Some of you know that I'm planning a move soon, but for the rest of you, I thought I'd share what is going on in my life of late.  My husband and I decided to take advantage of the 'pre-construction' sales price and buy into a Luxury Condo Community that's going up in Boulder.

The Boulder Peloton, is an exciting new mixed-use community going up in a fabulous location in Central Boulder, next to the 29th Street Shopping District, with direct access to the Boulder Creek Path, the Cyling Artery through Boulder.  Initially we weren't sure whether we were buying for investment only or if we wanted to live in it ourselves, at least for a little while!  

In the end the Community Center with top-notch amenities including: Year-Round Heated Rooftop Pool, with 2 Hot Tubs, Fire Pit and Barbecue Area, 6,000 square foot Fitness Center, 22 seat Movie Theater, Billiards/Game Room, and Conference Center to name a few; and of course the stunning mountain view are what sealed it for us!

We are planning to move in sometime this August, and I'm getting more and more excited each week!  In the end we decided to that we'll sell our mountain home, even though it's not necessarily the strongest market right now.  But one of the reasons we're moving is to simplify our lives and having our current home as a second home would complicate matters....

Of course I'm planning to  stage the heck out of it, and I'll post pictures for you all to see when we list!

I'm not sure why the developers chose the name Peloton, but it really rings true to me.  One of the reasons we bought was because the idea of downsizing from a 3,000 square foot home to a 1,200 square foot condo really appealed to us.  And of course that by combining smaller living spaces with shared amenities would be an energy saver.  By downsizing and moving closer to where we work, and the girls go to school, we're significantly reducing our carbon footprint in a most luxurious way and it feels great!  If only they'd hurry up!

"Cozy" Home? Not Anymore!

I know it's been a while since I was on AR, but I just had to share this funny story with you guys (Dena I hope you read this!).......

I have been doing more and more photography for my Realtor clients, and I was contacted by one to do the photos and Real Estate Show for a vacant. More often than not, I also will have staged the home (either vacant or occupied) first, but this time it was just for the photos and the show.

The home was vacant, and I refuse to simply take pictures of 2 blank walls, it wasn't anything to write home about, and to top it off it was TINY!!!! It's only 950 square feet with 3 bedrooms on two stories, meaning the stairs eat up some of the space... that kind of small! You know, the kind of listing that's always described as "Cozy" :)

So I found myself at a bit of a loss on how to 'sell it' on Real Estate Shows.

For example, here's an example, for the same client, my usual style:

And here's the end result of the TINY house:

So Remember Folks!!! It's not COZY.... It's SMALL CARBON FOOTPRINT!!!

Staging a "new" "old" home in Boulder

We just completed a staging job today at the Portland Place Condominiums that was a lot of fun to do.  It's Victorian that was split into condominiums (each averaging 950 sq. feet).   I rarely get the opportunity to stage older homes, in this case, a restored Victorian in the Mapleton Hill area.  It's a great location, right off Broadway and Portland, across the street from Ideal Market and Vic's.  I really love the architectural features, exposed brick, and original floors.  Combine that with modern wiring, state-of-the-art kitchens, and gorgeous baths; and you've got a winner!  Here's the result:

Although I love staging homes in a more transitional style, I also enjoy working with more classic styles when the opportunity presents itself! 

If you are interested in any of these condos, contact Lance Smith at Four Star Realty:

Need home staging services in Boulder County?  Call Ambiance Staging! (303) 544-6005 or visit http://www.ambiance-staging.com/ "We Don't Sell Homes, we Make Homes Sell!" 

Realtors: Don't take those MLS photos!!!

....until after we've finished staging the property!  We just finished staging a home out in Longmont last week for a super sweet couple that is being re-located back to California.  They were some of the most organized people I'd met, but they still had the normal 'clutter' that is LIFE! 

We met with them for 2 hours initially, then prepared the staging report which contains the recommendations for them to implement in the coming week, and scheduled to come back a week later to spend a 1/2 day staging to complete the finishing touches.  We rented them a few items: a coffee and 2 side tables, a few lamps and lots of artwork silks, and florals. 

My partner Mary and I had a lot of fun working on this home, getting all of the final touches 'just so'! The transformation was nothing short of amazing!

So today I was excited to go online to check up on the home.  One reason is because I often send other Realtor's the MLS numbers of our 'current listings' to show our volume and range of styles.  But I was shocked to see that the photos had been taken BEFORE we had the chance to stage!!

This is what I saw...

This is what I should have seen!

I was relieved to find that the "Visual Tour" of the home was taken after the staging was complete! 

Lesson learned?  Always take photos for the MLS and internet AFTER the staging is complete.  As we say in the staging business, "You never get a second chance to make a First Impression!"  How many potential buyers might have overlooked this property because it did not appeal to them?  With the number of buyers searching the internet before viewing properties (over 90% in Colorado according to the latest stats), it is more critical than ever to make that first impression count. 

Thinking of selling your home?  Call Ambiance Staging to make your First Impression counts! "We Don't Sell Homes, We Make Homes Sell!"  Proudly serving Boulder County.  Call (303) 544-6005 or visit our website at http://ambiance-staging.com  Need Real Estate photography Listing Tour services?  Call us!  All of the "after photos" you see above are provided by Ambiance Staging!

Neon Green and Ochre: OH MY!

How do you stage around Ochre and Lime Green walls?  Well, I'm happy to report that we pulled it off (click to see our fab photos)!

My partner Mary recently completed a staging job on a vacant home in South Boulder, which proved to be much easier than we first thought it was going to be.

It was a vacant home, however the owners were still in the area and met with us during the consultation.  

They had made a lot of improvements to the property, including extensive landscaping and a beautiful trex deck (with hot tub!), kitchen and bath upgrades, the whole nine yards; and were very obviously house proud.  

But the wall colors were, ehem, striking to say the least; and one of the first rules of staging says that wall colors ideally should be warm NEUTRAL tones!

Naturally we wanted to test the waters to see if they would would be open to the idea of re-painting most of the rooms on the main level.  But they were so obviously proud of the colors and adored them so that I thought better of it (I didn't want to lose the bid after all!).   And I have to admit that I really like bright colors on walls, so it's hard for me to advise people to spend an extra $1,000-2,000 on painting over their artistic endeavors. 

Photo by Kameel

So we strove to work with the colors and really make the rooms POP!  The planning was a little more intensive and we had to bring 3 sets of bedding to ensure that at least one would work with the VERY ochre walls; but in the end we were very happy with the result, as was our client.  Here are some of the photos we took for the MLS. 

Did I mention the Periwinkle Blue spare room?

OK, so the dining area wasn't too bad :)

Might as well show you the cute bathroom!

And the fab kitchen (with mauve tiled walls!)

And last but not least the very cool deck which we also staged, with the help of Fruehauf's Garden Center.  If you like what you see give John Bross a call over there (303) 449-9551 and he'll be glad to help you out!

The lesson here folks?  How do you combat bright colors?  With MORE bright colors!! And although our seller may be narrowing their buyer demographic with their home making such a 'statement', I'm sure that those who like it, will LOVE IT!

Happy Staging :)

P.S. If you are in the Boulder area and are thinking of having your home staged, give Ambiance Staging a call @ 303-435-1784!
We Don't Sell Homes, We Make Homes Sell!

Cafe of Life: The perfect "Thank You"

As we know, repeat business and referrals are critical to succeeding in the real estate industry and finding that unique way to say thank you to clients is a part of that!

Ambiance Staging has found the perfect way to say THANK YOU!

I have been searching for a way to express client appreciation for months now but just hadn't quite found what I was looking for... until now!  The Cafe of Life holds the key!

I really wanted to find something that would be a truly unique gift, not some marketing gizmo from an internet company. 

It was also very important that I be able to source from and support local business; and that it be an environmentally friendly gift.

Well, a couple of weeks ago as I was rushing through the checkout of our local Whole Foods when I noticed they had those portable massage chairs set up near the exits.

I immediately thought of my mom and how much she enjoys those 5-10 minute massages when she's traveling.  The sales clerk noticed that I was eying the chairs and asked me if I'd like to purchase a voucher for a 10 min. massage. 

That's when it clicked!  What a great gift a massage would make! Upon further inquiry I discovered that the massages were provided compliments of The Cafe Of Life, a local massage and chiropractic facility.

After giving out a few gift certificates to some select clients and vendors that I especially wanted to show appreciation for, and getting very positive feedback from them, I am now in the process of negotiating bulk quantities at a discount price. 

The great thing about these vouchers is that they can be used either in the Whole Foods when you're shopping and on the go, or in the Cafe of Life where the atmosphere is more zen and relaxed  & they are both are walk-in locations, so no reservation is needed.  And I can get them in any quantity; I've purchased from 10 minutes to 1 hour.

These gifts are perfect for most 'on-the-go' types like me by providing flexibility of location, no need to make an appointment, plus there is no disrobing, (which I never have time for anyway) so even the most shy will not be deterred. Of course, for the longer massages the Cafe offers 2 private rooms for a more spa-like experience.

The types of massage include: 

Swedish

Deep Tissue

Thai

Shiatsu

Physical Therapy

Rolfing

The exciting thing is that if the merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats does go through, it's possible that the Cafe could have massage facilities in any or several of the Wild Oats locations as well.

For more information on the Cafe of Life:

(303) 444-7744
2835 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO

Namaste!

We don't sell homes, we make homes sell!  Call us to find out how! 
Ambiance-Staging is Boulder's Premiere Staging Service:
call (303) 544-6005 or visit www.ambiance-staging.com

Armed and Dangerous!

I JUST received my wireless scanner to go with my new IMagic inventory software.

Fellow stagers, are you seated?  OK, I picked up the complete package of: inventory tracking/invoicing software, a wireless scanner, and barcode software for $440!!!! 

Although Ambiance Staging is the relative new kid on the block we have already built up a sizable inventory of furniture and accessories.  Though this has been great for us, it has proven more difficult than I imagined to keep track of my inventory.  I don't know if you can relate but I found myself:

1. buying new items last minute to fill in job to job and neglecting to tag and inventory them
   
2. transferring items directly from one job to another with no accounting 
3. grabbing things for staging consultations on the go when I’m in a hurry neglecting to mark it out. 

To top it off I rent furniture and accessories from 4 other sources, sometimes 2 sources per job, and work with several local and national furniture companies on some of the higher end homes.  The end result is that our inventory tracking system was in a MUDDLE!

So I decided to dedicate some time to get organized.  I bought some more great shelving from Costco, plastic bins, large Ziploc bag for bedsets and pillows, wire baskets in shelving for pillows, color coded stickers, labels, pens ++++ and got to work organizing my inventory and putting on the computer.  I decided to just create my own template in excel but quickly became frustrated because I couldn’t customize it to my needs.

That’s when I discovered “Props On The Go” owned by Lucy Butcher, of Presentation is Everything.  Lucy, a fellow stager in Colorado Springs, has been searching for the perfect inventory control software for almost 5 years and recently hit the jackpot with IMagic!  I purchased the system from her on Monday and had downloaded it and was using it almost immediately.  She simply e-mailed me the  software key.  I did a bit of research before I purchased, and spoke to another local company who had purchased and were extremely happy with the software.  I found that comparable systems go for at least $1,500-2,000, but from what I can tell, there is no sacrifice in features or quality of product.

Some of the major benefits include:

• Barcode compatible so you can just zap your items for each job and it deducts them from the stock
• When they come back in, you simply zap them back into stock.
• You can upload a photo for each item!’
• Very flexible in allowing you to create categories, sub-categories.
• Allows you to have more than one warehouse location (as I do).
• Automatically creates invoices when you pull inventory (has several different ‘sales’ settings; for rental and resale for example).
• Doubles as a client database very useful for marketing
• Pulls stats and data to show activity graphs based on virtually any criterion you desire.
• Network compatible without having to purchase multiple keys
• Automatically notifies you when you’re running low on a certain stock item.
• Allows you to export to excel and other programs.
  

This software is very easy to use, versatile and robust. It has a virtually limitless stock quantity.  You don’t have to be a computer type to pick this up!  Fellow stagers, even those of you with relatively small stock or no big furniture; this software is a ‘no-brainer’!  The invoicing, reporting/productivity tracking, and client database tools alone are worth the $189 you pay for the software.  And although I considered purchasing the wireless scanner locally so that I wouldn't have to wait for it to be shipped, I found that computer stores in my area charged in the  region of $400-450 for the scanners, so I opted to wait for the flic scanner. Besides it looked so much sleeker! Check it out! The scanner also had a better cache, but there's supposedly one coming out in the next month or 2 that will have a 4,000 item cache.

Should you decide to purchase please let Lucy know that you read my blog on Active Rain! 

Happy Staging!

Don't call us we'll call you...

Are you patiently waiting by the phone for your local newspaper to suddenly call you eager to write an article about you and your company in their news column??  Yeah, so was I.... but somehow they never called.

Well, wait no longer.   CALL THEM yourself.

I did just that, and spoke to Greg Avery in the Business department of the Daily Camera here in Boulder.

I said "Hey Mr. Newspaper man, you should write about home staging." and Mr. Newspaper man (aka Greg) said "how fortunate that you called, we were just talking about doing a segment on preparing your home for sale; your timing is perfect!"  

Here is the result:

Your Home is a Stage: Buyers want to see House, not Clutter! 

So fellow real estate professionals, pick up the phone and call your local newspaper, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

I'm still trying to convince Greg that vacant home staging is particularly newsworthy; so that is also in the pipeline.

Another alternative is to write an article about staging and submit it to them to see if they'll run it.   At the very least contact your local board of REALTORS with an article and they'll surely publish.

I haven't received any direct business from the article, however, it has helped tremendously with name recognition with REALTORS.  I'm starting to get my branding out!! I'm also taking a hard copy of the article with me on presentations to add to my arsenal.  You'll find that being in the newspaper suddenly makes you an expert! 

P.S.  I also helped the Camera by recommending another (fabulous) stager, Macky Bennett of Rearrangements & More so that they didn't have to research it; saving them time.  When the photographer came to take the photos he was supposed to only shoot a 'before' and 'after' photo of the home we were staging, but we got him to take our photo as well, and buttered him up a bit ;)  The end result is that WE were pictured!!! That was a huge score.

The only downside was that we had not planned to have our photo taken, and as you can see we were NOT prepared! Oh, well the opportunity far outweighed any potential embarrassment. 

My New Favorite Pillows

For a while now I have been using ' sofa accent' pillows on beds, to add bulk and beauty to a bedset.  You know, those 13-15" square pillows normally placed on either side of a sofa? 

But I always felt they looked, well, like you put sofa pillows on a bed (kind of wierd).   I much prefer the look of 'bed accent pillows' on a bed, or if you buy the whole bed-in-a-bag that had multiple sizes of accent pillows. 

But it's not cost effective to always buy those.  So, as you all know, you gotta mix it up a bit. 

Sooo... lately I've been noticing an increase of those rectangular bed pillows being sold in the discount stores, and I love using them on beds; the just look so much more appropriate.

My eureka moment was why not use these rectangular 'bed' pillows on a sofa??

I tried it and I LOVE THE LOOK!!! Now I use these rectangular pillows on beds, sofas, loveseats, dining room chairs, accent chairs, and on and on....  And this way around I don't think they look wierd or out of place at all.

They are so versatile and look FABULOUS wherever you sling em!

Marketing yourself: Staging Shows

I recently started using Jeff Turner's Real Estate Shows to create listing shows for some of my clients with tremendous success!  So far most have been extremely pleased that I am able to provide photography and listing shows as part of my services.  And they have been blown away by them!

My newest show is of before and afters of a recent job to give to agents, and so that they can show them to their clients: Staging your Vacant Property  I will be working on one for an occupied staging before and after next.  They should go hand in hand nicely.

I chose RES solely on the basis of my opinion of Jeff Turner as an amazing individual and did not price shop or compare the hundreds of tour 'factories' out there.  I have been blown away by the ease of use of this software!  It is incredibly simple and fast!  The only drawback is that I end up spending WAY TOO MUCH time changing out the music trying to find the most mis-matched music to tour possible.  Pink panther, mission impossible, space odyssey; I especially like the "Funky 70's Flashback" category.  It has had me in tears from laughing so hard :)

Seriously though, the software is amazing, is simple to use, has a streamlined and professional look, and my tours have my photo and logo on them!   All for an amazing annual fee!  And you can create as many free shows as you want (must purchase with in 14 days or they expire though and you have to start all over).

Last week I posted one of my tours on Sarah Cooper's "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" since no one else had taken her up on it. BTW, her shows are incredible and got me thinking about how I could market myself and my staging services using RES, instead of just using them for creating listing shows for my clients.  In fact, Sarah compiled a great tour of staging tips for homeowners preparing their home for sale! 

Shortly after I posted on Sarah's blog she honored me by mentioning my tour on another of her blogs "Are you getting all you can from your tours"

       "Stagers, you should be using this tool!  Jessica Hughes is a stager using RES with GREAT results.  Hope she doesn't mind, I'm going to share the show here that she shared with me -- AWESOME way to show off your work, Jessica!  Isn't that a great addition to "flat" pictures? " 

Thank you Sarah!

Anyway, inspired by Sarah, I decided to create a RES to market myself to agents, showing before and after photos of one of my most recent vacant staging jobs.  I just created this show this afternoon in a jiffy, but I like how it turned out so I thought I'd share it with you guys.  The hardest part is coming up with the text...

 So much better than flat pictures!

Is anyone else using tours for their staging?