So, you may have seen Andrew Mayon's blog CATFIGHT!!!!! Charleston (Melissa Marro) vs. Atlanta (Kathy Nielsen). While it was all in good clean fun there was a little truth behind it all... the part that both Kathy and I have been chomping at the bit to get Andrew to come create some magic in our areas. His real estate photography is some of the best I've seen.
Recently I had the good fortune (combined with some great referrals and model staging) landing a design project for an investment property/second home. The homeowners were more hands on than I'm used to, but this unit will be their second home along with being put on the weekly vacation rental circuit in Folly Beach, SC.
When the homeowner bought the unit it was rented to an individual. Their lease ran out in November and I was charged with the task of turning the unit into a high end rental beach condo (it was the penthouse of a beach front complex). Here is what it looked like when I walked into it for the first time....
With the renter leaving my project became a shell of a unit - completely vacant - not a single piece of anything to work with.... my budget was a meager $20,000 (3 bdrm, 2 bath).
After sitting with the homeowners and discussing what they wanted out of this unit, it became clear that mango wasn't really an option... We needed restful, beachy, tranquil and chic.
Starting with a base of "sedate grey" from Sherwin Williams, we began the transformation...
Shopping was next on the list....
After a couple of months of shopping and sending photos back and forth with the clients (they were VERY involved in this project), we had a completed unit. In order to maximize exposure, we felt it was important to have the best photos possible - along comes Andrew....
Now... I'm just waiting, waiting for the finished finished project... Sure, I know what the room looks like in person, but I want to see Andrew's magic!
Don't worry - you'll be one of the first that I share it with!
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Melissa Marro, a published artist, now turned staging advocate and national speaker speaks her mind about real estate and the home staging industry. In her 'no holds barred' approach, audience members find real answers to the industries pitfalls and learn how to overcome them with tried and true information and guidance. With marketing as her passion, she turned a small home based business into one of the nation's largest home staging and training facilities. Selling her successful home staging company in January 2012, Marro is now a full time speaker and instructor for Staging And Resign and Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)'s trade events.
For more information on having Marro speak at one of your real estate functions, please contact her at 843.619.1593 or email at marro.melissa@gmail.com
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$20,000 seems like a large staging budget, but it appears this unit is being sold furnished. I can't imagine decorating and furnishing an entire home for $20,000.