Pam Faulkner, Faulkner House Redesign, Enter Stage Right

How many of you have struggled with clients about their pet paraphenalia?  It's not difficult to put away the toy basket, clear the floor of pigs ears, bones and catnip mice.  The real problem comes with the dog crates (usually LARGE) and the litterbox. Oversized dog beds and cat jungle-gyms and ...

Each month, HGTV's FrontDoor.com issues a list of top tips for buyers and sellers.  The latest one of red flags for home buyers has the usual caveats about foundation cracks, poor yard maintenance, lots of homes on the street for sale, homeowner renovations that may not be up to code, and more.  ...

 A Stager's DictionaryIs there a staging dictionary or glossary somewhere?  If not, I think we should compile one.Here are a few ideas to get us started (not in alphabetical order):     Unstaged- your work has been substantially changed by a client/family member or friendRestaged- a staged proper...

A sure sign that a house is soon to go on the market is the frenzied fix-up activity just before the for sale sign goes in the ground.  Mounds of often usable items end up in the curbside trash, when with a slight bit of effort it can be put to good use. Not an attractive site in a neighborhood w...

At what point do buyers expect the garage to be another decorated room?I'm used to explaining to homeowners that their garage needs to be clean, neat, as empty as possible of unnecessary storage items and randomly placed shelving and hooks.  Rarely do I run across a garage that doesn't have paint...

   What's With The Attitude????? Clients assume that I watch all of the design, decorating and real estate shows on HGTV, Fine Living and Discovery (Who has that kind of time even with TIVO?) and they will comment to me about things they have seen recently, thinking I know the episode they just s...

 Most of us who stage homes have done so under the pressure of a deadline at one time or another.  (Always?)  The schedule usually is stage, photograph, agent open house then public open house, if one is being held.  So the pressure is on to get the house ready for its unveiling, and make it came...

Shriveled plants, weeds, overgrown bushes, peeling paint, or a cracked driveway are problems that sellers must often fix before their house goes on the market. But what if these problems apply to their neighbors' homes? Most sellers know to groom their homes for the best sale, but it's difficult ...

 When my mother-in-law moved into assisted living we had to clear out her house and ready it for the market.  In purging old files I found receipts for service calls and home repairs.  There was such a difference in the way businesses charged for their services and it made me wonder how varied th...