We were dressing up a house for sale so we took a trip to Restoration Hardware. They have a lot of vintage fixtures, drapes, and decoration. In one house we threw in a leather couch, and arm chair with the sale of the property. http://www.restorationhardware.com/
You may laugh, but on this particular occasion we ran into two other Real Estate agents who were there doing the same as us. We were making a property more appealing to a buyer.
Today I was talking with a very happy seller who just sold their home for what I think was at least $K more than the house was worth. We did some cleaning for them, but the Crate, and Barrel look of the home was all them. If you aren’t familiar with Crate, and Barrel here is the link: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/
The lines are clean, simple, and elegant at prices that are reasonable. The Wikepedia link explains more about the history of the stores: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crate_%26_Barrel
The home decor that many stagers try to achieve kind of falls into this idea of something simple, but attractive. This seller used the concept but achieved the look with simple home items, and designer paint colors.
The conclusion that we came to is that the buyers paid more for a lifestyle, and decor than if they had just bought a house. I’m calling it the Crate, and Barrel factor.
About David Losh
In 1984 I got my Real Estate license and worked in a small company called Advance Properties. The owner was extremely interested in Real Estate, building, and land development. Most of his work was concentrated North of Seattle. Since the 1970s I had worked for Real Estate agents in Seattle as a contractor, mostly preparing properties for rent, and sale.
After a few years my skill level increased considerably concerning land use, building code, and development practices. Escrow, and lending offices were housed at the Advance Properties building so it was easy to get involved in all aspects of Real Estate. It was very much a family owned, and operated business.
Over the years my Real Estate license has been at a variety of Real Estate companies, and offices. Nothing compares to those early years, or that sense of family. Real Estate has gotten to be corporate owned.
My hope with this blog is to share with you some of the things I've learned. If you have Real Estate needs, or want contractor help, I refer freely to what best suits you. If you should choose to work with me you'll find a great resource.
My Real Estate license is at Skyline Properties in Northgate. Skyline is a locally owned company that is a desk fee office. There is a wide variety of diverse agents. It helps me with some of the other projects that I have, and mentoring that I do, to be able to work with people from other cultures.
Here in Seattle we are close to Vancouver BC and are the gateway to China. Boeing has a great trade relationship with China, as does Microsoft have with all of Asia. We are a culturally diverse community, and it helps me to be invlolved.
