Behind the Yard Sign: Special Episode with HGTV's Jasmine Roth and Humble Design's Kelley Moore

Kelly Moore is the director of Humble Design Seattle. Jasmine Roth is a rising HGTV star. And they are both good friends of Spade and Archer! This fall they’re coming together for Humble Design’s 2nd Annual fundraiser and this time it’s a live-stream online auction (October 9-15).

LISTEN TO THE ENTIRE PODCAST EPISODE HERE.

HGTV’s Jasmine Roth and Humble Design Seattle’s Kelley Moore joins Justin and Kelly for a special episode of Behind the Yard Sign.

Humble Design is a non-profit organization fighting the battle against homelessness. They serve families emerging from homelessness by transforming their empty house or apartment into a warm, welcoming and uplifting home with new and gently used donated furniture and household goods. 

During this time of Covid, there is an even greater need to help the ever-growing homeless population get back on their feet and establish a stable home. “I think the overall mission is that when you give somebody a warm and inviting and a welcoming home and you treat them with empathy and respect, it helps them regain their dignity,” says Kelly.

This fundraiser is so important to continue the work that Humble is doing and to improve the lives of those coming out of homelessness. During the fundraiser people can bid on dozens of amazing items- one of which is a Cameo (a personalized celebrity message) from Jasmine Roth herself. We know Jasmine from working together on HGTV’s Rock the Block last year and she recently teamed up with Kelly for another show helping renters revitalize their spaces. Now she is dedicating time to helping raise money for Humble’s incredible efforts. On top of the great auction offerings, there will also be some amazing special speakers as well as heart-felt stories from real families who have been helped by Humble’s services. 

REGISTER HERE FOR THE VIRTUAL FUNDRAISER!

Humble Design Seattle: https://www.humbledesign.org/seattle

HGTV’s Rentervention: https://www.hgtv.com/shows/rentervention

All things Jasmine Roth: https://www.jasmine-roth.com/

Since it began in 2009, Humble has designed over 1500 homes, transformed over 4950 lives, and donated almost 5 million pounds of furniture that has been reused with purpose. The statistics they have compiled say that 99% of those helped by Humble Design stay housed after one year.  Without their help, the numbers are a much more dire 50%.  “When someone is without, they think ‘Oh, I've lost my home. I've lost everything. Who am I?’. But when you give them an actual home with comforts and supports, all of a sudden, they’ve now regained their identity. We really believe that gives people a fresh start and gives families a chance. That's something we're really proud of,” says Kelly.

Humble design is in five cities currently. They launched in Seattle in 2018 and have served over 100 families and veterans in the Puget Sound region since. The team currently helps approximately 1 family a week with an exciting goal to grow to serve 3 families per week. Our own Creative Director at Spade and Archer, Chad Hinke, is on the board of advisors.

Part of the transition from homelessness to stability is providing the necessities to thrive, not just survive.  This includes spaces with purpose and intention. Through the process of crafting a real home, Humble Design creates a feeling of ownership for the families, in turn restoring their hope, dignity, stability, and providing them with a fresh start. Four walls and a roof provide security, but it is simply not a home where one can grow and prosper without the furniture, the comfort and the love of a thoughtfully designed space. “We aim to build a committed, creative network of individuals, community leaders, and companies working toward creating stability for those affected by homelessness,” says Kelly. When someone is energized by their home, they are more able to contribute to society as well. “By creating an environment where they can begin again, we improve and uplift our entire community.” 

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BEHIND THE YARD SIGN: TELLING THE STORY OF NEW CONSTRUCTION COMMUNITY AND LIFESTYLE WITH SHELLI-ANNE COUCH

LISTEN TO BEHIND THE YARD SIGN EPISODE 10 HERE

Small businesses are created because of a core idea originated from an understanding that there is something missing out there and that there is a need. What's so challenging for most of the people behind these businesses is getting to the launching pad and realizing that they have no way of announcing this brand new thing. So what now? 

Marketing!

Marketing, and branding, and community engagement, and PR, and promos, and printouts, and samples, and website, and social media… all of these things help you when you get to that launch pad. What makes that hurdle truly challenging is usually the fact that they take more time to generate and of course, more money and investment to produce.

There are a lot of industries that you would expect to have that all figured out and planned for, like a retailer or the plethora of coffee shops that can exist three doors down from their competitors. (Seriously, how is that a thing?) But what about new home construction for real estate? 

Developers build buildings, and they love it. They live and breathe that work. What they tend to not do -- and furthermore not *want* to do --  is marketing. Insert Plumb Bob Marketing here. They are a one-stop shop for developer marketing needs for new home communities and complexes. The Los Angeles-based company's founder and Principal, Shelli-Anne Couch, joined us for our recent Behind the Yard Sign podcast episode to educate us on what marketing for such a field within real estate does and can be.

The nature of the varied clientele that Shelli-Anne and her team speak to means there are many stories to be told within one chapter. Plumb Bob's job is to take this new shiny group of homes and inspire a large audience. They then also find the small niche audiences inside of that larger group simultaneously. Sounds complicated, but her method is quite practical -- keep it simple and straightforward. 

Spade and Archer Home Staging for Plumb Bob Marketing in Los Angeles

When asked about that process, Shelli-Anne shared a thoughtful sentiment. "For every one of these homes, every buyer is different. Every home, even though it may be built similarly has got a different view at the front door or the back door, or may have a different rooftop deck. There's something different about every home and it's recognizing that. And then it's communicating it without being too salesy. We have a saying: more storytelling, less selling."

Shelli-Anne is not a real estate agent, nor does she want to be one in her role as a marketing guru. She knows the value of what the agent does for a listing, and gives them the space to own that. Something separate that Shelli-Anne and Plumb Bob can bring to the table is the willingness to experience a new development's community and learn about what makes its neighborhood unique. 

Spade and Archer Home Staging for Plumb Bob Marketing in Los Angeles

Often times, new development is shunned by a local community. New condo blocks or small-lot subdivisions seem to invade and mark their territory the second they break ground, but what Plumb Bob does is connect and literally communicate with the people and the businesses in the area to help generate excitement and explain the good this new construction will do. What a service! Sure, the deeper understanding of a new development's neighborhood helps with the storytelling and sales of the homes, but the way in which it is done can help welcome this new group of homes or condos into the community.

Spade and Archer Home Staging for Plumb Bob Marketing in Los Angeles

Another important aspect that Plumb Bob brings awareness to the housing scarcity that exists in this vast city that is Los Angeles. "I saw an opportunity to bridge that gap between what people thought a small lot subdivision was versus how it actually could benefit the community, right down to rates," said Couch when asked about this controversial topic.

While she sees their concerns and empathizes, she also works to connect and remind folks that new home building can help to better a neighborhood more than it can hurt one. Walk scores, school ratings, density and local business growth are some of the big benefits that people often forget when they see and hear and feel that new building or neighborhood taking shape. Shelli-Anne continues saying, "Let's have a talk about that five bedroom home ... that was an eyesore that we've knocked down and we've actually put up 10 homes now and [are] welcoming 10 new families into the neighborhood."

Plumb Bob has its hands full when it comes to managing the array of Los Angeles neighborhoods. "LA is more like 5 or 6 cities within one city … it's sort of like having 5 or 6 children." There are a lot of projects that can happen and they can happen at a rapid pace considering the lack of inclement weather. Shelli-Anne has crafted her business at Plumb Bob in a way that can keep up with that pace and can do so gracefully, and thoughtfully. The way in which she partners with the people involved in the process, whether its the superintendents or us, the home stager, reflects that she knows people's time is important and she has no intention of abusing it. 

With similar principles of grace and thoughtfulness, Spade and Archer offers a great solution to help with the efforts of selling multiple homes like the ones Shelli-Anne and Plumb Bob cater to. Rather than staging each home separately and charging for a new idea and new design each time, we offer Model Unit staging where we create one or two looks for that community (or more depending on the number of floorplans), stage them, and "slide" the furnishings from one home to the next as they sell. This way, you have the same pieces reflected in your marketing regardless of the sample home the buyers are touring. Those buyers were already inspired by the thoughtful marketing, and they'll be even more excited when they see it in person. It will be an authentic experience from start to finish, and Spade and Archer will help keep it all neat and tidy as the stagings move from home to home. 

We love partnering with great people and thoughtful businesses. Let's connect and learn what we can do for each other as we continue into the new terrain of listing homes and marketing. Learn more at spade-archer.com, or shoot us a message at info@spade-archer.com. 

For more on Plumb Bob Marketing, visit their website at plumbbobmarketing.com.

Get your instant home staging price now by clicking here.

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Design Principle: How to Accessorize

“The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize”

         -Clairee Blecher

‘Steel Magnolias’

This is the accessory wall in our Los Angeles warehouse, starring our LA Director Erin!

Accessorizing is the great joy of designers everywhere.  It’s the little bits of ‘jewelry’ that allow a home to really pop.  Accessories are where a lot of the fun of design comes in.  Sofas, chairs, tables, they are all pretty basic and necessary, especially in staging, to show scale and dimension in a room.  They are not the sparkly, eye-catching touches, though, that accessories can be.

See our accessorizing installed live in this Seattle home!

In home staging, we walk a fine line between over- and under-accessorizing a space. Too much and it feels like an outlet store; too little and you wonder why the place is unfinished.  We carefully craft every room to be the “just right” mix of design, inspiration and excitement that it needs.

Our design philosophy of Aspirational and Obtainable extends to every part of the staging.  We use a mix of styles, eras and materials in our accessories.  We like to use modern paired with vintage to give a cohesive look.  Accessories allow for character, humor, quirk, intrigue, notability.  They are the little ‘personalized’ touches that make a staged room have life.

We use accessories to bolster our color stories as well.  Each room Spade and Archer designs has one main color story to make it instantly recognizable in an online photograph.  We lay the foundation with neutral furnishing and then apply a layer of color with our linens, table top accessories and art.  Here is where we can play a little and customize the room to be unique among the thousands out there being viewed daily.

Accessories are meant to show off the features of a space and make a visitor feel right at home!

In order not to script a room too specifically, we use a mix of new, old, bright, muted, angled and soft accessories to give a complete picture while also letting the buyer use their own imagination.  For example, in order not to make a pink room feel too ‘girly’, we might sprinkle in some gray or black for a more sophisticated color pallet. All black can feel overwhelming, so we might mix it with other neutrals like white, gray and tan to make the room feel powerful yet elegant.

Pattern and texture are also great ways to use different accessories.  Maybe we do like an all-white room, but will choose throw pillows and blankets with different tactile feel. Different fabrics combine to make the color even more interesting.  Tone-on-tone patterns also add dimension to a monochromatic space. Mix and match different patterns in the same color family for added dimension and depth to a room.

We are very lucky to be able to use art and accessories from different eras and styles.  A lot of our accessories add humor and wit to a room without being too overt.  Subtle hints at the past give the room life and vitality.  If we were to buy everything from a store it would look like a display and not a home.  This is an area where we can have a little fun so why not show off some quirky, one-of-a-kind pieces and impress the attentive home buyer? However they are used, accessories are the special little touches added to every room to make it stand out. 

Get your instant home staging price now by clicking here.

When Paying More for Staging Actually Gets You Less

Educating home sellers on the power of home staging requires contradictory messaging at times. We find ourselves making cases on both sides of the investment…. some days it’s, “Holy moly, please hire professionals and do not go the route of a budget stager,” and other times it’s, “A lot less money can be spent by taking the right steps.”

You’ve heard the saying: you get what you pay for.  But there are times when you pay more and get less.  This is especially true when it comes to staging.  There are times when going for the ‘budget stager’ becomes a budget buster.  

A homeowner came to us four months ago to get a staging quote.  They deemed our price too high and went with another stager that offered a lower monthly rate. After four months of this house sitting with no offers and no money coming to the homeowner (not to mention continued monthly payments going to their ‘budget stager’) they came back to us and asked for help.  We encouraged them to move out of their ADU and stage it along with fully staging the rest of the house.  Vacant homes look better and sell faster - that’s just a fact. No one wants to buy a home with someone else’s junk in the way.  Occupied homes make a buyer feel like a guest and not a tenant.  Clean up, move out and sell the house as intended.  

After the restage, they received an offer in two days.  Altogether, it was staged under a Spade and Archer Guaranteed Home Staging® program for 16 days and it sold.  The lesson here is to do it right the first time.  The homeowner actually paid MORE for their budget stager than they did for our top-of-the-line service.  On paper it looked good to start, but the reality is they way overpaid for subpar performance.  Not only did the homeowner get to pay more money over a longer period of time ($8000 for four months as opposed to $6000 for two weeks with us), but they had to incur all the other expenses that accrued over that four-month period.  They had to pay the mortgage, the insurance, the taxes, and the principle on top of a monthly fee for staging that wasn’t working.  What a waste of money!

AFTER the full home stage, this Portland house was ready to be listed again fresh!

Bargain hunting isn’t always a bargain.  Think of it like this: You go to the grocery store to buy a steak. You narrow it down to two options. You’ve got the family-size $10 chuck that looks okay or the $20 prime cut that looks amazing.  You opt for the cheaper piece of meat thinking it will suffice.  But when you get it home and cook it, it’s got a lot of hidden grossness you don’t really want anything to do with.  It ends up being chewy and tough and when it’s all said and done you got less and worse quality from the cheap meat than you would have gotten from the more expensive, yet perfect $20 steak.  Go for quality over cost-cutting and you will be satisfied every time.

AFTER the restage, it’s super easy to see how to use every single space in the home.

Spade and Archer is the World’s First Guaranteed Home Stager® and we have over 10 years of experience selling homes quickly and for more money.  Our Guaranteed Home Staging® program is 98% effective. Our Pay-Up-Front, full staging is 93% effective. That’s a solid A no matter how you slice it. When we start doing partial staging, that percentage dips down to 86% which is decent B.  This only proves that when you start with an appropriately high level of intention and attention, you get appropriately high levels of return.

Some companies are now offering financed staging.  Don’t be fooled!  You have to pay interest on that and you still have to pay whether the house sells or not. You are still paying a ton of money, for a longer period of time, and with no guarantee that it will sell at all.  Why would you want to pay for staging years after you’ve sold your house and moved on?  At Spade and Archer, we never charge interest and you only pay us when the house sells. It makes sense.

Sunny, bright, spacious, functional, scaled, and completely appropriate for family living, this Portland home staging set the right course for this house to sell in days after months of inactivity on the market.

You do get what you pay for so don’t short change yourself by paying more for less. We love to swoop in and save the day, but think how much more effective it would be if we were your first line of defense. It’s much better to get the job done right the first time without lingering bills. When you shop only by the price tag, you end up with chewy meat and half-ass staging.  Go for the filet mignon from the beginning and don’t look back.

Get your instant home staging price now by clicking here.

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Design Principle: Designing for Photography

Many people ask why we place things where we do in our staging.  The long and short answer is: it’s all about the photograph.  Every home buyer’s first look at a property will be through listing photographs viewed either on their computer or cell phone.  That picture will be their first exposure and first impression of any property.  That is why the photograph is so important and why we spend so much time meticulously crafting that tableau.

Spade and Archer Home Staging in Los Angeles

We intentionally place art lower on the wall than you would if you were living in a home in order to get that art in the shot. A photograph should tell the story of the room in one brief glance.  Art placed out of the frame or too high to relate to the furniture in the room will seem disjointed.  It will actually call attention to itself and distract from the room. That is something we do not want.  We believe our staging should be the back-up dancer to the main show -- the home you’re selling. 

We try to think of where the best angle for the photo will be taken and what elements of the room as well as the staging that will be in the shot. We obviously take into account the 3D space when a person will be walking through it, but we pay very close attention to the 2D space of the photograph and the impression it gives as well. We want the space to make sense to a buyer when they walk through it, but we also want it to be easily relatable when looking at a tiny online photo.

BEFORE — this unstaged space is not optimized for photography.

AFTER - Spade and Archer home staging filled out this space making it camera ready in Wilsonville, OR.

We place furniture and art so that it will fill up a photograph and accentuate the architecture of the house.  “Windows sell homes” is a trope we hear all the time and it’s true.  We want to place furniture in a room to highlight those windows and not necessarily cover them up.  If a window is in a shot, we want a little something there as well to anchor it. Our placement actually draws attention to the architectural features while not distracting from them.  You may not place your bed or sofa near a window when you move in, but that is the difference between staging a home to sell and living in a home the way that suits you. What we do as home stagers is not design a space for the practical everyday life of a homeowner, but rather we craft an environment to highlight the architectural features and real-life dimensions of the property. The buyer is responsible for placing their furniture how it pleases them, we are responsible for placing furniture how it pleases the house.

The thoughtful subtleties of where and how objects are arranged is our greatest asset.  We take into account how the space will look in person.  We are concerned with the feel of an environment when a buyer walks through it.  We are also salesmen and our job is to get as many people into this house as possible so that it sells.  To that point, we pay very careful attention to the photographs, how they attract a buyer and ultimately how they are the best advertising tools to sell this home. 

Spade and Archer Professional Home Staging in Seattle, WA.

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Spade and Archer Design Agency is a professional home stager in Portland, Seattle and Los Angeles. We start every single project with our Instant Price so let’s start the process of selling your home with an easy, free and instant quote. Spade and Archer is your no-risk, pay-at-closing, touchless installation, instant pricing home stager and we can’t wait to work with you.