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by Suzanne S. Felber
What I thought was ironic about the statement is that I want to sell EVERY home that is entrusted to me to merchandise and sell. They all become like my children and honestly, it’s almost hard to let them go at the end of a show but I know they are going to good homes. So with that in mind, how do you decide which homes to merchandise and invest the most time and marketing dollars on? These are tips I share with my clients so we all succeed. Profit Everyone who has every worked with this Lifestylist and The Home Idea Factory knows how much I love what I do, but being able to continue doing what I love depends on my clients being able to make a profit so we can all stay in business. There is always a home that we may have gotten a great deal on or we know will have more of a “perceived value” to our customers. By merchandising this home and targeting the potential buyer’s lifestyle we can sell this home or plan quickly. A Factory Select home properly merchandised can look like a custom specified home - the key is to give it the attention, proper furniture and accessories to make it be the home your buyer falls in love with. One of the biggest mistakes I see over and over again is retailers who continue to recycle dated, faded, and damaged furniture and decors that wouldn’t even sell in a thrift store. Old and dated furniture make our homes look old and dated. Saving a few dollars by not buying and investing the correct decors can cost thousands of dollars in missed sales opportunities. Oops Areas With over 20 years of experience working on site built and factory built homes, it always amazes me how many homes end up being built without consideration for where the furniture will go or how the home will actually be lived in. People love the idea of a corner fireplace but when they try and place their furniture and television in that room, they realize they could have a problem. Merchandising a home that may be difficult for the potential buyer to understand how their furniture can fit in that space is a great way to really show off why the architect did what they did in that home. It’s also important to create the emotional appeal that can close the sale. We have all seen homes with “mystery rooms” that most buyers can’t understand how they can be used (or why they would want to pay for that additional square footage). By coming up with a unique use for that room that the buyer can relate to, you also create a space that no one else can offer. A great example is a home that Patriot Homes did at The Mills of Carthage. We had a huge utility room that I merchandised with a dog bed, food, toys, etc.. A woman came in, saw it and realized that with this home she could have the puppy she had always wanted and the room could function as a pet space as well as a utility or mud room. She became the first buyer in that community. Bigger isn’t always Better I predict “Right Sizing” is going to be one of the hottest trends in 2010 and beyond. People are more concerned about their utility bills and mortgage payments than ever before. Owning a home where they don’t have to worry as much about the payments is becoming more important. With the downsizing trend comes the need to best utilize every square foot of a home, and proper merchandising can show a potential buyer how they can “live large” in the smallest of spaces. Many retailers spend their marketing dollars merchandising and marketing their largest and most expensive homes, but if they spent more time looking at their smaller homes (which are actually harder for buyers to understand how furniture can fit in them) they might have more sales. When a buyer can see how a single section home can fit their sofa, two chairs, entertainment center, and a dining table for 4 or 6 they can then see how they can afford to buy a new home that will fit their needs. One of my favorite homes, and the photography that was done of that home, is a single section home that we merchandised at the Tunica show. I use this to show site builders what we can do – it’s just a great, happy home that anyone would love to live in. Without the furniture, colors and decor it would have just been another single wide. Color Sells Color is one of the most inexpensive ways I know of to make a home stand out. This can be accomplished by painting the front door, having the perfect accessories, or by painting a room a color the buyer falls in love with. On my modelhomesthatsell.com blog, I had a consumer contact me because I had written about the home that Palm Harbor had shown at the State Fair of Texas. The consumer loved the colors that the home was painted with, but no one knew or offered to find out what those colors were. Be sure that your sales team knows that if they don’t have the information the client is looking for, they need to do their best to find that information for them. I am always more than happy to help people who call or email me in any way I can - you never know, they could be a potential client or referral in the future. If you can’t afford to furnish every home in your center, think about painting some rooms for impact or using artwork, flower arrangements and another inexpensive source of color - towels - to add some life to that empty home. Make Your Homes Memorable Statistics show that customers usually visit over 30 homes before they make a decision on which is the right home for them - what will make them remember your homes over the competition? One of my favorite quotes on this subject is by Seth Godin: “Cows, after you’ve seen them for a while, are boring. They may be perfect cows, attractive cows, cows with great personalities, cows lit by beautiful light, but they’re still boring. A Purple Cow, though.Now that would be interesting. The essence of the Purple Cow is that it must be remarkable.“ Godin also states “My goal in Purple Cow is to make it clear that it’s safer to be risky – to fortify your desire to do truly amazing things. Once you see that the old ways have nowhere to go but down, it becomes even more imperative to create things worth talking about.” I have a challenge for you. Ask someone’s friend or neighbor to come and walk your homes. Then ask them to come into a room where they can’t still see the homes and ask them to describe each home that they went in to. Hopefully they’ll remember the crown molding or spacious kitchen, but I think you’ll be surprised to see how many people use a damaged chair, a ceiling that isn’t finished properly or the lack of light in a home as a memory point. By looking at your homes through someone else’s eyes you may gain a new perspective on what your buyers are really looking for in your homes. ##       
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Tony Kovach shared this statement with me as something one of his readers had shared with him. As a merchandiser and Lifestylist®, I saw it as a perfect stepping stone to discuss what homes should be chosen to be merchandised.
Suzanne S. Felber, Lifestylist® Suzanne has been involved in the home building industry for over 25 years. She is a member and instructor of the Institute of Residential Marketing, was previously on the board of trustees for the National Sales and Marketing Council and is a popular speaker at various events including the International Builders Convention, The Manufactured Housing Industry Congress and Home Interiors and Gifts national conventions.
Her work has been seen throughout the country in various publications, showhouses and model homes. She has been featured on the HGTV program “Dream Builders” and her work has appeared in Home Magazine, This Old House Magazine and Home Depot’s StyleIdeas Magazines. Felber considers herself a Lifestylist® because home design truly has more to do with how a person lives within their home instead of current trends and fads. Felber is the only licensed Lifestylist® in the United States, and has merchandised successful site built and manufactured model homes from coast to coast. The Home Idea Factory is available for all of your design and decor needs including furniture and decor packages, product selections, and show homes. We can be reached at: 214-941-8341 or emailed at: 
