Balancing Act

by Suzanne Felber, Lifestylist®

Finally - Spring has arrived, and as I've been traveling across the country working on various communities, shows and manufacturer's new concepts it's become obvious that people are much more optimistic about their future and the path our industry is on. Instead of just surviving, we are getting ready to thrive again. With that comes a great opportunity to look at our homes with a new perspective and see if our model home centers, show houses and communities are merchandised properly and targeted towards the buyer we are hoping to attract and sell our homes to.

I've been in the home business for over 30 years now, and when I started designing and merchandising factory built homes everyone kept referring to "Alabama Flash". At the time I had no idea what they were referring to, but I quickly found out! There are still a lot of people who are selling the idea that more is never enough, but if you pick up a Southern home magazine or watch some of the homes that are being shown on HGTV, even the Southern markets are starting to edit what they put in a home showing less clutter and more lifestyle. People are now looking for a haven and refuge from the outside world, not a lot of dust collectors and artificial plants that need to be maintained.

There were some fantastic shows this year including Tunica and Tulsa. When you walked the homes you saw everything from homes that didn't have a sq. ft of counter space (or space above the cabinets!) that didn't have something on it to homes that had minimal or no furniture or decor items in many of the rooms. If you are confused about how much is too much or not enough, here's a checklist to help you decide if your home is ready to show and sell.

1. It Should be All About the Home. People do visit new home communities to get decorating ideas, but at the end of the day we are in business to sell homes, not accessories or furniture. When I do a Lifestylist Designed home, everything I put in that home is selected to help show off the architecture and details in that home. Many times I will take things out because they are taking the spotlight away from what should be the real star of the show - the home. Why I am different from a decorator is because as a Lifestylist my job like yours is truly selling homes.
2. Keeping Current. I've been told by many retailers how much they hate keeping their models and lot homes decorated and furnished because every time one sells they need to move everything in to the next house. With this attitude comes a situation where even if something is damaged, faded, dated or the wrong color or scale it gets put into the next home. You might think this is saving you money, but how much is it costing you to have unsold homes sitting on your lot? A model that has been properly merchandised and looks like the home of their dreams will help them become less emotionally attached to the used home they are anxious to move out of.
   
   We recently were asked by a great retailer in Hobbs, NM to come and visit his sales center, evaluate the furniture and decor items he had at his lot and then re-merchandise his models using what worked and adding where necessary. Something as simple as new pillows, towels and setting the table can make all of the difference and be a very cost effective solution. The effect these changes had on his sales were immediate and traffic increased dramatically when word got out through his advertising campaign that there were "new" model homes to come and take a look at.
3. Achievable Design. Another common mistake I see is where expensive furniture and a ton of decor items are used in an inexpensive home at a show, but when that home is sold to a retailer it doesn't fit the prospective buyer's lifestyle or budgets. A contemporary, urban home probably isn't what a rural Alabama buyer is looking for, and rustic Southwest home probably isn't going to work in Connecticut. The look and the cost has got to be achievable to whatever buyer you are targeting - showing something maybe a step up from what they have now that they can aspire to in the near future. On the other side, merchandising a beautiful triple section or modular home with furniture and accessories that would be more appropriate in a single section home can detract from all of the great upgrades and design details you have in the home and hurt sales as well.
4. Budgets. When I'm asked about budgets most of the time a builder or retailer expects just a flat number that they can use on any home. This shouldn't be they way a budget is arrived at - cost of home, buyer profile, region it is selling to and how many rooms will be merchandised has to be considered.
5. Show and Sell. When is the last time you walked through a home with a merchandiser or designer and heard their thoughts on how the home was designed? Everything I do is for a reason, and I love having the opportunity to share the thought process with buyers or a sales team explaining how the home can be enjoyed and sharing the special details that the builder had included in the home. With the new inexpensive digital video cameras, this would be a great opportunity to tape a tour through your home so you can share it with new team members in the future.

When people ask me why I enjoy the factory built side of housing so much I always tell them that it's fairly easy to make a house look great with a million dollar budget, but designing a home that you can be proud of on a $5,000 budget is a challenge I thrive on. As an industry we have the chance to show people how exciting affordable housing can be and how making a move into one of our homes can truly change their lives for the better. Here's to a busy selling season!

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: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - All photography by LAS Photo