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When I work on a model home, my first priority is bringing the outside in – what’s going to make the buyer feel like what he experienced before he walked into the model continues into his model experience?

My son just gave me the perfect example – he is buying a new home in Florida, and was troubled after seeing the new model home because they didn’t like the colors or feel of the home after it was merchandised. It bothered them so much they actually considered canceling the sale. The colors and the lack of lifestyle felt like they could have been in any city in any community, but it didn’t have the warmth that they anticipated their home would have.

At Lifestylist® Design we focus on lifestyle, and what they buyer hopes to experience in his new life in your new home. We just finished doing a Lifestylist® Designed home for @home Builders in Baldwinsville, NY and I thought I’d share the thought process on how we came up with this home.

Timber Banks is a new incredible planned community near Syracuse, NY that features an 18 hole, Nicklaus designed golf course, river frontage with it’s own marina, clubhouse, and a stunning, natural beauty all around you that you can call home. It seemed only natural that I would bring this lifestyle and the colors I saw all around me into the design of the model. We went with some of the foggy greys, clear blue sky, river rocks and eco-greens that we discovered on our walks and as a result when you are in the home it truly pulls the outside in.  Plan a visit to the Timbers yourself and see what we accomplished – contact Teresa Carpenter with @home Builders for more information at:  315-635- 6006.

As I’m sitting here watching my grandchildren, nieces and nephews run around having a blast this week I’m realizing what’s missing from most of our model homes – life. Real Life isn’t perfect, and that’s what makes things interesting. It’s those special touches like a handwritten note from a 4 yr old or a handprint on the wall that make us remember how precious life is.

That’s why I love being a Lifestylist – it’s all about injecting those memories that make life exciting into living spaces that then become very personal.

Great things are starting to happen in the housing industry, and buyers are realizing that now may be the time to buy.The Dallas Morning News had a great article this morning about a survey that was conducted by Century 21, and results show that first time buyers are now out actively looking fortheir first home. Be sure to do your spring cleaning at your models and make sure they are ready, and your sales team is ready for these buyers!

I just got back from installing a new model home, model apartment and clubhouse in Upstate NY and thought I’d share how it turned out. This client is a wonderful innovative, market-driven builder and developer and is always looking for something in his communities to create a memory point and set his homes apart. These homes were a great example of how we work together.

Riedman Development is very involved in the community – especially the Seneca Park Zoo which is one of the best run small zoos in the country. To play up the zoo we created a child’s room that focused on the zoo and animal conservation complete with graphics that played up the zoo’s animals and logo. The kids bath was a “penguin palace” which featured one of the favorite exhibits at the zoo. We also geared the buyer profile so that the wife was a volunteer at  the zoo and we have marketing materials from the zoo in her home office. The builder plans on having some fundraisers for the zoo at the home. As is the case with most of us these days, budgets were a huge concern so this model was done “recycling” furniture and accessories from the builders previous models to keep costs down.

Timber Banks which was the community with the clubhouse and apartment model was designed to introduce visitors to the builder who was new to this market and let them know about the amazing features this community and location have to offer. The community sits on the Banks of the Seneca River and has it’s own enclosed harbor. Within a 1 to 3 hour drive, you can experience the Adirondack Mountains, the Thousand Islands, and Finger Lakes wine country. Lakes Ontario, Onondaga and Oneida as well as the Erie Canal provide true sailing and boating opportunities on a grand scale. To play this up we focused in on the antique boats that you can see cruising down the river, and the Antique Boat Museum which is nearby. Furnishings and decor were geared to show the lifestyle and quality that people coming to the community would experience.

Making a project memorable and helping to stimulate sales is what we do best. Incorporating the lifestyle of the buyers is what being a Lifestylist is all about, and the Lifestylist Design difference.

Sadly, when many people think of manufactured housing they think about mobile homes that were built in the 70′s with no design or interest in the floorplans.

A Patriot Home is anything but a mobile home – they are well built, beautifully designed and in many cases come complete with designer options that you have to pay an additional change fee to get in a site built home.

Patriot Homes of Texas announced this month that they were upgrading the design and finish of many of their faucet, lighting, and cabinet hardware selections. Lifestylist Suzanne Felber helped them identify the trend that finishes are going to a more distressed patina and the pewter and antique nickel finishes are what consumers are looking for. Many companies have gone to an oil rubbed bronze look, but this style seems to be running it’s course with the antique nickel taking over the consumers choice position.