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4th Quarter 2017 Newsletter
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I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving with your family and/or friends and had time to think about all that you are grateful for. I am thankful for having a family close by (including my two 90ish parents), lots of good friends, my health and steady business in 2017.
One of the stagings we did this year was of an estate condition apartment in Manhattan that received a complete makeover enabling the owner to accept an offer in just 45 days, much less than the average 119 days market wide*.
See
below
for our amazing transformation of this apartment.
I wish you and your family Happy Holidays! See you in 2018.
Warm Regards,
Donna M. Dazzo, President
Designed To Appeal
*Corcoran 3rd Quarter 2017 Report
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"Designed to Appeal converted an outdated 8-room estate apartment that had been renovated nearly 20 years ago into a stylish, elegant home fit for today's buyer. Together with her team of contractors and assistants, Donna eliminated the antiquated décor, painted it with neutral colors and furnished it with classic upholstered pieces perfectly scaled to the space. Even the seller couldn't believe the transformation. Donna's staging made a big difference in how the market perceived this listing. Without her efforts, I am quite certain we would not have achieved the same result."
Stribling - New York, NY
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When we first viewed this apartment, it was filled with the deceased owner's outdated furniture and personal effects. Some of the rooms were painted dark colors and had built-in shelving, making them feel smaller than they actually were.
Because it was a 3 bedroom apartment, we figured it would most likely be sold to a young family with children, so it was important that it didn't feel like "grandma's apartment". We set up two of the bedrooms as children's rooms.
While we don't recommend renovations before an apartment goes on the market, we DO recommend updating, which will go a long way to getting the apartment sold quickly and for top dollar. Painting, removing old and worn carpeting, refinishing wood floors, and replacing light fixtures can make all of the difference!
Living Room Before Updates
Living Room After Updates
We removed the outdated drapery, painted the walls and trim, refinished the wood floors and replaced the traditional light fixtures flanking the fireplace.
Living Room After Staging
Dining Room Before Updates
 Dining Room After Updates
We removed the window treatments, painted the walls and trim, and replaced all of the very traditional light fixtures.
 Dining Room After Staging
Master Bedroom Before Updates
Master Bedroom After Updates
We removed the carpet, refinished the wood floor, and painted the walls.
Master Bedroom After Staging
 Second Bedroom Before Updates
 Second Bedroom After Updates
We removed the green carpeting and built-in desk and shelving, refinished the wood floor, and painted the walls and trim a neutral color.
 Second Bedroom After Staging
Third Bedroom Before Updates
Third Bedroom After Updates
We removed the green carpeting and built-in shelving, refinished the wood floor, and painted the walls and trim a neutral color.
 Third Bedroom After Staging
Foyer Before Updates
Foyer After Updates
Foyer After Staging
Kitchen Before Updates
Kitchen After Updates
Kitchen After Staging
Office Before Updates
Office After Staging
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To view the entire report click
here.
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Tips and Tricks of the Trade:
Creative Ways to Use String Lights You (Maybe)
Haven't Thought of Before
Twinkle lights, or string lights, or fairy lights, or Christmas lights, or whatever you like to call them, are one of the most affordable and ubiquitous of holiday decorations. Their simplicity - it's a bunch of lights on a string - means they are not only useful for trimming trees, but also for a multitude of other uses. Drape these bright strands anywhere that needs a little holiday cheer, and maybe leave them up for the rest of the season to fight the winter blues.
Casual Drape
In this space from
Inside Closet,
oversize string lights are draped over the walls, for a casual but still lovely accent that's a cinch to put up.
Inside the Hearth
In this living room from
Heart Home
via
Desire to Inspire
, twinkle lights scattered on the hearth are a quick and easy way to add some holiday cheer (not recommended if you have a precocious little feline that is prone to chewing).
Over the Doorway
We love the look of these knotted string lights, framing a door in a space spotted on
Afflante.
(You could also do this with standard twinkle lights, for a more traditional look.)
Wrap Your Headboard
Stringing some lights around your headboard, as seen on
Cider with Rosie,
is a great way to spread holiday cheer into the bedroom without a lot of effort. (Bonus: you can even leave them up after Christmas is over, for a little extra warmth throughout the winter.)
To read about more ideas click
here!
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Did You Know.....?
Things You May Not Know About the Holiday Season!!
Readers Digest is a treasure trove of interesting stories and information, and for the holiday season they're not letting us down! What follows is sampling of a larger list of fun facts compiled by contributor
Lauren Cahn. She says, "With these fun holiday facts, you'll be the best conversationalist at all of this year's holiday parties."
Jelly Doughnuts are a Traditional Hanukkah Treat
The biggest pile of these delicious treats was recorded on
the first night of Hanukkah of 1997
, when a 12-foot high pyramid made of 6,400 jelly doughnuts (called "soufganiyot" in Hebrew), was erected near the Israeli town of Afula. Afterwards, the doughnuts were distributed to Israeli soldiers serving along the border with Lebanon. The question is, what happened to the doughnut holes?
That's because it's a Hebrew word, and Hebrew uses an entirely different alphabet and includes some entirely different sounds from the English alphabet. Spelling the word in English involves the process of "transliteration," which means changing the letters of a word into the most closely corresponding characters of another language.
Kwanzaa is celebrated in addition to Christmas
Kwanzaa is a secular
(non-religious)
festival observed by many African Americans from December 26 to January 1 as a celebration of their cultural heritage and traditional values.
Kwanzaa
is celebrated by African Americans of all faiths. Those who are Christian may observe it in addition to Christmas.
2.....1.....(Diaper Alert) Happy New Year!!
Ethiopia Has a Totally Different New Year's Day
Ethiopia is the only country in the world that hasn't adopted the 12-month calendar that is sometimes referred to as the Gregorian calendar.
Ethiopia
uses the Coptic Calendar, which has 13 months, of which 12 are comprised of 30 days each, and a 13th month at the end of the year that has 5 days (or 6 days, if it's a leap year). The result is that Ethiopia celebrates the New Year on September 11th.
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The following is a comparison of October 2017 vs. October 2016 annualized, by town, according to
Suffolk Research, Inc.
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For More Info
During the Month...
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| FREE Closet Organization, Open House, and Moving Checklists  Download your FREE Closet Organization, Open House, and Moving Checklists. |
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Try our
Home Staging Savings Calculator developed by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA)
Click on the calculator above, which will launch in a new window. For more detailed instructions, click here.
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