Designed To Sell - Model Home Makeovers

May 2013 be the year that all of your hopes and dreams come true

Happy Holidays from The Lifestylist® Brands. Here's hoping that your holidays is shiny and bright!

Happy Holidays from The Lifestylist Family - may your days be shinny and bright!

Our goal at Lifestylist Design is to accent the community lifestyle in every home that we merchandise, and The Hammocks at Canandaigua has lots to work with!

Located on a beautiful ridge just about Canandaigua Lake and the historic town of Canandaigua, residents will be able to sail and kayak on the lake, hike or ride bikes on the miles of trails around the lake, enjoy brunch or dinner in one of the quaint locally owned bistros in town, or just hang out on their patio and enjoy the view.

Construction is well under way, and the rental office is already open so potential residents can chose their favorite location in the community. We have had so much fun working on the interior for the clubhouse - I can't wait to have it all in place and complete!

We'll have more photos soon - I can't wait to see all of the progress.

Happy Labor Day weekend! I was checking in with my kids and grandkids, and loved the fact that both of my kids are really enjoying their homes and neighborhoods this weekend. I'm proud to say that both of them bought new homes in new communities, and the model homes really did make a difference in their decisions on which home to buy.

What really "sealed the deal" for them was the fact that they would be living in planned communities -my daughter lives on a golf course and my son lives on a lake. Security, schools, and the kids having lots of kids nearby to play with made all of the difference. My daughter-in-law was thrilled to have a couple move in across the street with a baby just a month older than theirs, and they are really enjoying play dates and taking the kids out for walks. My grandkids have made lifelong friendships with great kids in their neighborhood, and most weekends are spent having a block party where the adults all make a dish or grill and they hang out together in the guest home of the week.

Lifestylist® Design is all about Life Celebrating Style. Celebrating the attributes of the community is something that we excel at, and our clients appreciate the extra homework we do to make sure that the models to represent the lifestyles of the potential buyers.

When you are planning your next model home, look beyond the colors and be sure that the model will accurately tell your story and the story behind your community.

A model home is one of the most important components of a builder's marketing plan. It is where you show potential buyers the quality of your homes and show why their lifestyle will be better by buying one of your homes. A successful model home needs to be memorable, and merchandised in a way that it will be remembered more than all of the other homes that the potential buyers visit.

Our new Lifestylist® website has an article on how we made a model home very memorable by playing up interesting museums in the area. The next time you walk through your model homes, see if they are memorable enough for potential buyers to chose your home over the competition.

 

 

 

One of the questions I always get asked is exactly what is a Lifestylist®, and what is unique about the Lifestylist® Lifestyle. The second most asked question is what makes me a Trailer Diva!

The Lifestylist philosophy is about "Life Celebrating Style". Our clients life and style is what dictates how a Lifestylist® works with you. My favorite example is I had a client in Phoenix, Arizona that was a major Phoenix Suns fan, and their team colors are orange and purple. The client wanted their entire home done in these colors. What they wanted is what they got, complete with a child’s room with a hardwood floor striped like a basketball court. They wanted to stylishly celebrate their interests and love of their home team and we did!

I just spoke to a friend who’s dog just dug up their entire garden and her daughter slammed the door on the neighbor’s hand - all in about 30 minutes time. Her needs and lifestyle are completely different from my son - no kids, no dogs, and lives in front of his computer. What my style is wouldn’t work well for either of them which is why I need to understand the client and what their “hot buttons” are. It’s takes extra time and sleuthing to achieve this - many times the client has trouble putting into words exactly what they are looking for but they know it when they see it. I take the responsibility very seriously - a person’s environment can truly change their lives in a positive or negative way. If someone is happy in their home their quality of life improves.

Next to being a mother, becoming a Lifestylist® is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I’m looking forward to expanding the concept and what it offers in the years to come. - we will be launching a new food line this Spring!

Daisy loves the Lifestylist® philosophy of Life Celebrating Style.  She is also open to any excuse to wear her favorite hats and attract attention.  Mardi Gras Greetings from Daisy the diva dog and the Lifestylist® family!

 

Lifestylist® Suzanne Felber was honored this week to be featured in a story on education in the Nation's Building News - a publication that goes out to the over 200,000 members of the National Association of Home Builders.

She has been active in the association for over 25 years, is a member of the Institute of Residential Marketing and is also a national instructor of the IRM III course: Lifestyle Merchandising, Advertising & Promotion Strategies. Felber has also been a a speaker at the MHI Congress and Expo for many years, and this year will be speaking on design trends in Land Lease Communities.

Attending classes and learning what's new as well as teaching classes is a necessary part of how we offer our clients the best in merchandising, trend tracking and marketing. We will be attending the International Builders Show Feb. 8-12 to search out the latest trends in building and design. Join us on Twitter to get our reports directly from the show.

Seth Godin is my guru. He is so no nonsense but funny at times, intellectual but down to earth, and what I really love about him is that he can get a point across faster than anyone else I know. His Purple Cow book started me on a new road to being more involved in marketing and social media so I'm forever grateful. When I worked on the Purple Cow House Campaign with Patriot Homes I made sure to get permission from Mr. Godin, and we credited him for the phrase (and gave out his Purple Cow Book).

Today I got a great post from him titled "Simple Thoughts About Fair Use". So timely, and as always so well written. In this new blogging, social world I'm always stunned to see how many people are using other people's photography, ads, brands, and stories without permission. This article is a must read for anyone who is even thinking about posting on Facebook, Twitter, or a blog and using someones text or images.

I'm fortunate enough to have access to a very talented photographer - Lisa Stewart of Lisa Stewart Photography. The images you see in my blogs, on my Lifestylist Design Facebook page and on my website have been shot specifically for my use. I do that so I'm not using other people's work and having copyright infringements.

Lifestylist® is a term that I successfully trademarked in 2002 - my registration number is 2583235. I'm very proud of this because I thought I had a good idea and made the extra effort do "do the right thing" and spend the time, effort, and money to trademark it. You would be amazed at how much time I've had to spend since them protecting my mark because people haven't bothered to do their homework and see that it's trademarked before they use it in their own businesses.

Before you decide that you have discovered the next great phrase, or "borrow" a photo from someone else be sure to read Seth's post. Wondering where to learn more about these topics? The US Patent and Trademark Office has a great site, and it is also where you can search trademark registrations and applications.

As a Lifestylist®, the biggest compliment I can receive is when people come up to me and tell me they remember a home because of the lifestyle we displayed in the home. My job is to play up the special features included in the home by using artwork, furniture and accessories. I'm thrilled when the homes are remembered and talked about during a show, but what's really gratifying is when someone tells about a home they loved so much they bought it.

That was the case at Rolling Hills Village in Battle Creek, Michigan. Bob Wolfe, president of Wolfe Commercial saw the "dog house" I did for Patriot Homes in 2008.  Even though at the time he wasn't a Patriot customer at that time he knew he had to own that home, and a great partnership was born. Every time I would run into Mr. Wolfe at an event he would tell me how much he loved that home, and he would tell everyone around him what a great job I did as well.

Fast forward to 2012, and in 2 weeks I'll be heading to Michigan to do a new model home and update the community center. I'd say that going the extra mile and LifeStyling a model with character not only helped Rolling Hills sell more homes, it also helped me earn a customer for life.

If you are in the market for model homes that are memorable and help sell homes, let's talk. We can be reached at: answers@lifestylist.com

 

Happy New Year from the Lifestylist® family! We are really excited about 2012 and the opportunities that will come with it.

A lot of being a Lifestylist® is about being a trend tracker and doing research. Today I read something that was written by someone else titled "Social Media Lifestylist Guidelines for 2012" - boy does that sound dull! The first thing that comes to mind is a big dusty manual full of rules and regulations, and that is exactly what social media (and being a Lifestylist®) is not about.

The tag line I have always used for my Lifestylist® brand is "It's All About You". I didn't want the brand to be about me telling people what to do - I wanted to listen to people's wants, needs, and dreams, and help them achieve those even when they didn't know that's what they were really searching for. I don't want to dictate, I want to educate. I've learned that listening is so much more important than anything I will ever have to say, because sometimes if you let people express their thoughts they will find their answers.

Social media is such an exciting new frontier because it gives everyone the chance to tell their story to the universe. It's become a great equalizer because almost anyone  on any budget can get access to a computer and a free site and share their thoughts.

There's a down side to this though as well -there's not as much editing as we've seen in the past. We have to learn that even though someone may have written it, there is the possibility it might not be true. Before we share or depend on information we find we have to be sure and check the facts. As the guardian of the Lifestylist® trademark for almost 10 years now I've seen how many people want to tie into my brand but aren't willing to go through the legal process to acquire a brand of their own.

So what are the real Lifestylist's guidelines for 2012? Never call them guidelines, live your life to the fullest, listen to those around you and you can never laugh too much or have too much great food and wine!

Here's to a boisterous 2012!

Happy New Year from the Lifestylist® family! I'm really excited about 2012, and the opportunities that come with it.
A lot of being a Lifestylist® is about being a trend tracker and doing research. Today I read something that was written by someone else titled "Social Media Lifestylist Guidelines for 2012" - boy does that sound dull! The first thing that comes to mind is a big dusty manual full of rules and regulations, and that is exactly what social media (and being a Lifestylist®) is not about.
The tag line I have always used for my Lifestylist® brand is "It's All About You". I didn't want the brand to be about me telling people what to do - I wanted to listen to people's wants, needs, and dreams, and help them achieve those even when they didn't know that's what they were really searching for. I don't want to dictate, I want to educate. I've learned that listening is so much more important than anything I will ever have to say, because sometimes if you let people express their thoughts they will find their answers.
Social media is such an exciting new frontier because it gives everyone the chance to tell their story to the universe. It's become a great equalizer because almost anyone  on any budget can get access to a computer and a free site and share their thoughts.
There's a down side to this though as well -there's not as much editing as we've seen in the past. We have to learn that even though someone may have written it, there is the possibility it might not be true. Before we share or depend on information we find we have to be sure and check the facts. As the guardian of the Lifestylist® trademark for almost 10 years now I've seen how many people want to tie into my brand but aren't willing to go through the legal process to acquire a brand of their own.
So what are the real Lifestylist's guidelines for 2012? Never call them guidelines, live your life to the fullest, listen to those around you and you can never laugh too much or have too much great food and wine!
Here's to a boisterous 2012!