Transitions Home Staging has a new home!!

          http://transitionshomestagingtulsa.com  

Just Saying

One of my Realtor partners was chosen as the listing agent by a home seller because she provides the services of a professional home stager (yes, she uses me!!).  This seller believes in the value of home staging and wanted to list with a Realtor who did as well.

This savvy seller was so excited when we met for our consultation.  She and her daughter met me at the front door with pen and paper in hand.  We proceeded through each room, rearranging furniture and artwork.  She made a list of the additional work to be done after I left as well as a list of the accessories I recommended that she purchase.

This savvy seller was so open to my instructions and recommendations – she did every single thing that I asked of her.  She called me later that afternoon with a question about a purchase I asked her to make.  During that call, she told me again how much fun she was having.

Not only was her staging experience fun, it had a very, very positive outcome – and the goal of every house sale.  The great news for my Realtor partner and her savvy seller is that they had seven showings on the first day of the listing with two scheduling follow up appointments for the following day.  By the way, this house had a contract in 3 days!!

You can draw your own conclusions.  I am just saying that the perfect combination of a savvy seller, proactive Realtor, fantastic online photos and professional home staging delivered quite desirable and hard to beat results.

For the savvy seller, the cost of home staging is an investment in selling their house quicker and for the best possible price.  For this particular savvy seller, it was also a fun experience and opened up lots of possibilities for her family!!

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy

Imagine These Thought Bubbles

Imagine these internal conversations. 

“It is my first date.  I don’t need to worry about my clothes or grooming.  I will just show up and he/she will fall in love with me.” 

 “My college graduation/church directory picture will work just fine on Match.com.  No one pays attention to the pictures any way.” 

“It is just the initial job interview.  I don’t need to fix the hole in my shirt or have my suit pressed.  I will make those repairs after I get the job.”

Sounds pretty absurd – doesn’t it.  And yet, are those thought bubbles any different than these?

“We are going to put the house on the market for a month or two and see what happens.” 

“We don’t need a professional photographer for our online photos.  Our shots are good enough.”

“We don’t need to replace or clean the damaged carpeting; wash the windows; paint the red bedroom, etc.  We can do that after we have an offer and are preparing to move”

There is another set of thought bubbles you can also easily imagine if you are in the real estate business.

“Not much to see in these pictures.  No sense wasting our time there.  Let’s look at the next online MLS listing that fits our criteria.”

“This house does not compare well with the other houses we’ve seen.  I think they just put a For Sale sign out and expected it to sell.”

“Too many problems, too many repairs.  I am not interested in buying a house with projects.  I want move-in ready.”

When we are getting ready for a date or a job interview, we make sure that we look our best (that is if we want a second date or the job).  Typically, we are properly groomed and wearing one of our better and appropriate outfits.  We want to impress our date or the person doing the job interview. 

Why should it be any different when we decide to sell our house? 

§  Do we think that our house should not be cleaned and groomed or outfitted as well as when we get ourselves ready for a date?

§  Do we not think that the importance of how our house looks is any different than the importance of how we look for a job interview? 

§  Do we think that potential buyers will overlook obvious repairs and problems just because you might be willing to fix them later?

The answer to these questions is very simple –it is very important that our house look its best when a buyer visits.  It needs to be “show ready”.

Remember – you are never given a second chance to make a good first impression.  If the house is messy, cluttered, or confusing to the potential buyer, odds are they will not be back. 

In its simplest terms, home staging involves making sure your house is cleaned, groomed and properly outfitted.  When I stage a house, I make sure that it is ready for its first date with every prospective buyer. 

 

Remember to dwell in possibilities!

 

Cindy

 

Just the Facts - Less than First Price Reduction

We often make the claim that the cost of professional home staging is less than the first price reduction.  Today, we prove that it is more than just home staging marketing fluff. 

Just look at the facts.

Using figures provided by CORT, the world’s largest provider of rental furniture, we can imagine a very conservative first price reduction of 5% on a $250,000 house equals $12,500.  This conservative assumption is supported by the National Association of Realtors which cites a 10% lower sales price associated with more than 24 weeks on the market. 

In the CORT example, the average cost of home staging was $4,700 and likely involves renting their furniture.  The CORT figure is higher than my average vacant staging engagements but comparable to staging in other parts of the country. 

Using these figures, the cost of home staging would be less by $7,800 (or a whopping 62%) than the first price reduction of $12,500. 

It is hard to argue - the price of professional home staging is significantly less than the first price reduction. 

The savvy seller and proactive Realtor also recognize that the cost of home staging is an investment in selling their house quicker and for the best possible price –without having to reduce their price.  They completely understand the reality that their house is competing with what potential buyers are seeing on TV and in the magazines as well as with professionally staged houses in their market.

I recognize that it can be a tough sell to convince a seller to invest in professional home staging.  Maybe today’s facts can help them better understand the possibilities.

Dwell in possibilities!

Cindy

 

 

Help a Seller Out: 5 Tips Buyers Would Give Sellers If They Could

What a gem of a find and something my Realtor partners and savvy sellers can use today and tomorrow and on into the future!  The advice is timely, relevant and absolutely perfect.

We found this article in one of our news feeds.  “Help a Seller Out: 5 Tips Buyers Would Give Sellers If They Could” was written by Tara-Nicholle Nelson, a San Francisco area real estate broker, attorney, speaker, author, and publishing/media entrepreneur.  And it is chocked full of deep insights and great ideas.

Here is Tara’s list of buyers’ tips for sellers:

1.    You should see what your home looks like online. No, really

2.    If your home is seriously overpriced, I’ll wait for the price to come down before I even come see it.

3.    There are a whole lot of fish in the sea - I only have to find one.

4.    If I nitpick your house, that probably means I like it.

5. When it comes to staging, the bar is high. Really high.

As you can imagine, I just love what she has to say about home staging.

“HGTV. Houzz. Architectural Digest. All these outlets which constantly publish beautifully designed and decorated homes have influenced what the average American expects their home to look like - and yours, for that matter. Additionally, all the do-it-yourself publications and shows along with the advent of home improvement stores which double as DIY design emporiums have given everyday people of modest means the power to live in beautiful and functional homes, without breaking the bank.”

“Beyond all this, professional home staging has taken off in recent years, as data has repeatedly shown that staged homes sell faster, for more, and more certainly than homes that are not staged, nor well-prepared by their owners.”

“So not only is your home competing with the homes buyers are seeing on TV and in the magazines, it is also competing with professionally staged homes for sale right in your own neighborhood - homes that the very buyers who will come to see your home will also have seen, possibly right before or after they view yours!” 

This article appears in Tara’s blog at http://www.trulia.com/blog/taranelson/  As if you already didn’t need a reason to check out Tara’s blog, she also has an article titled “Help A Buyer Out: 5 Tips Sellers Would give Buyers if they Could”. 

I plan to go back regularly to see what Tara has to say about our business.  I can only imagine the possibilities.

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

The Topic Realtors Won’t Touch Because It Is Too Sensitive

How do you tell a colleague that they have bad breath, body odor, too much perfume/cologne or moth-balled clothing?  Usually, you don’t and hope that someone else will.  But maybe if the time and place is just right (and you’ve rehearsed a few times in your head), you might just say something to this colleague in a kind and caring way.  

What about offensive smells and odors in a house?  Now that is the topic most (but not all) Realtors won’t touch. 

A fellow real estate professional raised this topic with me after reading my recent “clean freak” post.  She shared some important insights about smells and odors.  In keeping with the title of this blog, our conversation about smells and odors is “to be continued” today.

My real estate professional friend believes that “if it really smells, it never sells!”  She also said that it is “the biggest turn-off I encounter.”

“Here is what happens:  I walk into a cute house and start imaging how my family would live in this house.  I open the door or enter a bedroom with 'the scent'.  All emotional connection I feel with the house is immediately finished.  I can't get out of the house fast enough.  All I can think is this house is dirty - gotta go.”

My friend categorized offensive and unacceptable smells and odors by problem area:

BEDROOMS – “Used bedding is one problem and the smell issue becomes magnified if teenagers are in the house with hormones gone wild.”

PETS – “If you have pets and carpeting, you have pet odor.”

SMOKE – “Don't even go there with me. Buyers won't either. It permeates paint and all furniture.  Get a professional to help.”

KITCHENS- “People who tend to eat or cook any ethnic food often tend to have a scent in their home that is different from the local area.  You know how you walk into a greasy joint and can smell the grease - same thing.  It just gives the scent of not being cleaned properly.” 

So what are we to do with offensive odors and smells?   “Don’t try to mask with a perfumy scent.  It won’t cover the offensive odors.  It gives the impression you know it is there and you are too lazy to clean it up.”

What the seller needs to do is clean, clean some more and then keep it clean!!  Or better yet, hire a professional cleaning service to do a deep clean and then maintain it. 

One way or the other, the sellers need to make sure the following happen:

·         Wash all bedding from mattress pad to bedspread; down comforter to pillow cases

·         Eliminate dirty clothes pile - wash them all!

·         Shampoo the furniture. Shampoo all carpeting

·         Deep clean the kitchen regularly including the oven, microwave and stove top as well as the counter tops.

·         Air the house out often (weather permitting). Leave the air on to circulate house as well as ceiling fans if you have them.

And what are Realtors to do if the topic of odors and smells is too sensitive to discuss with their sellers?

A few of my Realtor partners have a simple solution – they engage me as the professional home stager and “bad cop” to share the bad news.  I guess you could also copy and share the February 20^th posting ("Everyone is a clean freak") and this one – your sellers might get the hint. 

Regardless of how you do it, you owe it to your sellers to broach this sensitive subject.  They will thank you in the end especially after the house sells.

 

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy

Realtor Tip - Sell My House to Me

While in the lunch line during the real estate stager’s convention, I overheard one of the speakers giving advice to a fellow home stager about how to interview and select a Realtor. 

Her advice was to ask each prospective Realtor to literally walk you through your own house and sell it to you.  What would their sales pitch be to a potential buyer of your house?  She believed this simple exercise separated the effective and prepared from the ineffective and ill-prepared.

And she was right.  The Realtor listing your house needs to “get” the house; needs to “get” the neighborhood; and, needs to “get” the target market of potential buyers.  In short, the Realtor needs to get how to market your house.  If they don’t “get” any of these key aspects of selling a house, then they should not get your listing. 

 

And if they “get it”, you can expect to sell your house in a reasonable period of time for a good price.

Taking this idea a step further, I believe that my role as a professional home stager is to market a house through staging.  Like the listing Realtor, the professional stager needs to “get” the house, neighborhood and potential market.

I need to “get” what makes this house special and unique, namely, focal points, architectural features and flow.  I need to “get” what types of buyers will be attracted to this house and stage it accordingly.  I need to “get rid of” the clutter and confusion that detract from making this house special and unique. 

If I am doing my job, I need to create an emotional reaction that begins when a prospective buyer pulls into the driveway and does not end until the home has been experienced and the front door is closed. 

If I am doing my job, prospective buyers "get" the house, the Realtor "gets" a sale, and the seller "gets" to find their next dream house.

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

Everyone is a Clean Freak!!

The unforgiving reality for any home seller is that everyone who comes into your house will be a “clean freak”!  They walk-in the front door with high standards and exceptional expectations for a squeaky clean house.  These “clean freaks” want order and disapprove of clutter and mess.

If they find dirt, disorder or dust bunnies, they will likely beat a hasty retreat and move on to the next house on their list.  And, I can almost guarantee that they will not be back for a second look!

Truth be told, these clean freak buyers probably have completely different expectations for their current home.  I am pretty sure that their current home will not be up to the exacting standards they have for someone else’s house. 

But for the home seller, it really does not matter what the potential buyer’s current home looks like.  What matters is what your house looks like.  If your house is not clean, orderly and “show ready”, then you have a big problem.

I came to this insight while working on a “To Do” list for one of my clients.  The preface to my note was “sorry for being so particular, but . . “  And my “but” was the insight that everyone who comes through this house will be a “clean freak”.

When I stage a house, I have exacting standards for order and cleanliness.  It is not because I am a “clean freak” by nature but because I know that potential buyers will be. 

In some instances, my Realtor partner uses me as the “bad cop” to make sure that the house is cleaned properly.  In other instances, they warn the sellers to make sure the house is thoroughly cleaned and to do everything I tell them because I have a track record of helping sellers sell their houses.

And in the end, that is what this freaky cleanliness is all about – selling the house quickly and for the best price possible.  Just imagine the possibilities with a clean, orderly and professionally staged house.

 

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy

10 REASONS NOT TO STAGE YOUR HOME

Today’s post is a reprint of a great article I wish I had written.  Fellow stager, Janet Jones of Hawaii, was the author and gave us permission to reprint her article.  This one is a keeper!!!

1. We want to test the market for 90 days.  And on the 91st day?  Price reduction--and 90 days worth of potential buyers who have already eliminated your property.

2. It costs too much money.  I have never seen a home where the staging costs would have exceeded the first price reduction.  And that doesn't even factor in the monthly carrying cost of the home.

3. We can't stage the house, we're living in it.  One common misconception is that staging is only for vacant homes.  Every home/condo can be staged, and you can actually live in it after staging.

4. We didn't have to stage any of the other properties we sold over the years.  Yes, once upon a time you could generate three offers by 5 p.m. on the same day your Realtor put the For Sale sign in your yard.  Not now.  Buyers are picky and they have a lot of homes to choose from.

5. Everyone loves our house so buyers will love it, too.  What you, your friends and relatives love about your house may not be what today's buyer wants.  Sellers are often baffled by the feedback they get after showings--amazed that buyers have found things they don't like about the property.

6. We can clean the carpets and declutter without someone telling us how.  Yes, you can (and should) do this, but it is a tiny piece of staging.  Do you know what separates "clutter" from "asset"?  And what about all the other things that staging encompasses, like traffic flows, highlighting architectural features, updating, and appealing to your target market?

7. We have no desire to remove/change our (wallpaper/mirrored tile/gold faucets/paneling/dated light fixtures . . .).  And neither do buyers.  Better to keep your home or be ready to sell at a deep discount.

8. The view alone will sell this place.  Then why many months later are these great view homes/condos still on the market?  Could it be that buyers want something to go with the view--like a comfortable, move-in ready home?

9. We would rather let the buyers makes their own paint/flooring choices.  And that equals a price reduction. If buyers do make an offer on your home they will double or triple the cost of these items and reflect that in their discounted offer price--which includes a deduction for the inconvenience.

10. Our home is professionally decorated.  A professionally decorated home is tailored to the owner's particular needs. Does it work for the new buyer's needs? You could see #1 above . . . .

These are all great reasons--

• for price reductions
• for extended time on the market
• for buyers not coming to look at your home
• for buyers not coming back for a second look

• There are dozens of reasons not to stage, but only one good reason to stage--getting your home sold faster for the highest possible price. Staging is preparing your home for sale and creating a home that buyers want to buy. If you want to be in the best competitive position in this market today, consult with a professional home stager before listing your property for sale.
   
  Janet L. Jones
  Kihei, Hawaii
  Just Your Style Staging and Redesign
  http://www.just-your-style-interiors.com/
   
  
  
  
  

 

 

Enough About Me. What About You?

Last week, I attended the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) convention near San Francisco.  I learned so much and came back brimming with ideas, enthusiasm and new techniques.  Today, I want to share a few of the tidbits picked up at RESA that may be of interest and value to you.  

So instead of too many details about staging tips and strategies, I will share stuff you can use - enough about me and more about you.

·        I learned from a panel of Realtors that professional home staging is assumed In San Francisco.  The vast majority of houses on the market are staged.  The criteria used for choosing a home stager are the product (are you wowed from the front door?) as well as their reliability and experience.

 

·        In areas where staging is not assumed, the competition is not other professional home stagers.  Our competition is not staging at all or seller complacency.  This complacency is based upon the assumption that the only preparation needed before listing a house on the market is to put a “For Sale” sign in the front yard – and the market will do the rest for you. 

·        A few of the top decorating trends include:

o   Colors – Pantone color of the year for 2013 is Emerald Green

o   Global chic – well-traveled, eclectic displays of books and accessories

o   Mixing it up – contemporary with vintage; formal with casual; indoors out and outdoors in

·        Some catchy phrases for Realtors and professional home stagers

o   If they can smell it, you can’t sell it. 

o   Clutter eats equity.

o   “All things being equal” - four most dangerous words in business.

·        Motivational speakers worth remembering (especially if you have to book a meeting speaker or if you are looking for some personal inspiration and motivation):

o   Elizabeth Hagen (Now is Your Time:  The Steps to be Fearless and Extraordinary) - http://elizabethhagen.com/

o   Bodine Balasco (VISION CREATES REALITY – Expanding Your Ability to Create the Results You Truly Want) - http://www.bodinebalasco.com/

o   David Arvin (It’s Not Who You Know, It’s Who Knows You) - http://www.visibilitycoach.com/

I also came away with a great line used by David Arvin (who is a dead ringer for the British actor, Clive Owen).  His story was that he was at a convention of motivational speakers who can be some of the most extroverted people you will ever meet.  You know, they are the kind of people who will say -- “Enough about me.  Let’s talk about you?  What do you think about me?”

For me, the possibilities are endless when the focus is not on me but on what I can do to help my sellers and Realtor partners get the best price possible in the shortest amount of time by using my home staging services.  But I must confess that when I finish staging a home, I am always interested in the feedback from the seller and Realtor about the finished product – as I want them to be wowed as well as wowing the potential buyer.

 

Dwell in possibilities

Cindy

 

PS – I was not selected as the RESA Top Stager – Occupied Stagings in North America.  But I was so proud and so excited to be called up to the stage and stand with the other nine stagers selected as top ten finalists in this category.

 

Home Staging Trends for 2013

I was interviewed by a reporter interested in my perspective on home staging trends for 2013.  After the interview, I decided that the “to be continued” blog was another venue for sharing my perspective. 

EMOTION BEATS NEUTRAL EVERY TIME!  There is a myth that home staging requires that the house be neutral to appeal to as many buyers as possible.  Keep the house a blank slate and depersonalized are parts of this myth. 

For me the new trend in professional home staging is the need to build emotion into the house with the For Sale sign in the front yard.  Buying a house is an emotional decision and buyers need to connect emotionally with the house.  Therefore, the staged house needs to make that great first impression with a statement – and not a neutral, blank canvas.

I find the emotion for the house by discussing the target market and neighborhood with my Realtor partner as well as their vision for how this house should look to potential buyers.  Plus, I bring my experience to bear in terms of how we can highlight the focal points of the house to amplify its emotional appeal.

BUYERS STILL WANT “MOVE-IN” READY.  AND THAT MEANS SELLERS NEED TO DO HOMEWORK BEFORE PUTTING THEIR HOUSE ON THE MARKET.  Many buyers have very busy lives and do not want to face major projects, kitchen upgrades or extensive painting.  It is enough to unpack their boxes, arrange their furniture and settle into the new home and neighborhood.  The want move-in ready without any remodeling or major projects required. 

The growing trend for houses that sold quickly in 2012 and a continuing trend for 2013 will be the need for home sellers to make investments in their house to make it look and feel “move-in” ready. 

For many staging projects, I spend 60-90 minutes giving the sellers “homework” which can be everything from new carpeting and fresh painting to furniture and accessory removal.  I then go in to stage the house only after the “homework” has been completed.  I find that some sellers are excited to do something productive to help make their house more marketable.  There are other sellers who resist and do the work reluctantly – but are usually very happy with the end result.  The big advantage of this approach is that the home staging becomes a team effort among the sellers, Realtor and home stager.

SAVVY REALTORS SET STANDARDS FOR THEIR SELLERS BEFORE THEY PUT THEIR SIGN IN THE FRONT YARD.  Some of my really savvy Realtor partners set clear standards and make sure that the house is ready before they list it.  These Realtors know that buyers will pick “move-in ready” over “fixer-uppers” just about every time.  They also adjust the asking price up in cases when the seller’s improvements and professional home staging truly increases the value of the house. 

These Realtors can be proud of their track record of quick sells and one of the reasons is the expectations they put on their sellers. 

WORD OF MOUTH TESTIMONIALS AND REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF THE POWER OF HOME STAGING WILL DRIVE MORE SELLERS TO STAGE THEIR HOUSES.  In the past, most people knew about professional home staging from shows they watched on HGTV.  The new trend has been friends telling friends about what a difference staging makes and referring their friends to the Realtors who use professional stagers.

For example, I worked for and with a circle of friends who each chose my Realtor partner, and ultimately me, to stage their houses because of the very positive experiences and results shared by their friends and neighbors. 

The best part of the story is that one of circle members had their house on the market for over a year – listed by a friend of Mr. Seller.  When they saw their friends using my proactive Realtor partner and selling their houses quickly, they decided to switch Realtors and had me stage their house.  After being staged, this house sold in less than a month!!  

And the circle of 5 will be expanding to 6 as we are now in conversations with another friend about listing that house.  We are not sure when this circle will end if it will ever end – the possibilities are endless!!!

 

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy

Opportunity of a Lifetime – Decorate and Furnish Housing for Meryl, Julia and the Cast of August: Osage County

2012 was truly an amazing year for me with the most amazing part being the work we did for the movie August: Osage County.  We were hired in August to decorate and furnish the housing for the cast which included Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Julianne Nicholson and Abigail Breslin.

It was one of the more challenging projects for lots of reasons. 

 

·         Our task was to outfit 11 empty lofts in less than 3 weeks making them comfortable, cozy and livable for the cast who would be living there for about 3 months.  We provided everything from furniture, bedding, towels, kitchenware, glassware and accessories.  We had to shop until we dropped and then go back at it the next day.  For example, we bought over 80 pillows for the loft bedrooms. 

·         We were decorating and furnishing for folks used to living quite comfortably including two of the biggest stars in the world (as we were reminded on more than one occasion).  It felt then and continues to feel surreal that these celebrities lived and slept in spaces that we decorated.

·         We had only 2 weeks from possession of the lofts until the cast members arrived in Bartlesville.  Those two weeks included lots of trips to Tulsa for buying sprees filling up our SUVs; lots of coordination with our furniture resources; and lots of late nights getting these spaces ready.

·         We delivered the completed lofts just in time – finishing at midnight on Friday with the cast arriving on Saturday and Sunday.  And, Walt and I were beyond exhausted but very proud of what we had done.

My objective was to transform these lofts into “home” for the cast.  This project was a priority for the movie’s executive producer, Celia Costas.  Plus, I really wanted her to be very happy with the results as she was my client.  You can see photos of this project on our website at http://www.transitions-home-staging.com/August--Osage-County-Cast-Housing.html and see how we achieved our objective.

The August: Osage County cast housing project was also one of the most rewarding I’ve ever done for lots of reasons but not the ones you might expect.  I did not become buddies with Meryl or Julia and actually never really met them, but I was fine with that. 

It was rewarding for the support and partnership I received; feedback given about our efforts; and, relationships we made with key members of the crew. 

·         In addition to what Walt and I did on this project, I also partnered and was helped by local friends who “saved my bacon” on more than one occasion:

o   Price Connors is at the top of the list.  Price is a senior designer, Dujardin Design (http://dujardindesign.com ) who relocated to Bartlesville in 2012.  He helped me immeasurably in taking the design of the lofts for Meryl and Julia to the next level.  I know that I could not have done those lofts without Price’s incredible taste, style and experience.

o   Lauren Taylor was the production assistant assigned to assist us with the cast housing project.  She was a godsend!!!  While she studied film, her DNA is design with an architect father and designer mother.  And we exploited her design roots, work ethic and creativity.  Plus, Lauren was fun to be around.

o   I am grateful for the artwork provided by Royce Myers (http://www.roycemyers.com ) and Leslie Gregory (http://photoleslie.com) as well as Gary Gibson of Ampersand Graphics in Bartlesville.

o   My friends at Cort and Bassett who provided the furniture for these loft spaces.  And I especially want to thank their delivery crews who had to haul furniture up 2 and 3 flights of stairs in these lofts.

o   Lindy Lein, Heather O’Donnell and Megan Burnett for their hard work helping us outfit these lofts.

·         The feedback we heard directly and second-hand from the cast was so rewarding because it reinforced that I did in fact decorate and furnish comfortable, cozy and livable spaces for the cast. 

o   My clients loved it – Celia, the other producers and the key production managers.

o   Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin and her mother, and Margo Martindale told us personally that they really appreciated their “homes”. 

o   We heard that Meryl Streep described her loft as lovely and thanked the production coordinator. 

o   We were told that Julia Roberts said she felt right at home when she moved in that first weekend.

·         The relationships we made with key members of the August: Osage County crew were the most rewarding parts of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  There are great stories attached with each person but I will just name our new friends – Celia Costas (executive producer), Deb Dyer (unit production manager), Evan Beier (production coordinator), Nancy Haigh (set decorator) and Courtney Cunniff (production assistant).   Plus, we were invited to visit the set and were given a cast and crew gift!!

 

Who could have imagined the possibilities when I received that call asking if I would like to meet and discuss a housing project for the movie being filmed locally?  The result of that call became a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity -- and for that I am deeply grateful and honored.

Dwell in possibilities

 

Cindy