The home real estate market is changing quickly and it’s my job to read the tea leaves for my clients. One of the dominant trends in real estate is the movement towards better design. More and more, people are redefining luxury as the art of life, shifting thinking towards harmony, personal expression, and creativity.
That’s why I have turned to Houzz. Houzz is much like Pinterest, but with added features customized for home design. With Houzz, you can create boards for your favorite designs, follow friends, connect with designers and local craftsmen, and have your questions answered by experts.
Below are five ways my client’s and I collaborate with Houzz:
1. Home Seller Preparation
When we list a house on the market, design is a fundamental concern for resale value. Often sellers need help in this area, and Houzz is a great way for me to help them visualize changes that need to be made to ensure maximum resale value prior to listing. Houzz allows sellers to visualize and calculate the cost of the upgrades, and allocate their budget wisely.
2. Home Buyer Preparation
Often, I will assist potential homebuyers in setting up their Houzz account to learn more about their design tastes before we even meet in person. If you already have an account, we can connect prior to meeting in person, and see if we are a good fit for each other.
It’s my job to understand my homebuyer’s goals, but goals often begin as mere intuitions. Houzz allows my buyers to express their visions pictorially, eliminating the need to translate hard-to-explain ideas into words.
Some buyers are looking at new construction. For them, I use Houzz to get a sense of what they’ll be interested in while visiting the design center in preparation for their appointment.
Lastly, for buyers considering buying a home that needs renovation, the process can be stressful and overwhelming. How does one know they are going to like the end result? I use Houzz to paint a picture for those that need to see it to believe it.
3. Inspire Creativity
A creative and collaborative relationship based in trust is what I desire with clients. Houzz really sparks the creativity required for me to strategize how to find a home my clients will thrive in. It’s exciting to see how Houzz brings out the creativity in a lot of people who ordinarily may not be in roles that allow that.
Whether I am trying to demonstrate the final look of a landscape or a new kitchen, I no longer have to paint a picture of “what could be” for clients. I can show them with a click of the mouse and they can share their insights with me.
4. Build Community
Community is good for the soul. I believe clients have a better sense of being home when they are involved in meeting and picking out local designers and craftsmen. There is real interaction as clients ask questions and receive responses. I believe it provides a sense of connectedness that is often missing in a typical transaction.
5. Improve Design Consultations
Sotheby’s clients want to work with the best designers. At the same time, the best designers want to work with great clients. Houzz helps me prepare my client’s for the best designers and maximize their design consultations through better education, collaboration, and creativity energy. Did you know that many designers will not even meet with you unless you have a Houzz or Pinterest board setup?
What Houzz Doesn’t Do
Houzz doesn’t take the place of trade shows for our stagers, builders, architects, and specialty vendors. It’s still important to see things in person, and experience colors, textures, and environments. However, Houzz does make the research time more fruitful, because my client’s are educated and well prepared.
How to Sign up
Houzz is available on your iPad, iPhone or desktop. Go to houzz.com to sign up with your Facebook or email account. If you do sign up, make sure to connect with me by clicking HERE.
Would you like even more design ideas? Connect with me on Pinterest which is also a great resource.
Don’t just follow me, say hi!
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Cheri Riley
404.944.9992
866.919.3607
cheririley@atlantafinehomes.com