Using an interior designer/space planner in your rehabs?

[Keianna Harrison]

Hey everyone: I'm Keianna Rae Harrison, an interior designer / home stager based in Indianapolis. I'm also a fix and flip investor. I have a question: Why don't more investors work with a designer/residential space planner when doing flips? I've been called in to stage a ton of flip projects that seem like they have been rehabbed without much regard for the end buyer who is 80% of the time a "HER." For example, I've seen so many flipped homes with ill-placed laundry rooms and bathrooms when there was ample space to reposition the rooms for better functionality. I've also seen many flip investors using the exact same finishes as their competition often resulting in houses with the exact same finishes for several doors around (same bath tile, kitchen tile, paint colors, etc.) I realize a lot of this answer ties back to bottom line, but if you could hire an affordable interior designer/space planner/stager who would advise/consult from the beginning to the end of the project, wouldn't it be worth it to have your property sell fast or even sell BEFORE it finished? Just looking for some insight here. My company HER Staging & Interiors provides these services to investors. My goal is to make sure our service is a good investment for our clients, and a good resource as well. Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

[Bill Gulley]

Well, the flippers are going to go with pretty much with what is in the market, they are like spec homes that need to appeal to the broader base of buyers, the market often dictates colors and materials. 

Not saying you can't make a place more attractive or more marketable, but say you suggest a dark red on one wall, if it's not common in the market for a comparable home, it falls on you to show or prove the outcome will be better and at a price that takes care of your fee.

It's reputation and that takes a long time to build. 

I'm in the process of turning a 1500 sq ft 2/1 in a great area into a 3/2 with a master suite split bedroom plan and all I'm adding is 60 square feet. The old living room and family room thing is worn out in the market, it gets a much bigger kitchen, fireplace-hearth area by moving it into the old family room. The old formal dinning area off the living room will be an over sized walk in closet and entryway to the kitchen or living room. Not sure what I'll do with the place, sell or lease, I'm shooting at functionality and best use from an appraisal point of view. That's usually the best for the market as well.

Buyers can paint, builders generally stay neutral for the widest acceptance for selling or leasing. 

First thing to access is your market, customer needs, not really what might be nicer but what will be more acceptable. Those I know in the business lean to more affluent private clients by word of mouth, the builders aren't their profit center but a staple. :)