Selling Houses: Design Psychology Works!

I've taught the concepts of Design Psychology for many years, and I know how much it can empower a person, and allow them to create a fabulous home that sustains their emotions. Since it's based on science, I know that Design Psychology is effective at turning plain spaces into happy places.

I discovered Design Psychology in 1985, when my husband and I purchased an 1878 Queen Anne Victorian and began a major renovation. After tearing everything out of the kitchen, we rebuilt the entire space, using concepts I'd learned while studying interior design. But when the project was complete, the feeling of the space was all wrong, so I began a fifteen-year search to learn about how design details influence our emotions.

Although I know a number of interior designers, Design Psychology differs from "traditional" interior design in that it acknowledges how our senses can profoundly react to many other factors besides those of basic interior design. The concepts of Design Psychology address elements of the human psyche that interior design doesn't take into consideration.

Design Psychology also differs from the ancient practice of Feng Shui, although the two concepts are totally compatible. There's no reason at all that homeowners can't use both the techniques of Feng Shui and Design Psychology to enhance their homes. But after years of study, I have come to believe that Design Psychology is superior to Feng Shui, in large part because Feng Shui is based on superstition, while Design Psychology draws its concepts from science.

Through the use of Design Psychology, my husband and I have bought and sold 27 houses, to date. We begin by creating an overall design plan, based on our target market and selling season. Then, by using particular colors, patterns, props, and staging methods, we're able to sell our homes quickly, and for thousands of dollars more than our competition.

Our senses react to the design choices we make, so choosing the wrong colors or patterns in wallpaper, fabric, or paint can negatively impact our senses. Design Psychology works, and if you'll just take a little extra time to avoid making design mistakes, you'll save MONEY and sell your home more quickly, both of which will have a significant effect on your bottom line when your sign the closing papers!

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

The talk show host pays $12 million for the 4,088-square-foot house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with beach access.

In one of the more talked-about transactions in town, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore lists for $2,875,000.

A decorative cast stone entrance opens to this restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style house in Pasadena's South Orange Grove area. Built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore, the house retains such original details as coffered wood ceilings and arched doorways.

They don't believe they can sell their property for what it's worth, so they're spending money on making their homes more comfortable.

Do you fit any of these descriptions?

A biennial research report by the National Assn. of Realtors indicates that a handful of real estate agents and brokers and their clients either don't know the law or don't care to follow it.

When it comes to lawsuits, real estate agents and brokers tangle mostly among themselves.

The president aims to help about 3.5 million people with good credit who are unable to refinance at historically low rates because their homes are worth less than their mortgages.

 

The White House hopes to help millions of homeowners lower their monthly mortgage bill with a $5 billion to $10 billion plan to set up a streamlined refinancing program for people who are current on their payments.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large U.S. cities fell 1.3% in November from October as foreclosures continue to drag down the housing market.

Three straight months of home-price declines in the biggest U.S. cities showed that foreclosures remain a significant drag on a housing market that is entering its fifth year of deterioration.

L.A. Clipper Chris Paul may be quick down the court, but he moves pretty fast when it comes to buying multimillion-dollar real estate too.

Karen Mena managed to get a foreclosure on her San Bernardino home rescinded. But she continues to negotiate with Bank of America over loan terms and could still lose the house.

Foreclosure commonly represents the end of a struggle. A borrower can't pay a mortgage, loses a home and moves on.

A.F. Leicht designed quirky Spanish Revival houses in Los Angeles as well as evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson's landmark Angelus Temple. His interiors often had irregular-shaped or curved walls, rooms or hallways. This Los Feliz villa, with rounded rooms, fancifully shaped living room French doors and elliptical master bathroom, captures his signature style.