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From Dollhouses to Real Houses

Helping make real estate dreams come true  
I have a similar story to Lori's as I was very interested in decorating and designing, even at an early age. I thought you may enjoy her well written story.

May 2010
“The Possible Origin of My Career...” by Lori Matzke
When I turned five, my parents bought me a dollhouse. It was a large English manor- style home made out of vinyl that opened and closed like a suitcase. The exterior was imprinted with a red tile roof, white bricks, and numerous windows adorned with lush boxes spilling over with bright pink geraniums and trailing vines. Once the top buckle was unfastened, the lid would fall open to reveal a marble terrace that lead to a grand foyer and even grander rooms within.
My parents included furnishings and a complete mini- nuclear family, including Mom and Dad, Junior and Sissy. And while I truly appreciated having a nice family to occupy such a terrific home, I rarely played with them. To be honest, I was much more interested in the space and furnishings. And who wouldn’t be? The house was quite phenomenal in my little world
and occupied many endless hours as I quietly arranged and rearranged the furnishings, key word here being 'quietly', which I can only assume was my parent’s original intent.
But I soon found there were certainly limitations to my designs, as the store bought furnishings didn’t quite fill up the house. So I had to learn quickly to reinvent everyday items to make it comfortable.
My grandmother’s many spools of colorful thread were easily converted into patio seating while her box of buttons offered a variety of plates to set the table for dining or pasted on the walls for decoration, in a pinch. With my mother’s highly trained skills (I was too young to wield a scissors on my own, at the time) tissue boxes were cut down to build a refrigerator, cabinets, and stove, outfitted with handles, knobs, and burners using my super-size crayons and a little
bit of chewing gum.
As you can only imagine, the possibilities were endless. And the ease of maintenance on the house was nothing short of amazing! With very little effort, my mother could simply flip out the furnishings, take the entire house out on the lawn, and hose it down completely, ridding the brick, terrace, and walls of any trace of peanut butter smudges or Popsicle drips that might have been left by the manor’s own in-house designer and resident snacker.
It occurred to me that this was perhaps the first house I ever staged. Though I have yet to find another home or owner so easy to accommodate, nor anywhere near as easy to maintain, I am convinced that early on I was already honing my craft and working towards a fulfilling career in home staging. Who knew?










Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:
 Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist 
Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes
Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

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