by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers

It's a far cry from their former careers as a secret service agent and an accountant, but Eagan resident Beth Patnode and Lakeville resident Shar Sitter feel like they've finally found their calling.

Patnode and Sitter are partners in a home staging and redesign business called Stylish Transformations that aims to help people sell their homes faster, and possibly for more money, in a saturated market.

"With this market, there is so much inventory and you have to make your home stand out from the competition," Sitter said. "You've got to wow them from the door."

Stylish Transformations also offers redesign services that use a homeowner's existing furniture and accessories in a new way to create a fresh look.

Former neighbors and longtime friends, Patnode and Sitter launched their business in November 2005 after both were looking for more fulfillment from their careers.

Patnode, who traveled to foreign countries with U.S. presidents as a secret service agent, wanted to spend more time at home with her husband and children. A natural at decorating, she began mulling the idea of starting her own staging business a couple of years ago.

"Even as a young child, I used to rearrange my furniture and try new paint colors that I thought would warm up my room," she said. "My parents think its the funniest thing that I do this now."

Sitter said she originally went to college for interior design, but then switched to accounting, which she did for 22 years.

"I liked having my own business, but wanted something more fun than just knowing the tax code," she said.

The two friends would often shop together for home decor, and other friends sought them out for decorating advice.

"We were always doing it for free," Sitter said. "The whole time I was doing taxes I was constantly doing hand-painted clothing, knitting, helping people with their houses. I had to have that creative thing going. Now I really do think we're doing what we're really supposed to."

The pair launched the Stylish Transformations Web site in November 2005, and they got their first client a few months later.

"It was a $2 million home on Summit Avenue," Sitter said. "And I said to Pat, ‘Well, we're starting at the top.' "

They finished the job within 24 hours of getting the Realtor's call, grabbing furniture and accessories from their own homes to fill the vacant space.

"That was our seed money to start buying furniture, and now we have a warehouse that is filled," Sitter said.

They are always on the lookout for bargains, and they stockpile furniture and accessories in a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary. When staging homes, they have access to everything from couches and consoles to lamps, throw pillows, books, and dishes.

"We have everything you can imagine," Sitter said. "We handpick all the pieces and gear it toward the space, whether it's going to be more for a family or more for a young, urban person."

Even with a spate of TV shows dedicated to home staging, people continue to underestimate its impact, Patnode said.

"If you look at the current listings out there, the vacant ones just don't show as well," she said. "You don't have to furnish the entire home. But if you walk in and feel welcomed, you're going to like the space better than if you walk in and it's cold and empty."

"Statistics show that a buyer is going to decide on your home in 11 seconds," Sitter said. "So that first impression is so important."

Stylish Transformations offers services for every budget, with levels ranging from a simple consultation to full staging of a vacant home.

Just getting a consultation, during which Patnode and Sitter will give a homeowner suggestions to improve a home's saleability, can save money in the long run.

"I don't think a lot of people understand that if their home is on the market and is vacant or hasn't been staged, they might be doing repeat price reductions of $5,000 or $10,000, whereas a $195 consultation would have done wonders for them," Patnode said. "They could have gotten their home sold in a faster time and maybe even for more money."

During a hands-on consultation, Patnode and Sitter will do the actual rearranging and decluttering for homeowners.

"We're using their stuff, shopping from other rooms, and doing the work for them," Sitter said. "But we also leave them a list of homework, things they could do to further improve their home."

Some people are reluctant to make major changes, like replacing carpet or removing wallpaper, but Patnode and Sitter swear it's better to invest the money up front than to lose money later.

"You're going to spend the money whether it's on the price reduction or the carpet, and usually you can replace a carpet for less than the price reduction," Sitter said. "People want their home to be walk-in ready."

Staging is very different than decorating, Patnode said, because it's more about neutralizing a space and making it warm and inviting for potential buyers.

"When you're staging a home to sell, it's to get those potential buyers to say, ‘I could really see myself living here,'" she said. "We're not catering to the taste of the people that are selling their house."

So far, Patnode and Sitter have had many staging success stories. They recall working on one vacant house in Eden Prairie that was on its second or third Realtor and had sat on the market for more than a year.

"We got the call on a Friday, staged it Saturday, there was an open house Sunday, and someone from the open house came back Monday and made an offer," Sitter said. "We've had many that have sold within a week."

Both women are thrilled with their new business, which just happens to demand a great deal of shopping.

Sitter said she continues to get energized by each home they work on, and although it's not quite as adventurous as protecting presidents Clinton or Bush, Patnode said she still gets a rush from her new calling.

"For me, it's a challenge," she said. "I love going in and sticking to someone's budget and making their home look as good as possible."

For more information, visit www.StylishTransformations.com.

Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.