Meet Aundrelyn Knott | Home Stager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aundrelyn Knott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aundrelyn, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I run my company on the idea that we should always give more than people expect to get. Doing all those extra things when we stage a home isn’t really a choice for me personally, I just can’t seem to help myself. Even when I know that the extra effort may not be immediately noticed, I feel that it contributes to the overall effect we have on the properties that we stage. I believe that the details really matter. I’m always telling my consultation clients that people really are taking in every detail when they look at a home. It may not be conscious, but they are noticing things. People especially notice things that are out of place, broken, missing or shabby. They notice cobwebs, missing bulbs, broken electrical plate covers, dirty windows, trash in the yard … the list goes on. We always try to see a home the way a buyer would see it and take care of as many of these details as we can.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think the first thing I would like people to know is that it has taken me quite a long time to find what it is I was meant to do. I’ve survived may different careers and looking back, each has had it’s way of leading me here. Along the way I always felt that I was searching for “it”. That thing that I loved to do and get paid to do it. So now here I am. It hasn’t been without fear, effort and sometimes physical pain. Moving furniture is hard work. Especially when I was doing it alone for a long time. All I needed was someone on the other end of a couch sometimes – and even then, I figured out ways to move things into a house without anyone else.

It’s taken me awhile to learn to ask for help. I’ve never been good at delegating, but in order to expand beyond what just I can do – and not die in the process – I’ve had to learn how to trust that other people can do what I do and they can learn the way that I do it. It had always felt like, as an artist, my blank canvas was a room and my artistic expression in that room was mine alone. That’s why I prefer staging homes to design projects. Staging is all me. It’s all my furniture choices, my art and accessory choices and the placement of it all in the best way to showcase the home. I have learned that I can still be the major contributor to staging that room if I pick out the things that will go in it and allow someone else to set it up. I will always have the last say in the final product and even if I just move a vase from one surface to another, it still feels like my art most of the time.

Ultimately, I feel very proud of what my company can now achieve. We have, on average, forty homes staged at any given time. I have learned to trust my team to help execute our primary goal, which is to help people take away the most money possible when they sell their home. We have just recently implemented a new program to help sellers make even more money by assisting them with flooring, paint and updating light fixtures. These are the immediate changes that can have a huge impact on their sales price and by facilitating vendor selection, helping to overcome choice paralyzation, and in some cases fronting the costs, we can easliy maximize a sellers profit.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Fort Collins Colorado has so much to offer! I even created a website www.experiencefortcollins.com to help people understand the limitless options. The site is not fully fleshed out, but I’ve created things like the perfect weekend getaway itinerary to help them get the most out of their time in our beautiful city. Check it out!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My significant other, Matt Olson, has been the thumb in my back that I have needed to keep taking that next step toward building my staging company. Every time the idea of expansion came up and the fear rose in me, he stood behind me and just gave me a little shove toward my fear. He helped me to have the confidence to keep pushing forward, keep taking risks and keep growing. He recognized the things in me that I couldn’t see. He listens to my complaints and when I need to voice my failures. I wouldn’t be here if it werent for his love and support.

Website: www.petersonandplum.com

Instagram: @petersonandplum

Image Credits
Boxwood Photos