Meet Our Bloggers

Staging Expert: Christine Rae

Rae is the co-author of “Home Staging for Dummies” (Wiley, 2008), founder of Decorating Solutions Inc., and an internationally recognized expert and trainer in the home staging industry. She is the editor of Staging Standard, an industry trade magazine on staging and co-author of the e-book “Home Staging Business Guide”. In 2005, she launched an international staging certification program —the Canadian Certified Staging Professionals and Certified Staging Professionals in the USA and Australia. She also is the author of the CSP Elite Agent Staging program. She serves as president for CSP, vice president of Canada for the Real Estate Staging Association, and is the recipient of their 2007 Real Estate Staging Association Staging Innovator of the Year, as well as an industry partner for global education for the LiveGreenLiveSmart Institute in Minneapolis.

Design Psychologists: Constance Forrest and Susan Painter

Constance Forrest, PsyD, and Susan Painter, PhD, are credited as the founders of the field of design psychology. They serve as principals at ForrestPainter Design, a Venice, Calif., design psychology practice that specializes in using psychological tools and techniques in the design of interior, workspace and landscape design. They are also instructors for the first university-based course in Design Psychology at the UCLA Architecture/Interior Design program.

Forrest has more than 20 years of experience as a clinical psychology in private practice and in interior and landscape design. She developed the theory and methods of Design Psychology based on her knowledge of clinical psychology, psycho-biology, evolutionary psychology, and human attachment.

Painter is a developmental psychologist, an urban planner and an award-winning teacher. She is also Senior Planner, Director of Research and human factors planning specialist in the Urban Design and Planning studio at AC Martin Partners, Los Angeles, specializing in university campus master plans and campus residential communities.

Green Home Trends: Erik Fowler

Fowler is one of the first recipients of the GREEN designation, a sustainable property designation by the National Association of REALTORS®. Fowler, who also serves as an NAR GREEN instructor, is a top producer with Greenwood King Properties in Houston, consulting with clients, home owners, investors and niche builders on real estate purchases and sales. He is also a 2009-2010 board member of the Houston chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. He has listed and sold new homes with many green and energy efficient features, including the 25-plus home Sullivan Brothers Development in the Houston Heights, which won the 2007 Community Improvement Award for Residential New Construction. He consults with builders, brokers, and home owners on how to create value and market leadership through energy efficiency and green building practices.

Room Makeovers: Martin R. Delossantos

Martin R. Delossantos holds a real estate license in New Jersey and in 2001 founded a design company, Mdesign Studio LLC, in Hoboken, N.J., where he offers interior design for homes and commercial spaces, as well as staging for real estate. He worked for a decade as an art director for home design catalogs in New York City and holds a BFA in design from The School of Visual Arts. In 2005, he decorated the sets for an award-winning independent film, MUNECA. Contact: mdesignstudiollc@gmail.com or 201-952-1088.

Design Trend News: Melissa Dittmann Tracey

Tracey writes about home and design news for REALTOR® Magazine, an award-winning publication for the 1.2 million members of the National Association of Realtors®. Tracey serves as the blog administrator for Styled, Staged & Sold, as well as the magazine’s Weekly Book Scan and YPN Lounge (Young Professionals Network) blogs. To get more information on real estate design trends, visit REALTOR® Magazine’s Architecture Guide and the Home & Design page.

We welcome guest bloggers to Styled, Staged & Sold. If you’re interested in serving as a guest blogger, contact Melissa Tracey, the blog administrator, at mtracey@realtors.org and please provide details about the topic you’d like to blog about.