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Selling your home? Closet makeover can help attract buyers
What is a homeowner to do when faced with having to sell in a down market? If you ask Gary and Jean Yodice, owners of The Closet Depot, they’ll advise you to make your home strand out from the other three houses for sale on the street. How? The answer may lay hidden in the closets. “Houses get bigger but closets remain an afterthought,” said Jean. It may be a matter of upgrading from the flimsy wire rack that sits just out of reach without a footstool. Or it may need a complete overhaul with cupboards, drawers and more efficient use of limited space. “It’s common knowledge” the home market is down, said Gary. The downturn led Closet Depot to develop new services and a new business strategy. The Yodice team had been building closets and other storage areas for new construction homes. Now they’re seeing a demand from homeowners wanting to update their old closets. Some because it’s time for a change, others because they need to sell their home and they need all the advantages they can muster. The husband-wife team operate their home-based business in Land O’ Lakes, just off State Road 54, just as they have for the last six years. Jean is the closet designer, while Gary is the builder/installer. Typically, they are the only two people customers will see – unless the install requires an extra set of hands. Jean designs the closets, pantries, mud rooms, entertainment centers, offices, or half-dozen other projects. She does this by hand, with pencil and paper. “I do a lot of erasing,” she said, to get it right for her customer. Gary bought her a computer-assisted design program for her sketches. It never gets used. Jean’s approach to designing closets can be described as logical and practical, she said. “I don’t want them to feel like they’re getting eaten by their clothes!” she said. Even homeowners who aren’t looking to sell their homes right away could benefit from having their closets redone, according to the Yodices. “It almost forces them to get organized,” Jean said. Everything has to come out of the closet for the new fixtures to be installed. That’s not the only reason customers feel compelled to purge their closets of unwanted clothing, collections and souvenirs. Seeing their closets so shiny and new, customers feel compelled to start with a clean slate. They take the time to decide whether to keep that shirt from five years ago that’s missing three buttons. The Yodices have one rule when it comes to handling customers’ closets – don’t empty it or straighten it up before Jean arrives. “I want to see your closet in the state that it’s in,” she said – balled up clothing on the floor and all. “Don’t be embarrassed! I’ve seen worse.” Usually, Jean visits a customer’s home to see what their needs are. Every so often, Gary tags along. “I usually keep my mouth shut,” Gary said. “He doesn’t do that very well,” his wife quipped without hesitation. They both chuckled. By the time the job is done, the customers feel more like friends, the partners said. More often than not, the Yodices run into their newfound friends at the grocery store, the gas station and elsewhere out and about in the community. That’s because most of their work is centered in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, and other communities in North Hillsborough and Pasco counties. “Wherever we go, we see people we’ve done work for,” Gary said. In the last six years, the couple has handled more than 800 projects. They have fun with each other, and with their customers – working to make the project how the customer wants it. And though they take their business very seriously, they don’t look at it from a strictly business angle. “It’s just fun,” Gary said. “It’s a lucrative hobby.” But it really isn’t a hobby – the couple operates The Closet Depot on a full-time basis, it is their career, Jean said. In their prior lives, however, The Closet Depot wasn’t even a glimmer on the horizon. Gary was a hotel executive, working for Hyatt Hotels and Sheraton. He retired from the corporate world on his 50th birthday. Jean was once an advertising executive who worked in Spain and in New York before giving it up. In high school, Jean took drafting courses and found that she had a knack for it. Looking back, she said she wishes she had pursued the craft more. At the urging of Gary’s son Keith, who lives in New Jersey, the Yodices opened The Closet Depot, learning from Keith along the way. He bought the franchise rights in New Jersey and helped them get established in Land O’ Lakes. From the beginning, Gary and Jean had a natural talent for the business, according to Keith. “She designs better than my designers,” Gary recalled Keith saying of Jean. Keith came down to the area to help on the first install, then the ultimate graduation. “He cut us loose,” Jean said. The Closet Depot has more to offer than closets. It does home offices, media centers, laundry rooms, garages, hobby rooms, sewing/craft rooms, pantries, bedrooms, computer desks, mud rooms, and play rooms – essentially every room in the house that is in need of organization. For more information about The Closet Depot, call (813) 948-8986 or visit the company Web site at www.TheClosetDepot.net. http://cnewspubs.com/realestate/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1298 |
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