Big Style on a Budget: Designing Flips That Buyers Love

Christian: [0:00] Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of the Awesome in Seattle podcast. This is your host, Christian Nossum, with the Awesome Nossum Group at Wilson Realty Exchange, Inc, and today I have two amazing guests. First, I have my lovely wife and co-host, Ms. Shannon Nossum.

Shannon: [0:14] Hello. Hello. I am here. I don't know if I'm a guest, but-

Christian: [0:18] Well, I mean, you're a co-host, I say.

Shannon: [0:20] Yes, yes. Yeah,

Christian: [0:20] yeah. You're my co-host. Uh, and then we have a guest, a very special guest. We actually had her husband on an episode, I don't know, I- Couple months ago, maybe … couple months ago. Yeah. Uh, talking about flipping, um, and dormers and things like that. Uh, this is Faviola Pappas.

Fabiola: [0:38] Hi. Thank you

Christian: [0:39] so much for, for joining us today.

Fabiola: [0:41] Thank you for inviting me.

Christian: [0:42] Yes. This is very

Fabiola: [0:43] exciting.

Christian: [0:44] So we have her on because she's the other half of the flipping success that is Raleigh and Favi. And she does all of the design, and that's what we're talking about today. We're talking all about designing on a budget. So this can work for whether you are a homeowner, whether you're a flipper, whether you're, whether you're a developer, any of the above. If you wanna design something beautiful on a budget, this episode is for you. She's gonna share a lot of secrets, uh, and a lot of tips, so you're definitely gonna wanna hang out until the very end 'cause at the end, we ask some good rapid fire questions. So let's get into it. Shannon, do you have anything you wanna start with?

Shannon: [1:22] Yes. Well, I've been really excited to talk to you because I also design our projects- Mm-hmm … typically, and I'm always so impressed when we've walked a lot of your projects over time, and they're always gorgeous, and I, I feel awkward in life to just be like, "Tell me everything. Where did you get every single thing?" Um, so it's great to sit down and have a reason to kinda drill you and find out all your secrets 'cause you do such a beautiful job, and- Oh, thanks … they sell really, really well. So-

Fabiola: [1:48] Thank you.

Shannon: [1:48] Yeah … I'm very excited to find out. Um, we actually have a very similar background, weirdly. We both used to be attorneys- Yeah and now we're real estate investors. So tell us about your background. How did you get into designing, and what did you use to do?

Fabiola: [2:01] Yes. You're right, we both are lawyers. Mm-hmm. For, um… And so I used to be a lawyer in Peru, uh, in things related to human trafficking and, and, um, drug and corruption. And from there, when I move here, so it was such a specific niche- Mm-hmm that it was kinda, eh, hard to find something that fit with that background. Uh, but I did it regardless. I, I work in a, in a nonprofit regarding to human trafficking, and then the pandemic just hit.

Christian: [2:29] Oh.

Fabiola: [2:29] Oh, man. And all the courts were closed. Right. So that is when we all were at home and say, "What do I do right now?" So Raleigh and I, we just get our first property- Mm-hmm … and we say, "Hey, how about we, we, we fix everything here?" And I thought that that was a great idea, but as a lawyer, we always like to be informed first- … than anything else. Yes. So I took a couple classes and online classes because also there were not many designers- Wow providing services out there. Mm-hmm. So that's how everything had started. Raleigh and I, we start doing everything for our house. He was the architect, the engineer, the electrician, everything, and I did all the design. But I remember myself taking all these classes, making sure that the balance was correct, lighting was appropriate. So that is how it start back in 2019. Wow. And since then- We start with our first flip, flip. I remember that was in Renton, and we haven't stopped since then. Wow.

Shannon: [3:30] Wow. Yeah. What kind of class was it? What was it through?

Christian: [3:33] Yeah. Shannon's like- … "I wanna take this."

Shannon: [3:35] Maybe I should take it.

Fabiola: [3:36] I, the name of the designer was Erin. She's a well-known designer for- Okay … those Discovery Channel, so-

Christian: [3:43] Mm.

Fabiola: [3:43] That's how I started. Oh. It was for beginners, for people like, "Hey, I wanna do my own remodel at home." So it was very, very f- uh, friendly for beginners.

Christian: [3:52] Wow. That's

Fabiola: [3:53] amazing. That's really cool.

Shannon: [3:54] Yeah.

Christian: [3:54] So were you at all interested in design before that? Um. Or was it something that you just kinda, like, fell into and you're like, "Oh, you can do all that. You don't know how to design, I know, so let me take that part."

Fabiola: [4:09] I would say that always been exposed because since I was very little, my grandparents and my, my, my parents as well, they love constructions. Oh, wow. They always build a house. Um, we're from Peru. Yeah. So we have a house in the city, then we have sort of farm, then we have another house that we, we have in the deep mountains in Peru. Mm-hmm. So I always since construction, and I remember that, "Huh, I think that will look good on that space." And it's funny because right now one of my favorite subjects is tile. And when I was probably 10 or 12, I remember that I love when my grandma or my mom brought me to the tile store and I have to help her to select the- Aw. Oh. Yeah, but I never imagined- That's so special … that I will be- Yeah … doing this for, for my life. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, and then I love architecture. I love art too. Mm-hmm. So I'm one of those, uh, people that can go to Italy and spend hours just looking at it. And- Mm-hmm … I get so into and I, I, I just get the books and read about the architects. So I feel like all these things are related- Mm … to design, and they're always been part of my life somehow.

Shannon: [5:12] Yeah.

Christian: [5:12] That's awesome.

Shannon: [5:13] And you're a mom. Do you ever bring your son with you to your projects and go-

Fabiola: [5:16] I do bring Mateo. Does he pick

Shannon: [5:17] tile with you?

Fabiola: [5:18] He likes that. It's so funny because sometimes I make my own mood boards. Mm-hmm. So when we are working- Mm-hmm … with partners and I wanna show then what is my vision for the project, so I, I bring the tile samples, uh, countertop samples. And Mateo, my son, has been exposed to, uh, construction since he was four months old. Wow. So it's funny that now he's three years old, and his vocabulary is very, very good for construction. Yeah. He use words like, uh, "Hmm, I like this countertop." "What color, mom?" So he will compliment you on that type of thing, so yeah, he has been exposed. He love to work to the, to go to the projects. Sometimes he say- Aw … "I don't wanna go to school. I wanna go to the projects." So.

Shannon: [6:00] Oh, buddy.

Fabiola: [6:00] That's

Shannon: [6:01] so cute. That is- That's so good for them.

Fabiola: [6:03] That's so cute. Yeah.

Shannon: [6:04] That's so good for them. Um, one of the things I really like about your designs is that it doesn't feel like a flip. And I've heard that from people. Somebody went and looked at one of your houses recently and said, and they didn't know that I knew you guys, said, "Oh, I went over to this house and I saw it, and it just doesn't feel like… Is it a, is it… I think it's just a homeowner lived there. I don't think it was a flip." Like- Yeah. Felt too homey … they didn't know. Felt too, like- It felt too homey. Yeah. And I was like, "Oh, wow, that's a really good compliment." That's a huge compliment. Yeah. That people didn't track that it was a flip. They just tracked that they liked it a lot. Mm-hmm. And it felt really, like, warm and nice and, um, so how do you kind of separate what feels like flip from making it feel like that?

Fabiola: [6:49] Yeah. That it essentially what you have described. We build homes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. We just don't do a flip. So every project that we work on, it's completely different. Mm-hmm. Mm. So none of them are similar.

Speaker 4: [7:03] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [7:03] And it's because we try to keep the charm of every single home. Mm. True. We just don't wanna go with modern things. We respect every single space, and the other thing is that we put a lot of intention of our designs. So every time that I'm there, I, I'm picturing myself, "Oh, how it will be if this will be my home?"

Christian: [7:23] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [7:24] When I see people say, "Oh, okay, this is the kitchen." Well, how it will look when people are hosting? So I make sure that the flow is the correct flow, and if there are some windows, we try to find the potential for this. Hey, this will be nice if we create a little coffee bar here- Mm … so people can enjoy in their morning. And I think all these elements make our projects, our fil- uh, our flips looks different.

Christian: [7:49] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [7:50] We put a lot, a lot of details and things that people don't normally care. Yeah. For example, every single hardware, it's different. We want to create that sensory experience, something that you walk in, you touch it, and you remember that house. "Hey, I remember that house with those pools and those little detail." Mm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. "Oh, the house with that fireplace." So that is my vision for every single project. We really want to create this effect, like, a, as soon as the buyer walk in, they feel like this is home.

Shannon: [8:20] Aw.

Christian: [8:20] Yep. Well, you're succeeding at that.

Shannon: [8:23] So great job. Yeah, you do a great job of that. Thank you. You're very thoughtful.

Fabiola: [8:26] Yeah. Thanks.

Christian: [8:26] Let's talk about sourcing materials, 'cause that is one of the harder things- … especially on a budget. Um, where are you actually sourcing your materials that are, like, on budget or below budget? Like, what are some of your tips?

Fabiola: [8:42] That is a great question. Before we jump into just sourcing materials- Mm-hmm … something that it's very important, especially if it's your first flip-

Christian: [8:50] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: is to have a great plan. I agree.

Fabiola: [8:53] Mm-hmm. Planning is essential.

Christian: [8:54] Yeah.

Fabiola: [8:55] And when I say planning, the design actually start- With the right floor plan.

Christian: [9:01] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [9:01] Mm-hmm. So before you move into finishes, make sure that, that you have the right flow, you have the right space. We want to offer buyers this experience. Maybe a flip, but it might feel spacious-

Christian: [9:16] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: harmonious. So before you go into finishes, make sure you have the right floor plan. That's a great point. Yeah. And that, that, it's a lot of your budget is gonna go-

Shannon: [9:22] Mm-hmm

Fabiola: [9:26] to the structural part.

Shannon: [9:27] Agreed.

Fabiola: [9:28] In my case, it's kinda easy when I'm working with Raleigh because I'm also have external clients. But when I'm working with Raleigh, we make sure that the floor plan is the correct. Mm-hmm. Once we have defined that aspect of our projects, we move into finishes because finding the right material- is having the right budget. Yeah. Once you have the right budget, a very honest budget, you can find materials- Mm. … because you know how much- That's a good point … you're going to spend. Yeah. So with that being said- Yeah … I'm gonna share all my sources- Yeah, yeah … with you guys. So, um, for tile, one of my favorite places to go is to CFM- Mm-hmm in Kent. Mm. Uh, I will say try to work your network.

Christian: [10:11] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [10:11] Find somebody that will be your partner there- Mm-hmm … and be honest with your budget. They can help you to find beautiful tile with your budget.

Christian: [10:20] Yeah.

Shannon: [10:21] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [10:21] Um, so- So

Christian: [10:22] CFM in Kent.

Fabiola: [10:23] CFM in Kent. So

Shannon: [10:24] that's Contract Furnishing- Exactly. Mm-hmm … Mart. And you, do you need to be a general contractor to-

Fabiola: [10:29] You need to create an account- Okay with them. Yes. Got

Shannon: [10:30] it. Sure.

Fabiola: [10:31] Um, but I also h- will recommend you guys, if you have time of course, because being an investor or a flipper requires a lot of time. Mm-hmm. But if you have the time to go and explore places like a Soto or Georgetown- Mm-hmm … that is really good- Yeah … because you can find those little outlets where they have this timeless tile that goes with many, many styles. Mm. Or you can find something unique as well. Mm-hmm. So go and visit those areas. There are many outlets there, but there are also a specific, uh, tile stores, like, uh, one of my favorites is Arizona Tile.

Shannon: [11:08] Mm. Mm.

Fabiola: [11:09] So they have a salacious style tile that it looks very high-end, but it's under 10 bucks per square foot.

Shannon: [11:16] Oh, I've never been

Fabiola: [11:18] there. Yeah.

Shannon: [11:18] Okay. I'm taking notes.

Fabiola: [11:19] We should go and have a tour and do our own video. Oh, absolutely. It's a date.

Shannon: [11:22] I'm,

Fabiola: [11:23] I'm so there. And it's really good when you are creating your network with these type of businesses, because they will let you know in advance what is gonna be trendy. Mm-hmm. So usually at the beginning of the year, they have all these samples be- before they release that on the market, say, "Hey, this is gonna be trendy this year." So you can make your plan- Oh … based on that in advance. That's huge. And when you put your house in the market, nobody's gonna have that tile necessarily. Mm-hmm. So it give you a lot of room for planning. Oh. That's huge. And, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And for this year. So you're

Shannon: [11:51] ahead of the design, kind of.

Fabiola: [11:52] Sometimes, yeah.

Shannon: [11:53] Sometimes. That's, that's exciting.

Christian: [11:54] Yeah. Instead of being, like, following the trend and being on the tail end of the trend that's already ended or ending soon.

Fabiola: [12:00] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [12:01] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [12:01] Okay. And then for countertops- I think many of, of, of our, uh, of, of your audience knows that it's bias is a good source for that. Yeah.

Christian: [12:10] Mm-hmm. Bias is a great source for that, yeah.

Fabiola: [12:12] Another one that I would recommend is Crafterland in Tukwila. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. They also have, um, huge variety of, of countertops, but in a very, very good, uh, price. Some people believe they might be a little bit expensive, but I think it depends of the type of project that you are working on. So-

Shannon: [12:28] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: it's another, another good place to, to go for countertops. Um- What kind of countertops are you using? And do you switch up the style based on the project? Like, do you- Yes what are you, what are you liking? Do you do a dark countertop? Are you doing a light countertop? Are you doing veining? Are you doing a Taj Mahal? Like, what are you, what are you liking right now?

Fabiola: [12:45] People are now very- attractive to warmer tone. Mm-hmm. So Taj Mahal is a good one. Mm-hmm. Then is cashmere mandya, that you can find it at- Mm-hmm. Which we did in our

Christian: [12:56] house.

Shannon: [12:56] I was

Fabiola: [12:56] like, "That's what's in my house." It's beautiful. It's

Shannon: [12:58] so pretty.

Fabiola: [12:59] We also did that in our last project at Purge- Mm-hmm … and people love it. Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [13:04] Yes.

Fabiola: [13:04] And people are looking for those tones, those creamy tones. Mm-hmm. However, it depends of the style of the house- Totally. Yeah … and how you combine the materials.

Shannon: [13:13] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [13:14] For our project at Ballard, we went with a classic calacatta- Mm. But we brought the countertop 10 inches up, and we put a little, uh, shelf. Ledge. Yeah, a ledge. Yes. And we combined it with a very simple solution style. Was super affordable, but the combination of all these materials- Mm … and the warm tone from the cabinets turned out at something completely different.

Christian: [13:38] Cool.

Fabiola: [13:38] So you can be creative. Of course, you can go trendy, but you can also work with simple materials- Yeah.

Christian: [13:44] Mm-hmm … that

Fabiola: [13:44] can give you an amazing outcome. Yeah. And yeah, it is how much you can play with the materials, so. Mm-hmm.

Christian: [13:51] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [13:52] But yeah, so those are the tiles that right now buyers are looking for, but there is always room- Yeah for other type of countertops.

Shannon: [14:00] Are you doing quartz, quartzite, marble? Like, what are you using?

Fabiola: [14:03] We normally use quartz. Mm-hmm. It is… That's a really good question, because we notice that buyers don't actually know the different when they walk in. They don't, no. Uh, and also, there is a very minimum amount of buyers that ask for it. "Is this quartz?" Mm-hmm. "Is this quartzite? Is this marble?" Mm-hmm. They basically don't ask. Um, and my favorite in terms of a resistant material will be quartz. Mm-hmm. But if, let's say, that we are working in a different, uh, project, and we wanna achieve something more natural or more elevated, I might go with quartzite for places like in a wet bar- Mm when, when, where the traffic is, is little. Mm-hmm. So yes, you can also combine them. It, it will depend of, uh, what type of result do you wanna achieve with your design.

Shannon: [14:51] Totally.

Christian: [14:52] Yeah.

Shannon: [14:52] And where the countertop is. Like, we, we did a little-

Christian: [14:56] Outdoor … Shannon: outdoor, like, pass-through window, and it had a bar on the outside. Oh. And even though we used the same, uh- Cashmere … countertop that you were saying- Yeah … the outside, we couldn't use that, because it was outdoors. It would discolor. You can't- Mm-hmm. It would discolor, so we had to… We ended up using- Taj Mahal … Taj Mahal outside. Taj Mahal. Yeah. So actual quartz, 'cause that one-

Fabiola: [15:13] Yeah

Christian: [15:15] Yeah.

Fabiola: [15:15] So

Christian: [15:15] when- Or whatever … Fabiola: when we use, uh, natural stone like Taj Mahal- Mm-hmm … um, we want to make sure that we seal those materials- Mm-hmm … because, and it must be sealed every year mostly. Mm-hmm. So that's something that we nor- if we use Taj Mahal or white Macaubas, which is another, uh- Mm … natural. So we disclose that with our buyers so they can- They know maintain and so- Yeah. Uh-huh … we, we're careful with those type of things. Yeah. That's a good reminder. We need to make

Shannon: [15:39] sure that- I was like, "Wait, we need to do that." We

Christian: [15:40] need to continuously do that every year. Thank you for that tip. We

Fabiola: [15:42] forgot about that. So in my house, Vali will kill me because that is quite over budget, but I will probably- I will probably go with a material called Dekton, so you can toss coffee, wine, and everything- Yeah and it will never stain. Doesn't matter.

Christian: [15:55] Yeah.

Fabiola: [15:55] But yeah. Yeah. Not very budget, uh, friendly budget like here, but anyways. Yeah. All

Christian: [16:00] right. So let's talk lighting and plumbing fixtures. They can completely change the feel- of a house.

Fabiola: [16:08] Yes.

Christian: [16:09] What are your favorites for that, and what are you kinda leaning towards?

Fabiola: [16:13] Well, it depends.

Christian: [16:14] Yeah.

Fabiola: [16:14] It depends always of what type of project you are working with. Sure. But, um, in Seattle, the majority of the houses leans towards a Craftsman style. Yep. So we normally go with brass or brushed gold finishes. Mm-hmm. And it will depend of the style of the house. I can go with a very high-end, because that is something that I like to invest a good amount of money. Mm-hmm. 'Cause that's something that people are gonna touch, and see, and remember.

Christian: [16:38] Mm-hmm. It wears

Fabiola: [16:38] time today, too. Mm-hmm. Exactly. Yeah. And you wanna make sure that that is a good fixture.

Shannon: [16:43] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [16:43] So for a high-end, uh, project, I will go with Signature Hardware. Mm-hmm. They have a very unique pieces. Mm-hmm. Um, then I will also go with Kohler. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. There is an special collab between Studio McGee- Oh, nice … and Kohler. Mm. Cool. That is beautiful if you are working with a Craftsman style house or a Tudor house. So it's- Mm-hmm … so, so beautiful. Yeah. Um, for an intermediate level, I would probably go, sometimes you can find good offers from Kohler. It would be Kohler, Delta, and there is two brands from Amazon that I really like. It looks good. One is named Kraus. Mm-hmm. Mm. Yes. Yep, I've used that before. It is modern. It's nice finish. Yes. It doesn't look cheap. It's got, it's heavy. Mm-hmm. It's heavy duty, yeah. It's good. Yes. And it's, well, we did a project, I think year, a year ago, maybe pro- pro- probably longer than that. The buyer contact us, say, "Hey, I love, I ha- I haven't had any problem with this life features." Mm-hmm. That is good reassurance to continue using that. Mm-hmm. Looks good, doesn't affect your buy at all.

Christian: [17:44] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [17:45] Great. And the other full set that I use, it's called, I think, Foreos, Foreos, Foreos, something like that on Amazon. Okay. It also, it's very affordable. It's under 60 bucks- Wow … but performs really well.

Christian: [17:59] Hmm.

Fabiola: [18:00] It, it is a really good product. Yeah. So yeah, those- Yeah … those will be my suggestion. Nice

Christian: [18:03] What I've experienced is you don't wanna go cheap on plumbing.

Fabiola: [18:07] Exactly.

Christian: [18:08] Because if there's a plumbing leak, that's an expensive- Mm-hmm thing to fix. Yes. So even though you can get super cheap Good-looking faucets and things like that on Amazon- Mm-hmm … or at Home Depot or Lowe's, don't recommend it usually. Um, you gotta make sure that it's actually heavy duty and gonna last. Yeah. And so that's why-

Shannon: [18:27] Yes … we all- It's good to hear that you've tried some of those- Mm-hmm 'cause I've looked at them and wondered- Mm … how it was in real life, how it felt, how, how it worked. Yeah. Mm-hmm. And so it's good to hear that you guys have-

Fabiola: [18:36] Yeah, and

Shannon: [18:37] as

Fabiola: [18:37] I said- … tested those out … I also have external clients. I, my, my first and most important client is Raleigh Pappas. Uh, but I'm not, I don't have exclusivity with him. Yeah. So. For, for design. For design. That's a good point. That's a good point. So when I'm working with clients, I always ask them, "Hey, how do you feel about these plumbing features?" Mm-hmm. "Well," so you have any complain about it? Say, "Nope, so far it's good. Everything is working properly." So it's a good sign to continue- Yeah using that, that brand. Yeah.

Shannon: [19:08] That's awesome. Um, and then lighting, where do you like to get your lighting?

Fabiola: [19:11] Oh, gosh, I love lighting. Lighting is, as you said, Christian- Yeah … something that can definitely transform the space. Yes. So- Don't go that cheap on lighting. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. Uh, my favorite store is at Lamp Plus.

Christian: [19:26] Yeah.

Fabiola: [19:26] Not only because- Mm … they have a huge variety that you can select m- many, many styles from, but also they have a physical store. So for those that are- Yeah … new, you can go to the store and see the material before you buy it. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And they also can help you with, uh, making decisions. Sometimes when you are just starting on this business- Mm-hmm you don't know which, which is the right size for your lighting. Mm. Yeah. Is this much? Is this little?

Christian: [19:52] Yep.

Fabiola: [19:53] Is this right for my project? So they can assist with that type of questions.

Christian: [19:56] That's huge, because I've gone into so many homes, and I look at the lighting and I'm like, "That's a great fixture, but it's way too small." It's like 12 inches, and it should be like- Yeah … 36 inches wide or something like that. Yeah.

Shannon: [20:07] Scaling is a really

Christian: [20:08] hard part of design. That's a huge part of

Fabiola: [20:09] this. It is a huge part, and that is also what make that design elevated.

Christian: [20:14] Yes.

Fabiola: [20:14] Mm-hmm. You can see- True … the intentionality of that design-

Christian: [20:17] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: when you see that the scale is according to the space.

Shannon: [20:20] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [20:21] And for lighting, yes, Lamp Plus is my favorite. Then I have Wayfair, Amazon sometimes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. But I will also say, if you have the time, go and check Etsy. Mm.

Christian: [20:31] Mm.

Fabiola: [20:31] I, for my last project at Biurit, I found this little brass wall sconces that everybody love it and they ask me, "Where is this from?" Say, "This is from a store on Etsy."

Christian: [20:41] Wow. Wow.

Fabiola: [20:41] It takes time, so that is why- Yeah … also- It's true … planning is really important because- Mm-hmm … you can place your order appropriately.

Shannon: [20:48] Yeah.

Fabiola: [20:48] But, oh, man, for the price and the design-

Shannon: [20:51] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: it is amazing. So it looks very high-end, and I think I paid for every one, uh, $120. Oh. It's not a bad price. Wow, that's good price.

Fabiola: [21:01] But they did such a great job. Okay. Such a great job. So if you have time, take a look some, those little stores on Etsy. That's a great tip. You might be-

Shannon: [21:09] I've

Fabiola: [21:09] never thought

Shannon: [21:10] about doing that.

Christian: [21:11] Yeah.

Shannon: [21:11] Huh. That's really

Fabiola: [21:12] great. I'm surprised with that. Um, but yeah. And another thing that I would like to add for lighting.

Shannon: [21:18] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [21:18] So I a huge believer that lighting can- Elevated space.

Shannon: [21:24] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [21:25] Or work-

Christian: [21:27] Against you.

Fabiola: [21:27] Against you. Yeah. So, if you have the opportunity to watch videos about direct or indirect lighting-

Christian: [21:34] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [21:35] Mm. So different, uh, tones, like a, a 3K, uh, Kelvin, um-

Christian: [21:39] Yeah … Fabiola: lighting. So- 3,000 Kelvin.

Fabiola: [21:41] 3,000, exactly.

Christian: [21:42] Yeah.

Fabiola: [21:42] So make sure that you have-

Christian: [21:44] Or 6,000- Yeah or 6,500 or whatever.

Fabiola: [21:46] Exactly.

Christian: [21:46] Like, it can really change the feel.

Fabiola: [21:48] Yes. So we want to create this atmosphere that you feel welcome. Mm-hmm. So make sure that you have the right light. And then when I say direct and indirect, yes, you have your recessed light, but you also have different sources. First of all, is the natural light.

Christian: [22:01] Yeah.

Speaker 4: [22:01] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [22:02] So then you have, uh, your wall sconces, you have pendants- Mm … you have a chandelier, so make sure that all of them work in a harmonious way.

Christian: [22:10] Yes.

Fabiola: [22:10] Mm. That's gonna create a lot of balance. Yeah. And the other thing that I would say, if you go with a big thing here, try to go with something more minimalist in the other, so it will compensate- Mm it will create balance.

Christian: [22:23] Yeah, it'll take away.

Fabiola: [22:24] Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Christian: [22:25] That's smart.

Shannon: [22:25] Makes sense.

Christian: [22:26] Yeah.

Shannon: [22:26] So one of the things that you said was that people, the buyers don't really notice the type of countertop. They might notice how it looks, but they aren't asking about the material. Is there something else that you'd no longer spend a lot of money on because you know they're not gonna really notice it?

Fabiola: [22:43] Yes. Flooring.

Shannon: [22:46] Oh.

Fabiola: [22:46] Rolly and I, uh, we used to use engineering wood on every single project. Yeah.

Shannon: [22:51] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [22:52] And every time the people walk in, they say, "Oh, is this hardwood or LVP?" So- Mm. And that was a common question, so-

Christian: [22:59] Mm … Fabiola: we ended up saying, "They actually don't really know." Yeah.

Fabiola: [23:04] Mm. So if you find the right LVP- Mm-hmm the right floor, it's gonna be a really, it's gonna be good. Yeah. So that is something that I actually don't

Christian: [23:12] fall into. Well, and there's a wide range between cheap LVP- Mm-hmm … and very nice LVP. Yeah.

Fabiola: [23:18] Exactly.

Christian: [23:18] And so, yeah, you can get some really nice LVP that looks amazing and will withstand anything and everything- Mm you throw at it, and it's waterproof.

Shannon: [23:27] Mm.

Christian: [23:27] Yes. And you're not gonna have issues long term with it.

Fabiola: [23:29] Yeah. Another thing there, it's having the right workmanship, so-

Christian: [23:33] True … Fabiola: that it's crucial. Yeah. Mm. Be- before you do anything else, make sure that everything is level. You can have the most beautiful house, the most beautiful floor and everything, but if you walk in and it makes sounds like a clickety-click- Yeah, yeah, yeah it's not really good. So make sure- Yeah … that y- your people are work, your contractor or wh- whoever you are working with, they are doing that correctly.

Shannon: [23:54] Mm-hmm. Makes sense.

Christian: [23:56] Let's talk about design trends and what buyers are actually loving right now. So what design choices are people, or make people walk into a house and they're going, "Oh my gosh, I love this house." Like, what is, what are some of your tricks in that regard?

Fabiola: [24:12] You know what? I have two, two tips for that. So create a statement pieces.

Shannon: [24:18] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [24:19] Mm. Work on your fireplace if you have one.

Christian: [24:22] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [24:23] And then work on your kitchen. So-

Christian: [24:24] Yes. Mm … Fabiola: every single fireplace in our property are completely unique. Yeah.

Fabiola: [24:29] You won't see another one like that, and that's what the buyers notice.

Christian: [24:34] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [24:34] Mm. So that level of detail and attention, they will notice that. They will think- That's super smart. Yeah … yes, because they can picture themselves having a coffee in the morning- Mm-hmm … or watching a movie with their partners or friends. So invest on that. It is not a lot of money. Mm-hmm. You will actually be surprised how affordable can be to make a nice fireplace. Mm-hmm. So invest on that. Yeah. That is a good tip. Okay. It will elevate your spa- it will make it, it looks different. That is a crucial, uh, differentiator between a flip and an elevated- Mm … Speaker: design. Very true.

Christian: [25:11] Yeah.

Fabiola: [25:11] Yes. I

Christian: [25:11] think you're right. And if you don't have a wood-burning or even a natural gas fireplace, there's some really nice looking electric ones out there. Yeah,

Fabiola: [25:18] that's true.

Christian: [25:19] Personally, I used to hate them. But we just installed one, and I actually love it. And we turn it on almost every day at this point, if not just for the mood. Mm-hmm. We don't even turn on the heat all the time, but just to set the mood- Yeah … 'cause it's beautiful and it's fun. I

Shannon: [25:32] mean, gas is always preferred or wood-burning.

Christian: [25:34] Oh. But if you can't- Yes. But if you can't- Yeah … there are some really realistic looking-

Fabiola: [25:38] Mm-hmm … Speaker: electric ones that, that look great. Yeah. And when I say that, it's, um, normally, when you see these new construction, you will see that classic 12 by 12 tile- Mm-hmm … all over the fireplace.

Christian: [25:50] Yeah.

Fabiola: [25:50] Try to be more creative. Combine textures.

Christian: [25:53] Yep.

Fabiola: [25:53] Uh- Yeah … combine, uh, painting techniques. So sometimes a nice lime wash technique- Mm-hmm … which is extremely affordable-

Christian: [26:00] Yeah.

Fabiola: [26:00] Mm … can create a very nice ambience.

Christian: [26:02] Yeah. Mm.

Fabiola: [26:02] So combine these two warming colors, or combine that technique with a little piece of tile. Sometimes you can find those- Mm-hmm floated tiles like I did for- Mm … one of my projects at Pallet. It looks amazing. Yeah. It actually wasn't that expensive.

Christian: [26:15] Yeah, yeah.

Fabiola: [26:15] Oh, yeah.

Christian: [26:16] Yeah. And especially, you're not getting a lot of that tile either- Mm-hmm … 'cause it's a fireplace. It's, it's just- It's just the sides.

Fabiola: [26:21] Yeah, exactly.

Christian: [26:21] So you don't have to buy- Yeah all that much. Mm-hmm. And you can spend a little more of the budget on it- Mm … because you're only buying 12 tiles or whatever.

Fabiola: [26:29] Yeah, or you can use those slabs that it's a reminder from your countertops. So you can add- Mm. True. Good point … the, the counters- Really good point … install it, cut it, and put it. Those, those are small pieces, but it- Yeah … will make a huge difference.

Christian: [26:41] Yeah.

Fabiola: [26:41] Uh, and I was saying another, uh, interesting selling point or something that you walk into our properties and say- Mm-hmm … "Oh my gosh, I love this house," is the kitchen. Yep. Mm. So we make sure that we have the right floor, uh, plan, the, the, the right flow, the, the great distribution- Mm proper amount of storage so they can see. We also create intentional spaces like we have a wet bar or we have a coffee bar. We have this type of pantry. Mm-hmm. And I will say, star of the show, it's our, um- Beast bug range hood. Yeah. Mm-hmm. So all of them have a unique design. Yep. Mm-hmm. We have molding, we have wooden pieces. We, uh, do plaster. Mm-hmm. Sometimes we do tile too. Mm-hmm. So make sure that you have something that is unique.

Shannon: [27:25] Yeah.

Fabiola: [27:25] And if you can, because it's not always in budget, but add different sort of lighting in your kitchen. Mm.

Shannon: [27:31] So

Christian: [27:31] that's

Fabiola: [27:31] gonna create a different ambience.

Christian: [27:33] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [27:34] That's so smart. Are there any specific features you've done recently where you've gotten really good buyer feedback, where they'll get passed on that they love this specific piece or area?

Fabiola: [27:45] Yeah. Again, the fireplace. The fireplace. They love the- Yeah … fireplace. Yep. Okay. They say, "Oh my gosh, I love this detail."

Shannon: [27:51] Yeah.

Fabiola: [27:51] And another feature, more of the feature finishes that they really care, it's about the tile. Mm-hmm. So invest a little bit of time on s- sourcing good, good tile, different tile. Mm-hmm. Like a, I feel like a buyers are to start to getting bored of the classic 12 by 12- Yes … or the, the average penny tile or that, that white subway tile. Mm-hmm. So trying to find a unique tile for your- Mm … for your properties.

Christian: [28:18] Yep.

Shannon: [28:19] Good tip.

Christian: [28:20] We're gonna pause real quick- Mm-hmm … because I think the countertop people are calling.

Shannon: [28:23] Oh.

Christian: [28:24] Did they call you too?

Shannon: [28:25] I, my phone was buzzing, yes.

Christian: [28:27] Yep

Shannon: [28:30] Okay,

Speaker 4: [28:31] call them back

Shannon: [28:31] real quick. Sorry No, it's fine.

Christian: [28:33] You know, you know how this goes. I know.

Shannon: [28:37] Let's mark this down where we're at.

Christian: [28:38] Hey, this is Christian. I think I just missed your call

Shannon: [28:43] Try to pull your mic a little closer Oh, okay, okay.

Christian: [28:45] Oh, good. Just

Shannon: [28:46] pull it closer to you. Perfect. Great.

Christian: [29:00] Yeah, we're ready. Um, I'm not there at the moment, but there is, um… The door on the side of the house should be open. So

Speaker 4: [29:08] if you,

Christian: [29:09] you can pull into the driveway, um, and I sent texts explaining, like, there's water and power, uh, between the driveway, the garage door, and the front door. And then, uh, there's a side door to the right of the garage door. There's a little gate, and then there's a side door right there, and that should be unlocked and ready for you to get in Yes. It's in a box that's right across from the cabinets. It's in the same room Yeah. Perfect. Yeah, give me a call if you have any issues or anything like that, um, or feel free to text me

Speaker 4: [29:56] Do we need a soap dispenser or just a faucet hole?

Shannon: [29:58] Just a hole.

Speaker 4: [29:59] Just a single hole? Is that right? Did you, do you have the faucet? It's

Shannon: [30:03] there. It's there. He, maybe he can look. I

Christian: [30:06] truly don't remember. The, the faucet is on site. I don't remember if it's a single hole or a triple hole or what, but it's on site. It's, it's sitting right there Yep. Thank you. All right, bye-bye

Shannon: [30:19] You good?

Fabiola: [30:20] Oh, yeah. I was thinking also about my child that ordered. Oh. Did you know? I, I was wondering- Yeah … if I pick it up.

Christian: [30:27] Yes.

Fabiola: [30:28] This. Okay. We have 12 projects right now.

Christian: [30:30] Wow.

Fabiola: [30:31] It was, it was so funny, Raleigh. At the beginning of the year, we have 12. Right. We sold four of them.

Christian: [30:35] Yeah.

Shannon: [30:36] Yeah.

Fabiola: [30:36] And we were saying, "Oh, yeah, nine is a good number." And then he said- Four

Christian: [30:40] more. " Fabiola: You know what? There's a new deal in Magnolia." And they say, "W- somebody was brought the, an out guide, I think we should do it." Yeah.

Fabiola: [30:48] And now we have 12 again.

Christian: [30:52] Oh,

Shannon: [30:52] yeah. That's a lot

Christian: [30:54] That's a lot. But Riley can do it. That's-

Fabiola: [30:56] Riley can do it. We can handle it. And our crew too. We are very lucky with

Christian: [30:58] the- Yeah … the crew that we have. You guys have a very good crew. I agree. All right. Where were we? What did I- Okay. Let's

Shannon: [31:03] start. We were, I'm about to ask, I'm gonna ask if buyers have shifted away from the all-white modern farmhouse kitchen.

Christian: [31:12] Okay.

Fabiola: [31:13] Good question. Okay.

Christian: [31:13] Perfect.

Shannon: [31:14] Okay. Let's do, I'll say that 32 Okay, so next question. You saw this online a lot, which was the white farmhouse kitchen, farmhouse style. Is that gone now?

Fabiola: [31:29] I hear from many designers that, yes, that's gone. I wouldn't say that it's completely gone, because it depends of every project. Mm-hmm. Sometimes you… And let's, let's make a, a clear note here about what is the white cabinets. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Because there are so many undertones. You have warm white. Mm. Like, one of my favorite is Biscuit or Swiss Coffee. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So if you're working with, uh, suppliers like a Belmont- Mm-hmm … so you can… It- it's a completely different type of white. Yeah. I agree. When you mix that with a nice countertop like Taj Mahal-

Christian: [32:04] Mm … Fabiola: the outcome is completely different. Yes. Yeah. Good point. Um, so I wouldn't say that it's 100% gone. I would say- Mm-hmm … it depends of every project. Every project is different, and sometimes you might require to work with a white cabinet because you don't have a bigger space. So if you place something that is trendy, like a walnut or a white oak cabinet, you might feel the space a little encrowded. So sometimes you, you have to work with white. Good point.

Shannon: [32:29] I'm glad you said that, because we just installed white cabinets in a very tiny space in our basement.

Christian: [32:33] Yes.

Fabiola: [32:33] And I'm going to install white cabinets in my project at, uh, Capitol Hill. It's a big project, but it would be nice to have those white cabinets- Yeah … to keep the essence- Yeah … of the house.

Shannon: [32:45] Yeah. Yeah.

Fabiola: [32:45] Yeah, it depends of the project. Like, it still works- Mm-hmm … in certain

Shannon: [32:47] circumstances.

Christian: [32:49] All right, so when you're budgeting design for a flip, where are you generally putting most of the design budget? Is it kitchen, bathrooms, somewhere else? Like, what is-

Fabiola: [32:59] Curb appeal.

Christian: [33:00] Yeah.

Fabiola: [33:01] Those are great questions, so by, I will say first thing, planning. Mm-hmm.

Christian: [33:06] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [33:07] More than going with a kit. I know many, many designers will say, "No, yes, kitchen, bathrooms-" Yep … "of course I build." I will say make sure that you have the right floor plan. Mm.

Shannon: [33:17] Mm-hmm. It's true.

Fabiola: [33:18] Mm-hmm. Pe- buyers love open space. Yes. They want to feel like, "Oh, my gosh, this feels so special." No matter how beautiful your kitchen is gonna be or your- Mm … bathroom is gonna be, if the space is not functional.

Christian: [33:29] Mm.

Fabiola: [33:30] Mm-hmm. So if that is not functional-

Christian: [33:31] Or if it's too cramped or- Exactly … too big and taking up too much space, then it's… Yeah. Yeah, you're 100% right.

Fabiola: [33:36] Yeah. Yep. Once you have figured out that part, then it's when you can move into the next step that Well,

Christian: [33:40] it's so much easier to design, too, at that point. Once you have a real- Yeah. … clear idea of the space, it kind of makes the job a little bit easier. Well, if the s- if the

Shannon: [33:48] space makes sense. Yeah.

Christian: [33:49] Yes.

Shannon: [33:49] Yeah. It's easier to design.

Fabiola: [33:50] Yeah. Yeah. I would say have the right floor plan and also the right amount of natural light. Mm. Mm-hmm. Sometimes windows are necessary. Oh, yeah. Before you need to jump to kitchens, bathroom, make sure that you have those two points- Mm … secure, and then you can move to your kitchen, bathrooms, and your curfa bill. Curfa bills is really important, too. Yeah. Mm-hmm. But just make sure about the floor plan.

Christian: [34:11] Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah.

Shannon: [34:13] Let's talk about paint, wallpaper. Yeah. I'm excited for this part because I know one of the cheapest things that you can do is use paint.

Fabiola: [34:21] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [34:22] Um, and I, sometimes we're driving down the street and I'm like, "Who told them they should paint this house- Oh, yeah orange- That color … with bright neon lime green trim?" I'm like, "You guys- Yes … I

Fabiola: [34:34] can't." Yeah. What are you- I've seen those well-known, uh, Seahawks house. I don't know if you have driven through- Oh, yeah Oh … uh, West Seattle and it's blue and that green.

Christian: [34:42] Yeah.

Fabiola: [34:43] And yeah. Yeah. It's, it's unique. Or m- my favorite, this, this was from Mateo, actually. We were in Capitol Hill and there was a yellow house with a red door and he said, "It's Cocomelon house." That's so cute. And I, and I stop and say, "You're absolutely right, Mateo." You're right. "This looks like a- Good

Christian: [35:03] catch … Fabiola: Cocomelon house." Aw, that's so cute. She'd get out and take a photo with him in the front and, "You were in front of the Cocomelon house." People are like, "What

Fabiola: [35:11] are you doing?" But yeah, painting, it's important. Oh, yeah. It is. It can go from something very elevated to something that is actually funny, like- Yeah … your kid will say, "That's from the show." Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. Absolutely. Painting, it's, it's crucial.

Shannon: [35:25] Do you have any exterior colors you really like right now?

Fabiola: [35:29] Uh, I would say one for mid-century houses. Mm. It's, it's a sort of black, I can't remember right now, but it's, it's, uh, iron black, something like- Oh, yeah, yeah. Iron ore. I- iron ore. Exactly. Mm-hmm. I love that one. We used that on our flip at Palmer. People love it. I love that color too. And we, for that, to improve the cur- appeal, we did some soffit, so the contrast between the natural wood- Yeah. Mm-hmm … and that deep color, plus we used zonex, uh, exterior lighting for the landscape. It's- Mm. Wow. The house at night was beautiful. Wow. So with all the lightings and details- Oh … that was a great, it worked great with the

Christian: [36:05] stone. That's good to hear, 'cause we did that on

Shannon: [36:07] our house. Speaking of the opposite color, I know that most of the paint in the house is probably some sort of a white.

Fabiola: [36:14] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [36:15] What color is your, like, go-to white right now? Go-to white. Or do you have a few that you switch back and forth with?

Fabiola: [36:19] It, it, that, it's a question that only a designer is gonna ask you, because if you ask your, your builder, they will say, "All of them are white." Yeah. Mm-hmm. But that is not true. So there are so many type of white. Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. And so, I will say it depends of the amount of natural light that you're getting.

Christian: [36:38] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [36:38] True. Uh, but one of my favorite is, uh, Swiss Coffee from Benjamin Moore. I love that color. That is a very warming- Yeah … nearly getting timeless, uh, white. Then I will say Alabaster from, uh- Mm-hmm Sherwin-Williams. Sherwin-Williams, yeah. Mm-hmm. And somewhat, uh, uh, a white that is very easy to go with anything, even if you have a lot of light or a little bit of light- Mm-hmm … it's, it's Snowbound. Snowbound is also good for- Mm-hmm … uh, um, it's a good white. And yeah, those, those are my favorite whites

Christian: [37:08] from- Mm-hmm

Fabiola: [37:08] Yeah Benjamin Moore and- Those are all good ones. Yeah. I

Shannon: [37:09] love all those too. Those are great. All

Christian: [37:11] right. So as an agent, I show a lot of houses as well, I'm seeing wallpaper more and more. Is this back? Are we back with wallpaper now?

Fabiola: [37:20] I think we are wallpaper people. Yes. And that is something that buyers from Seattle, they love it.

Christian: [37:29] Yeah.

Fabiola: [37:30] They love wallpaper. They just- They do … love that.

Christian: [37:32] It's so funny.

Fabiola: [37:33] They- But something that I- It's, uh, that is the sort of material that you have to invest a good amount of money- Yes. Mm-hmm … and find the right installer. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's huge. Uh, it's not something that you can just hand to your contractor. Nope. So it's not something that you need to- It's a skill. Yeah, because it can either elevate it or bring it down. Mm-hmm. So you need to make sure about that. Uh, I noticed that one of the most trendy wallpaper, uh, right now is those that are very floral, moody, like, those- Mm-hmm … rich tone, like a deep, deep green. Mm-hmm. Or, uh, the mural one, those ones that looks like a forest or landscaping. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I love those. Actually, I'm gonna use one of those for my project at Capitol Hill. I'm gonna install that in- Ooh … the powder room. Cool. Love that. With, uh, brass accents for wall sconces, so it's gonna be- Ooh, that's gonna look- It's gonna look- so good.

Shannon: [38:21] Yeah. Nice.

Fabiola: [38:21] That's gonna look

Shannon: [38:22] so good. Yeah.

Fabiola: [38:23] And make sure that you're writing- you- you're selecting the right wallpaper for your project. It's not the same going with that mural for a classy, uh, Craftsman style or going with a mid-century wallpaper. Mm-hmm. So make sure that you're finding the one that match with your, with your project.

Shannon: [38:39] Yes. Um, so if you're not gonna use wallpaper as a statement, let's say you're gonna use paint- Mm-hmm … like a bold paint color, what rooms are you gonna use that in, and do you have any favorites?

Fabiola: [38:50] My favorite place to use a color, it's the powder room. Mm-hmm. That's the… And then the office. Mm-hmm. But you also can use it in a smaller spaces, like a wet bar. Mm-hmm. So we have a really, really small wet bar, about probably this size- Yeah … in, uh, one of our property in Beacon Hill, and our realtor said, "How about we paint this wall- Yeah … with a little bit of black, and with the brass, and, and, and- Ooh … glass is gonna look good." And so you know what? You're right. We just add some paint and it looks amazing.

Shannon: [39:22] Yeah.

Fabiola: [39:22] So yeah, uh, that is another good place to- Mm-hmm … to put. And I think something interesting on my Butler project, so we have this big staircase. And what I did is I just changed the color of the, uh, one of the walls. So we have this pendant, the lighting- Mm … in a different, a more darker color in the back. So- Mm … you walk into the house, people say, "Oh my gosh, I love that chandelier. I love those pendants." And what is make it look as special is not the light fixture by itself, it's the color that it's behind. 'Cause it can actually, like, pop. Ah. Exact-

Christian: [39:55] It

Fabiola: [39:55] makes it pop … it pops. Yeah. It was a, a, a taupey tone, so-

Christian: [39:59] Mm

Fabiola: [39:59] that with the brass and the light, it looks very elegant. Mm. It's… I'm sorry. And it's so affordable. It's just painting, so it's- Yeah. Wow … low build. So yeah, I believe in the power of painting.

Christian: [40:09] Yeah. Yeah.

Fabiola: [40:11] I believe, too.

Christian: [40:13] Agreed. One last thing on paint, so with exterior colors, how do you choose which color? Because we can all have our favorite exterior color- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm … but if every house on the street is another shade of that same color, how do you know what to choose?

Fabiola: [40:31] Yeah. I like to do this exercise when I have to pick the exterior color. So there are trends that you can get from Sherwin-Williams or- Mm-hmm uh, Benjamin Moore, but this is my favorite exercise. I like to walk around the neighborhood.

Christian: [40:43] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [40:44] And I always trying to find a way that make my project pop.

Speaker 4: [40:47] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [40:48] Sometimes could be a darker colors, and sometimes can be the same color scheme. Mm-hmm. Mm. So what you wanna achieve here is harmony. Mm-hmm. You wanna make sure that your house is appealing, but at the same time, you want to maintain that balance between- Yes the neighborhood. Smart

Christian: [41:02] Yeah. You don't wanna necessarily pop out in the wrong way.

Fabiola: [41:05] Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yep.

Christian: [41:06] Yep. Yeah, you gotta fit in somehow.

Fabiola: [41:08] Yeah.

Christian: [41:08] Yeah, I agree. I actually walked the Viewridge one with Raleigh, um, and he was asking, "Do you think we should paint this, or this color or that color? The house next door is that color, but I think this would look really good." And I was like, "I think you're right. I think that would look-

Fabiola: [41:21] Yeah … Speaker: pretty good." So. And I love that now we have tools like- ChatGPT or Gemini- Yeah. Yes … that you can play around without having all… Before we have to have all the samples, right? Yeah. Totally. And go and see if that works or no. Yeah. Now you can ask ChatGPT or Gemini, "Hey, how, uh, show me how this color will look with this color." Mm-hmm. So that's a great way to go. Yeah. So, um, sometimes, uh, when I'm working, especially with clients, so I do that exercise, and I have to print all of them, and so they can see the different and say- Mm-hmm. Um, another thing that is good from Gemini or ChatGPT or any, uh, artificial intelligence, they can add the landscape in. Yeah. Mm. So your clients or your business partners will have a full vision- Yep … about. And if you need more and more, you can always post those on social media and ask people- Mm-hmm … "What do you think?" Yes. Option A, option B. So that's a good way to go.

Christian: [42:10] Yeah, which is fun to do too, right?

Fabiola: [42:11] Yeah,

Shannon: [42:12] it is.

Christian: [42:13] Yeah.

Shannon: [42:14] Um, okay, I know that you use social media to try to stay on top of trends. I do, too. Mm-hmm. I would love to know what some of your favorite people to follow to kind of get inspiration from.

Fabiola: [42:25] That is, is, is a great question, and I believe that that is actually what helps the most with design. Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [42:31] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [42:32] Uh, my favorite, it depends of the style. Um- Mm-hmm.

Christian: [42:35] Totally, yeah … Fabiola: one of my favorite is Shannon Nelson. Well,

Shannon: [42:40] thank you. You're my favorite too.

Fabiola: [42:42] No, but you, your, your sense are really good. Thank you. And I remember when I, I start here, I used- I start following you, I remember that you brought us, uh, Raleigh and myself, to one of your properties, say, "Oh my gosh, I like this style. It's, it's serene, it's subtle. It's something that- Thank you … I can relate with." Um, locally, I will say Shannon.

Shannon: [43:00] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [43:00] Amanda McKane, too.

Christian: [43:01] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [43:01] Yes,

Fabiola: [43:02] she's great. Amanda has such an, such an amazing taste. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Is a great sort of inspiration if you are just starting. Mm-hmm. Um, oh my gosh, I can't remember the name of this lady. Um, she's from India. I can't remember it.

Christian: [43:15] Oh,

Fabiola: [43:16] Leka? N- Leka's good, too. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Leka's really good, too. But something that I like about this la- I, I need to make sure that I can-

Christian: [43:22] Find it … Fabiola: I find her. Because she's really good with working with the smallest spaces- Ooh … and do not forcing the trends. So, you know- Mm-hmm … sometimes when we are working with, uh, small bathrooms, we want to place at least two wall sconces. I noticed that she didn't force it. She just placed one sni- light feature between the mirrors. Oh my gosh, that was beautiful. So- Yeah.

Shannon: [43:44] Oh, that's a good idea.

Fabiola: [43:45] Yeah. That, that's a brilliant idea. Yeah. And, yeah, so, um, and- Outside of the Seattle area, I would say for Craftsman style, go with Studio McGee. Oh, yeah. Studio McGee is- Amazing … it's, it's a great, um, account to follow. Mm-hmm. Then I will say, uh, Becky Owens. Ooh. I like Becky Owens, too. She is really good with doing trends but in the smallest spaces. There another design, uh, from California, um, Madison, um, she's really good also with really, you know, sometimes we have these constraints, like, uh, low ceilings. She's really good with that.

Christian: [44:21] Ooh.

Fabiola: [44:22] Yeah. And then it's, uh, Anne-Marie Barton. She's from Arizona. If you are, you love mid-century style- Mm … or you like modern style, uh, follow her. She, she has a great taste for mid-century vibes. Um, to finalize this, Stephanie from, um, Clear Creek Collective.

Shannon: [44:41] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [44:41] Mm-hmm. She is great from, for beginners, but also for, since in it, uh- Mm-hmm flippers because she's always gonna make clarification about the different type of a style. Mm-hmm. So you asked me about farmhouse. Yeah. She's, uh, sh- uh, and I agree with her, we are transitioning from that to, uh, organic modern. Mm. Mm-hmm. So we are transitioning from mid-century to, uh, transitional modern. So it's good to follow her to know which style go with or which is your style. And she also shared a lot of tips for designing. Yeah. So those, those, those are my, my favorite accounts to follow. I

Shannon: [45:14] think- Amazing. I need to follow some more people.

Christian: [45:15] I think one thing that you keep bringing up that I think I want to point out so that people really understand is you need to first understand what style your home is, and then come up with a plan. Mm-hmm. And don't try to force, for instance, a super modern plan design with a Craftsman-style house.

Fabiola: [45:38] Mm-hmm. ' Speaker: Cause that doesn't really work. Yeah. You gotta lean into whatever the actual home style is in order to elevate it. Yes.

Christian: [45:45] And I think that's where some people just, they, they get disconnected.

Fabiola: [45:49] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [45:50] When I see flips that look like flips and just don't make sense- Yeah when you step back and you look at it, sometimes it's because the design they put into the house doesn't match the style of the house. Like

Shannon: [46:00] a shiny flat panel on a Craftsman, like shiny flat panel cabinet- Yeah … on a Craftsman.

Christian: [46:04] You're

Shannon: [46:04] like, " Speaker: No." Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, this doesn't work. Don't do it.

Fabiola: [46:07] Yeah. And believe it or not, that is something the buyers really care. They do. Mm-hmm. Especially in the Seattle area. Yes. Mm-hmm. They love to keep the charm of the house- Mm-hmm … if it's a flip.

Christian: [46:16] Yep.

Fabiola: [46:17] Um, so yes, don't force the trend. Yeah. Not because something is trendy it means that it's gonna be adequate for your, for your flip, so.

Christian: [46:26] Yeah.

Shannon: [46:27] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [46:27] Let's talk about kitchen cabinets, or I guess all cabinets. W- wood tones are huge right now.

Fabiola: [46:33] Yes.

Christian: [46:34] Which wood tones are you leaning towards, or where do you see the trends going?

Fabiola: [46:38] Well, we work with flips. We have- Small space. Something when we see something trendy on a magazine or on an Instagram account, we don't have the same space.

Christian: [46:49] Yeah.

Fabiola: [46:49] So yes, warmer tones like a walnut or a, or rich, rich, uh, colors for cabinets are trendy now. But it doesn't mean that it's gonna work for your flip. Mm. So if you decide to go with a really dark or warmer tone for cabinets, make sure that you have enough natural lighting. Mm-hmm.

Christian: [47:10] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [47:10] So if you really, really wanna go with that design or that style for your cabinets, make sure that you have a big window so that the space won't feel darker. Yeah,

Christian: [47:20] and small.

Fabiola: [47:21] A- and small. Yeah. So another thing that you can do if you really wanna go with that type of cabinets, skylights. Mm-hmm. So that will bring- Mm-hmm … a lot of natural light, so that, that, that will- Yeah. He loves a

Shannon: [47:31] skylight.

Christian: [47:32] I do love a skylight. One of

Shannon: [47:33] his favorite things in life. I

Christian: [47:34] try and get them in everywhere, and we barely ever get them in.

Shannon: [47:36] Well, they just don't always make sense.

Christian: [47:37] They don't. Yeah.

Fabiola: [47:38] Doesn't mean I don't want it. But they can transform the, the space- Yeah … because I have a client in Redland, ceilings were 7.6, not even 8 feet, so it was really low ceilings. Mm-hmm. And that kitchen was dark.

Christian: [47:54] Yeah.

Fabiola: [47:54] So we added skylight in-

Christian: [47:56] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: next to the kitchen, and it's a big diff- Yeah we did white cabinets for upper- Mm … and white o- for the p- uh, the, the lowers. Lowers. Oh, nice. And great balance, because they say, "Yeah, I'm not convinced about this kitchen. I think I shouldn't buy this house." I say, "Take your time. Once you finish the whole product-" Mm-hmm … "then you're, you're gonna like it." Yeah. Because this add more- Yeah … more lighting. Mm-hmm. Make the space, uh, feel bigger. So yeah.

Shannon: [48:18] Yeah. Are there any specific trends you're seeing in general or in the tile field

Christian: [48:26] Either

Shannon: [48:26] layout or- Either one. Like, how it's laid out or specific colors, materials.

Fabiola: [48:31] Yeah. Uh, for tile, what is trending now are, uh, I noticed it, uh, from Edward Martin, and th- which is a great reference for, for tile trends. So they have these two-by-nine or two-by-12, uh, large tile-

Shannon: [48:46] Mm … Fabiola: and they are placed vertically, like a stack. Mm-hmm. But they create this stripe pattern, so you will have two tones, and then have- Love that. Yeah. The, that, that is something that is trendy right now. Mm-hmm. Or you have the classic, uh, four-by-four in a select finish, uh, tile, and they're combining two colors so that create like a checkerboard pattern- Mm for shower walls. That's another thing that I, I've, uh, noticed lately. Yeah. Uh, I think buyers from Seattle have a positive response to that trend. Amanda did one of- Yeah … those for, for… And people just love it. Yeah. Um, I haven't get to that point yet, uh, because m- one of my latest, uh, for me was more like a, a mid-century style. Yeah. So we went with a fluted tile, reverse fluted tile, so, and with a deep- Ooh, love that … dark tone. So, um, but yeah, that is, that is trendy now for tile. Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [49:40] Um, they are, the layout for the tile is normally vertical stack. Mm-hmm. And then you combine two colors.

Shannon: [49:46] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [49:46] Um, there is an affordable way to achieve that look. Ooh. There is a tile from Surfer Art. It's quite cheaper than Edward Martin, but you can achieve the same look. Oh, nice. So that's, that's it. Nice. Yeah. That is something that it's- Always in budget. You just need to be creative. Yeah. Yeah. I thought

Shannon: [50:03] about doing that in our kids' bathroom.

Christian: [50:05] Yep.

Shannon: [50:06] But then I didn't. I did a, I did a square blue tile. Amanda- It's really pretty. Yeah. So I'm happy

Fabiola: [50:10] I did it, but- Amanda did it in, in her own house … it looks great It looks amazing. Yeah.

Shannon: [50:13] I love

Fabiola: [50:13] it. Yeah,

Shannon: [50:13] I love it too. I think it's really pretty. I'll probably do it.

Christian: [50:15] Okay, so we talked about trends. What about trends that are dying, or what do you think are dying? Where, what are ending?

Fabiola: [50:23] So I will say that hardcore mid-century and hardcore, uh, farmhouse are dying. Mm-hmm. So they are already transitioning into other styles, like organic modern or, um, modern transitional or, they're called different ways. But I will say those styles are dying. Um, good paneling, it's, it's dying too. Yeah. We've seen that everywhere, um- Here … here.

Christian: [50:47] So I feel like every podcast studio has that.

Fabiola: [50:50] We need to ruin that design of this studio now. Uh, so that's, that- Yeah … it, um, it's, it's dying now. Yeah. But we are gonna be those big panels. So- Mm-hmm … we're going with the smaller one to the massive panel floor to ceiling especially- Mm in offices or fireplaces too. Mm. Uh, it could be, I like it to use, I like to use that on bedrooms.

Christian: [51:14] Mm.

Fabiola: [51:14] So you can put it in, in, in the back of your, your bedrooms. Yeah. And with that bright lighting, it creates- Mm … a very sophisticated style, so.

Christian: [51:21] Nice.

Fabiola: [51:22] These type of wood panels are dying, but a new type of, uh- Okay good panels are coming, so. Yeah. It's good to know.

Christian: [51:30] Let's talk about technology. We already kinda touched on AI and how you can definitely utilize that- Mm-hmm … to see what a space could look like. Are you using any rendering software or 3D modeling or anything like that?

Fabiola: [51:43] Yeah. And my case is quite unique how I use this type of technology because I have Raleigh. Yeah. He has a great imagination. Mm-hmm. So when it's our projects, I don't necessarily use all of it unless we have a partnership and we need to combine our idea, uh, properly and w- or we want just to show, uh, our partner how are we gonna work with this project. Mm-hmm. So just to make sure that we are all on the same page, yes, sometimes I will use, uh, SketchUp for 3D rendering. Um, it will depends of how, how deep we wanna go or how much we need to, to show our, our partners. Um, so but we have SketchUp. We also work with Chief Architect. Mm-hmm. Um, SketchUp have th- different levels. So you can have just the sketch or you can create a BRI image, which is extremely realistic. It's- Oh, wow. Oh, wow … I, I did one from one project, and I mean, I should pause the picture from the rendering, the picture from the, the, the bathroom. You should. Yeah. I wanna see. Because, yeah, it is basically the same.

Christian: [52:45] Wow.

Fabiola: [52:46] Yeah. So- Wow … every once in a while we will use that, uh, in our projects. But when I'm working with clients, yes, I do render, uh, at least kitchen, bathrooms, and main areas. Uh, I use SketchUp for then and so the client will have a clear vision. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, if it's a client that is very hesitant about the design, sometimes I, I schedule an appointment, I don't know if you're familiar with Work With Your Plans. Mm-hmm. Work With Your Plans, it's a type of service that they will bring you to a warehouse and they will project your floor plans. Oh, I have seen that. Yes. You, you can walk then.

Christian: [53:20] Yes.

Fabiola: [53:21] So, and- I've seen that online … Speaker: that's so cool. So cool. I'll explain this further, 'cause this is awesome. So- He's very excited … they, you're like in a blank warehouse, empty warehouse, and they have, like, projectors from the ceiling that project the entire floor plan of the building on the floor, and you can walk through it. Yes. It's so cool. Yeah. I, I do that when I see that my client is not quite convinced about- Mm the dimensions of the bathrooms or the bedrooms- Mm … or, or they, they feel like the kitchen is not the best. So they can walk it and they can see it. Yeah. So that's another good technology to use. That's a great one. And also- How much does it

Shannon: [53:55] cost,

Fabiola: [53:56] do you remember? Oh my gosh, I can't remember right now. Uh- A couple

Christian: [53:58] hundred bucks, something like that.

Fabiola: [53:58] Yeah, but I, I have an appointment this, this Wednes- oh, tomorrow. Oh. So

Shannon: [54:03] I

Fabiola: [54:03] will let you know- That's exciting … how much it, it costs. Yeah. But it's, it's worth it because- Yeah … that is when your client will be fully convinced of going with- Mm … that floor plan.

Shannon: [54:11] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [54:11] Um, and then- Love that … yeah, and then there is one app that is, I will recommend this app for, uh, beginners. Mm-hmm. But I will, I will say that- listen, and flippers can use it too. It's called, uh, Home Planner. So you can scan the room- Oh, yeah … or you can upload your floor plans and they w- uh, the app will make the elevations. Uh, it is good for lighting, specifically for scale. Oh. Oh. So if you're not sure about how your light fixture will look on that space, you can just, uh, upload the link so it will create a 3D imaging- Okay so you can see how the light fixture will fit in your space. Because it's real size, it's the real measurement, so you- That's nice … you will have a clear vision about how those finishes are gonna look. Nice. It's, it's a paid version, but it's also free, so you can do that. Yeah. Um, it's a

Shannon: [54:57] good- I need to do that. There's been a f- I usually guess or measure pretty accurately, but there's been a few times where we've gotten, specifically, like, a chandelier or something- Mm-hmm … and I'm like, "No." Yeah. "That's too big, too small." Like, we hold it up. I'm like, "No, it's gotta go back." Yeah. Redo it.

Christian: [55:12] And you'll know right away

Shannon: [55:12] too. Um, so to not have to make that guesswork, make the return, redo- Exactly … like, it's always tough when you make a decision in your head as a, as a designer, and then you can't do it for whatever reason. Mm-hmm. You have to go back and rethink, um, 'cause you have just an image of what you want, and if you can't- Yeah have it, you gotta part-

Fabiola: [55:29] You know what? It's funny. Uh, I also u- use ChatGPT for that. Uh-huh. Yeah. So I ask them what will be, uh, an appropriate scale from this space. Yeah. Mm. So that's, that's something. But as I said, sometimes your client won't have that vision. Mm-hmm. And I get at the point that I grab a piece of paper and make a big drawer- Mm and I put it there, and I say, "See, it's gonna be from here to here," so they can see it. Yeah. Yeah. And you have to find a way. Well, that's your technology. Yeah. This is back- Yeah … to the old time. Yeah. But they have to see, and once they see it in their- Mm … their space, they say, "Okay, I like this." Yeah. So, yeah. That makes sense.

Christian: [56:03] Yeah, I know we even have used Gemini and ChatGPT, and whatever one has the best image processing- Mm-hmm … at the moment, 'cause they're all one-upping each other. Um, but we used, I think we used Gemini when we designed our house because we wanted to show the contractor how exactly we wanted the spacing on things and I think it was for your, like, the picture molding that we were doing.

Shannon: [56:25] Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Christian: [56:25] Um, they just didn't understand, and they were like, "Can you just draw

Shannon: [56:28] it?" Well, we were out of town. They're like, "Can't you just draw it on here?" I'm like, "No, I'm not there."

Christian: [56:32] Yeah.

Shannon: [56:32] But I will give you an AI version to use. Yes. Yeah. And it worked fine. That's, that's helpful. Yeah. Yeah.

Christian: [56:36] Yeah,

Fabiola: [56:36] yeah.

Shannon: [56:37] Yeah, it worked good. Should we do rapid fire?

Christian: [56:39] Yes, let's do

Shannon: [56:40] it. Okay.

Christian: [56:40] Let's do it. You wanna go?

Shannon: [56:41] Sure. Or you, you wanna go? So these are just whatever comes to your head super quick.

Fabiola: [56:45] That sounds fun.

Shannon: [56:46] What is your number one favorite paint color right now?

Fabiola: [56:50] Swiss coffee for interiors- Swiss coffee … and the black iron from the exteriors, yeah. Yeah.

Shannon: [56:54] All right. What's one trend that you hope disappears?

Fabiola: [56:57] Oh, gosh. Those gold Slutters. I don't like the gold Slutters- Oh … unfortunately. Same.

Shannon: [57:04] I feel the same. Uh, what's your favorite place to shop for lighting?

Fabiola: [57:08] lamb+

Shannon: [57:09] Okay. lamb+. Your biggest, uh, design mistake that you think flippers make?

Fabiola: [57:15] Planning or the lack of planning. Mm-hmm.

Christian: [57:17] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [57:17] Mm-hmm. Agreed. What's the best room to add drama?

Fabiola: [57:22] Powder rooms, office with bars. Yeah.

Shannon: [57:26] Uh, matte brass… No, matte black, brass or chrome?

Fabiola: [57:31] It depends of the style of the house, but my favorite's brass. You can work with that for many, many styles, yeah.

Christian: [57:37] Yeah.

Shannon: [57:38] Favorite countertop?

Fabiola: [57:41] Whistler. It's a quartz, but it's, it, it have that elegant vibe. Mm. It's not that expensive, especially if you're working with bathrooms and, uh, wet parts, go with Whistler. It's timeless. Mm. It, it give you that marble style. It's, it's simple, but it looks so well. Yeah. And easy to combine with many colors. And for kitchen countertops, I will say a classic Calacatta. Mm-hmm. Mm. You can play around with that. I know Taj Mahal is trendy, but a good Calacatta can make a difference.

Shannon: [58:09] I agree. What's one budget-friendly upgrade that every investor should consider doing?

Fabiola: [58:14] Tile and painting. Mm. Yes. Find the right tile, and play with the, the colors around. It's gonna, it's gonna be good.

Shannon: [58:22] Yeah. This is a … I'm gonna throw this one at you. How do you like your wall texture? Smooth.

Fabiola: [58:28] Very smooth. It's expensive, I know, but- Yeah … and the orange peel, so I'm trying to get it seamless, because-

Christian: [58:32] Yeah … Fabiola: the idea is to have a lighter space. Yeah. Mm-hmm. With-

Shannon: [58:35] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [58:37] Yeah, I would also say for tile, always look at the clearance aisle.

Fabiola: [58:42] True.

Christian: [58:42] Or just ask them if they don't have it displayed, like, "Hey, what do you have on clearance?" Mm. "Do you have stuff in the back?" 'Cause they always have stuff. They, they,

Fabiola: [58:48] they have some,

Christian: [58:49] yeah. Mm-hmm. And sometimes it is an amazing deal.

Fabiola: [58:52] Uh, I mean, 100% go there. Yeah. I have a very, very nice handmade style, Salice tile- Oh that cost under five, and it's from one of those outlet sales store. Yeah. So every time that I have the opportunity to use it-

Christian: [59:08] Yeah … Fabiola: I use it. People love it. Exactly.

Fabiola: [59:10] Wow. Yeah. And it, normally Salice tile are around $20 per square foot. This is five.

Christian: [59:15] Yeah.

Fabiola: [59:16] So you can- So… You're right, Kristen. Yes. Go and ask for things that

Christian: [59:20] they might have. Yes, always. Mm-hmm. I mean, I do the same thing when I clothes shop, but- I'm also cheap, so.

Shannon: [59:26] Yeah. One thing I want to say is it's really, design, one, is hard in general.

Christian: [59:30] Mm-hmm.

Shannon: [59:31] But it's, designing a house that's ex- like, that costs a lot to do the design, that's a d- like, that is hard, but to design a house that looks really good and looks really high-end on the kind of budget that you do is-

Christian: [59:45] Mm-hmm. That is- … Shannon: so impressive … a skill. Yes. Yes. And you do such a beautiful job.

Fabiola: [59:50] Oh, thank you so much. This means a lot to me, because I remember my first weeks looking at all Shannon's project, like saying, "Oh my gosh." So thank you.

Shannon: [59:59] Aw. Thank

Christian: [59:59] you. Yeah, and I think a lot of people will, that listen to this and that watch it, will definitely learn a lot, because you made things very approachable. Mm-hmm. You weren't gatekeeping anything, which most people do, just so you guys know. Um, and being willing to share the resources and your go-tos is huge, and thank you so much for doing that, because again, most people gatekeep this information. I'm like, "Why? There's-" It's also just hard.

Fabiola: [1:00:26] This is hard.

Christian: [1:00:27] This is hard.

Fabiola: [1:00:27] Yeah.

Christian: [1:00:28] Even when you have all the info, you still might not succeed.

Fabiola: [1:00:31] Exactly, yeah. No, I, I feel like, uh- Sharing is such an important thing. I mean, uh, feel free to ask any question if you, if you are new or if you are not sure. I, I'm still asking myself. I work really closely with real- um, realtors. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That is one advice that I will give to any beginner or anybody who is just starting in this real estate business. Ask your realtor.

Christian: [1:01:00] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [1:01:00] They- Uh-huh … really know. And if you're afraid to ask them, this is how I started. I start to follow a lot of realtors, a lot of investors, and I send texts. I invite them to, to get some coffee sometimes.

Christian: [1:01:12] Uh-huh.

Fabiola: [1:01:13] Uh, you will learn a lot.

Shannon: [1:01:15] Yeah.

Fabiola: [1:01:15] And- Absolutely … yeah. Or this is my favorite part. They, in Seattle you will have realtors that they only sell houses in an specific area. Mm-hmm. So they have a, such a valuable data that you can go- Yeah … and ask them. So do that. Mm-hmm. And another thing that I would say- If you have the time, make the post. It is really interesting all the feedback that you're gonna get-

Christian: [1:01:36] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: from buyers. Yeah.

Shannon: [1:01:38] Mm-hmm.

Fabiola: [1:01:39] So I, I was 100% sure about one of my, uh, primary bathrooms that we finished. I love it. I, I thought it was beautiful, and a buyer came and say, "Hmm, I love it, but I think would it be nice if you used a taupey tone for, for the back of the, the vanity. Like, uh, this wall should have been painted in a different…" And I stopped and, and thought about it, and said… Immediately went to Gemini, say, "Paint this,"-

Christian: [1:02:04] Mm-hmm … Fabiola: and show me how it look. He was right. Wow. Wow. It looks much more elevated, and it wouldn't cost anything- Yeah … because it's just paint. It's just paint. Yeah.

Fabiola: [1:02:12] Wow.

Christian: [1:02:12] 20 bucks.

Fabiola: [1:02:13] So yeah, that is important feedback that you can get through social media.

Shannon: [1:02:17] Absolutely.

Christian: [1:02:18] Yeah. Yeah, and having a network of fellow investors to walk your projects as well- Mm-hmm, yeah … that's huge. Yeah. While you're in the process, and ask opinions, and be open to the feedback that they give you.

Fabiola: [1:02:29] Yes, yes.

Christian: [1:02:30] Uh-huh. 'Cause that's the one thing that I love about our community, is that we are always going to share whatever our opinions are.

Fabiola: [1:02:37] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [1:02:38] And it's not because we're, we don't like you or something weird. Like, it's like we want to help you. Like, we always- Yeah … that's what we all do. Yeah. And that's so fun. Yeah. Um, our community in Seattle specifically is awesome.

Fabiola: [1:02:49] It's a great community. For

Christian: [1:02:50] sure.

Fabiola: [1:02:51] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [1:02:51] Yeah. I don't know about the rest of the country. Now, for sure we are. Me neither. That's not saying that they're not. I just- I'm sure they are … I just don't know. Me

Fabiola: [1:02:57] neither. I just moved from Lima to Seattle in- Yeah. … earlier this year, so

Christian: [1:03:03] Nothing in between. Yeah. Well, Faby, thank you so much. If people wanna follow you on Instagram, what, where can they do that?

Fabiola: [1:03:08] Yes. Um, yes, they can follow me on Instagram. I'm, uh, fabiolavillanueva. I'm actually Fabiola Villanueva, but many people h- know me as Fabiola Babas.

Christian: [1:03:16] Yes.

Fabiola: [1:03:16] But you can find me like that in Instagram or TikTok. Okay. So TikTok is where I post the majority of our projects. Oh, nice. Uh, because I have so many positive responses from, from buyers. Yeah. So I usually go with TikTok. But yes- Awesome … feel free to ask any question. Good to know. And yeah, yeah, happy to help anybody who has questions about design. Yeah.

Christian: [1:03:34] And if they want to hire you, how can they do that? How can they reach out?

Fabiola: [1:03:37] They can reach out to me to, uh, my social media. It could be Instagram or TikTok. So I'm very active there, so they-

Christian: [1:03:44] Perfect … Fabiola: uh, yeah. Or they can send me an email, too. Yeah. So happy to help anybody. Awesome. Especially new investors. Yes. If they don't know how to start, what to do first, so that's it. It's very overwhelming.

Fabiola: [1:03:52] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [1:03:53] Yes.

Fabiola: [1:03:53] I know. I've been

Christian: [1:03:54] there. The first few, yes. It's a lot of

Fabiola: [1:03:55] decisions.

Christian: [1:03:56] Yes. Yes. A lot of decisions. The first few that you do, not just worst one, but the first few that you do- … it is very overwhelming. I know. A lot of second guessing. Yeah, yeah. It's a lot.

Speaker 4: [1:04:05] So, and

Christian: [1:04:06] by the end, you'll probably have decision fatigue.

Shannon: [1:04:08] Yes. Well, thank you for coming.

Christian: [1:04:10] Yes.

Shannon: [1:04:11] Thank you so much. You're a wealth of knowledge. Yes. I learned a ton, and I'm so grateful that you were here to share all your

Fabiola: [1:04:16] wisdom. Thank you so much for inviting me, guys. I have such a great time with you today. Yeah,

Shannon: [1:04:19] it's been

Christian: [1:04:19] a great time. Yeah. This was great. Well, thank you so much. Uh, that's it for this episode of the Awesome in Seattle podcast. We will see you next time. Bye.