Testimonials
“Cathy Lorenz and her team are a selling broker’s greatest asset…Not only does Cathy have a keen eye and the ability to transform a property to it’s “best-self” but she also has a cadre of other incredible skills that add significant value, not only to the price of a seller’s home, but to the selling process overall.
From the moment Cathy walked in, I felt a sense of peace and confidence. She has wonderful taste and judgment and has a talent for accentuating a home’s best features and artfully addressing its shortcomings. She has a robust network of professionals and can identify the perfect resource for anything else that might need to be done to further increase perceived value.
Beyond all of these skills, Cathy and her team are just lovely to work with. Ever poised and professional, Cathy is a team-player and goes to great lengths to make the process work for the client. Her responses to questions are nearly immediate and thoughtful. She instills confidence on the part of the seller and makes the broker look great. A secret weapon that should be in any discerning broker’s toolbox!”
“My elderly mother died of Covid and left a Manhattan cooperative apartment as part of her intestate estate. What should have taken only a few weeks in order to gain initial access to the apartment and, thereafter, to remove the contents dragged on for nearly nine months because of delays at the Probate Court engendered by the pandemic. Making matters worse, the Cooperative had very demanding insurance/indemnity requirements in place that few haulers were able to satisfy. After finally clearing out the contents of the apartment, the family was understandably exhausted by the ordeal and the real estate agent selected to handle the sale recommended that the Pre-War apartment be staged in order to enhance the chances of a sale.
At this point, the apartment had been empty for about a year and in need of a lot of cosmetic upgrades. Thankfully, the Agent referred us to Cathy Lorenz Designs. In Cathy’s capable hands, her team literally took care of everything at a time when my family was not in a position to handle much more stress. Cathy sent us a comprehensive proposal addressing the needs to refinish the original 1930s wood floors, to paint the apartment, to upgrade the outlets and light switches, and to install modern lighting fixtures. Additionally, she arranged to have furniture delivered and installed for staging (and the quote included the cost of removal). Most critically, all the applications and fees that needed to be undertaken to satisfy a demanding cooperative Board were handled by Cathy and her team. The total cost for the project was within expectations and we were able to handle the various executions and payments online.
Keep in mind that I’m a lawyer and my wife is a lawyer and we’re not the easiest folks to negotiate with and we tend to scrutinize everything. As such, in my role as the estate’s Administrator, my expectations were tempered by my somewhat cynical view of the world, which tends to be justified by how things often go from bad to worse. What a pleasant surprise it was to find out that Cathy and her team completed the project ahead of any reasonable timeframe. Even more impressively, she didn’t merely do the bare minimum to make the apartment look presentable but, to the contrary, the end result was magical!
I would never hesitate to recommend Cathy Lorenz Designs to any of my law clients or professional colleagues — and I have already given her name to a lawyer who needed to deal with a client looking to sell a condominium in New York City. It’s a rare thing to find a business today that delivers an affordable product/service, and does so on time and in a manner that goes beyond your best expectations. That’s why I’ve taken the time to write this testimonial.”
“Cathy tackled an estate listing for me that needed absolutely everything but had heirs with a limited appetite to spend a lot. She knew exactly the best places to spend the money to make the place look fresh and bright. Best of all, she took total responsibility for the whole project. Cathy is reliable, professional, and transparent in terms of her billing and costs.”
“Cathy is a pleasure to work with! She is smart, friendly, efficient—and she gets the job done tastefully. What’s more, she listens, and will help you get what you want in time and on budget. ”
“Cathy Lorenz Designs was a dream to work with on our UES estate condition prewar Classic 7. She was so terrific that we recommended her for an estate prewar Classic 8 also on the UES. For both apartments many brokers asked for Cathy’s contact information, as they loved her staging! She has beautiful taste and is very responsive and creative. I highly recommend CLD!”
“I have worked with Cathy Lorenz and her team for several years and they are truly staging magicians! Their work has been instrumental in the successful sale of many of my listings. Not only do they transform a vacant apartment or townhouse into one that shows like a designer showcase, they have the unique ability to work equally well with every type of client, from those who require a complete staging from the ground up, to owners who need assistance decluttering and tweaking to make properties “show ready”. In all cases, they do it all with impeccable taste and keen attention to detail and each of her projects look uniquely beautiful and not “staged.”
Cathy offers truly turnkey service, consulting both with owners still living in their apartments to those who have already moved out, and arranging everything from working with auction houses for estates, making donations for unwanted furniture, art and collectibles, to packing, itemizing, and storing personal items. She offers specialized service to agents as well. For example, just prior to photographs and listing, she is extremely helpful in placing items and making bedding look phenomenal. Perhaps most important, Cathy and her team do it all with the utmost professionalism, showing my clients kindness, grace and patience. I recommend Cathy and her team enthusiastically and without reservation.”
“We strongly recommend Cathy Lorenz Designs. Cathy and her team saved the day with one of our most difficult listing for sale. The home was in horrific condition. Cathy magically transformed the apartment beautifully on a tight budget. As a result, were able to sell it quite quickly at an excellent price. Throughout the process, Cathy and her team were also most patient, thorough and completely professional.”
“Cathy Lorenz has impeccable taste and always manages through her eye for design, to bring out the true potential of whatever home she’s designing. With beautiful paint colors, comfortable, elegant and stylish furnishings, CLD always manage to showcase my listings and turn them into fast contract signings. Cathy is easy to work with, professional, communicative and competitively priced and her team always manages a fast execution. Whether it’s staging or design, Cathy has a reputation for transforming any space and I always look forward to what she’ll do next.”