Local home-staging expert Marlene Gold offers up insider tips designed to put your home’s best square foot forward.

An accredited staging professional, certified interior decorator, and former PR exec in the home-furnishings industry, Larchmont’s Marlene Gold founded Gold Staging & Redesign in 2008. Since then, home staging—visually presenting a house to its best advantage—continues to be a critical real-estate marketing tool. Want to attract serious buyers this fall—or just spruce up the family home? Check out Gold’s expert advice.

Refrain from staging in your own decorating style.

Professional stagers remove the sellers’ personality so that it doesn’t distract buyers from envisioning the home as their own. This should not be an opportunity to express your personal talent and style, explains Gold.

Consider a neutral color palette. Light grays, blues, and whites are current, says Gold, and will help buyers envision their own furniture in your house. Check out HomeGoods, Target, and Pier 1 for accessories, and IKEA and Home Depot for lighting fixtures with the look of upscale designers at discount prices. Gold also likes Overstock.com for well-priced designer bedding.

Refrain from putting tablecloths on dining-room or kitchen tables. The more shiny surfaces there are in a space to reflect the light, the brighter and more spacious it will appear, says Gold.

Choose one or two large pieces of art for less visual clutter. And refrain from hanging art on an angle—too distracting, Gold explains—or covering every wall with lots of small pieces.

Invest time and energy on your home’s exterior. Curb appeal counts—many buyers will do a drive-by before scheduling the first appointment.

Resist the urge to “decorate to sell.” You may think that by buying lots of new accessories and occasional furniture you will give the room the “wow” it needs but, says Gold, “You’re just trading clutter with too many distracting small things.”

Article from: http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/January-2015/6-Westchester-Home-Staging-Quick-Hits/

OSSINING – Ginsburg Development begins construction this week of the long-planned Harbor Square, a 188-unit luxury waterfront rental building.

Local officials and the developer consider the project a key part of the revitalization at the Hudson River and the village's historic downtown.

"It is a huge economic boon to the village," said Mayor William Hanauer. "It will bring new people with disposable income to the village. It will bring new commerce into the village. And it will open the riverfront as our front door — as it once was in the early days of Ossining."

The apartments on Westerly Road, off Main Street and Route 9, will feature high-end amenities such as a rooftop swimming pool, a spa and concierge services. There will also be public sections — a restaurant with outdoor seating, a waterfront park with sculptures and a walking promenade, Ginsburg noted.

"I have a particular passion for the Hudson River, which is historically significant to the state and the city, and I have always felt that the Ossining waterfront is a major spot," said Martin Ginsburg, president of Ginsburg Development Corp., which built Ichabod's Landing in Tarrytown, River Bend in Peekskill and Harbors at Haverstraw.

For Ginsburg, Harbor Square is the perfect project in the perfect spot. He emphasized that rental apartments are on the rise in the local construction scene because so many young professionals and adults in transition are seeking this type of housing, including the newly opened Avalon apartments in the Town of Ossining.

"We are excited about doing something that will have an impact on Hudson River communities and I think it could act as a catalyst (for) more aggressive movement," the developer said.

Ginsburg said a final decision has not been made on the roughly 5,000-square-foot restaurant at the waterfront, but he hopes it will have a diverse enough menu to attract tourists and families living nearby, and offer a large terrace for parties and events.

The apartments will offer river views, covered garage spaces, a two-story lobby and units with many luxury finishes such as stone countertops and wood floors. Occupancy is expected in March 2016, and 10 percent will be "affordable housing" units.

Hanauer said the village is moving forward on a plan to extend the pier and has applied for a state grant. He said that construction is also underway on a new 31-unit apartment building on Main Street near the farmers market location.

"There is a lot going on and it is all good for Ossining residents and businesses," he said.

Article from:

http://www.lohud.com/story/money/real-estate/living-here/2014/06/09/construction-starts-luxury-apts-harbor-square-ossining/10248479/