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/
