I can't tell you how impressed I was with the foresight of a delightful young couple who were referred to me by their Real Estate Agent."? This was a first for me."? I've spent over 20 years in the interior design industry, five years of which I've spent staging homes, consulting on home staging and the best part of all, teaching "clock hour' classes on Home Staging to Real Estate Professionals."? This couple had just recently bought a condo and their intention was to live in it for a few years and then upgrade to something bigger."?

Now we all know that staging usually happens prior to listing a home to sell."? This time it was different."? On the advice of their Real Estate Agent, I was to consult with them on which upgrades would best benefit the condo at the point of resale."? With youth and inexperience on their side they had decided to follow the advice of the experts ' what an insightful move.

It made me think of the time we sold our previous home about eight years ago."? It was the most gorgeous home, but for a myriad of reasons, we just let things lapse."? I ran around like a chicken without a head preparing it for the real estate market."? Long before staging was called staging, my background as a designer had me instinctively doing upgrades.

We painted, repaired and decorated the place into a stupor and when all was said and done, both my husband and I had definite misgivings."? Our biggest regret was the fact that we dealt with all that deferred maintenance in the week before listing our home."? Why hadn't we kept it looking as wonderful as it did the day it sold?"? How many homeowners fall in love with the homes they are about to sell?

Back to the young couple who immediately got to work replacing an aging kitchen and ripping out a dated bathroom."? Together we researched kitchen and bathroom trends and selected styles and materials and colors that had a proven track record."? My advice to them, avoid gimmicky trends."? They come and go, but a classical design that is simple, stylish and easy to keep clean would stand the test of time.

For example, those bowl shaped bathroom sinks that stand on top of counters might be the rage now, but they are a passing phase and they are difficult to keep clean."? Bamboo Flooring has demonstrated that it scratches easily and tends to "move' with weather changes.' Synthetic or engineered stone countertops on the other hand are less expensive than stone and have proven to be extremely durable.

So after the necessary research we made choices that would hopefully hold their appeal for many years to come."? The lucky couple gets to enjoy fully their brand new space and they will also benefit from selling a recently updated home."? The whole idea of consulting with a home stager prior to moving into made total sense."? It showed that these two people were "thinking ahead' to the day they sell their condo"?

All too often, after staging a home and especially after selling my own home, I just can't help thinking"""""""""' Why don't people "stage' their homes when they are moving in rather than when they're preparing to move out?