Open House Bling: Why Every Real Estate Firm Should Invest In Permanent Botanicals

Flip through the pages of any glossy interior-design magazine if you're searching for fresh ideas to stage your open house showings. You'll notice artfully-placed plants and flower arrangements are found in every shot. That's because the right botanical arrangements will bring out the best of any room's features. There are so many benefits to be had for the smart property-staging teams that invest in permanent botanicals.

Busy brokerages need low-maintenance props.

To host a large number of living potted plants, your firm would need the right environment, facilities, and time to care for them properly. Because larger living planters are full of dirt, they are very heavy to move and arrange. Living plants shed old leaves, berries, and flower petals all over table tops and credenzas. They must be cared for while in a client's home, which could be messy and inconvenient for the homeowner left in charge.

Even a fresh-cut flower arrangement needs care or it will turn an ugly brown and wilt. The water must be changed and flower food added. If water isn't changed at all, it may develop a foul odor as stems rot. Spent blossoms must be plucked away and the bouquet fluffed up to keep it attractive.

Permanent botanicals made of silk and other life-like materials never need to be watered or fed, weigh a fraction of real plants, and never leave a huge mess behind. Permanent botanicals last years rather than weeks with no risk of vases spilling or stinking.

Permanent botanicals will transform a home.

The right wreath on the door invites a visitor inside and hints at the home's appropriateness for the seasons and sense of class. The front steps appear suddenly stylish with a tall planter holding a silk boxwood topiary or a spiky spray of leaf spears.

Inside the foyer or front hall, if the home is modern, highlight the sleek lines with several single-stemmed lily blossoms in a black glass rectangular planter. Or grace a more traditional hall table with a simple arrangement of hydrangeas or orchids in a squat ceramic bowl.

Dining rooms and kitchens are great places for flower arrangements and seasonal botanical elements. You don't want to go overboard and clash with the current owner's décor, or appear desperate by overdoing the holiday motif. Think simple: tastefully-placed poinsettias and evergreen garlands—or spring bouquets and potted tulips—instantly brighten rooms and help buyers imagine future holiday possibilities in the home.

Larger tropical foliage pieces work well in home gyms and offices, while smaller cacti and other succulents are perfect for bathrooms, bedrooms, and porches. Build up a supply of unique containers, quality silk blooms and foliage, and permanent potted houseplants so you can mix and match the elements to uniquely enhance each home you show.

Caring for your company's permanent botanical investment is easy.

A dedicated closet or other storage spot for your botanicals is a great idea. Ideally, there should be very little dust allowed to make contact with the plants. Storing them in plastic sleeves or garbage bags will help cut down on dust.

Every month or so, if not used, they should be taken outside if possible (or to a garage or other place where there's a sturdy floor) and shaken out to remove any dust that's collected, which will refresh the fabric.

To clean super-dusty plants, you can purchase special cleaners that you spray on the leaves and flowers. Or, make a homemade cleaner by mixing equal parts isopropyl alcohol and water in a spray bottle. The mixture will loosen dust and roll off the foliage, so clean the plants outside or stand over protective floor covering before you start spraying.

An adequate collection of permanent botanicals won't make anyone sneeze, won't poison any of your clients' pets, and won't die shortly after you buy your collection. Instead, these versatile decorating tools will help you spruce up a home quickly, augment your marketing photo shoots, and keep quietly working for you after every successful property sale.


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