As Seen on TV “HGTV’s House Hunters!”

Laurel Lustgarten of Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty was recently selected to film an episode of House Hunters for HGTV, after a multi-stage audition process.

The episode followed Lustgarten and her buyers, Daphne Garcia and Rudy Rodriguez, during their home search in the Goshen and Middletown area. Three properties that were listed for sale at the time were toured, as well as various locations in Orange County. The House Hunters episode is set to air at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 21 on HGTV. Look for reruns to air titled, “Moving Up in New York State”.

“Filming for House Hunters was an incredible opportunity and a wonderful experience. The producers, the director and the crew treated my buyers and I royally,” Lustgarten shared. “The days we taped were very long, but the hours flew by, and it is very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes to make TV magic. We were very fortunate to have three terrific sellers that opened their homes to us during the process, and as the show clearly showed, choosing a home was not an easy decision for my buyers. I would love to see the outtakes, as there was a lot of great footage that couldn’t possibly be included in a 30-minute episode!”

Although I was not part of the episode, titled “Moving Up in New York State,” two of the homes featured were my staging clients. It was very exciting for all involved to be part of an HGTV show.

The Middletown house

Royal Furniture provided furniture, lamps and accessories for Claudia Jacobs Designs' staging of Oscar and Bissy Dino's Middletown home, which is being featured on HGTV's "House Hunters" show. PHOTO BY STEVE BELNER OF PHOTOVISIONS
Royal Furniture provided furniture, lamps and accessories for Claudia Jacobs Designs’ staging of Oscar and Bissy Dino’s Middletown home, which is being featured on HGTV’s “House Hunters” show. PHOTO BY STEVE BELNER OF PHOTOVISIONS

Bissy and Oscar Dino’s home in Middletown was also featured. They were honored to have their home selected for the show. Dino says, “After raising our family here, and enjoying the past 36 years, we felt our home was ready for a new family. Our nearly 200-year-old home really added contrast to the other selected houses, and we felt highlighted some of our unique amenities.”

With furniture, lamps and accessories provided by Royal Furniture, Claudia Jacobs Designs mixed in existing pieces from the Middletown home of Oscar and Bissy Dino, for staging for HGTV's "House Hunters." PHOTO BY STEVE BELNER OF PHOTOVISIONS
With furniture, lamps and accessories provided by Royal Furniture, Claudia Jacobs Designs mixed in existing pieces from the Middletown home of Oscar and Bissy Dino, for staging for HGTV’s “House Hunters.” PHOTO BY STEVE BELNER OF PHOTOVISIONS

The Goshen house

Corinne Courtney’s Goshen home was the solar home featured in this column last August. Courtney says, “The House Hunters experience was extremely easy and fun. It was nice to have my home showcased and chosen. Just a few days after I had my house listed, I was contacted as they came across it online and felt it was perfect for the show. Now there’s an argument for staging, as it was good enough for TV! My house looked great, and it was staged!”

Besides staging, these two homes for sale were also professionally photographed for the listing photos. The winning combination of staging and professional photography not only gets the attention of potential buyers, but TV producers, too.

Is your home ready for its close-up?

So don’t forget! Set the DVR for HGTV: House Hunters: “Moving Up in New York State,” filmed in Orange County, N.Y