Preparing Your Home to Sell
Selling a home can be a stressful time for many. It is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in a lifetime and being prepared is the key to lessening stress and ensuring the process runs smoothly.
Many realtors provide great advice on various ways to increase the value of your home before it is listed. As an interior designer, my insight will provide you with easy and cost effective ideas that will give prospective buyers a much needed “wow” factor the minute they walk into your home.
Often times, I start with paint color as it can provide the greatest impact to any room or home. Paint color is the foundation for the rest of your room’s décor and can immediately change the look and feel of any space. Above all, it is important to select a paint color that works with your existing furniture, flooring, and cabinetry and flows gracefully from room to room. While deciding on paint colors for different rooms, make sure the colors are complimentary and have similar tones – for example, you want to refrain from a very dark tone in just one room, while the rest the house is all pastel colors. If you have a minimal budget, I suggest painting the rooms that provide the greatest impact for prospective buyers. Is it the living room – the first room you enter from the front door? Or is it the remodeled kitchen that needs a new paint color to highlight the beautiful new cherry cabinets? In addition, don’t concentrate solely on the walls – make sure to repaint existing trim and doors as these areas get scuffed or marked up over the years. Lastly, a new coat of paint on a ceiling will definitely impact your home’s appearance – preferably in an off white tone. Ceilings are your fifth wall and an important factor to consider.
I often advise clients to pretend they are a first time visitor in their own home. Stand at the front doorway and look around to see where your eye goes to first. Are you looking at something appealing or are you looking straight through a window that has an unsightly view of your neighbor’s backyard? Work towards having a pleasing welcome to your home by camouflaging spaces that are not attractive. Fresh or silk plants can do wonders to help hide unwanted areas or act as fillers for open spaces or empty corners. Fresh flowers can provide a burst of color for a dining table, bathroom or kitchen counter. Area rugs and inexpensive framed prints for walls can easily create a lived-in look. During an open house, I suggest playing soft, relaxing music, which can set the overall mood and tone for your home.
Create a conversation area in the living or family room so prospective buyers can visualize how they might use the space with their furnishings. Try to work the conversation area around a focal point of the room – perhaps a beautiful fireplace or a view of the water? Create the area with a sofa, one or two chairs, a coffee table and one or two side tables. If needed, you can utilize furniture from other parts of your home to play around with the layout. For example, try placing the couch on an angle or as a divider between two areas of the room – couches do not always need to be situated alongside a wall or in front of a window.
If your budget allows, invest in some inexpensive window coverings for the rooms you have selected to focus on. Simple valances or drapery will dress-up your windows and bring cohesiveness to the entire space. Choose a neutral colored fabric for the window covering so that you will be able to use them again in your new home. Experiment and have fun with it – before you know it you’ve designed a room that a prospective buyer can get excited about!
Once all of the visual elements have been addressed, consider incorporating some scent elements into your home. People have an innate reaction to scents – the smell of freshly baked cookies, scented oils or lit candles will enhance the overall ambiance in your home.
I hope you find these suggestions useful and easy to implement when preparing your home for sale. An appealing and fresh new look for your home will definitely attract eager buyers!