Do ...
Pick up recent home-decorating magazines. If you’re not up to speed on current decorating trends, magazines will help you familiarize yourself with the latest in interior design styles. Flag pages with low-cost ideas that will make homes look more in tune with today’s styles, and share these magazines and ideas with your sellers.
Give a second opinion. Explain to your seller how difficult it is for a homeowner to be objective. You can provide a second pair of eyes to help accent the best and edit the worst in the client’s home. But let the seller know to prepare for some constructive criticism. The point is to hear the shortcomings before putting the home on the market, not as feedback from prospective buyers who decide to look elsewhere. Go room-by-room with a worksheet and take notes. Depending on how much time is available for an update or a makeover, you can help the homeowner prioritize and figure out what will bring the biggest return. If possible, perform this review well before you put the house on the market. Stage a home office if one doesn’t yet exist. They’re not a trend; they’re required for homebuyers these days. Many people now work from home part- or full-time or want a space where they can organize their life and park a computer. Find an extra bedroom, walk-in closet, or an unused corner and convert it into a home office. Make sure there are convenient connections for electricity, telephone, and cable.
Focus on living spaces. These areas are where the majority of homebuyers will spend their time. Reduce the amount of furniture and accessories in every room. Explain to sellers that less is more; buyers are looking to purchase real estate, not personal furniture and knickknacks. Place a side table and a floor lamp next to a comfortable chair as a reading corner. Move sofas and coffee tables away from walls for a designer look. Use area rugs to anchor furniture groupings on bare tile and wood floors.
Living spaces should have matching table lamps. Scale way back on family photos. Add green plants to the room. Place groupings of candles and clear glass bowls filled with natural potpourri on side and coffee tables. Substantial wicker baskets can organize magazines, remote controls, and toys.
Clean up the kitchen. The seller need not undergo a major kitchen remodel to make this room more appealing to buyers. Put away in a handy drawer all dish towels and rags. Create cleaner visual lines and open up counter space by removing recipe boxes and reducing caddies with cooking utensils, cooking machines, and cookbooks by two-thirds. For a quick update, put new hardware on cabinets. Clean off every magnet, schedule, and art project from the refrigerator. Remove throw rugs scattered around the kitchen. Clean off windowsills to open up exterior views.
Organize cabinets with clear containers. If you can’t see the back wall of a cabinet, buyers will think the kitchen doesn’t have enough storage space. (Ditto for closets.) Keep a variety of fresh fruit in a glass bowl on the counter. Edit family bulletin boards. Remove old curtains and install new wood blinds on windows.
Keep it coordinated in bedrooms and bathrooms. Often overlooked in the frenzy to get a home on the market, these spaces can make or break a home. A matching set with a bed skirt, bedspread, pillow covers, and blinds can make a big difference. So will a new shower curtain and separate liner. (The liner must be washed if mold develops.) Add complete sets of towels that coordinate with the new shower curtain. Clear all cosmetics off the vanity.
If the bathroom includes an over-the-toilet cabinet, the seller may want to consider removing it and placing a piece of artwork in its place. Stress with your sellers the importance of keeping items in the “too much information” category out of view.
A king-size bed in a small room makes the entire room seem small, so it’s best to switch it out for a smaller bed. Dressers should be cleared off. Make sure the bedroom receives the maximum natural light. Eliminate wall and door hooks for clothes, and install closet organizers in closets. Let your clients know that buyers might look under the bed, so no surprises please.
Make a great first impression. Paint the front door, polish the hardware, and illuminate the entry area and house numbers. A simple console table with a mirror over it makes a nice entranceway. Make sure this space is well-lit day or night. Place adhesive under rugs so buyers don’t trip or slide.
Don’t ...
Decorate with inexpensive silk flowers. Silk flowers that are past their time, inappropriate for the season, or inexpertly thrown together distract buyers. Throw them out.
Forget Fido’s bowl. An unhealthy-looking pet-food bowl, watering station, or litter box turns people off quickly. Plus, a message that the homeowner doesn’t take great care of his beloved pet suggests that he doesn’t look after his house, either.
Overlook window coverings. Buyers today think less is more in window fashion. They want the most light and the least embellishment on windows. That means no layered treatments with sheer panels.
Use low-wattage light bulbs. Dark, dim rooms are unappealing to homebuyers. They want to see what they might buy. Replace all burned-out bulbs and put in the highest manufacturer-recommended wattages in all fixtures.
Think that everyone loves wallpaper. Few people share the same taste in instant decorator finishes. If the wallpaper is more than three years old, take it down and paint the walls a neutral color.
Paint with commitment colors. If you’ve determined the seller needs to paint (and the seller agrees), strongly discourage bold “commitment” colors. Commitment colors are those that people either love or hate. It can be difficult for buyers to imagine their style when all they see is a room overwhelmed by a color they can’t stand.
Confuse cleaning with staging. Cleaning is what you do before staging. Everything should shimmer and shine, and don’t forget the windows.
By knowing these basic strategies, you can help your sellers understand how to invest a little time and not too much money that will pay big dividends in the interest they generate for their home.
*Source: Texas Association of Realtors, August 2006.