Happy Thursday!! I hope you are all having a good day today! It's Tips and Tricks Thursday and I think I want to spend some time on some decorating tips for those of you who may be in the mood to simplify your decor or may be planning to sell your home at some point in the future.
If you plan to sell, the first thing that is necessary is to get your head in the game and your heart out of it. We all get very attached to our dwellings but when it comes time to sell, it's time to make our homes attractive to people so they will allow their hearts to attach to our homes and buy them. Easier said than done, right? Well, not really.
The first thing to do is to go look at some homes yourself. Imagine yourself, your family and your "stuff" occupying that space. If you find yourself distracted by family photos, and lots of personal items in the homes you look at, then you probably won't remember the home but you'll remember the cute baby in the photo or the pretty cut glass vase or handmade quilt. It's hard to attach your heart to that home because someone else's heart is still there. Notice the room colors and the organization of the closet space, kitchen and parking areas -- are they the right size for your stuff to dwell? How about the neighborhood - is it one where your family will fit in and feel welcome - will your neighbors be a bother or a blessing -- ask questions and listen for correct answers that meet your needs.
Now back to your home. Having had that experience, it will be easier to understand how a buyer feels and needs to feel when they look at your home. Begin packing up the personal items and putting them in boxes where you can see them and touch them but resist the urge to put them back out when your home isn't showing.
The second thing to consider is your room colors. If you have small children and their rooms are painted in colors that are very juvenile, you might want to consider painting them a more neutral tone and let their bedding and accessories draw color into the room. The reason for this is that buyers really don't have a lot of imagination. If they see a baby's room painted pink, yellow, or blue - then they may not be able to move away from that room being "for baby" -- but if they see more mature colors of beige, greens, browns, tans, etc. then they might be able to imagine the room as an office, teen bedroom or guest room. Try to limit the amount of "stuff" that is out in children's rooms. These are normally the small rooms of the home and can look even smaller if there are too many toys, pictures, or too much furniture in there. Sparse is the key! You want every room to look spacious!
Third, clean out the closets and cabinets. Take a long, hard look at the collection of items that reside there and decide if you need to keep them, want to move them or if they can be donated or sold in a yard sale. How many towels can you really use in a week or at the beach? How many sets of dishes do you really use? Is it possible to remove the clothes that aren't in season and pack them away to be ready to move when your home sells? The buyer is going to open drawers, cabinets and closets. They need to imagine how their "stuff" is going to fit - and if yours are cluttered - theirs will be too -- and they might as well stay where they are or look elsewhere.
Fourth, don't over accessorize. Too many pictures on table tops, vases, plants, pictures on the walls, and furniture in the rooms can overwhelm a buyer. They begin looking at your "stuff" and can't imagine their own. It's ok to leave a tabletop empty. It's ok to leave a wall without something on it. There's a balance here though. If your rooms are too empty they may leave a buyer imagining that their stuff won't fill up the rooms either or the home may seem cold or hard and you don't need to leave that impression with them. I would suggest taking a look at some magazines that resemble your home's style and try to mimic the furniture placement, window decor and accessorizing by them. Or call a home stager to help. Their fees are reasonable and you may be able to negotiate paying them a percentage of your home's sale rather than upfront cash. Sometimes it's nice to have a "set of eyes" that aren't attached to your home to dress it up to sell.
Last, put the boxes that you've packed up in a place where buyers can see them. And have them clearly marked so that your buyers see that it's stuff that you plan to MOVE. You are sending a message that you are moving whether they buy or not and sometimes this will motivate the buyer to generate an offer. Have the boxes stacked neatly in a garage or basement - or even an attic or unused room. As long as they are neatly stacked and marked the message is being sent.
You can burn candles, bake cookies, make your house smell like a bakery -- or you can leave it clean. Clean is going to sell much better than fresh baked bread. Pick up the dirty clothes. Make sure the dishes are out of the sink and if in the dishwasher, they are clean. Put away clutter, toys and make sure that there are some fresh flowers or plants somewhere. Your home needs to feel warm and inviting as if you have prepared for a special guest -- and your potential buyers are just that -- very special guests who have an interest in purchasing your home....and that's $ in your pocket!
So, even if you aren't planning to sell right now, these tips are great for the person who may need a jump start in simplifying the decor of their home. Less is more, larger accessories and less of them are better and easier to manage and packing up unused items either to sell, store or donate is always therapeutic. Don't put family pictures everywhere - cluster them in certain areas -- places that you dwell and can see on a regular basis -- guests enjoy seeing them but they'd rather see you live and in person. Limit your wall hangings too -- your home can look like a store or museum if you get too much on the walls. Give your eyes a break and have a blank wall or two.
Walls need paint about every 5 to 6 years on average. Paints fade and color hues change in trends -- a fresh paint job is one of the cheapest decorating tricks you can do. Crown molding is also another inexpensive trick to give your home a dressier feel.
I hope these tips and tricks have helped --- have a great Thursday and weekend! See ya next week! Amy
If you plan to sell, the first thing that is necessary is to get your head in the game and your heart out of it. We all get very attached to our dwellings but when it comes time to sell, it's time to make our homes attractive to people so they will allow their hearts to attach to our homes and buy them. Easier said than done, right? Well, not really.
The first thing to do is to go look at some homes yourself. Imagine yourself, your family and your "stuff" occupying that space. If you find yourself distracted by family photos, and lots of personal items in the homes you look at, then you probably won't remember the home but you'll remember the cute baby in the photo or the pretty cut glass vase or handmade quilt. It's hard to attach your heart to that home because someone else's heart is still there. Notice the room colors and the organization of the closet space, kitchen and parking areas -- are they the right size for your stuff to dwell? How about the neighborhood - is it one where your family will fit in and feel welcome - will your neighbors be a bother or a blessing -- ask questions and listen for correct answers that meet your needs.
Now back to your home. Having had that experience, it will be easier to understand how a buyer feels and needs to feel when they look at your home. Begin packing up the personal items and putting them in boxes where you can see them and touch them but resist the urge to put them back out when your home isn't showing.
The second thing to consider is your room colors. If you have small children and their rooms are painted in colors that are very juvenile, you might want to consider painting them a more neutral tone and let their bedding and accessories draw color into the room. The reason for this is that buyers really don't have a lot of imagination. If they see a baby's room painted pink, yellow, or blue - then they may not be able to move away from that room being "for baby" -- but if they see more mature colors of beige, greens, browns, tans, etc. then they might be able to imagine the room as an office, teen bedroom or guest room. Try to limit the amount of "stuff" that is out in children's rooms. These are normally the small rooms of the home and can look even smaller if there are too many toys, pictures, or too much furniture in there. Sparse is the key! You want every room to look spacious!
Third, clean out the closets and cabinets. Take a long, hard look at the collection of items that reside there and decide if you need to keep them, want to move them or if they can be donated or sold in a yard sale. How many towels can you really use in a week or at the beach? How many sets of dishes do you really use? Is it possible to remove the clothes that aren't in season and pack them away to be ready to move when your home sells? The buyer is going to open drawers, cabinets and closets. They need to imagine how their "stuff" is going to fit - and if yours are cluttered - theirs will be too -- and they might as well stay where they are or look elsewhere.
Fourth, don't over accessorize. Too many pictures on table tops, vases, plants, pictures on the walls, and furniture in the rooms can overwhelm a buyer. They begin looking at your "stuff" and can't imagine their own. It's ok to leave a tabletop empty. It's ok to leave a wall without something on it. There's a balance here though. If your rooms are too empty they may leave a buyer imagining that their stuff won't fill up the rooms either or the home may seem cold or hard and you don't need to leave that impression with them. I would suggest taking a look at some magazines that resemble your home's style and try to mimic the furniture placement, window decor and accessorizing by them. Or call a home stager to help. Their fees are reasonable and you may be able to negotiate paying them a percentage of your home's sale rather than upfront cash. Sometimes it's nice to have a "set of eyes" that aren't attached to your home to dress it up to sell.
Last, put the boxes that you've packed up in a place where buyers can see them. And have them clearly marked so that your buyers see that it's stuff that you plan to MOVE. You are sending a message that you are moving whether they buy or not and sometimes this will motivate the buyer to generate an offer. Have the boxes stacked neatly in a garage or basement - or even an attic or unused room. As long as they are neatly stacked and marked the message is being sent.
You can burn candles, bake cookies, make your house smell like a bakery -- or you can leave it clean. Clean is going to sell much better than fresh baked bread. Pick up the dirty clothes. Make sure the dishes are out of the sink and if in the dishwasher, they are clean. Put away clutter, toys and make sure that there are some fresh flowers or plants somewhere. Your home needs to feel warm and inviting as if you have prepared for a special guest -- and your potential buyers are just that -- very special guests who have an interest in purchasing your home....and that's $ in your pocket!
So, even if you aren't planning to sell right now, these tips are great for the person who may need a jump start in simplifying the decor of their home. Less is more, larger accessories and less of them are better and easier to manage and packing up unused items either to sell, store or donate is always therapeutic. Don't put family pictures everywhere - cluster them in certain areas -- places that you dwell and can see on a regular basis -- guests enjoy seeing them but they'd rather see you live and in person. Limit your wall hangings too -- your home can look like a store or museum if you get too much on the walls. Give your eyes a break and have a blank wall or two.
Walls need paint about every 5 to 6 years on average. Paints fade and color hues change in trends -- a fresh paint job is one of the cheapest decorating tricks you can do. Crown molding is also another inexpensive trick to give your home a dressier feel.
I hope these tips and tricks have helped --- have a great Thursday and weekend! See ya next week! Amy
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