by Gail Dunnett, Principal, studo D
Don’t let anyone tell you it’s easy to get your home ready for sale. It’s a lot of work, and if you do it right, it can really pay off. Aside from the usual inspections and general updating, there are some simple, inexpensive things you can do cosmetically that will make a huge impact!
It helps to get someone who can have an objective, critical eye as you have been living amongst the red flags for years and they are less noticeable to you. Here are some things to think about:
1. Curb Appeal: How does your house present from the street? Will they enter or drive by?
a. Nicely Landscaped
b. Freshly painted and clean.
c. Obvious front entry? With easy access to front door.
d. Clear of toys, bikes, garbage bins, shoes, clutter
2. The Front Door: This is the first point of entry, make it count.
a. Nicely painted or stained
b. Change out any shiny brass hardware, make sure handle is substantial and not worn
c. Make sure it opens and closes easily
3. The Entry: This should be clear of clutter a visually welcoming
a. No bright carpets or kitch door mats, dog bowls, etc
b. Create a simple place to pause
c. Nice to have a mirror and small console table with accents
4. The Wall Colors: stay away from all white walls or bright strong colors
a. Color adds feeling and depth and beauty if well chosen and subtle
b. Keep flow throughout the home so all colors work together
c. PAINT OUT ANY OLD OAK TRIM AND CABINETS which date home
5. The Kitchen & Bathroom: Kitchens and baths will make a break a sale
a. Counter to granite
b. Appliances to stainless
c. Floor, wood, or neutral tile/limestone
d. Cabinets change or just paint out old worn wood
e. Change out old faucets or brass hardware
6. Light switches/thermostats/hardware
a. Update light switches and thermostat covers inexpensively
b. Change out all shiny brass hardware to nickel, oil rubbed bronze or black
7. The Furnishings
a. Not too many pieces of furniture
b. The right scale for the room
c. Un cluttered, key accents
OK, so this is a lot!. There are professional home stagers that can help with all this, and while a full staging can be expensive, there are consultations available and even partial stagings that can cost around $2,000 to $2,500 and make a huge impact. It is one of the best returns on your investment you can make. See some of the before and afters below like BUtterfield where we took out some pieces, brought in a rug, art and some accents. Or the Dining Room at Chapman where we added two leather chairs, a small console table, and some key accents and orchids. So, applying this to each home, we made a major transformation which required a small investment on the owner's part.
So with the right amount of editing, de-cluttering, updating, and accenting, partial stagings can make a big impact! And of course, it should be well priced out of the gate.
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