Before you put your home on the market for sale, it’s a good idea to begin thinning out rooms so they appear larger to prospective buyers and to better imagine what their furniture will look like in your home.
A hot, new trend is stylish containers to organize closets, cabinets and drawers. Your going to pack anyway before you move, so why not begin now?
Great stores to shop are the Container Store, Ikea or Target. Use plain white hat boxes to store purses and accessories. It provides a fresh and unexpected style to the room. Another ideas is to use large simple colored boxes to store larger articles such as sweaters and blankets. Small wicker baskets are perfect for storing CD’s, remotes, desk and kitchen accessories. The trick is to be consistent with the type of containers you use in any room. Whether wicker, see through plastic, attractive colored cardboard, containment helps you thin out and organize belongings. Pack it to provide visual space for perspective buyers imagination.
Seasonal Decorating
Bring the outdoors in! Celebrate seasons by accessorizing your living spaces. Have storage boxes labeled for each season such as spring, summer, fall and winter or holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Bring these accessories out during the appropriate season. When you sell your home, seasonal accessories should be small, elegant touches such as arrangements on your dining, kitchen or cocktail table. Change out candles to a seasonal appropriate color and scent, or change air freshener or pot pourri to offer fragrant inspiration. A chic style for your kitchen is to fill an elegant bowl with seasonal fruit. I like using lemons in the summer, oranges, and pears in the fall, pomegranate or tangerines in the winter and apples in the spring. The trick is don’t go overboard. What about the Christmas tree while your home is on the market? Of course, you can have a tree! Keep the wreaths, swags and other decorations to a minimum.
Color Works
A colorful palette can create brilliant results.
You don’t have to be an interior designer to understand how to put color together. We used to tell clients to keep everything neutral including the wall paint, furniture and carpet. Today, there is new demand for energizing color on everything from computers to clothes. It’s still important to keep living spaces relatively neutral but spice it up with color accessories. What colors should you choose? The key to color decorating is to use no more than three complimentary colors for the entire house. One or two primary, then the third as a background color. Look at a favorite painting or trinket in your house. Select a color or two you favor (Hint: be sure it’s a color you can easily find in linens, pillows, and kitchen accessories or you will find it difficult to get anything to match!). Imagine that your couch, beds, tables kitchen and bathroom cabinets are like mannequins. Dress up a dreary bathroom with vibrant arrays of color coordinated bath and hand towels, shower curtains and area rugs that are pleasing to the eye and really pull the look together. A couch and bed looks sumptuous and inviting with an array of complimentary colored pillows and throws. Add colored bowls, flower arrangements and plates in the same color palette with subtle tonal variations. You have just pulled together look that sparkles!
Arrange & Re-Arrange
A common mistake homeowners make when arranging furniture in large rooms is to arrange all pieces of furniture against the wall. Imagine yourself at the junior high school dance. Remember the chairs all pushed against the walls and large space left for the dance floor. But no one was dancing! This kind of arrangement does not work for intimate gathering and conversation. Buyers want to imagine entertaining in your home and having fun with friends and family. Create inviting spaces by creating a "room within a room."
For a large living room, "float" your couch, chairs and table towards the center of the room. Place sitting areas close enough for easy conversation. Anchor with an area rug to help define the space. When we moved into our new home, we had a huge family room and not much furniture. The trick to giving the room a warm, cozy feeling was to group the couch, 2 chairs and a cocktail table in a "U" configuration in the center of the room near the fireplace. This simple arrangement immediately provided the warmth and inviting style needed to encourage sitting and visiting.
Have a small family room? Eliminate nonessential pieces to give a feeling of spaciousness. Extra chairs, couches and tables should be removed. A smaller sized couch with small arms and back rest and legs has proper scale for the room. A glass (see-through) cocktail table (no end tables), 2 chairs and a large entertainment unit or built-in to contain the media stuff can make your small family room cozy and neat!
Hardware - The Jewels of Your Home
Remember the mannequins we talked about in the color section? We dressed the couches, beds and rooms with color, now we need to add the jewelry to each of these areas to make rooms "pop."
The first thing is to replace old light fixtures. A sparkling new chandelier in the dining room adds drama. New light fixtures in the bathrooms can make it feel new again. Kitchen lighting is also important. If you have limited lighting options, add under-cabinet lights for drama. Remember to extend the warmth of new lighting into the hallway, entryway and outdoor spaces.
A terrific and inexpensive way to dress up cabinets is to install new knobs. There is a wide selection of styles. Pick one that reflects the style of the room. Hardware should match other surfaces in the room such as shiny chrome, or brushed nickel. Black or bronzed wrought iron hardware offers a rustic look. Perhaps your dining or kitchen furniture can offer inspiration. (Example; A copper sink for a bar area with copper tinted knobs for the cabinets can be spectacular. Matching door knobs throughout your home offer a consistent theme of integration.
New faucets for the bathrooms and kitchen add beauty and a fresh, new look. Brushed nickel or chrome are still popular finishes with most buyers and add a custom look. Take time to search for and install good quality front entry door hardware. This sets the tone for prospective buyers as they enter your space.
Window Coverings
Torn or damaged drapes or blinds are distracting. Invest in modern window coverings. Use Home Depot to order the 2 inch wide white plastic blinds for an inexpensive modern look. They look and wear better than real wood. Can’t afford it? Then repair or remove and leave the windows open (Just paint the sills).
Floor Coverings
Carpet/Laminate/Wood/Tile/Base Boards
There is nothing easier and more cost effective to make a house sparkle than with baseboard and crown molding. They give a modern yet timeless look and serve to ‘frame" walls. Although tile is starting to fall out of favor with many designers, it is still quite effective for floors if the finish looks like stone or marble, or for a retro look on walls. Nearly everyone loves hardwood floors. If you are living in an older home with hardwood under old carpets, remove them! A cost effective way of getting the look of hardwood without the cost is to invest in laminate flooring. This durable floor looks great in small doses. Replacing stained or smelly carpet is a must! If cost is a factor, buy affordable carpet and upgrade the pad. Always use a neutral color.
Countertops
The most popular counter surfaces for buyers are solid surface, marble or granite, cement or stainless steel. These surfaces are important looks for the home and set the tone you want to achieve. Fortunately, there are now affordable places to purchase. Many homeowners offset this cost and use tile for the backsplash. It adds a fun layer of texture for the room.
Wall Paint
Paint selection can be tricky. For the novice, I recommend a soft or off white or taupe color in an eggshell finish. Color has become the hot trend and can certainly spice up and add to a room. Use MODERATION when applying bold colors. Believe it not, I once sold my home with deep blue walls and buyers loved it! Why? Because I used the color in moderation, complemented it with white accents and furniture. Wide baseboard and crown molding around the ceiling also "contained" the vibrant color.
Cabinets
Refinish, Paint or Replace?
Often, you can get away with painting old cabinets to brighten and freshen their look. Don’t make the mistake of sponge painting or using a strong color. Most buyers will not appreciate it. Light neutral colors are the best way to go. If you can afford it, replace your cabinets with a modern wood finish that buyers love such as maple, birch or cherrywood. Remember to include space saving items such as pullout drawers, built-ins and pantry. Windowed and lighted cabinets can feature special items to creates areas of interest. If your cabinets are already made of quality hardwood, but need a good cleaning/conditioning, an investment in Liquid Gold can save you a fortune!
Kitchen Appliances
Most buyers love modern new appliances, even if they don’t cook! A stainless steel professional stove with matching dishwasher, sink and refrigerator give kitchens a sophisticated, clean look. All appliances should have the same finish for consistency. Stainless steel or black is still the popular choice for most buyers. Low profile refrigerators keep within the confines of the cabinets and counters to offer a flowing "built-in" look.
Lighting
The best looking rooms have three sources of lighting. Ceiling or recessed lights, table or floor lamps and accent lighting such as undermount cabinet lights, uplights used to showcase a plant or piece of art, or niche/sconce lighting. Always have these groups of lights on individual circuits plus dimmer switches to quickly change the mood of the room.