Exterior: This really is your one and only chance to make a first impression on a potential buyer. Even those who drive neighborhoods looking for sale signs will make a snap judgment just by what they see from the comfort of their car. Also the outside is usually a good indicator of what befalls the buyer within the home. So let the walk up from the driveway or curbside be just as welcoming as the inside.
Walls: Painting has always been the easiest and most affordable way to liven up your home. If you have plain white walls, now is the time to add some distinction to each room. Dark hues can make a space feel cozy and intimate or, when used as an accent wall, create a focal point in the room. If you are scared of using too much color, try a new neutral of a mocha or golden tone. The truly color shy people in the world should reevaluate their accessories by adding a burst of color with pillows, vases, and draperies.Just remember to keep a base color in mind to anchor each room. White furniture and trim emit a relaxing feeling whereas black pieces tend to feel more slick and modern.
Floors: It’s time to look down again. Is there a missing tile on your bathroom floor or do your hardwoods need refinishing? We get very comfortable in our homes over the years so it becomes habit for us to overlook some of the larger items that need repaired. However home buyers are inspecting everything down to the last floor board, so take a peek at those carpets you’ve been treading on and see if they need professionally cleaned or replaced. If you don’t have the money to invest in refinishing or tiling, buy some low cost rugs and make the space more visually appealing without trying to hide the eyesore completely.
Lighting: First and foremost, take a look at your window dressing situation. Do you have heavy drapes hanging in summer or lightweight sheers in mid winter? Always let the season dictate the pattern, texture, or color or find one that works all year round. Lighting is key to selling any home and natural sunlight creates a warm, open space so make sure your draperies are pulled to the side. You can also mount your rods a foot away from the window so that is feels larger and allows more light in from the actual opening.
While on the topic of lighting, make sure you have ample light fixtures in your home. A good rule of thumb is 100 watts per 50 square feet of space. This allows for plenty of light when buyers are reviewing your home on a cloudy day or at night. Also keep the rule of three in mind when developing your lighting plan as well. There should be ambient overhead lighting, task or reading lights, and accent table lamps in every space. By staggering rooms with many light fixtures, the overlapping shadows create a sense of depth and interest.
Clutter: Most of us own way too much stuff and have it crammed onto shelves, inside closets, and in boxes in the garage or basement. When you are ready to sell your home, it becomes time to purge your belongings. Go through all those plastic totes, unmarked boxes, and overflowing closets. Decide what you can get rid of, what can be donated, and what you actually use. Believe it or not, furniture is another way people clutter their homes. They line the walls with piece after piece, pushing the limitations of the room to suit their needs. Look around each room and find the one piece that doesn’t belong, never gets used, or is the catalyst that thrives with tabletop clutter or stacked coats. Your home will feel bigger with less furniture and easier to keep clean. Note the basic rule of thumb is 2 -3 pieces of furniture per wall.
Space Planning: Many decorators now have a common belief that furniture should float in the middle of the room and not line the walls. This is indeed a good idea if, and only if, you have rooms large enough to support this belief. However, if your home is older or rooms smaller, it is imperative to group furniture along walls in order to have any space at all. On the other hand, if you have a more spacious home, group furniture together in a figure eight or H configuration, with clear traffic paths to and from rooms and seating areas. Also area rugs are a great tool to draw the eye to a particular section of a room and open the remainder of the space for natural walkways.
New Placement: Do you remember going to your grandparents house when you were a kid? Remember how it never changed? People are creatures of habit. We tend to find something we like, buy it, place it in our home, and there it will stay for years, if not decades. Give your home a breath of fresh air and move things around, try something different. Move furniture and accessories from different rooms and create a whole new space for absolutely free.
Purpose: It’s easy to throw items into rooms and never really take a good hard look at the space and determine exactly what it is used for. If you have a formal and casual living room in your house, consider adding book shelves with tons of books into one and calling it a library or reading room. Or purchase metal lockers and rubber flooring and create a home gym or workout room. It’s much easier to envision what a space can be once it has a purpose.
Accessories: Without a doubt, every designer practices the visually appealing presentation of items in threes. Whether there are three of the same item in a line or three varying pieces in height arranged in a triangle formation. Threes are key. Also remember that the eye tends to travel a room from left to right so vary your heights throughout the room to give fluidity to the space.
As far as artwork is concerned, try alternating heights and display style throughout the home. All artwork at the same level can appear flat and insignificant so develop some unique hanging patterns such as diagonals or squares. Use the shape of the room to determine the style as well, by following the line of the dormer window or the arch of the doorway.
Plants: Having a black thumb is no longer a good excuse for the lack of greenery in a home. Today, there are tons of amazing silk plants and flowers to cover your home in foliage. Tall plants are perfect for filling in empty corners that are too small for furniture. Floral arrangements in colorful vases can make a fantastic statement in a foyer or on a bathroom counter. So get creative with the forgotten places throughout the home that could use a little life.
When you are done tackling your home with all these changes, you just might find that there really is no place home.
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