My New Blog

When you think about "staging" your home prior to showings, furniture and furnishings are the primary items that come to mind that must be properly positioned for the greatest appeal to potential buyers.  However, your walls are a key element as well as they can be a canvas of the greatesta attributes of your house.  After all, the furniture and furnishings will be gone when the new owner moves in.  The walls however will still be there.

Debra Gould, president of Six Elements Inc offers five rules of thumb which are great for consideration when prepping your home for showings.  I will however take some exception with one of her rules.

1.  Condition of the walls.  If they are dirty, chipped, or beat up in any way, this can be a distraction to a potention buyer and can reduce the perceived value of your home overall.  Putty and paint are the cheapest investments you can make and can bring the greatest return on investment.  Freshly painted walls of a neutral color (not boring) will help maintain or even increase the value of your home.

2. Hang Mirrors.  No matter the size or shape of a mirror, there is one for every style of home.  Mirrors are a great way to visually enhance a room and even make it look brighter.  They can be a nice little extra or can be a focal point of a room.  Remember point 1 above, a mirror will reflect the good or bad of a room.  Mirrors also are an inexpensive investment to increase appeal.

3. Artwork.  Find artwork that supports or accents the qualities of a room.  Don't go with overly religious or offensive (suggestive or violent) pieces.  Be sure it isn't hung too high and visually relates to the furniture under it.  Artwork can help enable a potential buyer's eye to move around the room and take everything in.

4.  Stay in proportion.  Whether you are placing mirrors, artwork, or other hangings on your walls, consider the overall effect before hammering a bunch of nail holes in the wall.  Small items can get lost on large walls and oversized prints can be overbearing on smaller wall space.

5. Personal pictures.  Here is where I don't totally agree with the "experts".  They claim family portraits, diplomas and awards should come down as they tend to be distractions from the house.  I maintain that a conservative number of these personal items make a house feel "homey". I believe potential home buyers want to know that this house has had a lot of "love" in it and that families have been comfortable living here.  I actually prefer a few family items on the walls and tables vs cold, empty walls the make a house feel like a building and not a home.  Again, just my opinion.  Let me know what you think!

Thank you for taking the team to read my blog.  I will be submitting more each month throughout the year.

Have a safe and successful 2010!

Mike