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Curb
appeal is important. But what really counts is how well your
interior appeals to a buyer. When prospective buyers view your
home, what they actually see affects them more than “potential”
or “possibility'. How does your home measure up?
What will a buyer see first
upon entering your home? You may have an expensive, unique, custom
decor that’s all the rage in Europe, that includes lots of neon
and fake fur and, while that may be what you love most, many
buyers won’t have your vision and will only see that the
interior needs to be completely redone to accommodate their
furniture, and even more importantly, their lifestyle. In other
words, you’ve got to put your home in neutral in order to appeal
to the broadest range of buyers.
If possible, freshen up the
interior with soft, neutral shades of paint that could easily
accommodate most any furniture style and decor. Your buyer will
immediately start mentally arranging his or her own furniture
around your home. The more easily that is envisioned, the longer
the buyer will take to walk through. Neutral tones create a clean,
spare look too, and create the illusion of more space as well.
Rooms with less light will appear brighter, and sunny rooms will
sparkle.
Neutralize window treatments,
too. Stick with neutral blinds and shades. Bright red mini-blinds
in the kids’ room may have served you well, but not all buyers
will like them as much as you. If possible, go with neutral tones
that will appeal to most any taste and need.
Cleaning is essential in the
neutralizing process. No buyer will be able to visualize their
imported carpets on your gorgeous hardwood floors if they can’t
see the hardwood. Crammed closets will look smaller, and cluttered
cupboards will too. Floors, windows, shelves, drawers, cupboards,
cabinets, closets--all need to be stripped of clutter and grime to
show off their best features. You want to highlight whatever space
you have, whether it’s living space or storage space. Less than
clean spaces aren’t seen in the best light, literally and
figuratively.
As a seller, you may well be a
buyer too, so you know what it’s like to enter a home that you’re
interested in, and immediately be overwhelmed by the chore you’ll
be faced with if you were to move into it. You don’t want to be
overcome by the prospect of complete redecoration, repainting, new
window treatments, and worst of all, a cleaning project that will
require a professional custodial service.
Keep
that in mind as you prepare your home for prospective buyers.
Neutral, tidy, and clean will show off all the best features of
your property.
Copyright 2002
PropertySource Network |
