General
Getting Your Home Ready To Sell
How To Prepare Your House For Sale
By Elizabeth Weintraub, About.com Guide
http://homebuying.about.com/od/sellingahouse/ht/homeprep.htm
Making a small room look larger…or …More on the Beauty Contest Aspect of Selling Your Home
Last year, I came across this article from Lowe’s about making a small room look larger. I saved it because I realized that this is an essential element for getting your home ready for sale. Everyone (or nearly everyone) is looking for large, open, rooms when they are viewing homes that they can make their own. My last article spoke of “The Price War and Beauty Contest” we are in when our home is on the market. This plays right into the “Beauty Contest” portion of that article.
Here, Lowe’s offers 10 designer tricks to help you make any room look larger:
1. For the illusion of a larger room, use a color scheme that is light rather than bright or dark. Pastels, neutrals and white are all color possibilities.
2. Use a monochromatic color scheme on the furniture, rugs and walls. Select different shades and textures of your single color.
3. Lighting is a key element in opening up a space. Recessed spot lighting is visually appealing and is perfect for a small space. A torchiere light is great for bouncing light off of the ceiling and back down on the room. Skylights and solar tubes are natural alternatives for adding light to a room. As we move into the Fall season, it’s a natural time to check all light bulbs and clean or replace them.
4. Limit the number of accessories to avoid the cluttered feeling.
5. The floor and the ceiling are the fifth and sixth walls of every room. A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to “open up” the space above.
6. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors. They not only reflect images, they reflect light and color.
7. Don’t place too many pieces of furniture in a small space. A love seat may work better than a full-size sofa depending on the size and shape of the room. Add two medium-sized chairs or two small wood chairs. Place the chairs closer to the wall and then pull them into the area when additional seating is needed.
This brings to mind a listing that I had where I had asked the seller to move the placement of a large sofa. I felt that it would open the room up. At first she didn’t want to, but I reminded her, “It’s not your house anymore. You want to move, so we need to appeal to as many buyers as possible, and I am trying to tell you what the buyers I work with are looking for.” It was like a light bulb going off above her head. She moved the sofa and we had an acceptable offer within a week.
8. Add paintings or prints to the walls. One large painting works better than a group of small paintings.
9. The visual balance of a room is also important. A large, brightly colored element can overwhelm a room and decrease the appearance of space.
10. A glass table, whether it is a dining, coffee or end table, will keep the appearance of an open and free space.
When you are ready to market your home, keep these pointers in mind before you contact your agent.
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