It’s time to breathe easy, summer is truly here. Time for no stress, relaxing at the campground and visiting with good friends – there is nothing like the leisure of summer!
There is little attention paid to our interior life as we work in our yards and vacation with our families, unless you are in the midst of selling your home.
I have several clients who are in the buyers/sellers market during the summer months. The current real estate market is flooded with homes therefore making yours stand out from the crowd is imperative to successful selling during July and August. Here are a few tips:
Study the market, look at homes which are in the same price and style category as yours and see what they have to offer. How does it differ from your home? How are they the same? When you are selling in a flooded market your home must sparkle to make it attractive to every prospective buyer. Make a list of features that your house has compared to others in the market and also list other homes features and see if you can incorporate them into your home.
Make sure the rooms in your home are ‘dressed’ for their purpose. We had a basement bedroom that we used for storage but when I listed it I put carpet in that room and a small bed and dresser (borrow from friends if you have to).
People looking at your home know it’s a bedroom but if it is stuffed with boxes and storage they will have a hard time visualizing a bedroom. If you have an eating nook with a computer desk and stacks of scrap booking materials, you should turn it back to a place with a table and chairs. Open up the space in your garage to show people that they can fit their vehicle – often people can’t see what is right in front of them.
Repair or replace damaged and aged items. It will be worth the investment to put a new scatter rug at your front door or to clean your light fixtures. Flooring replacements and new paint can be a quick fix which will give your home that extra appeal when buyers are looking at several properties.
Having your home estimated for flooring can be a fantastic incentive for future buyers if you offer a credit for the value of replacement – it might give you that edge you are looking for.
Consider your palette. If you have strong colours in your home you might be overwhelming prospective buyers. You may love strong yellow yet it may be offensive to others. A coat of paint to neutralize a room may be the right move if you are receiving strong reaction to your colour scheme. The idea of paint is not new to buyers but again their ability to visualize may impair their decision if faced with a bright pink master bedroom!
Spending an hour with a designer or decorator may help adjust things you may not see in your home. The cost is well worth the investment.
When selling our last house our realtor advised us to remove our formal dining room table from the living room as it was too crowded. I looked at it every day and didn’t notice.
We took it out and voila – home sold! Good advice!
Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre. Feel free to contact her at 343-7711 ext 227, email her at klewis@carpetcolourcentre.com or join her facebook group called “Ask a Designer”
