How much does the decor of a house affect the likelihood of a sale? (countertop, furniture)
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When looking at houses, I might not always like the decorating of the current residents, but I know that I am not buying their furniture and knick-knacks. So, I easily look past that. Too crowded is not so much a turn-off, but dusty corners and shelves, mildewed showers, and dirty counters is a negative distraction.
What does catch my attention more than the furnishings is if there are indoor pets (is there a pet odor? because it is very possible to have indoor pets that do not smell up the house, so a smell makes me think of careless owners!). Is there tobacco odor (which means repainting and carpeting and new drapes/curtains)? Is there lingering cooking odor (years of cooking with olive oil or curry or whatever in the kitchen)?
I think some people might not be able to see past "too crowded" because if you're not spatially-inclined, you might really feel the house is much smaller than it is. It's hard to get a feel if your stuff will fit and if you'll feel comfortable in the space if someone has completely filled it up with crap. I do think dust/dirt/mildew/etc. might turn-off some people because they might think, "Well, if they can't even do a little cleaning for an open house, what kind of maintenance do they do on this home regularly?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
I do not agree with purging your house of personality. Tone it down - yes. Unclutter - yes. Paint walls neutral colors - yes. If you have distracting carpet, I would even say replace it. Clean your closets and cabinets and counter tops down to the bare bones so they show off their space.
When I first started selling real estate, nothing was ever said about personal photos, other than that too many of them cluttering up the place was distracting. Then suddenly - I don't know if someone wrote an article or something was on TV - family photos became the NEXT BIG NO. Here's what I think about them - I think that if you have them framed and sitting all around, then they become clutter - and you don't want dust collectors sitting everywhere or all your counter tops or tops of furniture piled with stuff.
BUT - whether or not you leave your professional personal photos, nicely framed, on the wall, just depends on your comfort level, AND YOUR LOCAL MARKET. In our local market, for instance, every house you go in that's on the market (that's owner occupied, of course) has a wall full of family photos. I don't know if it's a regional thing, or what, but the simple fact is that NO ONE TAKES THEM DOWN. When you ask local realtors if you SHOULD take them down, they invariably say, "I don't think so, if you're comfortable with people looking at them - I don't think they're a negative."
I would definitely recommend keeping paint colors neutral, however, as well as carpets/flooring. And generally speaking, I would recommend removing wall papers - they seem to be a big turn off to a lot of people.
I think that is the MAIN thing to consider - you need to be able to eat off the floors. No dust bunnies, no weird odors, no clutter laying around - all personal items (like papers, personal care items like toothbrushes and razors and makeup, coffee mugs from this morning, toys, laundry, trash in open trash cans, bills on the counter, etc) should be removed. I also agree that closets and cabinets need to be cleaned out as much as possible.
Oh, and remove ANY furniture that impedes the natural walking flow of a room, or seems to crowd a room. When in doubt, move it out and see if you feel a sense of relief. Move houseplants out of windows - they impede natural light. Speaking of windows - OPEN ALL THE SHADES and let the light in. Use lamps to give a sense of warmth to areas, especially darkish corners. If possible, turn your closet lights on, hall lights, under the cabinet lights, etc on before all showings. If it's hot outside and you have patio ceiling fans, turn them on. If you have a water fountain outside, turn it on.
Good suggestions. I agree with you. All of the open houses I went to that were occupied had photos and as long as there weren't a million (which I never came across), there was no problem. Photos here or there seem normal. I think making your house seem as clean and streamlined as possible (no clutter, like Kathryn says) is the most important thing and as long as you're not on the extreme end of your atypical decorating tastes you should be okay. Good luck!
I took photos, keep in mind I have yet to take down personal photos, and I will before we list. My cabin decor will be going into storage or be sold, as will a bunch of my knicknacks. The good news and bad news is we have a vacation home we plan to move to, but it is beach cottage style! I may just have to go the estate sale route to get rid of most of it, my grown kids don't want it.
Bathroom counters will be cleared of everything possible.
I am more concerned here with people being able to see past our style of furniture, it doesn't seen too western or cabin to me but I have been living with it for 16 years!
Please feel free to comment on the need to remove any furniture or it's placement.
And do I have too many houseplants? They are all live plants.
Paint colors too dated?
Our family room is sunken, you step down from the front entry foyer and then step back up into the kitchen. Will this be a turn off for many buyers? Though there is nothing we can do about that I would like to know.
We are going to take down a bunch of the decor from the pub, but the seating booth will remain. We will be happy to leave the pool table with the house if the buyer wants.
The media room has a dinosaur of a TV in it. Should we get rid of it before we list?
We had this house custom built for us 16 years ago, it has two other bedrooms that once our kids grew up and moved out we turned into an exercise room and the other an office of sorts. We will take all that stuff out and place bedroom furniture back in. These rooms are painted a light beige.
I'm putting on my thick skin, thanks for any input!
It is cloudy today and some of the colors are off due to the flash or lack of flash-sorry!
Entry Foyer- color is the same as the living room, just looks grey here, please excuse the baby gate
looking toward the front door from the living room
I think your paint is fine. I was expecting a much different look based on what you were saying. Your house looks clean and clutter-free for the most part, with the exception of maybe the bathroom counters, though I'm sure you plan on moving that stuff out of the way anyway.
I'll just tell you that I am not a plant person at all and I do not find your plants overwhelming, though I might move a few out of the house.
I was involved in building a Craftsman style home in the burbs of a small southern city. It is in a sea of the typical mundane brick homes. The architecture stands out, as does the color. But it doesn't look like a Modern house in a sea of Colonials, for instance. It fits nicely.
There has been a LOT of positive feedback and what sound like genuine comments about the house being 'really nice'. There was more than one person who pulled up during construction and was interested in purchasing the house.
Sometimes people want to blend in; other times they really appreciate something different, without it being wildly exotic.
Just thought I would share that with you. Good luck.
I took photos, keep in mind I have yet to take down personal photos, and I will before we list. My cabin decor will be going into storage or be sold, as will a bunch of my knicknacks. The good news and bad news is we have a vacation home we plan to move to, but it is beach cottage style! I may just have to go the estate sale route to get rid of most of it, my grown kids don't want it.
Bathroom counters will be cleared of everything possible.
I am more concerned here with people being able to see past our style of furniture, it doesn't seen too western or cabin to me but I have been living with it for 16 years!
Please feel free to comment on the need to remove any furniture or it's placement.
And do I have too many houseplants? They are all live plants.
Paint colors too dated?
Our family room is sunken, you step down from the front entry foyer and then step back up into the kitchen. Will this be a turn off for many buyers? Though there is nothing we can do about that I would like to know.
We are going to take down a bunch of the decor from the pub, but the seating booth will remain. We will be happy to leave the pool table with the house if the buyer wants.
The media room has a dinosaur of a TV in it. Should we get rid of it before we list?
We had this house custom built for us 16 years ago, it has two other bedrooms that once our kids grew up and moved out we turned into an exercise room and the other an office of sorts. We will take all that stuff out and place bedroom furniture back in. These rooms are painted a light beige.
I'm putting on my thick skin, thanks for any input!
It is cloudy today and some of the colors are off due to the flash or lack of flash-sorry!
Entry Foyer- color is the same as the living room, just looks grey here, please excuse the baby gate
looking toward the front door from the living room
Office - inside the doors to the left of entry
Dining room to the right of the foyer
Living room, see the step down?
a different view
Kitchen and eating area
Master bedroom
master bath
continuing on the next post....
What a lovely home! I think it looks terrific overall. Before you actually list it, I personally would clear off the kitchen counter tops as much as possible, and definitely stash the personal items out of sight in the master bath. Also, I'd clear some of the items off that tall chest of drawers in the bedroom, since you asked. However, I don't see a THING that would turn off potential buyers if they are willing to deal with stairs and that step down (in our market, two story homes limit your market to some extent but even so, your house is absolutely beautiful and it is what it is, so don't worry about it!).
Oh, one more thing - when I listed a home, especially if I thought the sellers were unreasonable about price or their decor or cleanliness, I would take them on a tour of their direct competition. I'd let them see exactly what their house was up against, and we'd get back and compare notes. MY, THOSE WERE INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS. But very eye opening. If you really want your house to be competitive, ask your realtor to spend a couple of hours showing you who you're competing with.
Very good idea Kathryn, I've been looking at the photos of online listings, but seeing them in person gives you more realistic views.
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