Helping YOU to Prepare YOUR Home for Resale

 By Patti Harrell, Licensed Interior Designer

 The price of a house rises in proportion to its cared-for appear­ance. After the yard is spruced up, the trim is painted, the planting beds are cleaned and the driveway is washed, consider plac­ing a pot of flowers at the entry or a planter with an evergreen plant for off-season appeal. Once you have their attention and have peeked their interest with curb appeal, you must keep them captivated with the best presentation possible after entering the interior.

  Straighten up the clut­ter but don’t remove so many of the posses­sions that the house becomes impersonal. Decorative accessories and a few magazines on the coffee table are attractive elements that indicate that this is a home. However, excess clutter, paperwork and other everyday accumulations of “stuff” will confuse or detract from the space and should be removed.

   Dated or too bold wall covering might be better if painted. It is often a less expensive alternative to removing and having to contend with wall preparation or replacement.

   Color-neutral versus more committal uses of color?  This is a tough call. There are some very well done interiors using bold colors, yet without subjective analysis of individual cases, I believe that the home seller should err on the conservative side. That is, repaint cold or bold colors with neutrals. Warm neutrals are more com­forting than cold whites.

    Just as one would the exterior gardens, trim the interior plants. Dust them, wipe them down, add soil to the pots and/or rake or loosen the soil if necessary. Although live plants are refreshing, add color, texture, and a sense of the outdoors com­ing in, they are bet­ter off removed if not well maintained.

   Repair any damaged walls, doors or trim. Paint finishes that show wear. Clean air duct diffusers. Mend damaged porcelain in sinks and tubs. There are appliance and fixture refinish­ers who handle the larger problems less expensively than replacement. They can even change the color of an old tub or sink, if that is advantageous. Your clients may have lived with the clings, gouges, scrapes, and mars and don’t notice them as prospective buyers will. Such negligence in maintenance will not read well to prospective buyers and might convey the idea that other, more important items are in a state of neglect.

   Children’s rooms with decals on the walls, fluorescent stars, ques­tionable posters or any other items which may be either controver­sial or unsightly should be removed. Remember, you are showing the home to many people with a variety of life styles. They may not even have children.

   In any case, you want the home to appear versatile in the use of rooms and space in general. Versatility with regard to the use of space is an important consideration. While some homebuyers are very imaginative, others are far less so. They cannot see the possi­bilities. For these people, it is helpful to have a thorough, creative features sheet. After having listed all of the obvious characteristics of the home, it is of value to point out certain options for the use of the space. Even illustrate some examples of daily living in the space. For example, if there is access to a patio from more than one set of doors, state something about good traffic flow from interior to exterior.  Another example would be if the home has a formal study, you might add that it would be perfect for a child’s workroom, playroom, extra guest room, etc.

   If the home has unusual features or finishes, don’t hesitate to men­tion them - and use adjectives. A sunny breakfast area, warm-toned ceramic tiles, sand-colored walls, sage green carpet. Be descrip­tive. You can even enhance an undesirable color with creative use of descriptive language. “Sandia sunset” carpeting might be more appealing than “pink.”  Have fun with it without being too con­trived.

   Any item or finish material which is particularity durable or pre­sents an ease of maintenance is also worth noting, items such as special carpet­ing, certain floor tiles and hard-surfaced countertops.

   Be romantic. Yes, romanticize the home. Along with the descrip­tive words, have a dish of potpourri out. Subtle fragrances (not intended to mask unpleasant odors) are appealing. A morning showing might be enhanced by the aroma of a fresh pot of coffee. Showing in winter months would he made cozy by a flaming fireplace. Fresh flowers are always an asset.

   Consider engaging the creative and objective eye of an experienced interior designer or interior decorator to do a walk-through and make recommendations for reconfiguration of furniture, rearranging of bookshelves and a general overview of ideas for what might easily improve the interi­or’s appearance. This relatively small investment can be the key ticket to successfully preparing a home for show.

   CAUTION:  If you’re too successful in improving the appearance of your home, you might just choose to take your home off the market, deciding to stay!

Patti Harrell started her own firm, Patrician Design, in 1984. A licensed interior designer, she has completed many diverse award-winning projects. Her design studio is located in downtown Albuquerque on Gold Avenue and  includes an extensive resource library and exciting, color art gallery, CALIENTE IT’S HOT, of eclectic and functional pieces representing primarily local talent. 242-7646.  

Paul and Judy Wilson

and TheWilsonHomeTeam.com , your real estate consultants … for life!

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