Is your Property suffering from Multiple Design Personality Disorder?
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Am I modern? Am I traditional? Am I country? Or am I a little bit of rock ‘n roll? You know what I’m talking about right? It’s not as bad as a carnival fun house, but it is suffering from an identity crisis with the mish mash of styles throughout. It’s as if the style was dependent on the mood of the homeowner at the time they were shopping. I hate to poke fun because this is a serious problem…especially if you’re trying to sell a home that’s suffering from MDPD.
Here are some patients suffering from MDPD:
1) A very traditional architectural style home and the homeowners have very contemporary taste so as they renovate the interior, certain spaces start to look very contemporary. Unfortunately, they decide to sell their home before having a chance to renovate all the spaces. From the outside, it’s a very charming traditional property, but as soon as you step inside, the furnishings and certain rooms have clearly been remodeled with a more contemporary flair while others have not. The biggest problem is incongruency = MDPD!
2) Typical tract home with upgraded lighting. A traditional light fixture was chosen for the stairwell, but the stairwell leads to a landing area that is very dark. The homeowners go to IKEA and purchase tract lighting and installs it on the wall to address the lighting problem. Lighting problem is somewhat alleviated, but the style of the light fixture from IKEA is high tech modern which clashes with the very traditional chandelier that’s hanging just 5 feet away = MDPD.
3) A Spanish architectural style home in a very charming neighborhood. Beautiful details on the exterior with arches and wood beams in the front rooms, but as you tour the rest of the property, there’s an art deco style bath that has never been renovated, an 80s remodeled master bath with the peach wallpaper and tile to prove it, and a kitchen that’s very non-descript and definitely not in keeping with the Spanish style architecture. Poor thing…suffering from a bad case of MDPD. It’s very important to have a congruent style throughout so buyers are not confused by what’s going on. Remember, a confused mind says “no” and that’s not what you want prospective buyers to say when visiting your property. Besides the confusion, when buyers consider how much it would cost to cure the disorder, they will either eliminate that home from the list of possibilities or they will take the opportunity to submit a low ball offer. When in doubt, consult a professional to avoid being haunted by multiple personalities.
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