WHAT NOT TO DO IF YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR HOUSE
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I was recently contacted by a Real Estate Agent about a listing that she wanted to have staged. Here's the story: the sellers bought it, remodeled it and is now putting it back on the market to sell... classic tale of a House Flipper. It was a small house - 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, approximately 1300 square feet. The seller's wanted it on the market immediately and did not want to have it staged. The Realtor was smart enough to advise that they wait until the following weekend to put it on the market and have it staged beforehand. I thought this would be an easy project - small house, remodeled...let's go see it. Oy...here's what I found. Remember, this is a small house. As soon as you walk in, this is what you see. A living room/dining room combo space. Yes, that is a lime green color on the wall and oh how nice, they went shopping for staging accessories. At least the floors looked good.
Turn the corner and there's the kitchen. Oh yes, that's an orange wall. And oh yes, those are red pendant lights with reddish brown cabinetry. Oh and look...more goodies to stage with...yippee!!
Okay, to be fair, the front room is not so bad...by itself. The kitchen...also not so bad, by itself. The renovation is fine. Not the finishes I would necessarily choose, but it's good enough that some buyer in this price range will be happy with it. The wall color however, is a horrible choice...especially when it's transitioned from the green living room next door. See for yourselves!!!
In person, it's very overwhelming and distracting. It's a small space so within steps of each room is another color and it kinda smacks you in the face. And can you see how they cut that wall color above the door opening? What's the point of that (I wish I had a better picture). That orange also runs down the hallway which leads to the 3 bedrooms. Oh and it gets better...both bathrooms have that same orange. I guess they wanted to get their money's worth out of that can of paint. I'm not hating on orange...it's actually one of my favorite colors. Just not what I would choose to put on the wall and especially not if I'm trying to sell a house and definitely not combined with the other color choices.
And the worst color has to be in the bedrooms. All 3 bedrooms are painted the same color. Hmm...how do I describe it. It's a grey, pinky, fleshy color...kinda like what you would look like if you were decaying. Not cute!!! Not flattering!
So of course, I recommended to the Realtor that the Sellers should really consider repainting the interior because those colors are not marketable and would most likely hinder the sale of the property. This is my "recommendation", but of course my gut tells me that the Seller's have no intention of repainting because they just painted! They didn't want to stage and now I'm asking them to repaint too...what, am I crazy?!!!I think this house will be listed this weekend. I never heard back from the Realtor about this project after making my recommendations and providing a bid and I didn't pursue it because I just wasn't into it and I didn't have the time this week. I will be checking on its status to see how it does though cuz I'm nosey like that. So...this is a great example of what NOT to do if you want to sell your house (quickly and top dollar that is).
Now, if you do want to sell your house quickly and for the best price possible regardless of the market conditions, heed the following advice:
1. Choose paint colors wisely - opt for neutral, complementary colors. This doesn't necessarily mean white, off-white, or beige. To achieve a more contemporary look a nice greige (grey beige) would look fantastic with those dark floors. The key is to make the rooms flow nicely from one space to another. In a small home, one color throughout allows your eye to travel fluidly. The bold choices in every room in the property above breaks any chance at a harmonious flow. As a Professional Home Stager, my goal is to carry a consistent color theme throughout, but in the above scenario, it's nearly impossible because each room is so color specific and not complementary.
2. Have Your Property Professionally Staged - this is the magic. This is what gets your property noticed. Hire the right Staging Designer and the results will Make Every Buyer Want You! If you've come this far with this investment, don't stop short and not complete the process. Seasoned Real Estate professionals - Realtors, Real Estate Investors, House Flippers all understand the value that professional home staging adds to the entire transaction.
3. Choose a Personality - a design personality that is. Just because the colors work well doesn't mean the styles work well. I'm talking about the accessories that were so generously provided in the rooms. Yes, they worked with the color schemes in the rooms individually, but there was no cohesiveness with the styles as a whole. Don't make the mistake of treating each space separately. There needs to be a consistent flow with color and style throughout. Selling is not the time to be eclectic. It'll look like you're suffering from multiple personality disorder - am I contemporary? am I Traditional? am I Country? I don't know...I can't decide! Not good. My advice if you find yourself struggling with a similar dilemma...refer to #2...it'll save you time, money and headaches in the long run. What are your thoughts? I would love to know...leave me a comment below.
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