Selling A Home… Are You Reaching The Right Buyers?
Marketing A Lifestyle Sells A Home
The spring real estate season is fast approaching and your buyer is scrolling thru listings right now. Yes, this is often the best time to place a house on the market. However, it can also be the most competitive time and your home has to appeal to a buyer quickly. Real estate agents have a standard list of what to do to prepare a home for sale. Our design firm has assisted clients buying, and selling, homes for too many years to count. Join us, this Friday, as we show you our Favorite way to market a home!
Because we work for buyers and sellers equally, we hear both sides of pending real estate transactions. Sellers want everyone to love their home as much as they have. Buyers want to find a home that is as close to their dream home as possible. Our job as designers is to show both sides how to make this happen.
A Buyer Has To See Themselves Enjoying Your Home
Recently we were asked to help a long time client prepare their home for sale. Over the years, this home has been the scene of so many wonderful gatherings with friends and family. Most of these events have been centered around good food and hospitality. This is what we want a new owner to be able to feel immediately.
Seeing A Kitchen Through A Buyer’s Eyes
Before Updates
Without updates, designed to appeal to the buyer looking for homes online, the buyer sees a somewhat dark, 22 year old kitchen with personalized window treatments. It’s a sea of golden wood.
What The Designer Wants The Buyer To See
Updating 101…lighten up! Realtors say neutralize. We say make the paint work for every decor. Nix the window treatments and let the walls of tall windows show off the warm contrasting wood floors.
Yes, the nook furniture is new and we will tell you why a bit later. This modern rattan, mixed with dark wood, group is fresh and inviting. Any new furnishings used for staging should be transitional style. Not too modern, nor too traditional will appeal to the majority of buyers.
Doesn’t the way the sun falls into this kitchen make the chef in you want to start cooking with these wonderful, high end appliances? Yes!
You’ve heard us promote using the everyday items in our decor. When selling a home, this approach has to be spot on and leave a favorable impression with the buyer.
Hutch Before A Designer Got Ahold Of It
(We did spend $15 to update…can you find the change?)
Hutch After Styling…Are You Feeling The Sur La Table Cooking Class Vibe?
The Buyer Is!
Buyers Want A Current First Impression
No matter the style of a house, the buyers want to see current updates. This entry has so many fantastic features. Two story entry, gleaming wood floors and stair treads, statement light fixture and an abundance of natural light from the adjacent rooms. However, it came across as dark and crowded.
Foyer Before
Foyer Ready For It’s Close Up!
Amazing what paint and some new light bulbs can do!
Dining Room After And Before
Remember the nook table and chairs that seats 6, and had that beautiful granite stone top? We relocated it to the freshly painted, spacious dining room so all that wonderful food can be lingered over. Before the dining room felt dark and crowded. Simply painting this room gives buyers a bright room they can imagine using in so many ways. Plus they get to enjoy the vintage bar (photo below) as soon as they walk in the door!
Office Before And After
Using the same new paint color makes each area have a relationship and allows a buyer to visualize their furnishings in the rooms. The smaller desk was tucked up in a bedroom. We still have a functioning home office…just a much more open and lighter one!
Great Room Before
A little paint, and a day of staging with your favorite designer….
Great Room After
(opens to the kitchen)
Let The New Owner’s Memories Begin!
Stand Apart From The Competition….Market The Lifestyle
More Ways To Make A Good First Impression
Hop Over To Our Pinterest Pages-Click Here
I always love these befores and afters. It’s amazing how you can transform the same room this way!!
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Time for a shameless plug…we do show sellers how to best use the update budget for the biggest impact. The list of what they think they have to do and what is best is often very different. So much of it is working with a designer who knows the goal and keeps everyone on the same path. It can be am emotional process and we try to make it fun! Lots of “Wow…I would of never thought of that!”
A beautiful home that has been full of love, good meals, wine, family gatherings, and wonderful hospitality. I look forward to their new adventure and a new place for all the love, good meals, and etc. I really love all the things you did to the house! I need to go see it in person!
Better hurry…it’s going to sell fast!
It’s fascinating to get all of these insights, Laurel 🙂
And we have so much fun!