Decorate to Sell: Making your Home Appealing to Potential Buyers

<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3&quot; color="#990000">Decorate to Sell: Making your Home Appealing to Potential Buyers</font></h2><p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">When selling your house, there is a lot you can do with decorating to make it more appealing to potential buyers. Of course, you should start by giving the house a good cleaning, and minimize clutter wherever possible. This alone will make a house much more appealing to buyers, although it might be more difficult if you are still living in the house (especially if you have kids).<span>  </span>Nonetheless, it can help to box up anything that you won’t need until the next season, or anything that you don’t use on a regular basis, and store it elsewhere.</span></p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">This doesn’t mean storing the items the closets, cupboards and basement, because you need these items to be clean and visible as well. Renting a self-storage unit can be helpful, because then you will also be able to remove extra items of furniture from the house as well. This is often recommended to make the house appear more spacious and less cramped to buyers.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Make the Buyer Visualize Living in the Home</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Once the house is clean and de-cluttered, it’s time to address some simple decorating tips that can spruce up the house and make it more attractive. The goal is to give the house a "homey" appearance, but still keep decorating simple enough so that potential buyers can visualize their own decorating scheme in the house. You also want to keep the decorating in line with the overall style of the house, so that everything seems to "fit".</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Paint Touch-Ups – Inexpensive and Effective When Reselling</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">If there are any rooms that have extremely dark or unusually colored walls, these can benefit from being repainted. Smaller rooms and rooms that don’t get a lot of sunlight can benefit from a light wall color, such as a pleasant light yellow or beige. Choosing neutral colors also make it easier for buyers to visualize their own items in the room.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/10b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/10b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Cost-Conscious Decorating That Works</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">You don’t need to spend a lot of money to decorate a house for selling. Replacing any heavy drapes with lighter ones can let in more natural light, making rooms seem more appealing. A vase of fresh flowers or potted plant in the living room, along with some new throw pillows, a candle or two and a blanket throw can make it feel inviting and cozy. In the kitchen, don’t over accessorize, but add a few nice touches, such as matching towels, pot holders and oven mitts, and perhaps a plant. In the bathroom, replacing any outdated lighting fixtures can add an updated look and add additional light. Add a matching towel set, and perhaps a vase of flowers or a bowl of potpourri, but keep the decorating touches simple.</p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>Final Touches and Curb Appeal</strong></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">There needs to be some attention paid to the outside decor of the home as well. Keep things simple and neat, removing any excessive lawn ornaments. Floral ground plantings, pots of flowers, or hanging baskets near the front door can improve the curb appeal. An attractive door mat is appealing as well as useful. It can also be a nice added touch to repaint the front door if needed, or replace the doorknob if it seems worn. These simple touches will give your home more "curb appeal".</p>   <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><strong>About the Author</strong></p>  <p><span style="line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt; font-size: 10pt">Jessica Ackerman from WallDecorandHomeAccents.com, has spent over 25 years honing her skills in all areas of <a href="http://www.walldecorandhomeaccents.com/wallsconces.html" target="_blank">wall candle holders</a> paying special attention to <a href="http://www.walldecorandhomeaccents.com" target="_blank">wall artwork</a>.</span></p></span>