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Preparing for the Open House: Beyond Cleaning |
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Achieving that
perfect display home condition is not really as overwhelming as it sounds. Some
sellers use professional "fluffers" to improve their home's
appearance and sale price. Talented fluffers are masters of illusion. They have
large storehouses of furniture and accessories or rental arrangements with
various stores. After evaluating your home, they may decide to swap your old
sofa for one that will make buyers take a second look at the room. After the house
is sold the loaner sofa goes back to the store. The same goes for the expensive
Persian rug, matching vases or sculpture. While you may not be prepared to use
a fluffer or go to these lengths to update your home, there are a few simple
ways to get a similar outcome.
Painting is an inexpensive update which can make a dramatic impact on your
home. Colour and light are usually the first things people become aware of upon
entering a room. Painting with light tones can make a room seem larger and
brighter. Select colours on the wall can highlight those in the furniture, rugs
or accessories. Usually this is done with complimentary colours (yellow-purple,
blue-orange, and red-green) used sparingly or in light tones. Pale yellow
walls, for example may highlight royal purple cushions on a sofa.
Flowers are another easy way to make a room seem more appealing. A
thirty-dollar investment in a few bouquets can make your home seem cheery and
well attended to in the eyes of prospective buyers. If you run out of vases you
can always try the rustic look: a clean mason jar (labels removed) with a large
bow around the top or pop cans inside a deep basket then covered with florist's
moss. Try a large bouquet in the living room or dining room and delicate
arrangements of a few flowers in each other room.
Take an objective look at your furniture and decide if you have too much
clutter. Why pay to move items you may not even like? More importantly why keep
that questionable furniture in your home during an open house? If you have a
ratty chair that needs to be reupholstered or items which clash with the
majority of your furniture it may be time to take action.
Consider renting artwork. If you have a large blank wall, a captivating
painting can imbue the entire room with new energy. Galleries typically rent
artwork for 4% or the retail value per month with a minimum two-month rental.
You'll find artwork ranges from $400 to $4000 so take a close look at the
number of zeros on the price tag!
A few small changes may not transform your home into something you'd find on
the celebrity pages but they can make a dramatic impact on buyers.
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