Fresh Paint Always Helps Sell A House

It’s important for homeowners to realize that any suggestion I make are in their best interest to gain top dollar.  Nothing I suggest should be taken personally since decorating and staging have very different purposes, even though many of the principals relate to both.

The very first things I ask the homeowners are:

• What has to stay?
• What can go?
• What are you willing to do?
• Is there something that you really don’t want to do?
• What is the budget?

At the end of the day, the homeowner always has final say in what get’s done.

After I scope out the entire house, I see what I have to work with, in case things can be used in other rooms.  I use as many items that they have as possible since it keeps the costs down and the house also doesn’t feel sterile.

When I saw how much artwork was hung on the walls, I was very relieved when she said she was having the house professionally painted in a neutral lighter colour that I suggested. You will ALWAYS GET YOUR MONEY BACK ON A GOOD PAINT JOB. Choosing the right colour is just as important.  Many buyers just repaint their current colour without consulting an expert.

Entrance:

You only get one first impression.

Once the large pieces of furniture were removed and the walls were painted, the whole entrance opened up.  The floors also looked brand new. Does the bench look familiar?

Living/Dining Room:

When you have a long rectangle room, you want to define the zones.  An area rug is a great way to do that.  Also,  look at your furniture placement.  Does it make the most sense? We were very limited to some furniture rental due to the lockdown but we only needed to rent a sofa and a chair!  The rest was brought in from the Realtor, Catherine Bell from Royal LePage, and moving using pieces from other rooms. You need an imagination to do this!  In this case, the biggest challenge was moving everything into a POD and taking it to the new house.

Without the large chairs, there is more traffic flow and openness. The whole space has a very nice flow and buyers can see there are many possibilities.

Bringing in her smaller TV and stand from another room saved the day.  Buyers can see that there is lots of room for a much larger TV and this is the best wall for it.

New drapes, new light fixture (she was taking the tiffany one with her) and decluttering extra pieces of furniture made a huge difference. Notice how we tied in all the colours with her gray kitchen cabinets.  It’s so important to have a cohesive colour flow.

Principal Bedroom:

Furniture placement is extremely important.  Especially in bedrooms.  Buyer want to know if they can fit a king size bed, and where their dressers are going to go.  Don’t worry, I was able to use many of these extra pieces in other rooms.

I’m sorry I don’t have a photo of the other angle to show the beautiful colourful  artworks and stunning little chair since they really gave the room the ‘wow’ factor.  Always put the bed on the longest wall and ideally, don’t have you head of the bed at the room entrance.

Bedrooms #2 and #3:

I felt it was important to put a bed in each room since this house would probably appeal to a young family. I had her separate the beds and put one in each room.

Remember how this desk used to be in the principal bedroom?  It makes more sense for a child/teen to have a desk in their room.  Removing the headboards, also saved about a foot in depth.

I was very proud of this room since the mauve cabinet and white lantern used to be in the dining room, and the painted chest used to be in the principle bedroom. The homeowner had these linens stored away but I thought they were perfect for the rest of the furniture.  Even the little wood arch above the bed used to be in the main bathroom.  It’s so much fun to SHOP YOUR HOME and see what treasures you can find.

Finished Basement:

When a townhouse has a nicely finished basement, it immediately appeals to buyers so the family can spread out a bit.

We only had to bring in some artwork and lamps. Everything else was already there.  Again, it was a case of removing things. We didn’t have a TV but placing the sofa table across from the sofa, shows buyers where to put one if they didn’t want it above the fireplace.

Moving the large armoire to the other end of the room also squared it off.  When it was across from the sofa, it made the room feel narrow and it blocked the fireplace.  Always showcase your fireplace or other valuable focal points.

I am happy to say that this sold well above list price.  This is another example of great teamwork!!!!

All the ‘after’ photos are credited to vickie@londonhousephoto.ca 

Catherine Bell, Sales Representative  Royal LePage, The Ottawa Home Team