Most of you know that I used to work as a buyer for a department store. This experience made me very aware and appreciative of all things fashion. I was constantly surrounded by new trends, designers, and styles. This may be the reason why I consider home staging very similar to putting together the right ensemble when presenting yourself to the world! You always want your home to have a classic, timeless appeal, and what clothing designer did this better in her fabulous lines than Chanel! I have written about this in a piece I call: How Coco Chanel’s words of fashion wisdom will help you sell your house: 3 absolute musts to get it sold in record time! Today is the first of the 3 "musts". Enjoy!
“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” These words spoken by the late fashion icon Coco Chanel easily translate into what sells a house in today’s uncertain economic climate. In recent times, selling a home has become the last thing that most people want to do. It more than likely creates a sense of dread in most homeowners who have visions of months on the market, hundreds of showings with no feedback, and offers tens of thousands of dollars below their asking price. While these things are a reality, there are easy, cost effective ways to avoid these scenarios from ever happening to you!
Today’s home buyers are looking for very specific things when buying a house. They want a place that is appealing to their tastes, that is move-in ready, and that fits their family’s needs. In other words, your home must be irreplaceable in their minds. It must stand out (in a good way)from the hundreds of mediocre listings on the market today. It must be different. There are 3 things to remember that will make your home that irreplaceable home for buyers.
Today’s home buyers are looking for very specific things when buying a house. They want a place that is appealing to their tastes, that is move-in ready, and that fits their family’s needs. In other words, your home must be irreplaceable in their minds. It must stand out (in a good way)from the hundreds of mediocre listings on the market today. It must be different. There are 3 things to remember that will make your home that irreplaceable home for buyers.
1. “Before you leave the house each day, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” In other words, de-personalize and de-clutter!
This doesn’t mean remove all traces of your existence from your house as some people might advise. Buyers still have to see that your home is easily livable. This means keep your house streamlined and accessorized to accentuate your home, not to display your accessory collections. You definitely want to remove the wall-o-memories from your hallway/stairway/dining room. If you have an overwhelming collection of personal pictures and family mementos covering your home, buyers will be distracted from the great selling points that your home has to offer!
De-personalizing also includes keeping the more day-to-day items hidden from your buyers’ sight. Have a specific drawer to contain all of your kitchen counter clutter. Hang your everyday bathroom towels out of view. Hide overtly obvious pet signs such as your litter pans, large dog bowls, and bird cages. Many buyers have allergies or just aren’t pet people, and these things are often automatic turn offs.
Just as you want your accessories to bring out the best parts of you and not hide who you are, the same applies to your house. Don’t hide your house in overwhelming accessories and clutter, use them to highlight its best features! The point is to de-personalize without losing your home’s personality!
This doesn’t mean remove all traces of your existence from your house as some people might advise. Buyers still have to see that your home is easily livable. This means keep your house streamlined and accessorized to accentuate your home, not to display your accessory collections. You definitely want to remove the wall-o-memories from your hallway/stairway/dining room. If you have an overwhelming collection of personal pictures and family mementos covering your home, buyers will be distracted from the great selling points that your home has to offer!
De-personalizing also includes keeping the more day-to-day items hidden from your buyers’ sight. Have a specific drawer to contain all of your kitchen counter clutter. Hang your everyday bathroom towels out of view. Hide overtly obvious pet signs such as your litter pans, large dog bowls, and bird cages. Many buyers have allergies or just aren’t pet people, and these things are often automatic turn offs.
Just as you want your accessories to bring out the best parts of you and not hide who you are, the same applies to your house. Don’t hide your house in overwhelming accessories and clutter, use them to highlight its best features! The point is to de-personalize without losing your home’s personality!
Chanel suit circa 1955. Chanel suit from the 2009 Runway collection.
Look similar? This is my point. The SUIT is the focus, the subtle accessories work to accentuate its best features! Accessories that can be easily changed to fit the model (home) and the time period!
I hope you enjoyed tip number 1! Stay tuned for future posts including numbers 2 and 3!
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