We often speak about setting your “seller’s attitude” the moment you place your home on the market.  Our common admonition is the phrase “But it’s not your home anymore.”  The implication is clear, you need to appeal to the broadest (buyer) target market.  That appeal trumps “but we like it this way” every time.

After visiting and documenting a few thousand homes the past few of years, the results of our observations have become very clear.  They seem to transcend all price ranges ($2 million and up excluded).  It’s not about what appeals to us personally but what seems to trigger that “I gotta have this” reaction in buyers.  Resulting experience may just be the edge that pushes your home to the top of comparable homes.  That’s a good thing BTW.

We’ll keep it simple, and that’s hard for a man of many words like myself.  When thinking about basic elements of your home’s furnishings, fixtures, decor and accents:

  • Tasteful and Charming beat out Opulent and Rich
  • Quality shines brighter than Glitter
  • Warmth and Comfort appeal more than Neon and Chrome

TastefulOpulentfirst impressionQuality

Keep these thoughts in mind as you set the stage for the sale of your home.  They’re not bad considerations when furnishing new spaces or moving to a new home.  Of course there are limitations considering children space or man caves.  No doubt it’s very hard to influence the taste of the Little Rascals or herd in Teenagers or tame Testosterone.  So, if you must, limit these design sets to the more formal spaces as well as critical show spaces buyers typically trigger on.  Those are: Entry Way, Formal Living Room, Kitchen, Formal Dining Area, Master Suite and Master Bath.  You may have other formal areas such as Front Parlor, (seldom used) Master Office or Den.

Be sure your home is set to impress visitors and potential buyers with these essential elements.
They work…