little or no "fix-up" reserves to apply toward making your house their new property. Most buyers are envisioning a fresh start. If they can picture themselves living in your property, they will buy it. This is known as "interior curb appeal," where the eyes are drawn to inviting spaces and light, as well as to unique features. Each room needs a purpose or suggested use. The property must feel fresh to reflect ease of upkeep. The goal is to create a clean, simple, and contemporary feel. Painting, updating fixtures, and eliminating stained carpets and popcorn ceilings can affect the salability of the property by 75%! These seemingly cosmetic changes directly impact buyers' perceived value, and by extension, their opening negotiation position.
NEUTRALIZE FOR VISUAL APPEAL
The idea is to neutralize the house regarding personal taste or decoration, so buyers can easily envision it as if it were outfitted in their taste or with their possessions; without the distractions of the seller's taste and possessions. In staging, distractions are removed so that the buyer can imagine living in each space of the house. During an unexpected relocation, one of our sellers faced a dilemma with their exotically painted kitchen cabinets. They originally designed their kitchen with no plans to move. They promised their designer that they were "never moving." While striking, the bold color received mixed reactions at the first open house. Despite favorable market conditions with fast sales and low inventory, the property did not move. Even offering to repaint cabinets in the buyer's choice of color did not generate interest. Only after repainting in a neutral tone did the house finally sell.
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