Decorating Do’s and Don’ts for Home Sellers in 2007

Home sellers contemplating putting their home on the market next year and want to prepare should consider trends that home buyers are saying yes to as well. These tips are based on a survey of 923 real estate agents, managing brokers, and association executives who responded to a survey request on Agent to Agent. Agent to Agent is distributed monthly to real estate professionals in all fifty states and Canada.

Behind

-Consider glass as an option to ceramic tiles. Ceramic doesn’t offer the decorative benefits of the recently rediscovered glass tile that reflects light and adds sparkle and shine to kitchens and bathrooms. The cost difference is minimal.

-Specify drawer refrigerators/freezers and dishwashers. You will love the flexibility of the design to place them wherever you want. Perfect for contemporary kitchens where you just want low cabinets with open shelving above.

-Investigate exotic and reclaimed woods. Reclaimed lumber salvaged from soon-to-be-demolished buildings and eco-friendly rosewood are in growing demand as homeowners prioritize individualism and eco-friendly wood finishes.

-Baggage rooms. With today’s family on the go, where to store all your luggage is a growing problem. Most on-the-go travelers want it in one place, to find the right piece for the right trip and have their travel sizes 3 ounces and under at a glance.

-Look for bolder, deeper colors for trim like shutters, doors, and window frames. Professional color forecasters believe this is the next big trend.

-Textures. Mix of natural materials such as slate and stone, wood and natural fibers, earthenware and recycled barn wood. Anything weathered; wood, metal, and glass give newer homes a sense of history.

-Install engineered stone composite countertops. Cheaper than granite, but available in a variety of colors and finishes, this synthetic alternative to nature is cutting edge in 2007 kitchens.

-Place a second laundry room in your Master Suite. Dressing rooms are everywhere, why not put your own clothes next to your dirty clothes? They have been popping up more and more in 2006, and are sure to become more widespread in 2007.

-Place a wrought iron fence instead of a wooden or wire fence. Wrought iron says luxury to homebuyers.

not to do

-Install bowl-shaped countertop bathroom sinks. Splashes and general maintenance have earned them a reputation for being easy on the eyes, but they don’t want one.

-Installing too many glass doors on kitchen cabinets. It looks great in magazines, but busy homeowners don’t have time to keep kitchen cabinets organized to keep them looking picture perfect. Also, if you hate washing windows, having more glass in a greasy room like a kitchen requires a lot of maintenance.

-Minimize the breakfast bar countertop overhang. Shoppers hate not being able to sit comfortably on a stool for a cup of coffee. Make sure yours extends beyond the base cabinets by at least twelve inches, preferably fifteen and eighteen.

-Go cheap and skip the trim around interior window openings. Drywall finishes, just around the windows, don’t say contemporary, say like a megaphone; cheap.

-Use concrete blocks in exterior walls in new construction. One, it’s ugly and two, unless they’re properly sealed at installation and every three years thereafter, they’ll lose moisture. Mold is a huge byproduct of poorly installed and maintained cinder block, inside or out.

-Specify spiral stairs. Once the rage of the mid-seventies is renewed, now death for a house seller. The boomers have aged, their children do not like them, they are not friendly with pets and small children. Take yours out and place it on a standard ladder (indoor or outdoor) before you sell it.

-Underestimate the smoothness of bamboo hardwood floors. The first user reviews of this popular eco-friendly floor are in, and they’re not pretty. They dent and scratch easily, and are prone to warping due to variations in weather and humidity levels.

© Copyright 2006 Mark Nash