The BrazzelDazzle Blog

Two "must do's" when staging your house for sale are fresh paint and carpet.  Potential Buyers need to fall in love with your property AND they need to see the value of your property before they'll make an offer.  New paint and carpet are the best ways to help them do so!  If your house has old and dirty carpet and dingy paint, it will appear tired, sad, and worn-out ... which doesn't appeal to buyers emotionally or intellectually.  Sellers often think that buyers will want to pick out their own colors ...  but many buyers cannot envision what the house will look like with fresh paint and carpet and how it will transform it from tired to perky!

 Realtors often hear Buyers comment: "But, I'd have to get that wallpaper removed!", "But, I'd need to get the whole house painted!", "But, we couldn't live with that carpet!" ... and then the Buyers assign a dollar value to the improvement that is often hundreds or thousands of dollars more that the actual cost would be.  So, even if the Buyers decide to make an offer on the property, they will "deduct" their imagined cost of the carpet and paint - usually WAY more than the actual cost would be.  Plus, their perceived value of the property will be way less, so their initial offer will be lower.

What's a Seller to do?  If your house needs paint, check with your paint store salesperson for the most popular neutral color that is in fashion.  Currently, bright earth tones are in favor.  New carpet should be a taupe or beige tone - those colors go with any decor.  You can't go wrong with neutral choices and you WILL recoup the cost of these improvements.  The neutral colors you choose may not be the perfect fit for every buyer, but a "re-do" will not be seen as necessary, either.

Some updates may not give you any return on your investment, while others, if done wisely (remember that neutral sells!), will.  Carpet and paint are two "must do's" when staging your house for sale!  You WILL get the money back as long as you've chosen wisely.  Consult your Real Estate professional to determine what other steps you should take to get your house ready to market.  It will make a big difference in your profit and in the time it takes to sell your house.  And remember the two "must do's" when staging your house for sale!