Telling someone that they need to paint almost always spurs a reaction of extreme pain. It's almost as if you are asking them to go through the task of individually wrapping every single item that they have ever owned in twenty layers of bubble wrap and then to label it according to a system more cumbersome than the dewey decimal system. For some reason it's almost harder to ask them to redecorate according to a broader range of tastes (we all know this means put up your weird wall hangings and family portraits because buyers can not look past them to see it as a place they could call home). However, these are some very crucial steps in attempting to sell a home . I'm quite an hgtv fan , and if I had a penny for every time I heard someone walk into a space and comment that they " simply can not stand the wall colors," I would have quite the rainy day fund built up. I just want to shout at the tv ," YOU CAN RE-PAINT THOSE UGLY WALLS SO EASILY!" But, the fact is that some people just can not look past it. It changes the vibe of the entire house. So, the lesson learned is that it is more than worth it to tone down bright walls with a good neutral. Whether it is gray or even just a neutral beige, it helps give people the idea of what their house could look like... it is more of a clean slate to start off. Another huge step is taking down personal wall hangings. With that I mean taste specific art, family photos, messages (signs that say things like " love ," etc.), posters, anything else personalized to the family living in the house. You don't need blank walls, though. It's more than okay to put up simple frames with generic photos in them. For example , photos of buildings, flowers, etc. You could even put some fabric swatches in the frame to create some interest at the same time as creating a generic look. Just be sure that it is not overly cluttered.
To take a look at some of our homes go to College Station Real Estate or Hutto Real Estate .
-Jenn, the Cortiers blogger
