An Interior Designer’s Guide for Preparing a Home for Sale

February 16, 2023February 17, 2023 Margaret Chambers 0 Comments interior design, Margaret Chambers

In this guide, I’ll cover the essentials involved in a quick and profitable home sale — including some tips that your real estate agent might not think to suggest.

First Impressions

One quick and easy way to boost your home’s “curb appeal” is to put a new coat of paint on the front door. Select a color that stands out from the rest of the home but still complements the brick, stucco, or limestone.

Trimming the bushes, mowing the lawn, and weeding are must-dos. You may also want to plant some new flowers and add fresh mulch.

Tackle Your Repair List

Now’s the time to make a list of all the repair projects you’ve been putting off. You may be tempted to renovate your outdated kitchen but proceed carefully. A full kitchen renovation can cost as much as $65,000. Less expensive repairs include patching holes in walls, fixing doors and drawers that don’t close properly, replacing kitchen cabinet hardware, replacing light bulbs, and fixing leaky faucets.

Don’t fill built-in bookshelves entirely with books. Instead, leave a small selection of your most attractive books and accessories to showcase them as in this Theta house library designed at SMU. PHOTO: Michael Hunter with Design by Margaret Chambers

Create a Blank Slate

As gorgeous as your dark red bedroom may be, the paint color might distract buyers. Good choices for neutral paint colors include white, cream, khaki, or gray.

Potential buyers have trouble imagining their family photos on the walls when yours are still hanging. Don’t store personal items in the closets, however: Buyers will be opening those to see how much space you have. Instead, rent a storage unit for oversize furniture, collectibles, family heirlooms, and photos. If you want to hang something on the wall, scenic pictures and mirrors are fine.

Now is a good time to purge items you don’t want to take to your next home. If there’s anything you own that you absolutely can’t part with, you should move it to storage before buyers can see it. It will hurt negotiations if your buyer covets any light fixtures or window treatments you plan on keeping and is told that she can’t have them.

Just looking at your to-do list can feel intimidating, but remember that every repair you make, and every item you purge, will increase the value of your home and make your next move easier.