Expert Tips for Making Your Home Appealing to Potential Buyers
Sometimes the smallest changes can have the biggest impact on how buyers perceive your home.
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Draw inspiration from hotels.
“I buy a fresh set of white towels and bathmats from Target and I don’t wash them so they remain fresh looking,” says Katy Winter, a professional organizer and founder of Katy’s Organized Home in Chappaqua, who adds that it’s super important for your home to smell good during walk-throughs. She recommends lighting scented candles or baking some chocolate chip cookies.
Declutter and streamline décor.
“Buyers want to feel like the house is move-in ready, and this is especially important when it comes to kitchen and bathroom counters that shouldn’t be stacked with items that will look messy and disorganized,” Winter says. “Also, always keep bookshelves as simple and accessory-free as possible. Try to stay with the same color story—either display whites and neutrals or blues and grays.”
Refresh your outdoor space.
Outdoor space is the first impression of your home. Make sure your lawn looks shipshape and your planters are full of flowering plants. “You’ll want to take a close look at your front door, too, and make sure it’s painted in a fresh, inviting color,” Winter says. “And always put away outdoor clutter, whether that’s a bunch of scooters and bikes or grungy garbage cans.”
Focus on the light.
“Floor lamps or torchieres are a great way to shoot light up at the ceiling and then reflect it back down again,” says Steven Gottlieb, a broker at Warburg. “Those lights will enhance your walls, so make sure that every single wall is bright and clean. A fresh coat of paint will not only eliminate possible cracks from an older paint job, but lighter colors reflect the light and make rooms seem bigger, cleaner, and brighter.”
