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Coldwell Banker
Miami Beach
305.938.1737 Direct
305.672.6300 Office
954.648.3131 Cell
786-528-6307 Fax
Toll Free
1-800-985-FL4U
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| Packaging the Interior |
Personalizing Your Home
When considering a home to purchase, the buyer often visualizes what it would be like living there. If the home is dominated by strong personal statements, buyers are less likely to feel comfortable, and therefore less able to visualize the property as their own.
Personal statements are reflected in many areas:
- Unusual wall colors or heavily patterned wallpaper.
- Heavy odors from pets, tobacco or cooking.
- Sounds of loud music or television.
- Noisy children or barking dogs.
- Strong political or religious statements.
- Unusual art or furnishings.
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Entry
The entry is where the first impression of the interior is created. Here you have the opportunity to make a big statement in a small area.
- Repaint the entry using light, neutral colors.
- Move a prized antique or attractive furnishing to the entry, where it will have maximum impact.
- Apply a fresh coat of polyurethane to a wood floor.
- Tile or linoleum flooring should shine.
- Replace plastic switch plate covers with brass or porcelain.
- A new hall light fixture can make a great impression.
- Make sure the room is well lit.
Kitchen
The kitchen is perhaps the most important room in the house. It can have a major impact on the value of your property. If your kitchen needs some real help, you may want to make extensive improvements. The following is a list of ideas to increase the appeal of your kitchen without spending a great deal of money.
- Make sure the room is virtually spotless and smells fresh. Try putting a quarter section of a lemon in the disposal and grinding it up.
- Consider replacing outdated light fixtures with new track lighting.
- If your appliances are dated by colors like harvest gold or avocado, consider having them professionally refinished in a new color like almond or plain white. This will make appliances look new at a fraction of the cost of actually replacing them.
- Spruce up kitchen cabinets by installing new knobs or hardware.
- If your cabinets look especially old, you can have a professional replace the doors or door fronts.
- Organize your kitchen cabinets to demonstrate how much room you have. Cabinet organizers are a good investment for this.
- Remove small kitchen appliances and gadgets from countertops to create an uncluttered look.
- Chipped or damaged countertops should be repaired or replaced.
- If your linoleum floor is badly worn, replace it with neutral no-wax flooring or tile.
- A freshly painted kitchen may be well worth the investment.
Bathroom
The bathroom has become an important selling feature in today's home. It is a room that has moved from the utilitarian to the exciting. There are many ways you can improve deficiencies and create interest through various levels of enhancements.
- Place a vase of fresh flowers on the vanity.
- Install a wall telephone for a high-tech look.
- Replace an old toilet seat with a new one.
- Replace an old light fixture with a new style light strip or make-up light.
- Refinish an old porcelain tub using a porcelain finishing service.
- Place all personal care articles out of sight.
- Freshen the air with lemon scented products.
- Replace an old towel rack with a new one.
- Add color and richness with new towels and a shower curtain.
Living Room
The living room is an area we do very little living in yet it is a major selling point of a house. Buyers look for elegant and impressive living rooms to make the right statements to their friends and relatives.
- Use mirrors whenever possible to enhance the perception of size. The strategic placement of a mirror over a mantle or across from a window can make a room look brighter and larger.
- Even though we live in South Florida, a fireplace is still a feature that everyone can appreciate - show it off to its best advantage. Sweep it clean and make sure the screen is in good condition. You can dress up the hearth with fresh indoor plants or dried flowers.
- Use inexpensive freestanding accent lights to create dramatic visual effects behind large plants or pieces of furniture.
- Professionally clean wall-to-wall carpet or large area rugs. Sand and refinish stained hardwood floors.
- Clean windows and light fixtures.
- Make sure all cosmetic plastic cracks are repaired. (This applies to every room in the house.)
- Use lemon oil on hardwood furniture to create the right look and aroma.
- Liberal use of fresh flowers and plants will enhance the environment.
Bedroom
The bedrooms can do as much to sell your house as they can to turn off a buyer.
- Make sure the bedrooms are absolutely spotless. Rugs should be cleaned, windows washed and fresh smells from flowers or lemon oil should be in the air.
- Organize closets to increase their perceived size. Rubberizes wire closet organizers do a great job of helping fully utilize space.
- Mirrored closet doors can add dramatically to the feeling of size in any bedroom.
- Bedrooms should be well lit. You may want to add track lights in the master bedroom.
- A ceiling fan can be an attractive and practical accent to any bedroom.
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The Impact of Small Details
Small details make big statements about the perceived condition of your property. A house that shows poorly as a result of an overgrown lawn, peeling paint or simply the smell of mildew, may create the overall feeling that the property has not been cared for. If your house leaves a buyer with this impression, it could cost you valuable time and money. |
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