Home decorating trends spell higher profits for property sellers

Selling a home is a combination of art and science, which is why a good Realtor is a commodity you can’t do without. And part of the home selling process is positioning your home to the right market in the right way. Here’s how recent trends can help you do just that.

No one wants to live in a home that looks like it hasn’t been updated in years. And home buyers, even though they will move their own furniture into a newly purchased home, will still judge prospective home purchases based on the furniture and decoration that exists.

An up-to-date home says two things to a prospective home buyer: First, it tells them that the homeowner cares about their home and has paid attention to it and cared for it over the years. Second, an up-to-date home is a home they can see themselves in… because that’s what home buyers are trying to do: envision themselves in the home they are walking through.

How does your home stack up? Will home buyers walk in and walk back out again, thinking that you haven’t redecorated since the era of bell-bottoms and Woodstock? Or will they walk in and “oooh” and “aaah” over the modern look of your home? Will they wonder if you have cared for your home or will they walk in and say to themselves, “I see myself in this home, practically relaxing in that chair!”

To make your home stand out to home buyers, you need to know the trends and incorporate those trends into your home. Don’t confuse fads with trends: Trends have a longer shelf-life and a broader market appeal, allowing you to make some minor renovations to both the home’s amenities and even to your personal collection of furniture, which can have a bottom line impact on the sale of the home.

Top home décor sites trendir.com, ci-gallery.com, and bhg.com, all show that 2007 spring, summer, and fall home décor has a clean, modern feel: it’s bold, Zen, European, and comes with splash of 70’s color and patterning. The colors are deep browns – almost black – as well as orange and moss. Solids and patterns are both acceptable, and patterns can be either circular or square, but no matter what, they should have clean lines.

Home sellers want to take that information and use it to inspire them as they make small modifications to their home. It doesn’t have to require very many changes, but it could include some of these steps, which generally offer larger returns on investment:

• A coat of paint in some of the main rooms
• A new bathroom vanity
• A new chair*
• Some throw cushions for the sofa*
• A vase or a new piece of artwork*

*Yes, you may be taking these with you after you leave, but as you update your home, you’ll find that your updated furniture will help to tie everything together. And that helps to move your home faster.

Los Angeles Real estate & City Information