If there’s one thing that the folks at Disney are doing extremely well, it’s decorating to sell. Somehow, they’ve made even waiting in line something you can almost look forward to. For most of the rides in Disneyland, as you meander hither and tither, there’s something to see, something to hear, something that captivates you as you wait to board the next ride. Indiana Jones is perhaps the best example, although Space Mountain is a close second. And you can’t ignore the Cars vignette at Autopia. There’s some funny stuff there.
For me, decorating to sell is a critical element in the selling process. I prefer to think of it in these terms, rather than “Staging”. Staging conjures a false or phony notion that I think misses the mark. Decorating to sell gets us in the correct frame of mind. As a seller, the goal is to sell the house. Everything else needs to be secondary. If we sell the house, we’ve achieved our goal. So decorating the house, such that it sells, needs to be the goal of all of the decorating we do in the home.
The first thing to do when decorating to sell, is remind ourselves again of the goal: Selling. We aren’t decorating to live comfortably in the home. We aren’t decorating to showcase our favorite sports team, hobby, or our religious beliefs. We are decorating to sell the home. To this regard, the first step is almost always to de-clutter and depersonalize. If a potential buyer walks in and sees your wall of fame (aka that 50 photograph montage of pictures in the hallway), the buyer will identify with you and your family and immediately not want to disrupt that. They’ll begin to think, “hmm, they seem so happy, I wonder why they would want to move? Is something wrong with the house, or the neighborhood?” You want them to think, “I wish I lived here.” So how do we send that message?
We start by de-cluttering and depersonalizing. If you don’t need it in the house, it’s time to start packing. Family pictures, wedding pictures, and religious artifacts need to be the first to find a box. You’re planning to sell, which means you’re planning to pack, so you might as well start right now. In fact, from this day forward, think of your home as someone else’s. Picture it in your mind sold to a new family, and they are just letting you stay for a while before they move in.
Packing away family pictures may seem obvious, but what about religious artifacts? This is a point of contention between many agents. I think the problem here is that some agents either don’t know how to discuss it, or share the beliefs of their client, so they don’t see the problem. I’m here to tell you that a house with 14 crosses displayed throughout the home or a menorah in every room is a problem. Displaying religious artifacts gives you comfort, but at the same time, a potential buyer that doesn’t share your beliefs is equally put off. Again, we want to sell the home. If the goal was a missionary one, trying to convert the unbeliever, that would be different. Let’s save that goal for a more appropriate time.
Ok, you’ve listened and packed up the pictures and religious artifacts. Great start. Now it’s time to de-clutter. This is a hard step. The goal here is to make the house look larger than it is by eliminating any clutter that hides the house. If a shelf has 10 items on it, make it 2. The fireplace mantle needs 1 or 2 items, not 34. The coffee table needs a TV remote and maybe a Phoenix Homes & Garden. It doesn’t need the last 3 years of Sports Illustrated. The kitchen counters can have a toaster or maybe a coffee maker, but that’s it. If you use it daily, and it’s annoying to take it in and out of the cupboard, ok, leave it out. But if you don’t use it daily, it doesn’t belong on the kitchen counter. And when you leave the house, nothing belongs in the sink. It’s either in the dishwasher, or preferably clean and put away. I know. That’s rough, but it’s the way it’s got to be.
As well, when you leave the house, all of the beds are made and the floors are vacuumed or swept. The kids’ toys are put away and nothing that doesn’t belong on the floor is on the floor. If your agent calls and says you have a showing in 4 hrs, and you know the house isn’t model home perfect today, tell them! I’ll gladly come over and do a quick clean-up. Merry Maids I’m not, but in a pinch I’ll be there for you when life happens. If the agent you are working with won’t do the same, find a new agent.
I think that’s enough to digest for today. I’m sure many of you have some packing to do anyway. Tomorrow we’ll get to the actual decorating.
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Hello!
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