Ugly House Photos

What have we learned about home staging from this blog this year?

1) Sponge painting is ugly.  Remove it before any potential buyer sees it.

2) Neutralize bright paint colors & cutesy murals & designs.

3) Remove unnecessary personal items & clutter.

4) Remove family photos before selling.

5) Remove refrigerator magnets & other clutter from kitchens.  Buyers like to see clean counters.

6) Remove the knives & ugly pot rack.  No buyer wants to see your dusty old pots & pans.  Knives are dangerous; what if a buyer brought their kids?

7) Either empty out a room completely or arrange the furniture in a pleasing manner.  Consult a professional home stager if you have questions.

8) By all means, please clean the carpet and pick up the animal poop first.  $100 could save you $3,000 (buyers will assume total carpet replacement is necessary and will discount their offer significantly).

Happy New Year! Best wishes in 2010!!

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A common question asked by sellers:  Will my home show better with furniture or when empty?  It depends on the furniture, the floor plan, and the shape of the house.  Tacky furnishings do not help sell homes, but vacant homes expose dirt and create echoes.  Ask your Realtor for her/his opinion.

Here’s a Phoenix condo with before & after photos.  Which looks better?  Occupied or vacant?

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There’s a consistent pattern of clutter and messiness in this Phoenix home.  This is the dining room.  It’s so cluttered, I just now noticed the green Halloween pumpkin on the table and the Halloween costume draped over the chair.  How do you like hanging light?  And the Easter egg paint colors?  And the deflated balloon?

Buyers aren’t going to get any Kix when they see this messy kitchen.

There’s someone sitting down on the left side of the photo.  Is he too tired to help straighten out the house?  Could he at least take down the Warcraft poster?  And the foil out of the window?  If someone needs the wheelchair, how are they going to get to it to use it?

Weird looking child’s chair.  Why is there a bedroom dresser & mirror in the living room?

The master bedroom.  The mattress is too small for the headboard.  The can of disinfectant spray is a nice touch as is the soup can on the dresser.

Bedroom 2.

Bedroom 3.

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Stupid kitchen knives on the counter.  Oh, and all that other clutter & junk too.

Dark times in this bedroom, indeed.

There’s a kid in the bottom left corner of the photo.  Little dog.  Smelly shoes.

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Today’s corporate sponsor is Panda Express.  See the product placement?  And there’s a whole lot of other stuff going on in the kitchen:  mismatched cabinets, clutter on the refrigerator, a burnt stove top, two knife holders, and a fly swatter next to the sink.

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One set of photos taken October 29, 2008 and another set taken November 15, 2008 & January 25, 2009.  Both sets were displayed concurrently to promote the sale of this Scottsdale, Arizona home.

The kitchen “before” with knives, taken October 29, 2008.

The kitchen “after” without knives, bowls, or good luck bamboo, taken November 15, 2008.  Flowers have been added to the table.  Window blinds are up.  Table now set.  Items moved around on the bookshelves.

The back patio “before” with dog bed and plastic chairs, taken October 29, 2008.  Reflection of the photographer in the window.

The back patio “after” with different chairs and flowers, taken January 25, 2009.

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Knives on display are just plain creepy.  Really, how often do you use a kitchen knife?  Then put them away when selling the house.  It scares kids and adults.

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Those bold primary colors are sure to wake you up in the morning.  Who needs coffee after that?

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Buyers will scramble to write offers on this Redding, California house once they see this $5,000 custom-built outdoor fire pit.

Did you think the kitchen would look any nicer?

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Please, please, let me have just 10 minutes in this kitchen so that I can clear off the clutter.  All I need is 10 minutes.

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