Decorating to sell

Edwardia

OH and I have decided to move rather than stay so as we carry on renovating and decorating we'll be doing it as cheaply as poss but without cutting corners or buying fittings etc that look cheap.

Apart from Bedroom Two and Bedroom Three the finished parts of the house are decorated in various neutral shades. If they need decorating by time we are ready to sell then we would at least consider some toning down but personally don't think pale apple green walls with black skirtings that horrendous, ditto Farrow & Ball red with cast iron fireplace, floor length curtains, chesterfield and waxed floorboards in an old house.

So that's the background.. now to my question.. when you have decorated to sell, or just added finishing touches, what sort of things do you/have you add/ed ?

As a buyer yourself can you see past other people's ornaments and wallpaper ? Do bold colours put you off ? Are you put off by wallpaper ? (Must admit we are after stripping up to 12 layers in some rooms !!) Are you put off by laminate like us or do you prefer it to floorboards or carpet ?

Some people say that the rules are decluttering and neutral colours. I've read the comment " People are buying your house not your lifestyle".

But surely people have in their mind, the kind of lifestyle they want to have in their first/next home ? If decluttering is aimed at making house look more spacious and not pointing out storage deficiencies, then surely marketing to the kind of buyer who will like your house makes sense ?? Agree ? Disagree ?

princeofpounds

If it's not neutral, I like simplicity. For example, it's much easier to repaint one flat lime colour feature wall than it is to remove purple woodchip wallpaper or repaint fiddly woodwork.

pale apple, ok... but black skirting? hmmmm....

red might actually look ok, but I'd imagine it's going to turn some people off. Bold colours always will.

Flooring - you can't please everyone and I wouldn't try. Unlike paint, it's actually expensive to change.

Wallpaper can be a big distraction if the patterns are dominant.

Decluttering is very useful. Whilst i can imagine past it, it's not actually easy to ignore what your eyes are telling you.

lessonlearned

Avoid anything too personal - sorry but black skirting boards are a bit of an acquired taste......

Wallpaper - depends on the state of the walls. If the plaster is good enough I would just paint them - wallpaper is an extremely personal thing. Some people love it, some hate it. If you must then just go for one feature wall rather than a whole room which can be rather overpowering.

Same with strong colours - in moderation - maybe just one accent wall rather than a whole room.

You need to know what you are doing with colours, remember dark makes rooms look smaller, paler colours open up a room. Shiny surfaces bounce light around.

Shiny silk paint on walls will show all the lumps and bumps and any uneven plasterwork - matt is a bit more forgiving.

As you have a period property take a look at some of the heritage colours. They have a nice muted look which look good in Victorian properties.

Laminate - ok in a modern home but personally I don't like to see it in period properties. Either real wood or neutral carpets. For areas with heavy traffic - hallways etc sisal works well.

If you lucky enough to have original Minton tiles or the old wide wooden floor boards then restore them to their former glory.

If you can afford it and you have nice high Victorian ceilings then a couple of nice chandeliers, especially one in the hall. A great entrance hall really sets the tone. Think carefully about the lighting scheme throughout the house.

Period properties with generous rooms and high ceilings can take the odd "grand gesture". So instead of lots of ornaments, small paintings and little fiddly bits and bobs go for one or two really nice "statement" pieces.

If you have nice fireplaces then flaunt them....Dress the mantle-pieces with carefully chosen objects - don't just clutter them up with a load of old cheap tat.

Don't forget flowers and plants.

For the bedrooms nice crisp bed-linen is a must. I only ever buy white. You can then add colour by draping a throw over the end and a few cushions.

You need to make the house feel warm and welcoming. It needs to look comfortable and "grown up". Nothing "studenty".

Be careful with "Retro" and "Boho-Chic" - a little goes a long way.

Don't forget the outside space. Make sure it is nicely spruced up.

Don't forget the curb appeal.

If you have a front garden make it pretty. Nice freshly painted front door etc. Don't forget to make sure that the doorbell works and that the house number or name is clearly visible.

I know it sounds so elementary but you would be surprised.....

Bathrooms and kitchens need to be pristine. You don't need to replace them but make sure that they are in good repair. A fresh coat of paint and re-finishing tile grout can work wonders. Sometimes something as simple as a new loo seat, and new taps can make a huge difference. Some new towels and some smart accessories.

What does your house smell of. Wet dog is very off-putting....Cat food stinks.

Don't be tempted to use artificial plug in air fresheners to mask odours. Open the windows. A clean house shouldn't smell bad anyway.

Edwardia

.. oil eggshell to match the Victorian wooden fire surround..

only the two non cream oil eggshell skirtings (up to 6 layers paint were stripped, skirtings filled, sanded, knot sealed before primer undercoating and painting) with you on the woodchip as we've had to remove that from horsehair plaster walls by hand.. not fun !

We don't use wallpaper, all the emulsion is Farrow & Ball.

Sometimes fiddly paintwork isn't even wood.. there is a big fire surround with scrolls on it here and after using chemical paste stripper to remove six layers of gloss we discovered it was cast iron... about 1.25m high and 2m wide.

Looking at pics of houses over the million mark, London EAs must tell vendors to put flowers in pix cos they all seem to have them

Doing bathroom next week.. having bath re-enamelled, grey marble flooring, half-tiled walls, soft lavender above, having small extractor fan put in ceiling ducted out, Trad style vitreous china loo and basil, brass chromed taps.

Waxed old floorboards check, wooden period doors check. Chandeliers check - custom made def wow factor but may want them for next house. Huge mirror - bought but haven't put up yet, we prefer not having much on walls.

Garden - yeah think that has some wow factor and no yucky decking. Thinking of adding more fruit trees.

No dog or cat, don't smoke, never use air freshener sprays...a mix of scented candles, flowers and herbs, Ecover 'Under the Sun' fabric conditioner and Antiquax probably..

White (Egyptian cotton) sheets check. No throw but self-embroidered Portuguese bedspread stuff think The White House.

I dunno what studenty is really.

lessonlearned

It was common practice to paint over cast iron fireplaces. Yours sounds nice.

hcb42

I hate clutter when I view houses.

Yes I know it isnt mine, but I worry about how they will ever empty the place and what lurks behind.

Farrow and Ball in a victorian house is a plus, and some of their bolder colours are awesome if done well and in the right room

omnasia

I have never bought a house that wasn't a mess so I think I can see beyond to the potential. When selling I've always tried to do the obvious, de-clutter, clean everything and everywhere, paint neutral shades, kerb appeal etc. It seems to have worked as we have always sold pretty quickly. I agree on the flowers too, a large vase full of lillies always looks nice.

I_have_spoken

The "rules" are pretty much set, just look at Selling Houses etc.

Neutral but not bland decor, avoid family pics
'Walk in' condition, so everything must be finished off
Don't be overly feminine/masculine in the decor and put off 50% of viewers
Ruthless declutter
Every room staged to show a clear use
Spotlessly clean
Buyers must be able to visualise their stuff in the house
Don't spend big money on a feature that buyers will rip-out and feel they're paying twice for

> pale apple green walls with black skirtings that horrendous<

Yikes! I foresee an entry on The "have a look at this!" thread!

phoebe1989seb

Apart from the *pale apple green walls and black skirting* your house sounds lovely Sounds as though you have good taste and will have no problems when selling!

We've only ever bought older project houses and these have ranged from merely unloved, stuck in the 1980s places to full-on ramshackle tips All, though have required love, money and masses of F&B to restore to their former glory! Therefore we'd be unlikely to be put off by much, yet OTOH we'd personally probably be less interested in a place that had been prepped for sale!

If we were in the market for an already restored house, we would be less keen on *cheap fixes* such as the dreaded laminate flooring!

One thing I totally loathe is those *word signs* - 'love', 'bathe', 'relax' etc dotted about everywhere, although curiously long before these became popular I hand-painted a Latin inscription in an old hallway Another of my pet hates is large family photographs on the wall in the reception rooms - we have a small group of DS's old school pics on the wall in a guest room, but would remove these if we were selling.

Quality stands out a mile for me - I'm a bit anal when it comes to things like bathroom/kitchen taps etc, LOL!

Agree with Lesson about smells - we have cats and don't really notice any nasty aromas (although I'm sure they're there!), but last year got a puppy and deliberately chose a breed that doesn't emit a *doggy* smell (well, only when wet!) - and we, too use plenty of good quality scented candles and have fresh herbs and flowers in the kitchen etc.......first impressions - of every kind - do mean a lot.

When we've been selling in the past, we've rarely taken longer than a couple of months to achieve a sale (last time two weeks in an extremely slow moving location) and that's despite probably having more *stuff* than most people and also tending towards a bolder use of colour than is fashionable, to which anyone that saw our old house here recently will testify ;) In fact we took an EA's advice once and repainted a red room beige only to be told by our buyers they preferred red!!!

Wishing you lots of luck with your sale when the time comes

Metranil_Vavin

Your house sounds lovely Edwardia

Is it in London?

be sure to post up the Rightmove link when it goes on the market!

Lou67

I would go for making it neutral. I have known people be put off a house because of the decor. Daft, but true.