Ten Top Mistakes

- Remove all personal photos. They are a distraction to the potential home buyer. They get caught up in looking at your good looking family and can’t remember what the home looked like! You are selling architecture, not your family!

2. Artwork and mirrors that are “up on the roof,” meaning too high on the walls:

- Rule of thumb for artwork & mirrors that are displayed above furniture is 6” – 9” over the furniture (sitting eye level). For artwork that is on a wall with nothing beneath it, standing eye level is good. Remember, most people aren’t as tall as the ceiling! Artwork can be placed on every other wall so that the eye has a chance to rest in between!

- A faux painted wall next to floral curtains next to a striped couch with plaid pillows in 10 different colors is not very calming to the naked eye. A solid neutral color (like taupe, sand, or creamy beige) is pleasing to the eye and will most likely go with anyone’s furniture. Keep prints in one room down to one print and mix with other solids. Think “neutralize!”

- Not every inch on the wall needs to be filled with furniture. Less is more! Remove unnecessary furniture & accessories to make room appear larger.

- The room will actually look larger if the furniture is pushed at least 6” away from the walls. Cluster the sofas and side chairs in a group setting to bring a sense of cohesion to the room.

6. Windowsills are covered with plants, knickknacks, photos and misc. clutter:

- Keep windowsills clear and clean. These items make the room look cluttered. These are the eyes to the outside of your home. Don’t block the view!

- Show off wood floors, tile floors, etc. Do not put scatter rugs all over the kitchen or bathroom floors and do not put rugs on carpet if possible. Large area rugs should be used to anchor a furniture grouping in a room.

8. Collection upon collection scattered everywhere or stuffed in curio cabinets:

- Collections are great – if used carefully and without utter abandon. If you have curio or display cabinets stuffed with collections, no one can see any one piece. Edit down to just a few similar items per shelf and rotate out monthly. For staging, just pack them up and leave a few of the nicest looking pieces on the shelves. You are selling your home, not the collections!

- While white does tend to go with everything, it also makes a house feel cold upon entering. We suggest painting with a neutral taupe, sand or creamy beige to warm up the home. Even if just the entry can be painted, it will be a much warmer reception than white. We suggest eggshell finish for high traffic areas.

- Think of the outside of your home just as you would the inside. Yard clutter does not sell. Old boards, bags of fertilizer and peat, toys, wheel barrows and a multitude of “yard art” will NOT increase the size of the offer. Trim bushes, mow the lawn, and cut low lying branches from trees. Make your porch and/or patio the most inviting in the neighborhood by adding a seating arrangement and large pots of colorful flowers.