Change decor in order to sell?

[threeolivemartini]

Have never sold a house before, but we're about to put this place on the market and look for somewhere bigger.

I am wondering how important the "make everything neutral in order to sell" advice is? All my looking at potential houses on Rightmove has made me think that some which are beige / white / (even grey) everywhere can look so boring, but I have to admit that I look at anything with tartan carpets or lime green walls and it puts me off a bit.

I ask because we have deeper colours in the bedrooms at the moment (which I find very warm and cosy) and as I don't have much time, can't face having to do 3 coats of paint on them to cover it up and make them white. But will the thought of this be what puts potential buyers off as well?

The last three properties I've sold we've got a company in to revamp totally with hired furniture, paintings, lamps etc. They also did the garden and garage. The interior designer was ruthless! Every detail was attended to - even the selection of magazines, bed linen, toiletries etc. We stored everything for about 6 weeks while the sale campaign was on. I know it sounds absolutely OTT but we massively exceeded what we had thought we might get and in each case got a record price at auction.
I don't think neutral is important but I think presentation is everything. You are selling a dream, a lifestyle etc etc

I don't think it has to be neutral but smart, uncluttered, and not too virulent (shocking pink with lime stripes might be difficult). As long as it's clean, not too shabby and not too much 'stuff' then there is no problem with colour.
I would however redecorate if it looked dated (peach/apricot/pink&grey) and you wanted to reach maximum price.
Perhaps ask a friend for an opinion on the colour.

Thank you both. I know the fight against clutter is the main problem I face! It's one of the reasons we want to move - we were fine here as a couple, and with just 1 baby/toddler, but 2 growing children and 2 adults working full time mean we are starting to stretch at the seams!

Was it expensive to store everything? I can see half of the toys may have to go away for a while. (not to mention DH and my stuff). How much do companies charge for re-styling? I'm now worried because I think I am probably not stylish enough! Not as contemporary as some of my neighbours' interiors having looked at the competition - we have a lot of furniture we got from relatives when we moved in, and it still works.

I'm not sure what sort of lifestyle we would be selling here - I guess our market is probably us ten years ago when we bought it -first time buyers who may want to start a family. (We are very near the park which has been handy for toddlers etc.) Do I have to find out what 25 - 35s are doing these days?

I don't think the decor is dated particularly - bathroom is tiled & fairly plain, hall and kitchen white, sitting room warm cream, but bedrooms have colour (up to picture rail level, and warm white above); every one of these houses I have seen for sale recently has been beige all over.

The properties I sold were in Melbourne and I think the furniture hire/consult/storage came to around 6,000 pounds.

One house really needed total renovation - it had been done once in the late 70's and had been a student house. The kitchen had bright yellow laminex benches, exposed bricks which made it so dark. The "garden" was hankerchief size and neglected. They went for a funky retro look to the kitchen - groovy lamps, huge vase of gerberas and in the really daggy garden they put a bright red Fiat bambino and two huge trees in pots. I went through the house on an open inspection and was blown away - no one was bothered about the terrible old oven, the ghastly hot plates or the yellow benches - they were focussing on the red car squeezed into a city garden and some of the very wild accessories. It was really interesting.

The bedrooms were very basic ....stored everything and they made up the beds with really beautiful new linen.They turned one room into a nursery with a stunning Scandinavian cot, a designer rocking chair and TWO toys on the mantelpiece! Didn't have any curtains/blinds in the house ( removed because they were very tired) and replaced all the lights with IKEA ones. We had well over 150 people through the house and no one asked where the curtains were and lots of comments on the lights which again were simple but groovy and so cheap.
We had no heating apart from 3 open fires....not one person mentioned that either - and Mebourne is freezing. They even set the fires in a designer way too!!

This was the first time I used professional services and I was dubious at first when the real-estate guy recommended it. I thought it sounded gimmicky but it really worked. We had been advised by three different agents that our house was worth between $550-630 and it was advertised as such. We went to auction and sold for $890,000. We were gobsmacked. It really did look fabulous but the decor hid a thousand sins.
Since that experience I've just hired the same girl automatically. The furniture is absolutely not my taste but it works. Good luck with your house.

Thanks tilba - that is really interesting. I would have loved to see that.

I am thinking what we can do to prepare - sounds like storing half our belongings somewhere else, and possibly storing the kids at Grandma's as well!

Tidy up the garden, paintwork on doors, deep clean everywhere, the list goes on...

Relieved with all that I don't have to start on 3 coats of paint on the bedrooms...

We recently sold our house for more than the asking price. We had just renovated and it looked amazing. I totally agree with the selling a lifestyle point. You want people to walk in the door and see themselves living there rather than think about all the work they would need to do to be able to live there.

Declutter ruthlessly. I stored away a lot of toys for the period the house was for sale. I also got large plastic storage boxes, one for each room and went through each room before a viewing removing clutter. The garden shed was stuffed to the gills during viewings.

I don't think you necessarily need to redecorate but you need to make the bedrooms look like tranquil havens, NO clutter on view at all, lovely bedlinen, cushions, etc.. Fluffy towels in the bathroom, lovely toiletries on the basin not your toothbrushes and shampoo. Imagine you are styling your house for a magazine. You want your buyer to fall in love with your house, then they'll pay more for it.

Thanks chartreuse

I read your post and thought While I can do nice toiletries (all those birthday presents finally useful!) and fluffy towels (little used wedding presents) maybe I should treat us to some nice new bed linen.
I have spent a happy evening searching for some that I like, can afford, and will go with the curtains ......... and found nothing yet. Cream / ivory is obviously not fashionable anymore. I may yet end up redecorating all to get a new duvet cover!

Still, a good distraction from doing anything more useful towards moving house!

Re bedlinen, what about getting some lovely Egyptian cotton bedcovers and someone to iron them and a colourful bedspread in a colour you can match with other accessories?

As for decorating in order to sell, we recently sold dh's house and it obviously needed some love and tlc and therefore went for under asking price (or what was asking price once we dropped price). It was tenanted and the hassle of decorating was too much we concluded. However, it probably would have been worth it.

Now looking for houses ourselves, I think clutter can be off putting, as can an 'eclectic' taste in furnishings! I do try to look past all that though...

You're right Misty - I had concluded Plain is the only way - I have a contrasting chenille throw I can drape over as well until I find something inspiring.

I'm hoping we can get bits of tlc out of the way before we put this on the market - the kind of things you get used to when you live somewhere - hope it's not too much.

Our furnishings are partly eclectic (not through taste but necessity!) but thinking about it today I am coming to the conclusion we could store a mismatched wardrobe or two as part of the de-cluttering effort.