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Interior Designer Michele Bayle owns Bayle & Co. — a new home decor store in Seward Park.
Dear friends: Please enjoy this guest blog post from South Seattle-based interior designer Michele Bayle, who owns Bayle & Co. — a new home decor store in Seward Park — and is one of the many local contractors found in my little black book of useful resources. Enjoy!
Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?
We all know you never have another chance to make a good first impression and the same is true for your home.
If you’re planning to put your home on the market this spring, then don’t risk missing out on the best first impression your home can make to a potential buyer. Here are a seven tips to prepare your home for resale and entice its next new love.
Tip 1: Declutter. Declutter. Declutter. Time to become a minimalist! The very first thing you want that new suitor to see is spaciousness, so it’s important to declutter every room. Experiencing some separation anxiety? That’s normal. Try telling yourself, “this is no longer my home, but a product to be sold.”
Start packing for your move now (Go ahead, you have my permission!), and box up anything you’d like to keep but doesn’t have a strategic presence in the staging of your home. Don’t try squeezing them into the closets (I saw that!), as interested buyers will want to see those clean and free of stuff as well.
Remember, now is the time for potential buyers to be able to envision themselves and their personal belongings in this home.
Tip 2: Take a good, close look at your walls. Are they clean? Do they need repainting? Are there any holes that need to be patched? Neutral wall colors tend to make it easier for people to visualize their own home furnishings in the space, and brightly colored walls in your favorite colors may not appeal to someone else.
In other words, play it down a little bit and if necessary, repaint in soft neutral tones or a soft grey. You don’t want the brightly colored rooms to be the thing that they remember about your home, especially if you have lovely woodwork or some other stand-out feature that can be enhanced with the right colors.
Curb appeal is critical to successfully marketing your home!
Tip 3: Clean all area rugs, carpets and draperies. They should look nice, clean and fresh, with no big dirt or grease spots. Draperies should also be dust-free, and hung properly with drapery rods secure and clean windows (inside and out!).
Got hardwood floors underneath that carpeting? This can be a great selling point, so don’t forget to mention it!
Tip 4: Cabinetry in the kitchen and bathrooms should be clean secure; making sure that all of the doors are properly attached, aligned and not falling off their hinges is important, as this can be visually distracting and even a deterrent to those who are trying to envision your house as their home. If you have the original paint, you can even touch-up as needed. While these little, unaddressed maintenance issues may seem like a big deal to a potential new owner, you can likely hire a handyperson to take care of a long list of minor repairs in just one day.
Tip 5: I can’t emphasize this one enough: Clean that house from top to bottom! This includes all that dust around the baseboards — make ’em sparkle! Touch up any of the wood work where needed. In the bathrooms, scrub everything down so it looks fresh and clean. Add a new shower curtain and some new towels. In the kitchen, de-grease the stove top, oven and walls, and add fresh new few towels.
Tip 6: If you have children, now is the time to get organized! Organize bedrooms and play areas, purge the toys they no longer play with and keep their spaces looking as tidy as possible. Yes, this will take some effort but it will be so worth it. Not to mention, all this cleaning and organizing will feel good and get you prepared for your impending move.
Tip 7: Last but certainly not least, curb appeal! The outside of your home provides the real first impression since it’s what shoppers see when they first drive up. Are the flower beds maintained? Does the front door area look inviting? Is the door a welcoming color? If not, how about a quick paint job? A little time in the yard, cleaning and freshening your grass and flower beds will make a big difference on the first impression your home has to offer.
Finally, if you’re too busy and this all feels daunting, you can always hire someone. Serena has relationships with plenty of professional organizers, stagers, landscapers, and handy people that can help. Including me! As your local interior designer, I’d love to help get your home ready for the best possible sale. Contact me at michele@bayleandco.com, or swing by the store Thursday – Saturday (5224 Wilson Ave. S. #102).
Until next time!
Michele Bayle
Bayle & Co.
