Interior Design Secrets for Selling Houses

New concepts in Interior Design Psychology are helping home sellers net more money in today's competitive real estate market. Therefore, it's worthwhile to spend time planning the changes that will help your home sell for the highest price.

Develop a general design plan, keeping your target market and budget in mind. Your overall design plan really depends on supply and demand. How many houses are for sale in your area? How many houses sell each week? Is the selling season cold, warm, or hot? Is it a seller's or buyer's market?

If the market is moving fast and buyers are lining up to make offers for homes in your neighborhood, you can do less. But whatever your answers to the above questions, you'll still need to do a few things to make your home stand out from the competition.

Know Your Target Buyers

Think about your neighborhood and the buyers purchasing homes near yours. Are they purchasing their first home or moving up? This will be important to your marketing and design plan, since the psychological needs of the two types of buyers differ considerably.

First-time homebuyers seek to control their own environment by owning, rather than renting. Their psychological needs include:

Safety and security
Sense of place or connection
Comfort
Self-control

Move-up buyers often enjoy those benefits, too, but they're generally more interested in finding a larger home with more amenities for their comfort, self-esteem, and feelings of prestige.

Once you've determine your potential buyers, you can begin making improvements to your home that will attract them.

Budget Concerns

Spend money only on items that will make a difference in your sales price. Of all repairs, fresh paint is the best investment you can make. New kitchen appliances, upgraded bathroom features, and updated lighting fixtures will usually give a good return for your money, as well.

Sometimes, hiring professional help is worth the extra expense. Professional painters work faster and will often cost less than day laborers. Tile installers, carpet layers, and electricians also know their trades and will do a better job than most day laborers.

Contractors should have their own disability and liability insurance -- ask for a copy with your contract. Get everything in writing -- including work to be completed, costs, lists of specific materials to be used, time for completion, and payment schedule.

Exterior Design Psychology

Choosing the right colors to paint your home will make a huge difference in your paycheck at closing. Look at the other homes near yours and choose complementary colors.

Did you know that the exterior color of houses selling the most quickly is yellow, but the wrong tone or shade of yellow can kill a potential home sale? Avoid yellows with green undertones and bright yellows, and choose pale yellows with creamy or beige shades instead. Warning: colors look darker on huge exterior expanses than they do on the little
paint chips you see in the store.

Color Combinations

Paint stores offer many brochures, showing various combinations of exterior paint colors, but most of them also feature combinations include three colors. Limiting your paint selection to only two colors will limit your income potential.

Think fun colors for a fast sale. Think "Disneyland Main Street," where every shop is painted in glorious multi-color. Using a third or fourth color on the exterior can add definition to your home's details. Use gloss or semi-gloss paint on wood trim.

Psychology of Exterior Paint Colors

Take the ultimate sales price of your remodeled home into account. Certain colors, especially muted, complex shades, will attract wealthy or highly-educated buyers, whereas buyers with less income or less education will generally prefer simple colors.

A complex color contains tints of gray or brown, and usually requires more than one word to describe, such as sage green or forest brown, while simple colors are straightforward and pure. Generally, houses in the lower price range will sell faster and for more money when painted in simple tones like yellow and tan with white, blue, or green trim.

Interior Design Plans and Secrets

Create a list of work and materials you'll need for each room and then estimate the time you think it will take for each task. The more planning you do before you begin, the more time and money you'll save.

Psychology of Interior Paint Colors

Daring to use color instead of bland white walls will increase your profit potential. Did you know that Lynette Jennings tested people's perception of room size and color? A room that was painted white appeared larger to only a few people in the survey, compared to an identical room painted with a color, and the perceived difference was only about six inches! Because most people look better surrounded by color, a colored wall also makes them feel happier, and buyers will choose to buy the house that makes them feel happiest.

Entryways should bring the exterior colors of the home inside. Repeat variations of the exterior shades all the way through your home, which will make the entire home seem to be in harmony. As an added bonus, if buyers love the exterior colors, they're going to like the interior colors, as well.

Spending time planning your home's sale, rather than just listing it and then taking your chances, will net you more money, and faster!

Best wishes for a profitable, quick sale.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhouse fordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm

---

Real Estate Investing In Bulgaria

As Bulgaria readies for joining the European Economic Community in... Read More

Protective Covenants ? Buying A Home

In addition to zoning, some properties have covenants recorded at... Read More

How Much Should I Pay For This House?

We probably answer this question for someone a couple times... Read More

Seller Objections To Lease Purchase

A large percentage of the mail we receive are from... Read More

Stopping Home Foreclosure with Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy Will Stop Your Sale - At Least For Now... Read More

Attention To Details Helps Homeowners Sell Fast In A Buyers Market

Your boss has just given you the career opportunity of... Read More

Popping The Real Estate Bubble Myth!

If you turn on the TV, listen to the radio,... Read More

Cashing Out of Preforeclosures - Exit Strategies for Maximum Profit

One of the quickest ways to real estate profits is... Read More

Youre Not Paranoid: The House Really Hates You

If you've just bought a house, you may be able... Read More

Seven Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Condo Hotel Unit

You may have heard all the buzz about the newest... Read More

Selling Your Own Home: 10 More Tips

Selling your own home can be a time-consuming and frustrating... Read More

What Is a CMA

"CMA" is an abbreviation real estate agents use for a... Read More

Appraisal or Home Inspection?

People sometimes confuse a home inspection and an appraisal when... Read More

Property Investment - Buying A Holiday Home in Cyprus

Cyprus is fast becoming a property hotspot for thousands of... Read More

Spanish Estate Agents and Inspection Visits

The only way to buy a home in Spain is... Read More

Buying Country Acreage and Rural Properties, To Buy or Not To Buy

Almost anyone can become a rural property owner; if you... Read More

How to Sell Your House For Full Price

Many people believe that a real estate broker is needed... Read More

Take A Shotgun Approach

An effective real estate advertising strategy entails a 'shotgun' approach.... Read More

How To Increase Your Homes Selling Price by $3,306.75 In The Next 33 Days

According to the Federal Housing Finance Board:... "As of October... Read More

Trading Inspectors!

As sure as the spring flows at the Fountain of... Read More

Secrets of Making Money from Real Estate - Part 4

Analyzing and finding the right property deals:Firstly read my other... Read More

Home Staging: How to Make Your Tract Home Stand Out in the Crowd

Home sellers who wish to market their property in development... Read More

Maximizing Curb Appeal and First Impressions to Sell your Home

We all know that a home or property of any... Read More

How To Best Negotiate A House Deal

Whether it's selling your home or buying a home, more... Read More

Four Reasons To Offer Seller Financing

An example of seller financing: Years ago I bought a... Read More

Pricing Your Property

A house properly priced is half sold. But there are... Read More

Best Time to Buy? Best Time to Sell?

When is the best time to buy? When is the... Read More

How To Sell A Home That Didnt Sell

If your home has just come off the market and... Read More

Mechanics Lien on Your House

In many places you can buy a house and a... Read More

If Your House Is a Mess, You Dont Have To Sell For Less

Don't be tempted by "We Buy Houses" or "Sell Your... Read More

Checklist for Buying a Home

I had a client who called saying that his bath... Read More

Advantages to Buying or Owning a Condominium

Condos have become an increasingly attractive home ownership option for... Read More

Taxes When You Sell Your Home

What's the difference between death and taxes?Death doesn't change every... Read More