Selling a home? Design tips to close the deal

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press/USA Today Network August 5, 2023

The weather and real estate seem to be the current hot topics in Southwest Florida.

With many homeowners preparing to sell or buy, even in this uncertain market, everyone wants to sell fast and that means doing a little work to make homes attractive to buyers. And to get top dollar.

Candice Olson-designed living room is neutral, uncluttered and allows buyers to visualize living in the space. Shown: Denison chairs, Deal sofa, Cuddle Up ottomans, Jemson coffee table. Photo: Candice Olson for Kravet

As a Bonita Springs-based interior decorator, I work with sellers all over our area to prepare their homes for resale. This involves ensuring that from the moment a prospective buyer enters the front door, they can envision their life in your home. To say that you only get one chance to make a first impression is an understatement when it comes to capturing a buyer’s attention.

Whether you’re selling now or in the future. Or if you just want to refresh your home until you do sell it down the road, you may find a few of these tips useful.

My go-to real estate professional, Gina Goodrich with Cypress Realty, has 24 years of experience working with clients to get their homes ready to sell. And she has a unique approach. I asked her to share her thoughts from a realtor’s perspective.

Goodrich suggests that you tour your exterior and interior as a buyer would and ask yourself: If you were the buyer, what do you see? A few of her questions to ask yourself:

Make sure to style a beautiful and inviting entry that says “welcome home” to buyers who preview your home. Photo: Pottery Barn.

• Is it clean, maintained, updated, neutral and spacious?

• Make sure garbage, trash, pet foods and refrigerator are all free of odors. Don't mask odors with air fresheners. Buyers will notice. Clean with fresh scents.

• Is it tidy, organized and functional in all rooms and spaces? A buyer should easily be able to navigate through the home and evaluate their potential lifestyle becoming reality.

• Less is more. Clear counters and floors. Take up throw rugs, excess towels, furnishings, knick-knacks, photos, collections and any unnecessary items. Remove trash cans, pet bowls and waste receptacles.

• Clean the garage. Not fun but they will look.

• When they pull up to your home you want them to be excited versus hesitating with disappointment. This feeling should continue as they enter each room. The longer they linger, the more likely they are considering. And that’s the goal!

When helping a client prepare a home for resale, I use a checklist that includes the following:

• Clean the house like company is coming (it is). And wash the windows. Inside and out. As Gina Goodrich says, “Make it sparkle.”

• Declutter. You will be moving anyway. Do it now. Clear out as much space as possible. This includes closets and cabinets! And clear everything off the kitchen counters except for a bouquet of fresh flowers.

• Put the toilet seats down. This should not have to be said, but it happens all the time.

• Depersonalize the house. The animal heads hanging on the walls from a safari may have special meaning to a homeowner but may offend a possible buyer. Remember: the buyer wants to visualize their own stuff in your space and this is easier to do if yours is not taking up space.

• Remember how it feels to walk into a model home? You can visualize your furniture, in the space because it's not stuffed. If you have too much furniture or it is too heavy and bulky, you may want to put some in storage or even style the main living areas with pieces that show off the space.

• Lighten up. Say goodbye to the heavy window treatments. Let the buyer see your home by bringing in light. At the least, if your drapes are heavy and dated, just take them down.

• Paint baseboards and window sills. Get rid of scuff marks and give the room a fresh look. Something good to do even if you are staying in your home.

• Faux finishes and murals may be great for your tastes but the thought of redoing these may make the buyer run the other way.

• Make sure the baths are squeaky clean. There is nothing worse than looking at a home with dated bathrooms. And this is the room that you may need to repaint. If the tub and shower are looking a little dated, hang a bright new shower curtain and invest in new rugs and towels.

• Tuscan is out. It’s worth the investment to have a designer help you with ways to minimize this outdated look that is no longer popular.

• Remove all fake plants and replace with a few real ones. Or at least remove all fake plants. Please.

Wrenda Goodwyn is an ASID associate and gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She helps homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and solve decorating problems. Her articles appear the first Saturday of each month. For more information, visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 239-850-5800 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit her blog at spectacularspaces.com/blog

Selling your home? Tips for closing the deal fast!

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press • May 5, 2018

For the past few months, I’ve been in and out of a lot of homes. More than usual.

A longtime client is looking for a new home and has asked me to go with her to make sure we can make the design and decorating changes that she will need. While her list of “wants” is not unreasonable, short of building new, it’s unlikely that she’s going to find everything in an existing house. So we plan to find a home with good “bones” and redo it to meet her needs.

The wish list includes: Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, three car garage, hardwood floors, pool and a backyard with room for a flower garden. And she does not want to live in a golf community. It’s a challenge.

As a Southwest Florida interior decorator, I work with many clients to prepare their homes to sell. Even in this economy where it is a seller’s market, most homeowners want to sell fast and that means doing a little work to make the home attractive to buyers. And to get top dollar.

Say “welcome to your new home” from the moment a buyer enters the front door. Freshen things up. Free up some space and lighten up each room so they will envision their life in your home.  Colors: Benjamin Moore. Door: Green Meadows. Siding: Maritime White. Trim: Snowfall White. All in Aura Grand Entrance Satin. Photo Credit: Benjamin Moore.

When selling, you want to do one important thing: Say “welcome to your new home.” Make the buyer picture their life in your space.

Most wanted in a home

Zillow did a recent survey that reveals what buyers are looking for in a new home. Check these out:

Professional appliances

White kitchen

Outdoor kitchen

Free standing tub

Wine cooler

Coffered ceiling

Meditation room

Carrera marble countertops

Farmhouse sink

Steam shower

While it’s unlikely that any of us will ever have all of these in our homes, it’s a fun wish list. Meanwhile, you can show off your home’s best features, sell it fast and move on to your next “home sweet home.”

Many of the homes I have seen have been on the market for a while and it is easy to see why. With just a little work, a house can be presented to show off its best features. Let me share a few tips with you, based on what I have seen lately. Whether you are selling now or in the future. Or if you just want to make your home look a little better until you do sell it, you may find these tips useful.

Home buyers love white kitchens, professional appliances and Carrera marble counters. Colors: Benjamin Moore. Walls: Mascarpone in Regal interior eggshell. Cabinets: Simply White in satin.  Photo Credit: Benjamin Moore.

Home resale checklist

·       Clean the house like company is coming (it is). And wash the windows. Inside and out.

·       Put the toilet seats down when having real estate photos done. Yes, seriously. I should not have to say this but it happens all the time.

·       Depersonalize the house. The animal heads hanging on the walls from a safari may have special meaning to you as a homeowner but may offend a possible buyer. My client could not get out of this home fast enough. And I was right behind her. Having said this, put your personal photos and collections away. The buyer wants to visualize their own stuff in your space and this is easier to do without yours taking up space.

·       Think like you live in a model home. Remember how it feels to walk into a model home? You can visualize your furniture, in the space. It's because it's not filled with things. If you have too much furniture or it is too heavy and bulky, you may want to put some in storage or even style the main living areas with pieces that show off the space.

·       Lighten up. Say goodbye to the heavy window treatments. If you want to sell your home, let the buyer see it by bringing in some light. At the least, if your drapes are heavy and dated, just take them down so the buyer can see what they may want to buy. 

·       Switch out the hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms. You know it’s time.

·       Paint baseboards and window sills. Get rid of scuff marks and give the room a fresh look. Something good to do even if you are staying in your home.

·       Faux finishes and wallpaper may be great for your tastes but the thought of redoing these and removing wallpaper send a client running in the other direction.

·       Bathroom refresh.  Make sure the baths are squeaky clean. There is nothing worse than looking at a home with dated bathrooms. And this is the room that you may need to repaint.  If the tub and shower are looking a little dated, hang a bright new shower curtain and invest in new rugs and towels.

·       Red. Not so much. It’s interesting. I do red accent walls for lots of clients who love the color. But a buyer, surveys tell us, does not like red unless it is on the front door.  Good to know.

·       Tuscan is out. Sorry. If this is your style, great. But if you are selling, rethink it. It’s worth the investment to have a designer help you with ways to minimize this outdated look.

Happy selling!

Wrenda Goodwyn is a Southwest Florida interior decorator, A.S.I.D. associate and certified gold member of the Interior Redecorators Network. She has helped homeowners throughout Southwest Florida with timeless, affordable ways to create beautiful spaces and to solve decorating problems. Her article appears the first Saturday of each month. For more information visit her website at spectacularspaces.com. Call her at 949-1808 or e-mail wrenda@spectacularspaces.com. For more decorating tips, articles and photos, visit spectacularspaces.com/blog