Boost home's appeal now
With spring comes the time for a little home sprucing-up. Beyond planting flowers and painting walls, real estate professionals offer homeowners advice all the time about how to make their houses attractive to buyers.
But why wait? Use their ideas to increase the home's appeal for yourself.
The number one way professionals suggest to make a house more attractive costs nothing at all: Eliminate the clutter.
"That makes rooms look as big as possible," said Kate Wentworth of Nicklas Realty in Valencia.
All the extra stuff can't jam up closets, though. What about using a personal storage facility? Ed Rae, president of RE/MAX Select in Butler and a father of two, said that is the first thing he would do.
"We all have stuff we don't use —- in the basement, in corners," he said. "All of that shrinks the home from a mental standpoint."
Tom Fritter, sales director, of Coldwell Banker in Butler, agrees.
"If you remove items or clutter from the home, even furniture, it certainly makes the home look larger," he said.
A good first impression, however, is paramount, and that means clearing the yard clutter, too.
"Someone has to like what they see on the outside before they ever get to the inside," said Rae.
"The shrubs should be trimmed and the yard neat," said Ed Shields, a real estate agent based in Penn Township. "It doesn't have to be Home and Garden beautiful. Get the winter cover off it. Neat is the key word."
represents an integral part of the first impression.
"Put something on the door if you have a plain door," suggested Dotty DeSantis from the Ron West Agency of Realtors in Butler. "Put a wreath on it, something that will show up from the street. It has to be something that contrasts."
One of the simplest recommendations deals with man's best friend.
"I've noticed a big complaint from agents when they go on tours of homes are pet odors," said JoAnn Kashuba, office coordinator for Northwood Realty Services in Butler, adding cigarette smells as another culprit.
Get a second nose's opinion.
"Most people cannot smell their own dogs, their own cat's litter box, their own smoke," said Wentworth.
Nothing beats a thorough cleaning, Kashuba noted. After that, Wentworth shared her secrets for a sweet-smelling home environment."Mix some cinnamon in a pan of water and put it in the oven on low," she said. "Oranges will do it all, though. Put cut-up orange peels in water and bring it to a boil and just let it sit on the stove."Wentworth also said she uses an ozone machine on bad smells."It would take the smell out of an ammonia mop," she said.Lots of real estate agents named a fresh coat of paint as the easiest and least expensive way to add zip to any decor. Most said neutral colors are best —- off-whites and creams. But DeSantis added that homeowners needn't shy away from color."Paint is in now. Use subdued colors, not bright colors, unless maybe it's a child's room. Show some color: soft warm colors, greys, browns, soft greens — nothing extreme — something that looks like a lot of things could work there."Michelle Whalen, a professional decorator for more than 15 years who is currently teaching a Butler County Community College class on "Decorating with Confidence," said changing the knobs on cabinetry in the kitchen or bathroom "may add some extra punch.""Pick up the accent color or get a different rug or shower curtain. For spring, go with lighter, more vibrant colors," she said.A good bathroom suggestion came from real estate broker Jim Keffalas, based in Butler. With all the fiberglass and acrylic tubs and showers in homes now, he recommended a wax made just for such surfaces be used after they're cleaned.Stylistically work with what you have, said Sally Rosellini, an agent with Howard Hanna Real Estate, who is also set to teach a BCCC class."My recommendation always is that people need to sort of express what the house is meant to express: for example, classic French, vintage, Victorian, cottage, colonial. Represent your space, but with some personality."Since many modern homes incorporate cooking, dining and family areas into one great room, Rosellini suggested setting up some private space, a cozy area, perhaps partitioned off with decorative screens, with some natural light for reading."I think keeping your home open, letting the sunlight in, is good," said Debbi Crevar of Capers Realty in Butler. "Don't always have the drapes drawn."All that light coming in means cleaning the windows, of course.Maintenance is half the battle."I have known some people ... they (upgrade) a different room every year so that means the house is really kept up," said owner/broker Kathryn Helfer of Hays and Hartzell Realty. "They make a concerted effort to have their home updated for themselves."
