Even though we all have our own style of décor, some decorating styles can truly hurt the sale of your home. When you are selling, you need to appeal to everyone and sometimes the décor we have in our homes can cause buyers to shy away or deter them from looking further. Our Anne Winch Ottawa Real Estate Team has listed some design flaws that you should try to stay away from completely.
1. Too little or too much storage
You may think that lots of storage is great. Actually, if you have lots of storage that is packed with boxes or clothes it looks the same as too little storage – lack of space and lots of clutter. Put your closets on a diet and make it look like there is still lots of space available.
2. Nixing natural light
Taking advantage of natural light is always beneficial when selling your home. Open the blinds and drapes and let the natural light flow through the rooms. If your home uses more artificial light than natural light there often is an octopus-look of electrical cords in your rooms. You want to stay away from this look by tucking cords away to avoid electrical clutter.
3. Multi-purpose rooms
If you have a craft or hobby room that is filled with boxes and material, it distracts from the look or your home and becomes a dumping ground of clutter. If you have a room that you use for a specific purpose (e.g. exercise room) – keep it real by using it for that purpose, not as storage.
4. No closet by the front door
Believe it or not, there are some homes that don’t have a closet near a common entry point in the home. It can be very annoying to find room for coats and boots. Often this means coats are closeted in bedrooms, backs of chairs or on stairway railings. If you do not have room for a closet, an easy fix is a large cabinet that can be provided with interior hooks, shelving for boots and places to hide a multitude of objects. You can paint the cabinet in a neutral colour to coordinate with the look of your home.
5. Kitchen islands that are too large
When designing a kitchen often we opt for a kitchen island. If it is too large it overpowers the kitchen by minimizing the look. Change it up by turning it into a breakfast bar by adding some stools along with some overhead lighting.
6. Vessel sinks with no counters
Vessel sinks in bathrooms add a beautiful dimension to your room. However, if you have your vessel sink with no counter space or storage this can turn off buyers. If you want a vessel sink, remember to have it sit on a counter large enough to give you room for storage of your bathroom accessories. If you can, add a simple complimentary cabinet below the sink for added storage.
These are just a few design flaws that we can find in homes we are selling. Do you have a design feature that annoys you and you are not sure what to do? Give us a call. Our Team can help you with some of the little flaws when you are putting your home up for sale. We would love to hear from you!