Getting your home ready to sell and preparing for the first open house can be a little overwhelming. I have found that having a theme for a home really helps to pull together “the look” that you are presenting to potential buyers, and often the theme ties in nicely to the architecture of the home. I recommend that you keep the color scheme and the presentation simple, from how garden pots are presented near the front entry (less is more) to the amount of items displayed on cabinets or kitchen counters (less is more again). The accents you feature and the colors you select for flowers and accessories set the tone for the home. For instance, a big basket of white orchids set in a woven basket on the coffee table looks perfect in one home and a colorful pitcher of tulips on the kitchen counter is right in another. Unfinished projects and piles of magazines must go. The main thing is to eliminate the clutter, pack and remove anything that isn’t adding to the theme of the home, and re-assign your role from comfortable home owner to photo editor for an upcoming magazine shoot for a style magazine. If you love an accessory and feel that it makes the room come to life, keep it. If you find that it is too personal or distracts from the theme that will sell your home for top dollar (trophies, family photos, etc.), pack it for another time or donate it to someone who will love owning it. Moving is all about thinning down what we own, and the best time to do that is before the home ever hits the market. For more ideas about selling your home, read my weekly blogs at www.liztalley.com.
