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Are You Decorating Or Devaluing Your Home?

Once a buyer purchases a house and becomes a homeowner there is usually a lot of time, money and thought that goes into personalizing the property to make it feel like a home. By, adding decorative touches a homeowner begins to gain more and more pride. A little creativity can go a long way and sometimes it can go too far.

I have seen new homeowners turn decorating into a hobby with very little assistance from a professional interior designer. The results can be disastrous. Eventually the novice homeowner decorator becomes so passionate with their new hobby that he/she begins to lose sight of what others see.

There is such a thing as over-decorating.

Before a homeowner puts too much thought, time and money into a do-it-yourself decorating project, he/she should always be cautious about what they are doing because the end results can diminish a home's value when the time comes to sell. Buyers looking at resale homes are often turned off by too much furniture, clutter, bold or dark interior colors ...and houses that look a little too lived in.

So, before as you pick out that trendy paint color, before you pick up that paint brush and before you buy too much ornate furniture to clutter up your home - ask yourself, ....Are You Decorating Or Devaluing Your Home?

Posted by Carol Culkin on 11/01/2009 01:44 PM

Comments (12)

Originally posted at: DUTCHESS COUNTY REAL ESTATE: Are You Decorating Or Devaluing Your Home?

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12 Comments on Are You Decorating Or Devaluing Your Home?

NOV

Hi Carol~ Some people just do better by hiring a decorator that does this for a living every day. There is a big difference in how it should be decorated for living in a home verses selling a home. The way you live in it and the way you sell it are two different things! Paint is one of the cheapest and most effective things a homeowner can do regarding their home.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Carol!

I agree, some people go way over board. They will often be the same people who think that their home must be the most valuable on the block!

I had to laugh a little. I will be listing a home shortly that has more decorator issues than I care to mention.

Almost EVERYONE in Virginia has a RED room a la Monticello and Mount Vernon * if the room is TOO SMALL and the trim is not painted the correct shade of WHITE, the effect is HORRIBLE.

Dark Blood Red bathrooms should be outlawed!!

Neutral colors are the best (in my opinion) to sell a home....get into the hot blue, red, greens it's just not appealing to would be buyers. As for clutter....get rid of it!

Vickie - the money spent on a proffesional decorator is well worth the damage one can cause by turning decorating into a hobby.

Terry - You are so right. I think this mentality comes from thinking think the money and time spent has some added value. If the decor only appeals to the homeowner and nobody else then the scale is tipped.

Robert - I shudder to think of what you are dealing with, please don't tell me it's ornate and gaudy.

Wallace - Red room? Red Room? Oh my gosh, isn't that from a scary movie?

Sally - I am in agreement with neutral and it can look so great with colorful accent pillows or fabric window treatments. I must say, I don't think too many buyers like a house that is so neutral that it looks sterile and cold either. But, the neutral shades, especially with sheer curtains on the windows or no window treatments at can make a place look bright and sunny. Most buyers like natural light.

Hi Carol... When it comes to decorating, sometimes less is more. Many people seem not to understand that, and as you accurately point out, the results can be disastrous!

But just what is a good decorating scheme? I can remember when it was necessary to have an avocado green range, sink, and refrigerator along with a carpeted kitchen in order to sell a house.

And I see decorating on the reality "before and After" TV shows that I just know will soon be tomorrow's "before" projects. And these are being done by professional decorators.

"This is a great time to buy a house".

Akron, Ohio

NOV

Steve - Less is always so much better. Simple sells.

Thomas - Wasn't it Avocado Green, Harvest Gold and Coppertone Brown? I still see that today. If a seller doesn't update they will need to take a greater loss when they go to sell. And, what about the dark paneling, you forgot that. A big buyer turn off. So, all we can do is price a home like this below market. And, I agree with you about some of those HGTV make-overs. I wonder if some of those decorators are color blind.

Carol, I've seen professional Stagers come in and take "down" curtains in vacant homes cause of their gaudiness. Yes, you can over decorate or have poor taste.

NOV

Carol,

I know what you mean. Then you get the houses where fashion changed so much from the 50's to now and it looks the same.

NOV

Carol I suppose some people want to just live in the house just the way they like it, and will do the neutral colors if they decide to sell down the road. Anyway staging can help to get the home in selling shape.

Yes some people really get carried away with the decoration........how about black paint on the wall, I have seen that.

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