No Nudes is Good Nudes
Some fun but good advice for those of you bringing your home to market. I know it hurts, but removing as much personality from your home as possible will help buyers feel welsome and envision their own lives and belongings in your home.
I’m not a prude. I promise.
But I always wonder what’s up when I show a home that has nude paintings and photographs hanging on the wall.
The nudes don’t make me uncomfortable – but they might make some potential buyers uncomfortable. And an uncomfortable buyer may not remember all the good things about your home. They’ll just remember it as the house with all the nudies in it.
I showed a house yesterday that had an entire wall in the living room covered in nudes. Reproductions of old masters, contemporaries, abstracts. One that I could only surmise was the homeowner’s mother-in-law. Did my client talk about the magnificent fireplace? The wall of windows overlooking the lush back yard? The historic pocket doors? No. He started talking about the seller, and why he had amassed such a collection of nudes.
Even though Nudes and Neutralize start with the same letter, they sure have nothing to do with each other. When selling, Nudes out, Neutralize in!
Last year I had a listing where there was a large nude photograph in the dining room. Like I said, I’m not a prude. But it was a nude of the homeowner herself, as taken by her artist husband. It sure was a beautiful and artistic photograph. But it made even me uncomfortable knowing I was standing next to the (clothed) model at the time.
She asked me if it would be alright if they left the picture hanging while trying to sell their home. It’s so easy to hypothetically say “no” to that question, but not so easy to do in real life! I put it in the same category of questions as, “Do these pants make me look fat?”
My advice to all people trying to sell their home: Lose the nudes. If you have to ask yourself (or your Realtor) if something might not be conducive to a sale, you already know what the answer is. “Is this picture too risqué? Should I take it down?” YES!
Remember, No Nudes is Good Nudes.
Richard Strahm
Realtor, ABR, SFR, SRES
439 Main Street
Harleysville, PA 19438Direct: (215) 853-2624
Office: (215) 256-1200 x-223
Fax: (215) 529-8931Email: Richard@RichardStrahm.com
PA Lic # RS310765
Copyright © 2010 Richard Strahm. All rights reserved worldwide.
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