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Will potential buyers really 'love' your wallpaper?

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Real Estate Agent

In offering advice to sellers on how to market their homes I've asked a guest, Teresa Colby-Dokubo a home staging expert in our area to give us examples of most asked questions that she receives on a regular basis.  I'm a huge fan of staging your home and this is great advice on a very important subject - the dreaded wallpaper discussion!  Keep it or lose it?



Will Potential Buyers Love Your Wallpaper?


"I love my wallpaper!" – This is a comment that I often hear when conducting real estate homeWallpaper removal staging consultations.  I also hear, "I don't like my wallpaper, but I'm not going to remove it just because I'm selling my home”.   

The short and sweet answer is “NO”!

Removing wallpaper is one of the top items on my list of what home owners need to do before listing their home for sale.  

Wallpaper in every room, or even one or two rooms, is a huge negative to potential buyers.  Even buyers who like wallpaper will not like the wallpaper you have chosen!  Wallpaper is a personal decorative choice that buyers want to pick out for themselves.  It doesn't matter to them how much you paid for it, how in style it is, what top designer recommended it, or even if you saw it used in a room on HGTV.  The potential buyer only sees a huge project that will make a colossal mess, and, cost a lot of money to remove!

My recommendation as a Professional Home Stager is to remove your wallpaper and replace it with a neutral warm paint color.  Don't paint over it, because potential buyers will know you did - and painting over it makes it more difficult to remove.  I highly recommend hiring a professional to get the job done.  Removing wallpaper can be extremely challenging and by doing it yourself, you can end up damaging walls which, in turn, will create more headaches and expense for you.    

One of the main things to remember before listing your house for sale is that potential buyers have a wide variety of tastes and expectations.  Those tastes and expectations may vary greatly both geographically and demographically.  A house that can appeal to the largest pool of potential buyers will be more in demand than one highly customized to a particular style.

The more buyers who find a home attractive when it hits the market, the faster the home will sell!


To reach Teresa Colby-Dokubo at Teresa's Touch Interiors for a consultation, call her at 847-917-1028.

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  Lyn Sims    Schaumburg IL Area    Northwest Chicago Suburbs  ●  (847)962-7104
 
 
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Comments (17)

Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

I have seen some really nice paper and some not so nice...Go professional is what comes to mind when doing this

Feb 15, 2014 11:26 PM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

I almost never see wallpaper anymore unless it is a really old and dated home. So the wallpaper is just part of the problem. Agreed buyers will not love the wallpaper like the seller does.

Feb 15, 2014 11:28 PM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Richie: Have to say that most buyers have stated they do not like the sellers choice of wallpaper in a home.

Debbie:  That's it - the dated pre-1980's wallpaper that's yellowed & often times falling off the walls.

Feb 15, 2014 11:39 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Some of the most expensive homes I've staged had dated wallpaper .... and it always needs to be removed, as the post stated, regardless of how great the seller or their decorator thought it once was.  Wallpaper is usually so taste-specific and there are very few "classic" patterns that have stood the test of time.  Paint is a far better option when selling.

Feb 16, 2014 12:27 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

It's hard for people to understand that others aren't going to love what they love.

Feb 16, 2014 02:58 AM
Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED
RETIRED / State License is Inactive - Portland, OR

Yes, the in a word is "NO!"  And remove it is the key, not paint over it.  That makes it look even uglier.  Bathrooms are small enough to make removing the wallpaper worthwhile.  

Feb 16, 2014 03:59 AM
Lynn Afton
Greenridge Realty Oakmont - Big Rapids, MI
REALTOR® Near Big Rapids, MI, Mecosta County

Solid advice!  Many sellers think that buyers will understand the value of their super-expensive wallpaper choice... But NO!  They will not like it :)

Feb 16, 2014 07:42 AM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Maureen:  Good thoughts about how wallpaper does not have a long life. Paint is much easier & more reasonable to change.

Marte: Agreed, no matter how much you like it if it's past it's prime it needs to be removed.

Carla: That's one of the worst things that can happen making it even more tough to remove. Another bad thought - painting paneling & expecting the lines to disappear.

Lynn:  Most buyers just see 'work'.

Feb 16, 2014 07:52 AM
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

I have had people wall paper just before they listed the house and ended up tearing it all off and painting.

Feb 16, 2014 09:41 AM
Beverly Carlson
Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX
Abilene's Staging Realtor

You are right. There's no winning with wallpaper.  The "tough love" answer is to remove it for selling!   

Feb 16, 2014 02:00 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Good advice for home sellers. Thanks for the tips.

Feb 16, 2014 08:29 PM
Pat Champion
John Roberts Realty - Eustis, FL
Call the "CHAMPION" for all your real estate needs

You are right sellers need to make sure the first impression is a lasting one. Thanks for sharing.

Feb 17, 2014 12:33 AM
Raymond Patterson
The Patterson Team @ Keller Williams Excellence - Lutherville Timonium, MD
President - Patterson Team Homes

I have never had a buyer that loved the existing wallpaper

Feb 17, 2014 10:37 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Lyn - I know it is hard to get sellers to understand how to appeal to the largest number of buyers.  The smart ones use the expertise of all the professionals that a Realtor suggests.

Feb 18, 2014 03:22 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Agreed!  Wallpaper is most often too taste specific, can easily date a room, and can often appear busy, making the room look small.  Buyers want space and light.  Remove that wallpaper!

Feb 19, 2014 04:53 AM
Cindy Graesser
Keller Williams - Temecula, CA
CG Premier Realty Group. "We'll Get you Moving!"

lol. so true!! most wallpaper..must go!

Feb 19, 2014 01:31 PM
Michelle Gibson
Hansen Real Estate Group Inc. - Wellington, FL
REALTOR

Lyn - this is great advice by Teresa. I've never had a buyer say they loved any wallpaper in a house, in fact they're usually focusing on how much work it will be to remove it.

Feb 20, 2014 06:29 AM