When considering listing your house to sell walk around and look at what architectural features it already has. Architectural elements we are interested in here are:
- crown molding
- baseboard
- wainscoting
- chair rails
- balusters
- handrail
- window and door casing
- doors (yes, look at the statement your doors make!)
- fireplace/mantel
- windows
- radiators
- built-in-furniture
List off what you do and don't have. By adding some of the elements to your home you will not only increase the value with very little investment, but the perceived value as well. Your house will stand out in the crowd as being a lifestyle 'step up' from the competition. Who doesn't want that?
Keep in mind any elements you have must complement the style of your house, and must be complementary to each other as well in size and style.
By increasing the size of your baseboard and adding crown molding your house will feel transformed. It is amazing what feelings architectural elements can invoke.
Be sure to fill all nail holes and sand then, if required, prime before painting the new moldings with a semi-gloss to make the rooms pop.
If you have exposed radiant heat radiators, making your rooms look incom plete, purchase pre-made or custom covers, or if you are handy with wood, make them yourself. Not only will the room look finished with the radiators covered, but any children in the house will not be exposed to potential burns, and you've created a nice place for vignettes to draw buyers into and through the house. Place a reading lamp and cozy chair by the covered radiator, with a book open and face down on the new cover. An ottoman in front of the chair will add to the inviting vignette, beckoning buyers to sit and look upon the beautiful room.
Balusters can be painted or switched out with wrought-iron ones to update the look of stairs. As well, painting the handrail in a black complements the balusters when painted the color of trim.
Any number of changes to the list above will allow your house to show well.The whole point is to draw buyers into the home by creating a welcoming feeling as well as open and airiness and of course, the sense that if they buy your house, they would be stepping up in lifestyle.
Architectural details are extremely important particularly in this time of slap happy builders who care very little for quality. Architectural details say quality to buyers, that's why you see them in furnished (staged) model homes!
Dane Caldwell is the Lead Design Consultant of Toronto, GTA and Durham Regions 2 Hounds Design + Home Staging. To contact Dane go to www.2-hounds.com to discuss unleashing the hidden potential of your house before you sell it, or simply to increase your enjoyment of it.
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