By David Israel, Business Manager
Let me start off this article by stating that I do not show houses, however, I have been asked the question on numerous occasions, "will my house sell faster if I take down my wallpaper and paint the walls?". My answer is always YES - and everyone on the team concurs! I have read a few articles on the subject of Paint vs. Wallpaper and there are distinct advantages to having wallpaper on your walls. There are also many disadvantages.
In the Chattanooga real estate market, most buyers these days are looking for simple neutral painted walls. Wallpaper is just a turnoff to most of the buyers in today's market. Remember, I always say that you only get a first impression once. Wallpaper usually is a bad first impression. I don't want to knock wallpaper, I grew up with it all over my house (ended up trying to take it down myself as a teen-ager, what a disaster!). There are so many colors, textures and designs that you can choose from. I feel that wallpaper is an expression of an individuals personality. There are some beautiful homes that I have visited in Chattanooga that are well decorated and the wallpaper is beautiful. If people didn't like wallpaper there wouldn't be thousands of companies selling the product.
So, what is my point. Selling real estate in Chattanooga can not have a personal expression of one's self. A house must be staged to sell. In my opinion that means tear the wallpaper down all over the house and paint the walls.
We had a client selling his home in the Chattanooga area, it was a unique home at that, and it was covered in wallpaper from the 1970's. In 2007, this wallpaper was just not appealing, but our client felt that buyers would overlook the wallpaper. His home was priced pretty well, mostly because Andy Hodes is an expert in getting homes priced to sell in our market, after a few discussions he asked us what he could do to get his home sold. The first thing out of our mouth's was 
to pay to have someone come in and take down the wallpaper and paint the entire house in neutral colors. He was not happy to spend anymore money on the house, and we explained that this will sell the home in Chattanooga. Well, he listened and it took a couple weeks to strip the wallpaper, prime the walls and paint the house. Two weeks later the house went under contract.
This experience was only the first of many The Scenic City Team has had in the Chattanooga real estate market. Every time we give this advise, we get results. This doesn't mean that you have to paint your walls the same color white or beige. There are so many color variations to choose from. The one thing you don't want future buyers to dwell on is how your walls look, you want them to look around and picture themselves living in your home.
So, the next time you are thinking about changing the way your walls look, don't just jump into the pool without taking the temperature of the water. It could be the difference in having your home "for sale" in Chattanooga for more time than you would like. Always feel free to contact us for advice and input.
Related Articles:
What These Three Penalties Can Teach You About Selling Your Home
Eleven Tips on Getting Your Home Ready For "Showtime"
If you are planning on Selling your Home in Chattanooga you need to Call Andy at 423-664-1818 or email Andy@AndyHodes.com to help you "Price your Home Correctly". This phone call could "save you hundreds of dollars" and many "days on the market".
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