Preparing your home for sale is often considered more of a science than an art. Catering its curb appeal, paint colors, and kitchen finishes to appeal to potential buyers can be incredibly time consuming and sometimes costly, but the data doesn’t lie. A well-maintained exterior, neutral walls, and beautiful countertops all can get you a higher-than-asking offer and even start a bidding war. However, the market is shifting.
It’s long been said that it’s smart to remove all your personal effects when staging your home for sale. This process of depersonalizing your house is typically recommended to help potential buyers envision their life in your space—where their sofa would go, their gallery wall, their baby’s crib—and get them to fall in love with it. These days, however, real estate experts are suggesting a new strategy. Rather than removing all traces of your personal life, they suggest leaving a few nostalgic hints in. That way, “the buyers won’t just be able to see themselves in the home, but they feel a kindred spirit kind of thing, a positive association that can boost their offer,” New Jersey–based real estate agent for Compass Pierce Conway told us. We asked him and Zillow trends expert Amanda Pendleton to share their insights into the tips and tricks that are enticing buyers now.
Keep Changes Simple
Surprisingly, Pendleton has seen that potential buyers are no longer looking for a picture-perfect home. Structural renovations and repairs are necessary, of course, but an upgraded kitchen or bathroom is no longer the draw it once was, especially as character-filled homes are more coveted. “Sellers should let their home’s next owner worry about the big kitchen remodel,” she says. “Zillow research finds very few of these projects offer a positive return on investment when it’s time to sell. Costly kitchen renovations offer some of the worst ROI of all home improvement projects—generating about 50 cents on the dollar in resale.”
Instead, Pendleton advises sellers to focus on three low-cost improvements that will make a larger impact: a fresh coat of interior paint, carpet cleaning, and landscaping. “These projects boost curb appeal and signal that a home is clean, functional, and move-in ready,” she says.
Display Personal Interests
If you’re a diehard New York Yankees fan or really love fantasy novels, keep them on display, Conway advises. “People have a lot of fun going to see houses and seeing other people’s stuff. It’s a kind of good psychological warfare,” he says. “If someone sees a book that they just read in a house they’re viewing, the likelihood of them putting in an offer is insane.” Here’s another example from Conway: Say you’re a Giant’s fan who went to school at Penn State. The subset of people who share those affinities is likely very small, but the personal connection a potential buyer who does would feel is monumental. “It could be as large as an offer 20 percent over asking,” he says. Don’t underestimate the power of shared interests.
Abandon White Walls
Pendleton notes that there’s a departure from the traditional love of neutral and white paint colors in for-sale homes. “Sellers were supposed to play it safe by painting every room white, but not anymore. Homes with rich, saturated color are now viewed as more contemporary and luxurious,” she explains. Zillow’s most recent paint color analysis shows that shades like dark charcoal are associated with bigger offers than homes where every wall is painted white. Pendleton says, “Even the classic white kitchen has fallen out of favor with home buyers, who reported they would pay less for a home that has one.”
Embrace Sentimental Flaws
In most cases, true defects like damaged drywall or leaky plumbing should be repaired before getting your home appraised and ready to list. That said, if your pet stepped in the wet concrete of your new sidewalk or your child filled up a cork board with a decade’s worth of art, you might want to leave them as-is—these little vignettes could boost your home’s appeal. Conway recalls a recent listing with a unique and heartwarming feature in the kitchen. “It still had the children’s height chart penciled on the kitchen walls, with the dates and lines of how tall they were,” he says. “You could tell that the rest of the home was freshly painted before listing, so it’s interesting that the agent kept that feature.” Highlighting the life your home has had can personalize the property, making the house seem truly like a home for whoever moves in next.
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