7 Tips to Sell Your Home Faster to a Younger Buyer

kuva When we bought our house it had 50 hooks on the walls, little knickknack hanging all over the walls & too much furniture. It looked tiny. And that isn't mentioning the 7 clashing shades of blue in the kitchen. Lucky for us because we got it cheap. Remove all the clutter is my advice!

feeny The only piece of advice you gave in this excellent article that I would take with some caution is about the showers. I agree completely that younger buyers these days prefer the style of shower you describe. But younger buyers with young families still need a bathtub somewhere in the house for small children. So people shouldn't abandon bathtubs all together or they may face problems in resale.

logicbutton As a 28-year-old new homeowner, I did not identify with this article at all. I think granite and stone are overrated, I consider stainless a waste of money, and none of my stuff goes well with gray. I'm not sure why I would want to buy a home without a bathtub, either. Baths are great. Also, sometimes in life you need a large makeshift water reservoir.

When I was house hunting, I wasn't interested in a fixer-upper (although I don't have children), but I wanted a place that, over time, I would feel comfortable making my own. I wouldn't want someone redecorating their whole house for me (it would just feel like a waste to redecorate it later, and the alternative would be living with colors or appliances I wouldn't have chosen for myself); I'd prefer they just removed the grossest carpets/wallpaper/etc and took the money they saved on new cabinets or whatever off the sale price.

"Young" doesn't necessarily mean "more money than patience or sense."

olldbobbi I completely agree with kuva and I would like to add CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN. Hire a pro if you need to, but I can promise you that when we were house hunting last year a dirty house did not interest me at all. Dust and dirt give your house a "no energy" feel and made us question deferred maintenance.

suefulton Granite is a non renewable resource and already seems dated; stainless steel is cold, needs polishing, and again already seems overdone and dated. Stick with what you love, declutter, and as one reader said clean, clean, clean.

katharinep "A warm grey"???
Greys are rather cool on most color wheels

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Katherine, warm grays have a lot of brown in them - kinda between gray and brown rather than an icy gray. I'm not talkin' Miami Vice grays.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Feeny,
I didn't mean to say you need to do away with all the bathtubs!!! Of course, you need at least one bathtub in the house - but no one uses the big garden tubs that used to be a must-have in every master. Maybe I should have been more descriptive on that point! :)

ellen36 I really liked this article. I am young-ish with young kids and I love the pictures you selected. I would buy a house like these! Do you have any specific warm grey color favorites?

the_misfit I agree with logicbutton pretty much across the board, and we bought our first house last year when I was 29. I love antiques, hate granite, and think the stainless steel trend is approaching laughable. (I love watching House Hunters - "These appliances aren't really *my style*. By the way, is this stove electric or gas?") Anybody who sells after 2015 is going to have some very expensive (and in the case of granite, incredibly heavy) eyesores to reckon with. I also know that my preferences are not representative of either buyers in general or my generation, which gave me an opportunity to take a contrarian position in house-shopping and ultimately score a great deal on a fantastic house (that needed to be redecorated).

But - even though I know I'm hardly a weather-vane for my generation, I'm kind of taken aback about the generalizations of "young professionals." Some such have kids and want a tub and a nursery with bright colors. Some have no kids, aren't planning to for a while (possibly not even in their first home), and want ultra-modern everything. I know a lot of people under 35 who have bought homes recently. Several are antique nuts and bought older homes and are trying to keep them faithful to their eras (NO STAINLESS). Some go for the "suburban" look and paint everything taupe. Some have decorated in Late Pottery Barn and have dark, saturated colors with white trim and "antique-style" everything. Frankly, none could have afforded a home that was remodeled, decorated, and staged within an inch of its life. But if you're talking about the demographic that buys well outside of its means, with apparently no judgment, taste, or imagination - paint all the walls white, and take out every stick of furniture before you show. "No imagination" is literally accurate. And no matter what you do with the kitchen, they'll hate it, so rip out all the appliances, and give an allowance for new appliances, counterops, etc., that's about 50-70% of what you would have spent. They don't have enough judgment to notice the discrepancy.

meghiggs I loved this article and agreed with everything Kristie said. My husband and I flip houses. There is a huge push towards a more up to date look for both older and younger buyers. I love the idea of getting rid of garden tubs and doing walk in showers instead. Obviously, if a house has a garden tub, it also has enough other bathrooms to have another tub/shower combination, so no one is abandoning a tub altogether. I also do not think granite or stainless steel are going anywhere for a very long time. I honestly think anyone who says otherwise has never lived with either. Once you have both in your kitchen, you can't get over the feel of beauty and luxury they add to your whole home. Thanks for your awesome article, Kristie! You validated everything my husband and I think and do as we flip these old, out of date houses.

mymichele ellen36 - try benjamin moore revere pewter hc-172 or silver fox 2108-50. both are warm grays that are very versatile.

Home Staging Brisbane I love the target audience part of being a home stager as my first career was in advertising. I wrote a blog about this very subject! "What the advertising industry can teach home stagers"

Wendy Wang i agree with pretty much all the pts of this article. we bought a fixer upper because i couldn't find a kitchen i liked with white cabinets, so we built our own. now we are going to take on the 3 ugly bathrooms. but we got a steal of a deal because everything was ugly and detracted other buyers. the place was also freshly painted a mint green, which we could've done without, but its fresh paint and its growing on us.

annoulaxeni Hurray to the_misfit and logicbutton for responding with sense to this flippant article. And by the way, after a seller does everything you suggest, it seems two things are possible: one is that since they've just remodeled and decorated and cleaned out and tuned up their entire house ... they might decide not to move, and the other is that they might go ahead and sell, but not stand to make a profit by the time they've done all this expensive work and perhaps paid a house-stager as well.

I'm over 50 and just sold a house (un-staged, emptied out of furniture, mid-winter -- sold within weeks) AND -- as one would expect, no? -- just bought a house as well. So who's out there catering to me and the not-young-professional crowd? What makes them such wildly desirable clients? Is their money greener than mine?

Ugh. Houzz can do better than this silliness.

renovationbloviatrix Did all that and sold in 6 days in 2009 and still got the price we were looking for., i.e., we got all our money "back". It definitely pays to follow this type of reno/decorating plan. But it was something we did over the entire 3 years we lived there with no intent to move out. It doesn't have to be something you do to "cater" to anyone. Do it because it is beautiful, and when you need to sell you'll be ready.

Ann Smitt Clean your home from the closets to the walls. Pack away any personal items and those pieces you use once-a-year (gravy boat). Store large pieces of furniture - as they say on HGTV - 'You are selling square footage'. Today's buyers seem to want it all done for them, don't go overboard, but go the extra mile to get the most money out of your investment.

jeanine Bought my home when I was 24 - love it. It was a mess, needed a total cleaning but the bones of the house were in tact! I knew I didn't want major renos to do right away. I was able to live in the space for a while and design it to how I wanted! No wallpaper was a biggy for me! We tried selling our house for two years now, this new generation doesn't see the potential and wants everything they like when they step in the door. I'm not willing to waste my money catering to that when I've worked my butt off to get the things that are needed! If you can't see beyond the color and furniture of the home then don't look at an older home! Go for brand new! My husband and I have great credit, a low mortgage and though I'd love to have rooms as a gawk at in these pictures (which I love to do) I don't want the debt that comes with the "have it now attitude" and I also dint want to be house poor and working extra to pay off the debt!! The younger generation needs to get a handle on what they need and what they want and can afford. Get a little money wise. Rolling a cosmetic makeover into your mortgage is not a bright thing to do - your paying 30 years interest on getting furniture and curtains!! Do what you can do! Unless it is unsafe or broken don't fix it til it is or you have the cash to pay for it! Not a huge fan of staging, but of decluttering! ... Sorry to those who make a living doing this;( and it's sad that so many in the coming generation have no vision of their own and don't yet understand the value of hard work;( I'll get off my soapbox now!

mcd53 Logic button sounds like a very smart woman. What you want and what you can afford are two different things. There are a glut of granite countertops in foreclosure right now where the counter is worth more than the home. And I haven't seen an avocado appliance in 30 yrs. Make sure it's clean.

Judy If it's in your budget, why not update now, before you sell it. Enjoy these little luxuries yourself! I like all the tips, and I see a lot of grey/greige out there so I think that's smart.

annwest We sold our upscale home a year ago in this difficult market. With the exception of the grey walls, we had remodeled over the years with the basics mentioned here (white cabinetry already in place). The young professionals who bought the home will love it, but will quickly tire of the near black granite in the kitchen. Like a beautiful black car, they'll be spending a lot of time cleaning and polishing smudges!

matt415 I dont know what some of you are talking about cause this article seems spot on. I just bought my first house 6 months ago when I was 29. The kitchen had beautiful black granite counter tops and were a big attraction for me. It came with brand new white appliances. The first thing I did was remove then and replace them with stainless appliances. The kitchen already had white cabinets. It now looks amazing and luxurious. Granite and stainless arent going anywhere soon, sorry.

The house also came with a garden tub in the master. What a waste of space in my opinion. Who uses these anymore? With the increasing cost of utilities these days, I see these tubs disappearing from history in no time. I cant wait to tear it out and install a big glass door or open walled shower.

patricia beharry love reading all the pros and cons to this article. I watch HGTV and see these ridiculous home buyers--- "I hate blue, I hate white, I hate the drapes" Before a house is shown, the agent should educate their client that the house is someone elses before they sign a contract and get the keys to the house. Then they repaint and make the house their own with the colour they choose.

tsudhonimh Rather than spend money on appliances and kitchen and bathroom remodels ... make sure everything is SPOTLESSLY CLEAN and working as intended. Eliminate the ugly and the worn out (not just outdated, truly worn out) stuff.

Price aggressively.

The 3 months of chaos, and the $15-40K it takes to get the kitchen redone would be more attractive if it came off the price of the house as a "kitchen adjustment", because you won't get it back at sale time. Let the buyer find out that the Impala Black they want may only cost $7500, but updating the cabinets to match the granite, then the floor to match the cabinets ... that's going to cost them way more.

kerrisugden Well, I think it's the ''feel'' of a house that sells it. Agreed---kitchen and bathrooms are very important but if the house is amazing with great color schemes and an eclectic aura---with fabulous furniture pieces, artwork, lamps and rugs, this can clinch a sale. These things can be taken to the next house after the sale-----yes--clean and clean and clean.

smoore I had to laugh when I read through this article. With the economy tanking, the younger generation unable to find careers and the Baby Boomers being a majority of the population and I'm supposed to cater to the young buyer? No thanks. Let them do a little saving and fixing up to get what they want like we did. Clean out closets and keep things in tip-top shape? Yes! Paint my beautiful cabinetry white and my walls grey? Not a chance!

kimber11 I am not sure about the idea of making the investment in a granite countertop just to sell the house. Unless the countertop is awful, there are many cheaper options. I understand young buyers want a up-to-date home but the expense of granite or other natural stone just to sell and someone else to enjoy seems over the top to me.

tradess2012 In trying to sell my house, I looked at a lot of open houses in my neighborhood and observed the annoying habbit of people to literally slapping awful granite on their old formica countertops with no attention paid to a their backsplash colors and material. Also, the cheaper type of older cabinets don't support the weight of heavy stones and such well and happen to sink sooner than later. Unless you spend money on quality upgrades, the smart new buyers detect those half a** jobs fast. I have regular off white glazed tiles on my counters and back which really took the test of of times in my cooking life, not to mention that they easily being kept clean.

FYI.....agree to have a clean uncluttered home, but actually a house with good bones, space, openess, light will appeal to young and old alike. In my experience, I would almost say that you migt appeal to the buyer's agents who show houses to a lot of potential buyers, young and old. They are the ones who might see you house more than one buyer and remember the place to bring other buyers.

sclawson I just sold my house of 20+ years to young professionals--the 3rd couple who toured, a newly married CPA and engineer. We did NONE of the things you mention. I'm not one for clutter, but I pared everything down even more and replaced personal wall hangings with neutral ones. Most importantly, we super-cleaned and did the most with staging the home's outstanding features, like the wall of built-in custom shelving in the study and the exotic hardwood floors in part of the 1st floor. The carpets were tan, the walls were a pale yellowish-cream, the cabinets were unstained oak, the appliances were black, and the countertops were Formica. The couple who bought the house told us they were drawn to the house because it wasn't "cookie-cutter." I think the most important thing we did (and the most $$$) was to have the exterior of the house freshly painted and make the most of its curb appeal. The suggestions in this article are more geared toward a house you plan to live in a while and not very realistic or practical for one you're selling.

marie594 I am a professional in her 40s and bought four houses in the past 10 years and sold my three previous ones in less than two months, the last one in a week and a half. I must do something right. None of the above applies when I am looking for a house. What matters is the house location and the inspection report. As long as there are no major issue with the basics (foundation, electrical etc...) and I like the general look of the house, I refuse to pay for somebody else boring, tasteless and expensive upgrades and staging and much prefer spending on a good contractor afterwards to make the house my own. The features that I value are hardwood or tile floors, nice original woodwork if its an old house and a well-designed but not too big kitchen with lots of storing space. I've work as a cook for years, and most of the kitchens are totally overdone and ridiculously huge, the whole stainless craziness makes them look cold and clinical, and the white cabinetry means you spend your time cleaning it as every specks show. The best working surface for kitchen happens to be in my opinion soapstone. Its the only one worth spending extra money for.

okredo1 I sold a house in trendy East Nashville a few years ago and observed many buyers wanting the details in the article. I got really tired of hearing complaints about the lack of stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. You know what? People can work towards things. 20-somethings don't "need" to have the perfect house. My parents deserved the dream kitchen they got with their renovations 5 years ago because they worked towards it their whole lives. We certainly put a lot of work into that house ... the buyers surely wouldn't have wanted it in the condition in which we purchased it. I understand where the author of this article is coming from, and the ideas are useful for selling a home and appealing to a certain market, especially the "picky younger buyers" she mentions.

N.E.R.D Old, good bones, integrity. These are all items that different people commenting feel is lost with granite, stainless, and updates. I just would like to mention the trim, doors, ceilings, walls, hardware, and overall aesthetics are set with what you do to your home. Compare two homes with gray walls, white cabinets, stainless, and granite does not mean both homes won't carry their own personality and have original declarations and touches throughout.

Stevie So basically the younger home buyers want it all! If I hear one more young couple on House hunters whine about granite and stainless I want to smack them!!! I enjoyed making this "my" home when we moved here and wish that the next generation had the vision and the money to do the same. Geeeez

roadrunner If people don't have equity and plan to short sale they should not fix it up except for paint, inexpensive repairs, depersonalizing, de-cluttering, and making it clean, otherwise sell as is. Old appliances can be good if the home comes with a warranty. And really if the buyer is young and it is a first time buy this is unrealistic. People should also realize that a fixer upper, priced fairly and lower than the other homes in the neighborhood, is a better deal. It takes some sweat to fix it up, but there is wiggle room in the price; no one should put more money into a house than it is worth.

nasafemme Agree with everything Kristie mentions, except for the stainless appliances. Everyone I know who has them HATES them. My dated '90s house sold in two days with white cabinets, white appliances and, heaven forfend, a gorgeous Nile green formica countertop and oak floor. In my new home, I solved my "I hate stainless" dilemma by having custom cabinetry made for my frige and diswasher. Chose a black cooktop, and on an opposite wall, a black combo microwave/oven unit so you don't have that dotted look. Oh yes, I insisted on granite. Tropical brown. Nice and dark without those hideous black streaks seen in so many others.

jenniferbaird We are a young family, with a 2 year old and a 4 year old, and we recently built a house. For the price people were asking for their outdated homes, we built our dream home. Everything mentioned above are definitely current home trends and we incorporated all of them with the exception of two. I put in a gray quartz counter on my white cabinets and a beautiful soaker tub (in addition to our large master shower). Of course there are those contrarians out there who will always buck the trends, but most people like them, that's why they are called "trends."

I absolutely agree with those of you who say, if your house needs work, do it for yourselves while you can enjoy it. I don't think the author is condoning you spend $100k on bath and kitchen remodels a month before you sell, I think the advice is if you are planning to sell your home in the next 5-10 years, try to remodel more with current trends to help you sell while also pleasing yourself.

One exception, definitely repaint before you sell. Large scuffs, nail pops, and dirt on the walls are very unattractive and when you live in a home daily, it's easy to overlook these. But as a buyer, it was the first thing I noticed. If you are going through the hassle to clean everything else, nothing is cleaner than fresh paint, no matter what color!!!

Ken I like the comment on light. IMHO, the worst thing sellers to is keep those old, dark curtains on the windows. Let the light in!

I thought the article provided an interesting perspective. Who you are marketing your house to really does depend on your neighborhood and the demographics that are drawn to that neighborhood.

Personally I much prefer a Corian style solid surface to a stone surface, but that's just me. Also, interesting that white cabinets are the "in" thing right now. I'm a fan of the white cabinets, but my wife much prefers a darker natural wood.

Further, with a little elbow grease, and a modest budget, it's easy to update your home to assist the selling process. Why not eliminate some of those bold colors in your home for a neutral tone, or remove the dated/dirty/worn rugs or wallpaper? We're not talking tens of thousands here...

Without a doubt though, the biggest thing that can be done to help sell a house are: 1- Clean/freshen the entry (refresh the paint on the front door, install new door hardware, fresh mulch and flowers in the front yard); 2- As others have said, Clean, Clean, Clean; 3- Do the necessary home maintenance, if there are glaring maintenance issues, it makes the buyer wonder what's been neglected that will really matter.

A complete home remodel isn't necessary, but a few little things will help a great deal.

Leigh Newport Staged by Design® Beautiful photos! However, I have learned that although the goal may be the same, to appeal to the younger buyer, considerations must be made for the type of home, (SFH vs. Condo or TH), location (urban vs. suburban) and the neighborhood and competitive set, before making broad sweeping recommendations for colors, finishes and granite types. For example, in my area, Northern Virginia, dark, espresso, almost black cabinets in urban spaces is the color trend, and white cabinets are relegated to a more cottage look in the suburbs. I suggest finding a local professional stager to make specific recommendations before taking on a large renovation project intended to create a return on investment for selling purposes. Upgrades are necessary in order to be competitive at times, however you also run the risk of over-improving for your neighborhood and never recapping your investment.

see_ I disagree about painting the walls any other color than white. White is safe, in the worst case it can be viewed as 'primer'.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Wow, I didn't realize this topic would be so controversial!!! Just so you know: I am an OLD HOUSE PERSON. I'd never buy what I described in the article I wrote. But after staging 150+ homes in the Nashville area, I learned quickly that I AM NOT TYPICAL. And I am not in the "young" demographic, I might add. Many of you commented about your frustration with the younger set wanting it all and wanting it now - yes, it is ridiculous and short-sighted and immature. However, this article is about selling your house to that very audience. The article wasn't about how to sell to an older demographic, which is quite a different thing and another article of its own! What I have learned and applied has made me very successful in this market - the majority of my staged homes have offers within the first few showings. I am not saying you have to spend a ton of $$ getting your home ready to sell, but if you are doing remodeling or upgrading and intend to sell within the next 2 years, you are wise to consider what I've shared here. Thank you all for joining in on the conversation - love hearing all of your unique perspectives!

kathrynliz Most buyers would prefer the luxurious photos in this article- which are clearly from (in our area) million-dollar+ homes. Thanks for the self-esteem boost. Updated doesn't necessarily mean cutting-edge and top of the line. Sometimes it means well-loved and maintained without dusty knick-knacks, good bones and a nice neighborhood.

marie594 Roadrunner, I would tend to agree with the fixer-upper. With the exception that all the fundamentals must be in order: plumbing, electrical wiring, foundations etc...The price can be awesome but if there is a 20K$ wiring job to be done unless you have the money upfront to fix it, it is better to walk away because unless that is taken care, the house will be very hard to resale. The cosmetic stuff is another matter. Most people have no clue what they are getting into when buying an old house and only look at the selling price and assume a paint job will do the trick. The appliances, the color scheme, even the cleanliness are the LEAST of your concerns. That is all fixable with little money and some elbow grease. Your house inspector is your best friend, choose him wisely, stick with him during the inspection and ask lots of question. If serious issues come during the inspection, have the specialist, electrician, plumber, mason etc...visit and get a quote. Only then you will know if you got a good deal or you are set for a remake of the Money Pit. This Spring I visited a beautiful Italianate Victorian priced half comparable houses in the same neighborhood in one of the selling hotspot of the town. Once I had the contractor quoting for foundation work and the electrician for new wiring, I just walked away as clearly it was still overpriced. The house was spotless and had been all repainted and the wood floors refinished in a nice attempt to paperwall over some very serious problems and lure the clueless buyer.

olldroo I am presently renovating and updating my home of 45 years but as i hope to stay here another 10 years everything is going to be for me, what I want and enjoy and not for some future owner. For months now I have been attending open houses to get an idea of the condition of homes locally and what sells and listening to other buyers and their needs and expectations. I am always being told to consider resale but in 10 years' time today's trends will be passé. We also have a huge variety of purchasers from young professionals to families to empty nesters and investors so aiming for one market severely limits your prospective purchasers. The most off-putting things in a home are mould, water damage, shoddy paintwork dirty appliances and smelly basement/garage storage. When I sell my home will present a quality finish, good bones and clean, fresh and liveable until the next owner can then put their stamp on it. It always pays to live in a house too before starting renovations to get the feel of the flow of the house, light and aspect. In my area many homes are purchased and immediately bulldozed to make way for a totally new home - imagine spending a fortune on upmarket renovations to then watch it all reduced to rubble! My message to anyone renovating is to do your homework first depending on how long you intend staying in the house and ensure you don't overcapitalise.

marvinone These are terrible ideas for the average homeowner and their house. White cabinets and granite counters do not go well with the style of every house (I hope readers can see that the pictures shown are of high end, custom, contemporary houses - usually beyond most American's budgets) and assuming that they will "improve" a house's selling potential is completely wrong. I'm currently in the market for a house and skip past anything that has an "updated kitchen" because 99% of the time, the owner has installed a typical builder's grade kitchen simply assuming that a new kitchen is better. With few execptions, the "updated kitchen" looks out of place and out of proportion. I used the kitchen example in my comment, but could say the same for the other items in the article - none were helpful. If a home buyer wants these items in a house, then there are new houses available that already include these things. Existing/older homes have something that a new home doesn't - character and style. Please stop giving advice that older homes need to compete with new ones, if I wanted a new house, I'd just go buy it.
Also, please stop assuming that a particular generation likes things. Apparently at my age, I'm supposed to prefer texting and emails over actual conversation if you listen to "experts", yet I'd take a face to face talk anytime over computer communication. Saying that young home buyers want these things is not fair to any age of home buyer.

uarmstrong Excuse me, but I thought this site was about decorating. This is not an ethics blog or a parenting blog or a young people are so spoiled blog. The suggestions made were great. We live in a very fast growing community MN> and the homes all mirror some aspect of what the writer suggested. Young people work hard for their money too and they want what they want. Whether they buy it that way or do it themselves is a dependent upon the person, but this market is different than any I've seen in my 42 years and it's flooded with foreclosures and the likes. Use your sense and do what is right for you. That said lets stick to what we are here for... great decorating ideas.
signed,
Mother of a 20+ adult

Michael Taylor As a designer, I added Home Staging to my repertoire about 10 years ago after being certified as an accredited home stager. I live in Memphis TN and staging is a hard sell here, many realtors try and do it themselves and although some have the know how to do it, most do not. I have found over the years that the homes I have staged have sold much quicker and for more money than those not staged, I have story after story upholding this fact, and many happy clients. Everything you have said in your story is true....thanks for putting it out there for more home buyers to see!

dianaworkman As a licensed interior designer and realtor, the best advise I can give is to always make your home a work in progress. If you properly maintain and do regular updates, you will get to enjoy the upgrades you do (rather than hope the potential buyers like them!), you will be able to do the work as you can afford it, and buyers will be able to tell the home has been loved and taken care of. Many buyers do "require" granite but, slapping new granite countertops over dated sometimes poor quality cabinets doesn't make sense. And, appliances (at the very least, cooktops) and sinks need to be addresses before installing the old ones or ones of inadequate quality in new granite, too! Buyers will be able to tell you have applied bandaids to the home's shortcomings. Instead, do regular repairs and upgrades before you plan to put your home on the market and keep in mind the amount of time you plan to live in the home. If your stay will be under 5 years, keep selections less taste specific so they will appeal to the widest range of potential buyers - no wildly patterned granite or odd color choices! And, always clean your property (and keep it clean) while it is on the market. Additionally, make sure the curb appeal of your property says, "come in, I'm beautiful inside!". I can't tell you how many times I have driven up to a house with potential buyers in my car and they ask me to keep driving and not waste time going inside because of the appearance or lack of upkeep on the outside! And lastly, price your home with the level of upgrades you have done in mind. If you have neglected to do upgrades, the perfect home that just sold down the street at top dollar will not be a good comparable for yours!

veuzent I also disagree with most of the recommendations. Black for a kitchen counter top? It will only take a day before they are tired of wiping off MOST of the kinds of dust and food crumbs that will be there because black will "showcase" them quite well.

latvywife Question: we are considering in our master bath taking out the tub and putting in a big shower - in our area (DC outlying country area), tubs seem to be the safe norm. Will that hurt resale value? Thanks!

mshorrock The article really validated my point of view. We are sellers that did exactly what was described above except the white cabinets which always look so cheap to me. The buyers told us the same things described. They are young, married with young children and this house fit the bill for them. As a side note, we are older with teenagers and we like the look as well. I am not sure any age wants ugly wall paper and clutter. That does not sell any house.

starweez Staging - won't do it - I prefer looking at an empty home so I can imagine my style, not the sellers style. Currently updating home where I've been for 14 years and plan to stay at least 5 more. I decorate to my style, for my enjoyment. Decorating is cosmetic - if the next owner doesn't like it, they can change it. We have changed nearly everything in the 1980s vintage house since moving in - removing walpaper, painting colors WE like, replacing carpet/floors in products/colors WE like. New custom kitchen in 2011 (granite & stainless), currently underway for guest bathroom remodel (granite planned), finishes chosen for m taste, not next owners! When it is time for us to move, we will move to next home, sell off stuff remaining in current home, bring in home inspector and fix mechanics, THEN list the house. Sorry, I don't want people pawing through my stuff while I am still living there and I don't want to be inconvenienced by buyer's shopping schedule. Anything we don't fix is cosmetic, and the new owners can redecorate when they move in. If they don't like it, they can move on. What will sell our house? Location [small cul de sac, preferred school district, centrally located to multiple workplaces] Size [4 br/2.5 bath]. Not worried at all - our house will sell in a NY minute!

peppermint2 White cabinets? Anyone who's a real cook or has a family would endure white cabinets for long. It would take a ton of upkeep to keep them looking decent.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Latvywife: I would only recommend installing the walk-in shower if you have a bathtub elsewhere in the house. If you do, yes, I'd go for it!

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Peppermint2: I've had painted white wood cabinets for 12 years and love them. With a gloss finish, they wipe up easily and always look fresh and clean. My small kitchen looks larger and lighter because of them.

retrofuturist I'm a 31-year old who just bought a home in Los Angeles last month after a 4-month search, and I have to admit that every single point lined up with what I was looking for. Of course, getting everything on the list is unrealistic, and paint is such an easy thing to DIY that the article's advice is simply for making first impressions to potential buyers. As a first-time buyer, I realized that my first place will likely be home for only 5-7 years, so I gave up on many of these points for now, and am saving up for renovations in my next home.

stevepr I'm not sure where all of the controversy is coming from as the author of the article is pretty much correct across the board with her recommendations. Keep in mind it doesn't sound like she's suggesting that you rip out perfectly good cabinets or new appliances just to replace/update them.
In the fall I sold my house of about 4 years - it was built in the 1930's and we purchased it nearly 20% below asking price because there was floral wallpaper and outdated decor throughout the house. From day one we started updating the house with fresh neutral paint, refinished the floors, updated fixtures etc. We did almost all of the work ourselves and when it came time for us to sell it we got all of our money out of it and a little bit more but we also managed to sell it within two weeks. We didn't do all of the things that were recommended because some of the changes just wouldn't have been practical, but we used neutral colors and updated where necessary. The house we bought (built) has neutral light warm gray walls, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, honed absolute black granite, a walk-in shower (and a tub). Obviously that style doesn't appeal to everyone but I believe it does appeal to more young buyers than any other style does. If that's the demographic you're going to sell to then making the recommended changes is certainly going to help you appeal to more potential buyers...you need to weigh the value of the update versus the expense. Maybe making $15k worth of updates isn't worth it for your $200k house but doubles your money and gets your house sold quickly for your $400k house.

Ann Garniss I'm 36 (not that old) and while the pictures are attractive, I'd have no interest in that house at all. I want colour, vibrancy, something unique and easy to maintain. All that white and stainless and big showers? Such a pain to clean.

fineartmom I love the rooms shown in this article! I think most of the advice is spot on, especially the need for granite and stainless steel. I do however, know for a fact that young buyers need bathtubs for the kids!! Maybe the glass shower would be great for the master bath only. In our bathroom, we have a glass shower and a tub on the other side of the room. I disagree with the white cabinets. Couples with young children would worry about fingerprints and grime, which is a cleaning nightmare. Instead, opt a cabinet with clean modern lines with stylish hardware. Also, I am not young, and I love the style of the rooms shown, which just goes to show that tastes vary. The most important staging advice is to clear out the clutter and personal items and update worn appliances.

cheeseball First, everyone has different likes and needs, and belittling others in this forum for having different tastes seems ironic--especially at a website that celebrates options. (Do you really feel superior to someone else because you don't like granite? ugh)
Second, the article gives good rule-of-thumb advice for appealing to the "general market". If you are competing against many other homes, your house better have some pizzazz.
But finally, I believe the most important thing when selling a house is making sure it's decluttered, neat, and clean. All 3...not just one or two. I cannot believe how messy some "for sale" homes are--cluttered with knick-knacks, messy baths and kitchens, pet hair everywhere, closets stuffed with junk. I will not consider such homes. WHY? It's simple: if someone cannot take the time to clean up when they are trying to make such an incredibly important sell, then I can only assume they didn't take the time to maintain the home properly when there was nothing at stake. I don't mind painting and tweaking a house to my needs, but I do NOT want to take on someone else's neglect issues.

tradess2012 yeah...as for staging....had it 2....couldn't believe the stuff they did and I was supposed to live with it until sell of the house? Not on your life.

ninab23 While I can appreciate the pretty pictures of this million dollar home- I tend to agree with some of the other people who commented. I think this article completely missed a whole genre of young professionals who appreciate the vintage, the old claw-foot tubs, subway tiles, and maybe even a challenge to make the home "their own" (gasp- even with children!). There is a whole blogging community out there of "young professionals" appreciating and doing just that. The statements in this article are so definitive, lumping all "young professionals" into the same boring category. I am a 30 something attorney with 2 toddlers and I'm not quite sure what audience this article is targeting (self-entitled hipster millionaires?).

As another commenter mentioned- ""Young" doesn't necessarily mean "more money than patience or sense." I couldn't agree more.

tudormomb If you're redoing a bath in anticipation of selling, I would strongly suggest you resist the urge to put in a hot tub. They require a ton of water before you can even turn them on, and they splash a lot. Maybe a bubble tub if all the outlets are low; enjoy the tub at the health club.

coupleofbridges I'm 31 and we just had our home built last year. Finishes and colors in these pics remind me a lot of our home. It's what we chose to do from scratch, and love it. As side notes, if building ever becomes an option for you, it is an awesome feeling to live in a place that you know you had a hand in choosing from the ground up. If there is something you don't end up liking (and there always will be), knowing you chose it yourself makes it much more tolerable. And also, wanted to say to listen to your realtor. He/she is a valuable resource. I thought my old home looked awesome, and it did, but our realtor gave us tips for a few quick changes and updates, without a lot of money involved, and it looked even better. In fact, it sold after the first showing in March of 2010.

alwaysdesigning While I appreciate the suggestions, everything I am reading in getting our house ready says "do not update" unless something is not working or is falling apart. I have done everything else that has been suggested, w hich is get rid of all clutter, box up all the personal items and send to storage, reduce excess furniture and send to storage, clean out closets and get everything in working order and freshly paint what needs to be done to look like new. "Update allowance" in the contract will be the key to a new homeowner's ability to make the space their own with their own picks of appliances, countertop, flooring. Personally I hate granite, if I had a house with granite I would rip it out.

gwen47 I think the wisest thing to do is to check with a realtor/realtors in your area. What is true for the author's area may not be at all true where you live. I sold an old home (around 140 yrs old) in Lawrence, KS about a year and a half ago when the market was really down. I was advised not to do any work on it and sell it as a fixer-upper. I moved out first so there was very little furniture in it and nothing was hidden. Had a contract in 2 1/2 months from a fairly young couple with no children. That was very good in that market and I got more than I expected. However, old houses are much loved and valued in Lawrence and it was close to the university. If it had been in a different location, I probably wouldn't have been as lucky.

When looking for a new home in a small Kansas town, I walked into one that had recently been redecorated and the kitchen had been renovated. Everything they had done was exactly what I hated. That house was on the market for a long time and I'm not sure it ever sold. I ended up buying a house that I could update the way I wanted. I spent more on renovations than I will probably ever make back if I sell it, but I plan on living here and enjoying it for some time.

Also, in this area, applicances, other than built-in ones (dishwasher, over-the-stove microwave), generally aren't included in the price of the house. People often take them to their new residence---or sell them to the buyer. Updating them to something the buyer might not like would be counter-productive.

People who have lived with black/dark granite counters or black stove tops don't necessarily like them---they suck up the light and my experience with a black stove top is that it's very hard to keep clean. When/if I have to replace my stove, it will not have a black top.

andieeh Good article, but dear god are people touchy!?!? If it doesn't apply to you move on to the next article. Signed, a 30 year old interior designer with her real estate license.

stargazer51 White Shaker cabinets were a perfect fit for the Cape Cod we sold two years ago. But they were custom (tho the same price as installed Home Depot) and painted the same creamy white as the trim throughout the house. The refer and DW had matching panels but the rangetop and ovens were stainless. With lots of light, dark Tunis green granite and light taupe walls, the kitchen was clean and contemporary but fit perfectly with the rest of the house. It sold within a month in a difficult SF Bay Area market to a chef with young children and we had dozens of wonderful compliments. We moved to the country and I'm trying to get myself interested in natural wood cabinets for a ranch but I still love white kitchens.

stevepr It seems pretty clear by a lot of the comments that many people are missing the point. If your house is clean and stylish it will sell faster and for more money - and the style that appeals to more young buyers than any other style is what is being recommended. It's certainly not the only style and not every young person will like it...but even within a specific demographic you can't please everyone all of the time. The idea is to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible so that you can get the best price selling your house. Obviously you need to consider the cost of these changes and if what you have in place is not terribly outdated or in poor condition then it may very well not be worth changing.

Also, these pictures are obviously not from one house - and who knows if any of these houses are million dollar houses as that depends on soooo many other factors than a nice kitchen and fresh paint...but it pretty much proves the authors point when people jump to conclusions that these pictures are of really expensive houses doesn't it!

prospera In the past 6 years, we have sold 3 homes virtually "as is" (our parent's and our own). One was purchased and virtually unchanged since the late 1950's, one built in the early 70's, and the other in the early '90. These all sold within a matter of days of their listings (one sold pre-listing, after being shown an identical (the model in the neighborhood) updated house. The '90's house hadn't even had the chance to be cleaned and painted yet.

All of these homes were in a a market that was one of the most difficult in the nation to sell at the time. What was the key? All were well maintained and had records of their maintenance. All manuals were kept with the house and inspections were done to verify that.

I do laugh when I see people tearing out appliances, merely because they aren't stainless steel. Older appliances tended to last longer and, if they are Energy Star, are better kept until they become a problem. I have brand brand new, absolute top of the line appliances in my new home and still can't get one of them repaired correctly. None of my white kitchen appliances in the home I sold ever had a repair call and they were going strong when we sold the house. I did replace them once because the brand originally in the house were lemons, but all were Energy Star and over 10 years old.

I also agree that granite is a matter of taste and personal preference. When going neutral, I think it is better to go with the CaesarStone type products. They are also easier maintenance. Better yet, offer a credit or discount for upgrades.

I'm not saying updating and staging doesn't have its place, just that maybe try our method first. Our realtor suggested it we start with the simplest and move in if that didn't work.

We also (and most importantly) priced them right and accepted reasonable offers. Most people don't figure in the cost of holding the house month to month and the house getting stale on the market.

gwen47 I would add that I would generally rather look at an empty house as my tastes are much different than many others but some people want to see a furnished house as they can't imagine what it would look like with furniture if it's empty. So that's a matter of taste, but I'm like the person above who doesn't want people pawing through my stuff.
Prospera is absolutely correct---holding out for top dollar can cost you more in the long run when you add in taxes and utilities. The house behind me, with very little equity, set empty for two years because the owner wanted to get the money he had put into it---he had bought at the top of the market right before it crashed.

zuitzy I really enjoyed this article Kristie. It was especially interesting to read all of the different responses to your suggestions. I enjoy the input of Houzz readers since they're very tuned into design in general. Most of us being self-professed design junkies.

It's easy to assume that the general public has the same awareness and savvy when it comes to making our houses our "homes"; a place that reflects our individual style and taste. What some of your readers have observed, while watching home decorating programs, is that many home buyers do not have that same vision. They can't see past the dated colors on the walls or the drapes that won't match their sofa. Sounds ridiculous to those of us who have fun with a change of curtains, rug and throw pillows. These same gestures can cause a surprising level of fear and anxiety in those who do not enjoy design as a profession, hobby or obsession.

I think your suggestions are extremely helpful when making a house presentable to the general public and the less adventurous home-buyer. We, as design enthusiasts, can see past the specific tastes of a seller, but many cannot so it's helpful to eliminate dated elements in a home, without making choices which may alienate a buyer. Many buyers will walk into a home that has been staged, enjoying the overall feel of the home, without really focusing on details. The big picture being clean, uncluttered with neutral colors and no obvious unfinished repairs.

Dawn Templeton I am a realtor and I agree whole heartedly with every suggestion in this article! And yes, you should listen to your realtor IF you want to sell faster and for top dollar!! Give the buyers waht they want and you can't help but sell faster and for more

newmouse In addition to good staging, pricing the house right is crucial. I've sold 2 houses in the past 3 years, which have definitely been buyers' markets. Both homes sold within a few weeks. The biggest staging expenditure I made in both cases was interior painting. In addition, I rearranged the furniture as per the stagers' suggestions.

jillgp Just replaced my 16 year old kitchen cabinets. I love my new white shaker cabinets!! I also installed a beautiful WHITE farmhouse sink, and love that as well. I also have dark (but not black) granite counter tops, but still have my white appliances and no plans to change to stainless. I think it all looks quite nice and can't imagine anyone complaining if they were looking to purchase.

PS: I would love to replace my HUGE heart shaped tub (the hot water heater can't even fill it up, I NEVER use it) and make my shower bigger. I'm thinking little bit bigger shower with a smaller free standing soaker tub in my master. (but that is when I have saved more money!)

Britastina This is more geared to the buyer, not the seller, but Grooviegranny had the best advice in this whole conversation. Live with the house for a while (a year is good) before making expensive and trendy changes to the house. Houses are homes after all and they have personalities. Unless you have lived in the house in all seasons and all weather conditions, you could inadvertently make rooms seem like caves, turn rooms into blindingly light and hot rooms you can't live with and make other rooms unlivable by adding or removing walls that interfere with "flow". Last suggestion - join Angie's List. It the best thing ever and will save you thousands and may even save your marriage. Oh, the really last suggestion; pay very close attention to everything the inspector says. Termites, bad foundations, bad plumbing, bad wiring, or leaky roof could make the granite counters, stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors a moot point.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Zuitzy: Wow, I wish I had said that! Very well-put. Most people using websites like Houzz are much more design-savvy and have more opinions and specific tastes in regards to how they want their home designed. Plus, they know where to go to get ideas and how to implement changes in their homes. 90% of homebuyers cannot visualize beyond what they see when they walk into a home that is on the market - that includes wall color and furniture arrangement. The 10% of us who can find that hard to imagine, but it's true! And I definitely find that the biggest challenge for sellers is to DETACH themselves emotionally from the home they are trying to sell. When they react emotionally to the feedback given to them by a Realtor, Home Stager, or potential buyer, they are missing an opportunity to get the most money out of their home quickly.

lexielyn I agree totally with cheese all. Decorating is a matter of personal taste. Just sold my 3level town home. We had a bidding war on it and buyers wound up buying all the furniture! You just have to be lucky and find the "right" buyer.

hulagal We just remodeled our kitchen and did the greige paint, white cabinets and stainless, professional appliances with marble-like stone counters. The nice thing about white cabinets is that you can see when they are dirty and clean them. We have gotten raised eyebrows for installing dark espresso wood floors since they scratch easily (we have a chocolate lab), show dirt and they will be dated in 10-15 years but I still love them (when they are clean lol). We are in our late 30's and we have a small child and another on the way. But we plan to be in this house until we retire so the bottom line is, do what you love when you remodel but don't neglect your house. Keep updating it over the years. And to those who are so critical of the younger set, this article was aimed towards a more affluent demographic. It might surprise you that although the economy nationwide might be struggling, there are pockets of this country where twenty-somethings can afford a lot more than you could when you were that age. Why shouldn't they get what they want?

mymichele Thank you to all!! I am thoroughly enjoying this conversation!

It seems that there is some confusion as to what a home stager actually does, though. A good home stager uses colour, paint, furniture, decor, and sometimes renovations to highlight the best features of the house, to appeal to the most likely buyers. If buyers are walking away talking more about the artwork and furniture, then you have most likely hired a decorator, not a home stager.

When a home owner decides to sell, they become a house owner. A house is a product to be marketed. A home stager can be a valuable asset is helping to sell a house quickly and for top dollar.

mymichele Thank you to all!! I am thoroughly enjoying this conversation!

It seems that there is some confusion as to what a home stager actually does, though. A good home stager uses colour, paint, furniture, decor, and sometimes renovations to highlight the best features of the house, to appeal to the most likely buyers. If buyers are walking away talking more about the artwork and furniture, then you have most likely hired a decorator, not a home stager.

When a home owner decides to sell, they become a house owner. A house is a product to be marketed. A home stager can be a valuable asset in helping to sell a house quickly and for top dollar.

stacymt If you want to know who uses the large soaking tub in the master bath -- I DO! And I am the target demographic, we have a 9 month old and a 2 year old, and I use the tub most nights after the kids go to bed just to relax a bit. We are closing on our new house next week. We turned down two houses precisely because they only had large showers in the master bath and no tub. I also agree with the comments about upgrades, one of the things we tried to avoid in our purchase was paying for someone else's quick fix upgrades. We'd rather pay less and use the money to make the house what we want. Having said that, our priorities were first and foremost a well built house with the kitchen open (or capable of being opened) to a family room with doors to a patio for indoor/outdoor access for grilling and the kids. We didn't get a lot of the other things we wanted (hardwood, older home charms w/built-ins, etc),but we'll remodel over time to get those.

Linda Graveline I stage for a design co. in L.A. whose homes usually, literally sell in days with multiple offers. Hate granite, love honed carrara marble or butcher block. De-clutter for sure, you probably don't need 50% of your belongings anyway and a garage sale could fund improvements like chrome plumbing fixtures, paint, accessories or even a nice countertop. If your furnishings are mostly neutral, add colorful modern pillows from West Elm and put some fresh flowers on the dining tables/nightstands. I've painted two of my own rooms in Behr's "Elephant Grey" and LOVE IT. It's not cold at all, it's soothing and totally chic. Curtains are much better than thin white or vertical blinds. If your hardwood floors are imperfect, put down some gorgeous flea market rugs and add a few kitschy items to compliment the older feel, just make sure to smell rugs before you buy them! Hide or toss anything that screams "A grandma lives here".

Pamela D I sold our house less than a year ago. It took four months; the appraiser said houses at our price point were taking 6 months to sell. The market was so dead, I went 6 weeks with nobody even touring the house! I filled a storage unit with the contents of the basement, most closets and my sewing room. I sent out the brass master bath fixtures, including bidet & Kohler jet tub fixtures, to be replated in chrome for $240 ~ this got rid of a 90s brass bathroom on the cheap. In our main floor full bath we painted the oak vanity black and added a b/w speckled granite counter with square sink($250 at big box store) with brushed nickel fixtures ($200 on sale) and simple wainscot on the walls. We painted the entire empty basement, the entry hall up & down, 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms. We replaced the entire upstairs carpet - it was 17 years old. Everything was spit-polished and fresh looking. I did not need to touch the kitchen as I had upgraded it years earlier.

Here is what I learned: most young buyers do not know the difference between a $5000 stove and a $500 stove or what that stove will do for them. They don't care if there is a second oven or that the appliances are very high end. The kitchen only has to have the cheapest of shiny stainless steel to pass muster. My upgraded kitchen - which was done by & for me years earlier - was more than was necessary to sell the house. The thing that most realtors considered a plus - a very private wooded back yard, actually lost us a sale in the first week and turned off 2 other buyers. The wife wanted my kitchen and baths, the husband wanted to put in a pool - in upstate NY for 8 weeks use. You can't possibly anticipate every buyer who comes through your door.

It all worked out well, because we got a terrific, clean offer from a couple who appreciated our kitchen - they liked to cook and knew we had high end appliances, our woods - they had dogs, and our practically new bathrooms. They even offered to buy every other appliance we had in the house. So all the cleaning, painting,new carpet, storage fees and bathroom upgrades paid off.

mjmarsh This article is interesting mainly because we just finished redoing both of our homes - one due to a major flood and the other because the carpet needed replacing which lead to other choices. Personally, I don't care what age you are or are selling to, you first have to evaluate where you live .... weather, neighborhood, area of country as well as size of home and direction it faces. I love grey - always have & in the past have had a great deal of trouble finding good greys. Thank goodness they are finally (after 30 years) in style!! That said, I would never paint my walls grey in my Seattle area home!!! Too much grey outside and don't want to bring it in - how my gloom would I want to live with - even a warm grey. I have used grey as a major accent. But, I did use two shades of beautiful grey to paint my home in S CA - down there, with all the sun, it is so refreshing. Basically what I am saying is do your research about what is selling in your area!!!!

I think what is more important is having a very clean, uncluttered home with simple lines where people can go either modern or traditional. If one is selling, be sure that floor and wall colors are neutral so that even if the neutral colors you choose are not the first choice of the buyer, the buyer will be able to settle in and enjoy the home without having to rush to change things. Make sure the cabinets are clean inside and out!!!! If your budget doesn't allow a complete do over - new hardware can do wonders. If your budget is limited when preparing for selling - ck with those in the know about how best you can spend your limited budget so that what you do do will attract new buyers in your area. Be smart!!

lrfreemott Your comments are worth $$$ to sellers today. With a 30+year career in real estate these are all valid points but I would also add that first impressions on
the most important...Landscaping especially in the front yard is a MUST...crisp
cleaned out beds with seasonal floors. A clean front porch. Don't forget
to get the windows cleaned along with the house. I tell my clients NO Room Deodorizers...many smell like cat urine and ruin the experience. Don't forget
to turn on your lights, and very soft, low volume music and DON'T be home when you house is being shown.

sweetdfan Obviously granite and stainless steel are not everyone's taste. But to those who are saying that both are dated, overdone, and/or on their way out...a few months ago I found a 20 page discussion online about that very subject, and most had very strong opinions that within a couple years granite and stainless would be outdated. That discussion was from more than 10 years ago!! Stainless today includes the products that look like stainless but aren't so high maintenance, and granite has given way somewhat to quartz, recycled glass, or other more eco-friendly options. But overall, whether it's your taste or not, the metal and stone general aesthetic is probably here to stay for a long while to come, and is usually going to be a safer bet for resale than grouted tile and white appliances.

We just bought a house last year, and we're in our 40's so I think we would qualify as "older buyers"...yet we wanted more modern finishes as well. Not that I ruled out houses with white tile kitchens, but the ones with stone were much higher on the list. In the end, we bought one with stainless and granite. And yes, the appraiser valued our home higher because of it.

shawnaleeah Tough crowd! I loved this article, not that I expect a seller to renovate this much. Although, I wouldn't purchase a home that is super ugly, just because it may cost less. I'm looking for a well-kept, clean home that is livable until I have the time, money, and inclination to update it.

househaven As a recent home buyer in my 30s (with a baby), I think this nailed it. Everything that we have changed in the past year has been on this list. We bought for the neighborhood/land, so we were willing (though grudgingly) to make some updates. And we have changed wall colors, cabinet colors, tub/showers and eventually will do away with the splotchy orange-hued granite in the kitchen too. I think the author got it right.

A warm gray is possible. Example = Behr's "Burnished Clay." We have it in the nursery and it is gray, but has a warm undertone.

morgana44 Another informative article with some very interesting comments from the readers.

trasgorshek I love this article because it's spot on. I just helped my 24 year old nephew find his first purchase. He was on a very tight / small budget and it was amazing the difference in homes. In the end he had to realize that some of his wants/needs had to be compromised for the amount he could spend. There was only one house that really stood out, still an older home but the couple who owned it were young as well and had put a lot of work into it and probably lost a few dollars in the sell. You could tell they loved their home and enjoyed working on it. They did all the right things and yes it had black granite and stainless steel. The majority of buyers cannot see past their first impression of a house to see its potential. It has to be laid out for them or else they will walk.

As for us, we bought right before the market dropped and literally lost 40k in 3 weeks. Thankfully we do not have to sell anytime soon but I've been focused on updating our home even though it was relatively new when we purchased, but mostly builder grade finishes. We live in a town home and there are 3 others in our community with the same floor plan, which sold after ours at the new price point, so when we do go to market ours really has to stand out to get our money back. Which means, it will take a few dollars here and there to accomplish that. I've done most of the work myself to keep the dollars down but my husband and I are absolutely thrilled with the improvements and we know that ours will stand out of the crowd. My prayer is that when it comes to appraisal time, they will have to go outside of our area for comps. But, until then, we love our home and can truly appreciate the upgrades. I'm always looking for my next project.

mrsben In Kristie's defense, I feel she is relating to her own experience as to what appeals to 'younger home buyers' on the norm.
Now with that said; I must admit I agree with many of the comments stated by her readers. Though not in the Real Estate business, I have sold three homes myself that I owned within a matter of days. The latter of which sold recently and I didn't even have the opportunity to put a sign out. (It was sold by word-of-mouth to a very young couple BTW.) Realizing that the U.S. housing market is in a slump compared to that of Canada, understably competition is probably a little more fierce however I believe if one has their home properly priced, has kept it well maintained, is up to code in standards and is clean .... it will sale. Demographics of course also play a major role, however IMO one should never dismiss the fact that there is a market for younger buyers who do not wish cookie-cutter type homes and are quite willing to forgo the grantie counter tops, stainless steel appliances, white cabinets etc. I live in a mature area and there is a wonderful blend of both young and old homeowners. A plus is, that our lots are considerably larger than those you will find in most new developments which is a great drawing card.
In summary not to sound harsh or critical, I personally feel it is very unfortunate that lists similar to Kristie's has become the 'influential mantra' by many (not all) who are affiliated in the housing industry who understably and rightfully prefer a quick sale, in order 'to put bread on their own table. '

Riverpark Interiors My wife actually suggested to me that she would like to take our big tub out and put a bigger walk in shower there in it splace. We never use the tub. The area where our current shower is would become her own vanity cove cabinet area with a nice mirror and custom lighting for doing her hair and makeup. The area above has plenty of room for more storage. We have the kids bathroom which will always have a tub/shower if we need to soak. I told my wife the new shower area would also be much much bigger....for more then one person, she just smiled and winked. Oh sorry TMI!

chantele_m I am in my late 30s and I bought a house last year. We have off-white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, granite counters and an open, glass shower and we looked for things like this. Guess I'm a stereotype, who knew? ;) Oh, and the walls are a warm, grey colour too! Ashley Gray by Benjamin Moore, very nice. Kinda taupey: http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/paint-color/ashleygray

ngw333 I would also add to your list-organized closets. Well worth the money spent and definitely a sell to the young. They don't want to see just a closet rod and shelf.

I like your idea especially regarding paint as I am planning on a paint update for possible sale in 2 years. Sold our last house in 2009 in difficult market but had to do some upkeep to sell. Had tile floors which needed to be cleaned and re-grouted to update, paint walls, replace carpet, minor repair, clean, de-clutter, removed built in entertainment wall. (all done consulting a stager) Sold quickly in winter which was amazing as also had a swimming pool. That house had black granite which I hated as water streaked and the counters always looked dirty unless polished. My new house has a brown/golden granite (brand new house-I did not pick granite) and I hate it too. It hides all the dirt and the counter looks clean until you put your hand down and realize--sticky. Next house, I would look for a different color!!
I looked at 250+houses before buying. I can see the bones of the house but the biggest turn offs were dirty basements, and stuffed closets and storage areas. I have teens so houses filled with lots of kid's toys (especially those large plastic ones) were a turn off. If you have small kids and lots of toys, put some in storage. Nothing makes a house more cluttered than tons of big toys. Also- for houses with kids-re-paint those bright colored bedrooms and bathrooms. A bright pink, purple, blue, green bedroom or bath turns off everyone.

trasgorshek One more thing to add...update your lighting. Big impact without breaking the bank! Makes a huge difference.

ddenise1 I think this article is great - but I have a question about bathrooms. We're redoing our master bath (12 x 12) and currently have a smallish shower, a big tub and a semi-private toilet room (shares with the shower). I love love air jet tubs, so I'm putting in a small one. Question - are private toilet rooms really a big draw? Should I make the toilet room private and use up the space? Or open it all up for a big, glass enclosed shower?

heatherg Zuitzy makes a valid point about most people not being as design savvy as Houzz readers. In my experience as a real estate broker, buyers don't want to have to put in a lot of work. They want move-in ready thanks to shows like House Hunters. Furnished homes show better than vacant ones. Buyers are able to picture whether their furniture will fit in the space by comparing it to what's there.

Real estate is very local, but everything Kristie said would apply where I live. Your mileage may vary. The most important things to do regardless of where you live are to make sure your home is spotlessly clean, declutter and remove excess furniture to showcase the SPACE in your home, and the two most important: 1) depersonalize - remove family photos, kids' artwork, etc. Buyers need to be able to visualize themselves in your home. And 2) have a professional home inspection done BEFORE you put the home on the market and make all repairs necessary. Keep the invoices for major items to show the work was done by a professional. This is one expense the buyer won't have to face and they will appreciate it. The result of the home inspection is one area where a deal can go south very quickly.

Decor is very taste specific, but if the home is clean, neat, and with no deferred maintenance it will appeal to the largest number of buyers. That, in addition to being priced right, will go a long way to getting your home sold in a timely manner.

einportlandor Bought seven houses, sold six of them, remodeled and decorated several of them over the past few decades and agree with most of the writer's comments. But one thing jumped out at me that might be worth considering before you pick up that paint brush.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and would NEVER recommend painting a house gray (or blue). It is dark here eight months of the year and grayed-out colors just suck whatever light there is right out of the room. When I lived in California I painted a couple of different houses gray and it worked beautifully, but not here. Go with a warm neutral instead and make sure there is plenty of ambient light.

I think some of the readers are missing the writer's point. A smart seller considers who the most likely buyer of his house will be and then dresses it up to appeal to that buyer. It has nothing to do with being "spoiled" it's just a good business strategy. An easy way to figure it out is to visit newly built houses in your price range. These houses are almost always staged by people who understand their target market. You probably won't want to invest a ton of money in a house you plan to list next month, but you'll be surprised how paint and a couple of strategic purchases from TJ Maxx, Ikea or Craig's List can update your space.

Ana We had my mom and dad's house to sell after they passed away.

We had real estate agents in before we did any improvements to see what they recommended for the area the house was in. Before renovations, they estimated we could put it on the market for around $300,000.

This house was built in 1956 and the bathrooms still had the old tile style and original fixtures. The kitchen had been renovated in 1995 in a mauve and light woodgrain theme.

We would add crown molding in all rooms (it didn't have), remove the old vinyl flooring in the bedrooms (worn badly) and replace with wood veneer, totally renovate both bathrooms (1 tub, 1 shower) with modern style tiling and frameless glass enclosures and kitchen with granite and thermofoil cabinets (new stainless appliances.) This was accomplished for $30,000.

By doing our homework, shopping for the best buys, getting the right contractor and choosing the right neutral themes, we were able to put the house on the market for $449,000 (we wanted to get $430,000 so left room for negotiating).

The house sold in 2 days... for $430,000. $130,000 more than originally suggested before renovations. That's a pretty good return on investment (if you can afford it.)

We believe the key here was keeping the tones neutral, something people could live with and insert any design/color accent additions of their own as well as keeping the style simple in everything.

Just sharing our experience. I don't think there is any way to know what all buyers want but updating with clean, simple lines and neutrals I believe has a lot of bang for the buck! :)

astraea Bravo, Logicbutton! When I bought my first house at 33, and again when I moved 3 years ago, I didn't feel like paying for a new, trendy remodeling, that wasn't to my taste! As long as things were clean & functional, I preferred to pay a little less for something outdated, and do what I wanted with it!! When I bought the house I'm in now, I'm sure they used a decorator's input on paint colors .. and I hated it, and repainted the whole house!

loniluna To be quite blunt,I think this is a dreadful article. I presumably calls out to a certain target audience in certain neighbourhoods, but fails to take into consideration the markets so many of us are dealing with. I live in the country in an economically depressed real estate market....this is absurd. If your article is narrow and limited to only those in a certain market, say so.....you loose credibility by failing to understand the circumstances faced by many.

Amanda C. Kristie, I thought this article was great. I'm 25 and looking into buying a house in the next year. Every time I look at an outdated kitchen in a house, I imagine it with white cabinets and grey walls. The shower thing is right on the money too. I don't want to live in a house that looks like the one my grandmother lives in. I want to live in the houses I see in magazines.

dbartley @mymichele - completely agree! I am in this demographic (early 30s with a young child) and I just painted the first floor Silver Fox and have Revere Pewter in several rooms on the second floor. Love this article generally - it really speaks to my taste. Good colors and a lack of clutter work wonders.

loniluna I must add that the idea that you will be selling to a younger buyer may well be ill-founded (not based in research). We have a bungalow and many older, retired people have an interest in it. This article is so narrow and limiting.

lemaparker If I had the money to update my house in all the ways described - just so I could sell it... Might as well not move! Not going to make a profit after all that in today's market anyway!

mcd53 Certainly when you have a home that old that someone has loved and spent their lives in it has to be updated. You were extremely smart doing your homework. Matt415 was able to get granite because that's what was going in every home starting about 2005. Granite and the garden tub. Someone before him paid a lot more for it than he did. We are helping our daughter get her 1st home, her starter and I was stunned to find granite in the kitchen in this 1400 sq ft home. Of course it's lovely, but really.

erinann724 As a 30 year recent homebuyer, this article is spot on. I recently purchased a home that needed updates. The first thing we did was tear out the kitchen. We installed white cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a wood island. I do like antiques- and they look perfect in the new kitchen.

We also painted the entire house Elmira White and Grant Beige- Love Greige!

kathi123 Wow, Kristie, you really hit a nerve with some people-I think your ideas are right on-we just recently updated our 20 yr old house a year ago, so we could enjoy it before we have to sell,its hard work, but there are super deals to be had out there-I must be missing something-I find all of the stainless steel easy to care for,plus my black cooktop cleans in a flash with cerama-bryte-I found using just a warm washcloth on my granite, while drying it quickly, makes it sparkle-my only regret is not doing it sooner!

j8b0 Most people here are very upset "telling" younger buyers why they should or should not want something. example: black granite. You are missing the point, your aim is to sell your house! so stop the preaching, leave that for your 20-30's something kids. Yes the pictures presented in this article seem to be of $$$homes but it doesn’t always cost much to make a home look high-end on a budget. Many young buyers want a certain look and feel and it can be done on a budget. For example, paint. It does not cost much and it can go a long way in making a house look more with the trend. Also, stripping, sanding and staining your hardwood floors and wood staircases in a trendy color will make your home look more "young". This combined with with making sure you keep up to date on maintenance, cleaning and un-cluttering the spaces should be sufficient with a tight budget.

What frustrates me the most are the older sellers not putting any effort in trying to sell their homes. You need to understand supply and demand. It's a buyers’ market so adjust accordingly. It's not like in years past when people where just buying anything with no expectations. I have a million homes to choose from I don’t need to buy your house but you NEED to sell yours.

stevepr Of course a 7 point article isn't going to apply to everyone everywhere...and no one wants to read an article telling you to clean, declutter and price your house realistically. But if you're trying to appeal to the young professional demographic and these changes are practical to make they certainly seem like they would appeal to the largest percentage of that age range (in most regions) and increase your chances of a quick sale for top dollar. Honestly, I'm not sure what everyone expected...maybe a 100 pages detailing specific demographics in specific regions complete with sales data, analysis and pictures etc. - then again who would want to read that...or more importantly put that information together for free on a website.

Britastina j8b0: You don't have millions of houses to chose from unless you have unlimited income and can live anywhere. Most buyers narrow their search down by price, location, proximity to work, amenities, schools, etc. Once those factors are considered, the only homes you can buy are those that are for sale. You also seem to be confusing sellers with custom home builders. Not all, but most sellers are willing to compromise as long as your loan has been approved and closed. The search further narrows, ie. if you must have an industrial loft, don't expect a Queen Anne Victorian to satisfy you. If you don't like a house, don't buy it. Someone else will.

lynnag I like that you recommend the white cabinets - dark wood was "in" in the 1970's and everyone has since painted it or removed it. I think the folks putting in dark cabinets and/or dark wood floors now will be sorry later.

The other thing to be careful of with cabinets is to not go ornate. I think "raised panels" are long past being "in". Again, they were in in the 1970's and no matter what you do to try to make them look interesting, it doesn't work. The more you stay to clean lines (shaker style or flat panel) the less trendy or dated it will work. Use decorative accessories to make something "country" or "tuscan". That's easily changed by the buyer, but the cabinets aren't.

As for black granit countertops, neither kitchen pictured had that. I personally find it looks very cold. More than anything, I can't bring myself to destroy the earth to remove tons of granite so that I can have a "prettier" kitchen, which the next buyer is likely to remove to put the next trend in. I went with butcher block and wood cabinets painted white as I wanted my kitchen to biodegrade when someone else re-does it 5 or 50 years from now.

jukesgrrl Due to a career-related move, I had to put up for sale (when the economy was still good) a home in a "young singles" neighborhood in Pittsburgh. I was more than half finished with remodeling and the items left were the easier ones. I put it up for sale at a fixer-upper price. No takers in six months. Every Realtor who looked said some version of, "My people aren't going to do any work. If it's not totally completed, they're adamantly not interested. Money isn't the object; no work is the object." One added, "If they can't give a party the week they move in AND impress their friends, it's a no-go."

I threw in the towel, hired contractors and had them finish my work. The house sold in a WEEK and I was well-reimbursed for all expenditures.

In addition to the stainless steel and granite (I would NEVER have paid for granite myself) and the aforementioned luxury shower, they insisted on hardwood floors (I already had that) and an outdoor space (I had a beautiful walled patio). They also demanded a maintenance-free exterior. To my shock, no one ever asked about the condition of the roof or the HVAC, or the replacement windows ("They don't care about that," said the Realtors.) To my dismay, I was convinced to put vinyl siding on the house. But, hey, it worked.

Your New Home LLC All of these suggestions resonate with my own experience. We make color and material selections that bring unity to the architecture but that as much as possible leave the interior design choices to the new owner. Choosing lighting that is "architectural" but that doesn't lead in a specific interior design direction is tricky. So are plumbing fixtures. We err on the side of modern geometry, chrome, grey, white and unstained oak for flooring. Anything European is a winner as well. Sounds boring but young buyers always love it!

Your New Home LLC We renovate in a housing market that is relatively stable and that lost very little value during the mortgage crisis (Louisville, KY) but of the average 7,000 houses on the market here at any one time, the vast majority will be taken off of the market because they are unsaleable. Either the home is in distress or the sellers are not realistic about the price for a blah house that needs a ton of work. (The number of expired listings divided by the number of new listings gives you a general idea of the percentage that is unsaleable.)

If your home is near good schools and will sell for under $350K, you would be wise to take the advice in this article to heart in Louisville. Other markets will have different price points of course.

One last observation: If you are targeting upscale empty-nesters, all of this advice applies as well. We find that hip 50-70 somethings enjoy the same clean look and Euro lifestyle details that the 20 somethings like. Strange, huh?

georgia55 Hey Kristie,

I think they doth protest too much! You are right on and yes some of our friends here have taken you too literally. What your pictures and comments represent to me is a space that has been re-vitalized and that is what makes it attractive. Yes, it won't be everyone's cup of tea but it will be for the vast number of younger buyers out there and that I believe was your point.

Frankly even those of us of a certain age are not interested in yesterday's colours, floor coverings, kitchens and bathrooms. It is far more interesting to see and be in a space that feels vital and fresh. Which would you be more likely to buy - exactly!

Thanks Kristie! Love your articles and look forward to more.

gwen47 Most important---find a good realtor and take their advice. The market in every area is so different and what applies in uptown New York will not work in in many other areas. (Ever seen an actual country house decorated in faux 1980s French country? Shudder. Still popular in some areas although the second-hand thrift shop I volunteer at has been receiving furniture and decorations with heart-shaped cutouts. Some things don't deserve a second life.)

noopysma I think it all depends on your market. For me personally, working on my home which I've lived in for 15 years is something I enjoy like a hobby. I like the challenge of finding good things at a bargain (Craigslist, tag sales, etc), making them work for me and in the process keeping things out of landfills. I'm very handy which has helped a lot. I learn something new and useful every time I do a project. I like uniquely different ideas as well as classics such as white trim work. I'm currently on a search for old bowling lanes to use as counter tops. If I can't get them at a decent price, I will do cast cement. I try to mix my artistic talents with being resourceful. I've had a lot of fun & saved a ton of money.

mugsy1703 You make young professionals sound like a bunch of greedy, spoiled princes & princesses ... which many of them are. I blame it on too many home decor and real estate reality shows. The sad part is they want all these things on a shoe-string budget. Sometimes a good dose of reality helps :-)

taureg I have had white developer grade kitchen cabinets for the 32 years I have lived in my apartment. I have stainless appliances, bought used from neighbors who were renovating. It looks fine.

I am renovating and decorating and updating the place. The bathroom really needed it and now looks great. The rest of the apartment is light, warm and uncluttered. The kitchen is next. It will, again, have modern white cabinets, probably with a neutral engineered stone counter. Why? Because kitchens and baths get dated very quickly so doing something classic is vital. I am no kid and intend to leave my place feet first but I like knowing that, should I decide to sell, it will go quickly.

In the meanwhile, I will love living here.

BTW, while people may not be on this site, they are more design aware than a decade ago, thanks to lots of sites, shows and, of all things, Ikea, which makes design affordable.

nancyandres If I am going to do all these upgrades, it will cost me a fortune. I understand making your house more marketable, but most of these suggestions are very expensive. If I'm going to put all that money in this house, I'll just stay there!

colleenkittle stainless steel, white cabinets, counter top color, wide open showers (need smaller tub for the kids)...all of those recommendations i can live with in my home. but never, ever, will i paint my walls any palette of gray. they can pick up a brush. painting is the easiest and one of the least expensive changes a new homeowner can make. for me, paint color is the most important decision i will make in a home. it is what will allow me to feel comfortable when life gives me discomfort. gray doesn't do it. i hear a lot about gray in a home and i think it is just the paint/designers trying to come up with something "new". i say don't be afraid to have the gold/greens or browns just because someone says they are no longer "in". i bring color into my home with a mixture of antiques (furniture and pottery) and also with contemporary art. even some gray. but not on my walls.

lovecontemporary I agree with the comments from meghiggs! Kristie is so spot on! My husband and I flip houses also. Once we update the home with stainless, granite, our homes sell within 30 days, which is not happening too often in our area unless you're accepting low ball offers. We get offers very close to asking price. I do believe though with smaller homes that granite is not always necessary, but there are formica patterns that look like granite. New, clean, cabinetry in the kitchen and bathrooms seems to be more of an attraction to our purchasers, as well as hardwood and ceramic floors. New front entry doors also important, adds a lot to the curb appeal. Stainless definitely is not on it's way out. There are other products that can be used besides granite, but in a higher end home, you better not have white appliances or formica counters or vinyl floors. Even if you do sell, you definitely will not get even close to the asking price that your neighbor down the block with the updates gets. A majority of buyers today want to move into a house where all the updating has been done. I love color too, but if you're planning on selling, you need to be somewhat neutral with pops of colors in your decorating.

andicoombs I'm with logicbutton and the_misfit. This article sounds like it was written 5 years ago. White kitchens are ikea kitchens. I'm young and I appreciate the homey feel of wood. I like a mix of antique and modern. Granite counter tops don't make any sense. They are nice, but a counter is a functional thing and granite isn't all that functional. Greys are also a trend of 5 years ago. They were nice but also cold no matter how much brown is in them. Greys with brown in them are greige... and they look dirty. And who wouldn't want a little fixer-upping to do? It makes your house your home. You put your sweat into it. I didn't agree with anything in this article.

raimai agree with logic button, I'm a bit older than 28, but similar mindset, nothing worse than seeing areas done up with basics that you don't like but can't justfify changing and know you're paying an inflated price for. That includes comments about white cabinetry and black stone granite or removing baths. Do agree with other commenters about removing the clutter and cleaning - less bothered about aged appliances if they have good function.

Phancy Design Would love to know the colour of the gray in photo # 1 please.

Claudia Lucas Warm grey? Grey with brown is taupe. Some of the light grey colors are airy and can open up a space. Dark or medium grey for staging may work as an accent wall with a lighter base color.

frenchdecor I don't like staged houses, as often it turns to be a dishonest trick, though to my disappointment, I witnessed, it really works. Houses in my area are 50 years old and we didn't do any additional floor support when we did our recreational room in the basement. Certainly I would never use heavy counter tops now, and God bless new owners with wisdom. Our neighbors' kitchen floor sunk because of over limit weight. My friend, interior decorator, renovated her own brand new kitchen with granite after buying house, and soon after, have had cracked walls because she didn't give a lot of thought whether the extended to the back yard by sellers kitchen has good foundation to hold such load. She also regretted doing dark hardwood floors for herself, as it shows dust after couple of days. Exactly what designers so fashioned in shows. Unfortunately most of us don't have cleaning lady. I am totally agree with most readers sharing their opinion, however, I suppose we are imaginative, or at least we are learning and experimenting home decor readers. I feel sorry for first time buyers, some are so far from their expectations. My other friend is dreaming about contemporary stile re-decorating because it's so lovely, but she is not tidy person, and I imagine her home would look like grotesque against magazine pictures. I am wondering, why professional would like have home which reminds office interior any way? I think healthier to have contrary look of the home to release some stress instantly. Regarding author's suggestion of clear glass shower. It's not for everybody, I think. First, I want privacy, we are not along in the house. Second, quite often we have to jump into the bathroom for something (makeup, comb, dryer...) in the morning wile someone could be in the shower. Having teen son with whom I intersect often without curtain would be pretty inconvenient, I would hate it.
Finally, I am seeking in design shows, topics for practical recommendations, for instance, the minimum clearance between counters, I found by chance, didn't know about their existence. I'd like to know how to make particular style (French, English, Victorian...). To me contemporary looks lovely in the pictures, but too often looks somehow really depersonalized.

divnanata I totally believe what Kristie has outlined is true for selling your home - it is smart, savvy marketing. Unfortunately I am going to be up the proverbial creek without any sort of paddle when it comes time to sell!. What does one do when Tony Duquette's aesthetic rules? I have deep pink walls, Chinamen on silk curtains, crystal crazy chandeliers, vast collections of blue and white, Staffordshire ceramic dogs and greenish Majolica. I have large leopard spotted carpets and pink zebra chair covers. Oh - I have three huge Andy Warhol "Marilyns" in different color ways all lined up. The house came with a deep pink painted cove ceiling in the dining room which was the inspiration for more pink and it all just slightly predated 2011's color of the year! But it also came with a real puzzler of a deep dish Jacuzzi in the master bath. The shower is wonderful - all roomy and frameless glass. The tub, however, is set in an archway with columns (yes, I know....dated grandeur but I like it...) and it could fit a whale comfortably. Buuut - it has a teeny built in television. I don't even know how to turn it on?? It is just too gross. Some say rip it out! Others maintain it is a unique feature that offers personality. I am going to have to remodel but I hate to go over the top the way I secretly want to. I wouldn't have a clue what to put in the tub's place?

lindley2616 I think these are very good tips - the author is not saying everyone will like them but the odds are with you. There are exceptions to every rule - LIGHTEN UP, PEOPLE! :-)
I give my tips from experience: de-clutter, make sure house (outside as well - porches, flower beds, power wash, remove cobwebs, etc) is immaculate and for Heaven's sake, make certain the windows are sparkling clean. And $10 worth of white flowers from the grocery is so nice - a large bunch of hydrangeas will make any room look loved and gracious.

astraea I get the comment someone made about not "preaching" about buyers' attitudes, if you're trying to sell a house. On the other hand, how can people feel bonded to a new home & make it theirs, if they treat it like an apartment someone else remodeled or decorated for them, because they don't want to spend the time doing anything more than moving in?!

I remodeled the 3 bathrooms & kitchen on my previous house, within a few years of moving in. Everything was functional, but older & not my taste. I loved everything I planned, for the next 20+ years I lived there! Everyone talks about being "eco-friendly", but then designers encourage new trends, to the point where people are dissatisfied with their homes after 5 - 10 years, and feel pressured to do major remodels .. so how "eco-friendly" is that?!

The former owner of my current home, put black granite on the "bar" section of the kitchen countertop, but Corian on the rest of it. Not sure his thinking, but a good way for me to compare .. since I came from a house with laminate. The granite looks beautiful, and that's where I stage buffets, but I much prefer working on the Corian, because it doesn't have that hard feel & sound, when you put something down .. and don't worry about cracking a heavy glass pitcher, or chipping granite with a heavy pot! I think the obsession with stainless steel is also ridiculous & designer-driven; give me one functional reason why it's preferrable? I have a SubZero fridge that had what turned out to be a minor freezer problem a few months ago. Replacing it with a SS model would cost about $1,500 more, than getting the one where you put panels in that match your cabinets!

woolylam They painted our house beige downstairs before selling. First thing I did the next year was paint something more colorful. And it totally suits our craftsman style house. I keep trying to think of what suits the home when I do things to it. People who would want my house probably wouldn't want modern anyway.

blueskywoman That 18% gray (or more) on the walls makes the home look like a FUNERAL PARLOR. LOL! the Black Granite slab in the kitchen makes me think of where you'd lay out the body for the autopsy. LOL! White cabinetry for young professionals? LOL! they are going to have little children (eventually) with dirty hands leaving grubby prints on the cabinets when the kiddies go to reach for snacks. The STAIRS to the garden-- I can see kids tripping and tumbling down them. Every kid I have ever seen runs up and down stairs, hops up and down them trying to skip steps (broken or tisted ankles anyone!) And that Clear Lucite end table with the square corners. Picture a toddler walking into that one with their head meeting up with the corner. LOL. Hey-- what do I know, I'm only an Elementary School Teacher who's worked with all ages for 25+ years. Lol. That Glass shower looks like you could keep parrots or snakes in it. Lol. And that window in the shower. Does anyone have modesty anymore? Lol.
Eventually your kids are going to be playing out side. They are going to find a way to peek in that window. LOL. Thanks for the laughs!

Angela Artist/Educator

Vicki Benson I am going to copy these pics above for my own home! As a Realtor in northern VA, I can honestly say that any home that follows the advice in this article, would be a joy to sell! :)

patricia beharry latvywife. I built in 2006, did not want a tub but was talked into it. I have a huge shower in the master but no tub.Every one was telling me I need a tub in the house so I installed one in the guest bathroom; It has never been used in six years. Now I have to spend money to remove the stupid thing and put a shower only in. By the way, all my guests want to use MY big shower that you just walk right into. No stepover, No door.

F. Beth Russo I loved reading the article and truly enjoyed the current comments and perspectives on kitchen preferences. In addition, I was particulary interested in reading how people perceive the pros and cons of Staging. Hence, my thoughts and humble opinion on what I love to do. Staging. It has not only given me strong upper body strength and bad knees but more importantly the opportunity to use my right brain to its fullest while impacting peoples lives in a positive way. In our homes we collect things we love and as years go by it may take a professional to see the hidden beauty. I take great pleasure creating from what is and embellishing on a theme. When people are looking to sell, an experienced creative perspective can be invaluable. With all things taken into consideration it may not be necessary to demolish grama's pink and brown tile bathroom when looking to sell and give it that appeal. With an artistic eye you could create a 'chic vintage' look. Or it may be worth the investment to update the gold ceiling lights and chandeliers of a home with affordable yet very cool fixtures to prevent a buyer from focusing on a negative. Your goal is to make an impact. I too was a Realtor and in my experience the general public lacks vision. From that knowledge, a new industry was born to provide a service for Sellers. Why not invest in promoting your biggest asset in the best possible light. And as we all know, you only get one chance to make a great first impression.

Nannette Anderson I agree with all that was said in this article except for the part where it is suggested to expand your shower area and not have a tub. I feel like a tub is needed in every new home. It is a selling point. What woman doesn't want to take a relaxing bath after work? They have classy, traditional, and claw foot tubs that make the master bathroom a true selling point. I love the last part of the article where they suggest selling your home as a fixer upper. Sometimes it costs more to remodel an older home, so let someone else do it who has the time and money. Take your equity from your home and build what you want. Sometimes it's less expensive. Just my opinion. Loved the pictures.

ruthmatz It all depends on the money the younger buyers have; not everyone who is selling a home will want live in their home and NOT feel comfortable with the decor; there is more to life and decorating than the profit: that is, with then end in mind being pleasing a buyer: IT'S ABOUT LOVING YOUR HOME AND MAKING IT YOURS!

denastevens I agree with everything mentioned above. But as a Realtor it's amazing to me how many younger buyers want a fancy clean look in the kitchen but don't actually have a clue about cooking! They often wonder why so many cabinets.

kaye cie my brother lives in the suburbs, and this article is right in line with his choices remodeling his home. as an urban dweller (and recent purchaser of a fixer), i find the notion of granite counters and white cabinetry very dated. with so many countertop options, why granite? that was the deal breaker for so many places we looked at- 'ug, look what they did to the kitchen!'

open shelving is what the kids are doing these days, and there's a resurgence of darker wood and colored slab style cabs. we went with white ikea cabinets, but painted them, then added with wood veneer faces, and some open shelving above.

for countertops, why not something sustainable? that's the trend, and certainly what smart consumers are looking for (we went with butcher block).

cre8a I am a design & woodwork teacher (currently a Mum at home with kids). Although I have helped my family with renovations for years, my husband has never had this experience and has an incredibly busy job.

Six years ago we bought a house that someone had already 'fixed up' (with most of the things you wrote about in your article) and since then we have had kids and we are planning to move out soon. We would not buy a 'fixer-upper' as I couldn't take that on by myself while the kids are small.

For professional couples that don't have a lot of experience renovating and/or those too busy looking after kids, a house that is already fixed up is great.

IT IS NOT JUST THE COST OF RENOVATIONS THAT FAMILIES THINK ABOUT, it is the TIME it takes. The time it takes to look at & weigh up the different alternatives and the RISK you take not knowing what they will look like and how they will co-ordinate and function together. Also the time it takes to do the actual renovation (where do you put your baby to sleep with constant hammering?) and safety concerns of your children when it happens. Young families may find it preferable to have these things done by previous owners.

WE WOULD NEVER RENOVATE UNTIL JUST BEFORE WE LEFT THIS HOUSE as the over the years our kids have stained the carpet, scuffed/scratched the walls and floorboards (learning to eat/ride, toilet training, "look at this beautiful picture I drew for you on the wall", etc.) and we might have to do it some of it again just before we left.

bjhanlon We sold our family home in 2010. It needed some updating. It was featured on HGTV's House Hunters. The new buyers selected our house, but disdained the updating we had done (new paint, carpet, total de-cluttering...we moved out). They bought it for 435k and sold it recently in the 600's after making some dramatic improvements. They also decided to sell it and moved out of state recently. If I had it to do again, I might have just de-cluttered and sold it as a fixer-upper. If you want to see pictures, go to zillow.com and the address is 4506 W. Beach way Drive, Tampa, Fl 33609

astraea BJHanlon - If the buyers of your home did extensive renovations, and had to pay a real estate commission, and sold the house again within 2 years, they might not have made any or much profit, for their efforts!

I was watching a show the other day, where 3 couples are moving up/out, 2 into homes of others in the group. The host .. a designer himself .. encouraged them to make negative comments about the previous decor, which I hated! I'd rather just think that my taste is different from theirs, not be disrespectful like that. The only thing I'd be negative about, would be sellers who don't clean or at least maintain what they have, and things are broken/damaged.

I often wonder what the House Hunter experience is like; when I was house hunting for my current home, I looked at more than 100 houses to get what I wanted; it took me 3 years, but I expect to be here for a while!

Lexie Longstreet What Comments! As a real estate agent (who knows staging sells houses) I agree with most of the writers points. Every market is different, and every buyer has their own opinion and they are not shy to share it... clearly evidenced here.

All the comments that "buyers" want to redo their own home, or buy a fixer upper .... really? Because those buyers are not in our market. It is hard to sell a house with yellow countertops or even 1990's vinyl flooring. A small oak vanity can be a deal killer. Cobalt Blue walls in a photo, you might not get a showing!

Another issue is financing. With all the lending changes a seller can not even give a buyer a "carpet or painting allowance". This just simply isn't allowed. Cash back to the buyer is considered loan fraud. So the buyer would have to have money to make all these improvements. And they don't.

If you are a seller... call your Realtor. Have them come and walk thru your home and tell you what you need to do for your price range, in your neighborhood, to attract the right demographic. Most are happy to give their opinion!

Here are is a before and after of a home we just put under contract. A first time buyer is purchasing it and it was on the market less than a month. This make-over cost about $1800.

suecarter I sold houses in 2005, 2008 and 2011 and I always redecorated "back to blah" before selling. Personally, I hate it, but then again I, gasp!, love wallpaper. Now that I'm finally in the home we plan to live in forever, I painted my oak cabinets BLUE and my dining room coral. And I love it!!! I also have 3 rooms worth of wallpaper ready to hang. A Realtor's worst nightmare ;) But, if I had to sell tomorrow, I'd definitely paint everything back to neutral. Its foolish to assume that people want to do the work of undecorating my house; give them a nice clean neutral slate to start from.

gmfour Our home is on the "T", nothing we do can change that, how do we get around this real problem

flossyviolet i started getting my home ready to sell 3 years ago. in the meantime i am enjoying my stainless steel appliances, white cabinets that were painted proffessionally, off white floor, pale green walls, it's a small kitchen but now it looks larger. copied one i saw on this site. have one more room that needs a do over and then will hang in here as long as i can. i'm 90. and i really need to declutter.

Staged 2 Sell Nashville As a Realtor and the owner of a real estate staging business, I feel that this is an excellent article. Selling your home today is a matter of playing the odds - you need to market your home to the highest percentage of buyers. Making a home neutral, with minimal accessories and keeping taste-specific items put away will increase the percentage of buyers liking your home enough to make an offer. One thing I repeat over and over to my clients - Decorations to a seller are Distractions to a buyer!

mojavec We are very new to this world. We've never sold a house and now find ourselves with three homes. We inherited one and never sold our first home after we bought our second. Now the siblings want to sell the family home that was the mothers since the early 1940s. The original house was built around 1890 and has been added on to several times. It is in pretty bad shape. Rather than sell it for next to nothing, we decided to make the obvious repairs that were needed and "clean, clean, clean". As I work through one room at a time, I find more and more areas that need TLC. I began cleaning the 1950s range hood and metal cabinets only to find that they had been painted with latex wall paint. It easily came off revealing avocado green. I painted the range hood gloss black to match the black and white appliances and will be painting the cabinets gloss white. The bottom cabinets are wood. A real eclectic mix. All the cabinets are going white. The kitchen is very small, so I feel this will open it up a bit. The counter is laminate and I don’t intend to replace that. I’ll leave that to the buyer’s to choose. All the walls are being painted a neutral linen color (they were terra cotta and turquoise).

Our housing market is just horrible for a seller right now and the neighborhood is very depressed, but we feel that a little TLC will go a long way. I suspect we will invest around $2500 before we are done, but I hope that we’ll be able to recoup our investment. I appreciate reading any and all advice and tips. Some apply and many don’t, but I’ll take anything I can get right now.

Are we on the right track???

lizsend I would like to see comparisons of decorating and staging in the same room settings.

sylvietrepanier I have just sold my 45 year old house in 2 days, over asking price & 2nd top price in the entire history of our neighbourhood. My take on this, CLEAN was key, they loved my modern corner shower and free-standing bathtub, modern stainless steel appliances, decluttered spaces and fresh, young looking yet liveable furniture. What am I putting in my new house: quartz counter tops, mix of brown and white kitchen cabinets, simple tiles, fun or very simple fixtures (because I can take them with me when I move) and yes 'more stainless steel kitchen appliances, I love them. I keep away from 'trend of the year' such as horizontal wood grain on cabinets so that selling will be easy. So, I totally agree with Kristie.

mcd53 What no one is saying is that most of these tv shows are horrible and simple going for a rating. If you aren't sure how to bargin take a parent, a friend that has been through it. And that's after you have probably looked at at least 15 homes. But never take someone that encourages you to lie or be mean. And we know that is for tv, but most younger people live by what they hear on tv. Also remember with the market like it is now, so many people are able to afford, now, what they could 5 or 6 years ago. Also if you are lucky enough to find the home you want and can afford within a month you have managed a minor miracle. Houzz is the best app out there, you can't find so many wonderful ideas in one place, but television has made home buying look like it's easier than picking the next book you want to read.

judyg MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE BOUGHT, SOLD AND BUILT MANY HOMES DURING OUR 40+ YEARS OF MARRIAGE. WE'VE ENJOYED EVERY MOVE.

WHEN WE BUY OUR PRIORITIES ARE OUR BUDGET, THE LOCATION AND A GOOD STRUCTURE WITH WHICH TO WORK. AFTER THAT IS SETTLED, WE DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE.

CONVERSELY, WHEN WE SELL, WE WANT TO PRESENT TO THE BUYERS THE VERY BEST WE CAN. IT IS EASIER AND CHEAPER TO KEEP UP THAN FIX UP. FOR US, OUR HOME IS A BIG INVESTMENT. WE WANT THAT PROSPECTIVE BUYER TO SEE THAT WE LOVE IT AND HAVE CARED FOR IT. THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES.

HOW DO MY COMMENTS RELATE TO KRISTIE'S ARTICLE? WE BOTH AGREE YOU NEED TO SHOW A HOME THAT IS WARM, CLEAN, AND LOVED. I DISAGREE ON A FEW OF THE DETAILS NECESSARY TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. BUT DIDN'T HER ARTICLE GET YOUR JUICES FLOWING?

ksickel Stainless steel has antibacterial properties...that is why it is used in hospitals. Plus it is 100% recyclable. Why wouldn't you use it in your kitchen? Butcher block may be a renewable resource but it is a haven for germs. Base your decorating decisions on what works for you not what is in style.

kellystevens I'm sure the article is right but it makes me sort of sad about the lack of imagination on the part of the buyers. When I look at a home, I like to see light, space and character. But if I also see clutter, old stained carpet and a dated kitchen, I know I'm going to offer below asking price. I also prefer to do my own updates instead of paying for upgrades of generic tastes.

astraea To KellyStevens - Totally agree! When I was house hunting, there was one home where they really publicized the "new kitchen". I was psyched, until I saw the builder's grade cabinets, and poor use of space! They expected to make their money back on the kitchen, but I just saw it as something I'd have to rip out & redo. A older, but clean & functional kitchen, would have allowed me to move in, while planning my own remodeling with the money I'd save on buying the house!

tradess2012 I have been pressured so many times by realtors to "update" my kitchen with granite and such to the point were granite is a dirty word in my house. My countertops and backsplashes are all done in neutral off white tiles, similiar to subway tiles. Looking at magazines, West Elm, and such catalogues, they seem to be much in vogue again. Unfortunately, realtors (yes, they influence their clients and rather show houses from their own networks) have different tastes and opinions. I DO cook a lot, thus my kitchen is very functional, clean, open, light and a joy to work in.

It doesns't make sense to spend $15K or so to update a kitchen for the likes of realtors and then discover your home price will be reduced anyhow and the buyer doesn't like the windows because there is too much glass (true experience),

Ana The way the housing market is now, why would anybody want to appeal to only one demographic? Keeping everything in a tone/design that will fit in with any decorating scheme would be a much better idea.

Personally, white cabinets are a turn off to me. They are too sterile and remind me of a doctor's office or hospital. Black appliances are extremely popular, too.

An article to appeal to a broader based audience would be much more helpful.

Rohnn Kostelecky You should have mentioned sellers need to have decent photographs when trying to sell their home, like the ones above. Most pictures on the MLS the rooms are dark, windows bright taken with point and shoot cameras. Hire a professional to take your listing photos, for less then a $200 in our area your listing will stand out, get more clicks and more showing.
Rohnn Kostelecky
Real Estate Broker and photographer

tradess2012 To sum it all up, 80% of the new younger buyers who looking at older homes want/demand everything new and updated like a new home but at much lower prices.

astraea Rohnn - In NJ, the realtor is the one who takes the photos & decides what goes on the MLS. I remember seeing one home where the realtor was supposedly friends with the homeowner, and there were NO interior photos. It was a beautiful contemporary in excellent condition, and I felt like leaving a note for the homeowner to complain to her agent!

Dawn Templeton Actually a good realtor includes PROFESSIONAL property photography in their list of services that they provide a seller. DO NOT list with anyone who does not offer professional photography. As they say "a picture is worth a thousand words"

mcd53 What was it the realtor said "most people are out of touch with the general public". We are the general public. How insulting. About ten years ago every designer decided we needed granite counters, garden tubs, and glass front and back doors. And every home had the same door. Our front door was pretty but it was the first thing I had redone. I love my wood double doors now. Again I haven't seen an avocado countertop in 30 yrs. Most people if they stay in a home long enough they do upgrade. Granite may look great, but very few can afford it unless they are buying a home that is about 8 years old and someone else paid for it. We lived in our home 27 years and I had no problem letting it go, although the kids did. And I was shocked at what the realtors 'did not' know. The weren't sure about the cable, phone company and a few had no idea what district we would be living in. Do your realtor homework. Make sure the curb appeal is great and clean,clean,clean the home, clean paint, clean floors. Stainless steel may be great for in a hospital, since you need the antibacterial quality there, but I have managed to cook and clean without making anyone sick for years for 37 years. and at my age I have a very modern, but comfortably home that the kids and grand kids love to visit.

gwen47 Oh, yes, photos! I had a very good realtor, but her photos left something to be desired. My garden---small yard, no grass to mow, mostly perennials and shrubbery which required very little upkeep, beautiful for most of three seasons---was supposed to be a sellong point. (Kansas is unlovely in the winter no matter what you do and that was when I was selling.) I sent her digital photos (I'm a semi-professional photographer), but she never posted them.

From what I've heard, the buyer did appreciate not having to mow.

raimai looking through the comments, and the article I finally put finger on the issue I had with the article. There was not counterpoint about the worth of home as is, the capital to implement all the suggestions, and the anticipated return. Once you rip out a bath, you are really talking about an entire bathroom do over - that can be between $15-25k. Some of the kitchen modifications and ugrades, again you are looking between $8-20k. You just don't invest that sort of money prior to a sale without being sure to see a $30-50k return I would have thought? And if you couldn't afford to do that 2-3years prior to sale, should you risk it at sale time ? So in summary it's a case of making a budget first then list of to do's - including next to no cost (cleaning, declutter, get the old furniture into the garage or offsite, rearrange all furniture to create space and light, yard tidy), some repairs (lights, any lino tears, lose tiles, torn lino/carpet, etc), and any obviously really bad wall paint jobs in a neutral colour in keeping with remainder of the house scheme. After that the investment in cabinetry, granite stone tops, and ripping out baths made little sense financially to me.

gwen47 Yes, Raimai, you are exactly right. This article really seemed to hit a nerve with a lot of people and you've put words to that vague sense of "there's something wrong here." I went to a class for first time home buyers and was told that putting a $20,000 kitchen in a $50,000 house is not going to make it a $70,000 house. I've always kept that in mind. (Obviously that was a long time ago.)

Your New Home LLC How much should you spend getting your house ready for sale?

Our company buys houses, totally renovates them (new HVAC and roof, systems, new kitchen, new baths etc.) then resells them. Like a "flip" only we do much deeper renovations. Our renovation budget ranges from $50-75K on houses that will sell for between $275-350K.

We are quite experienced, but we still buy a professional appraisal on every property and ask the appraiser what the price points will be with varying levels of renovation. A realtor can do a similar service by running a comparable properties search but they don't typically know with precision the expected value of a new kitchen or new floors for example.

You will probably find out that granite counter tops might deliver a decent ROI but a new roof and HVAC will not. But is it ethical to sell a house to a young couple that has granite but the roof and furnace is over 20 years old? We think professionals should NOT do that, but homeowners have to make their own decisions about whether to make the house great for the next owners, or put lipstick on the pig and make the most money.

A professional appraisal costs $400 in our market but can save thousands of dollars in renovation missteps. If you want to maximize your net gain when you sell your house, an appraisal is an important part of the equation. A realtor will run comps as part of their service but you need more than just comps if you are contemplating major updates.

In our market (which is quite good at the moment) homes are selling quickly that are in move-in condition. A couple of bedrooms painted in primary colors for the kiddos will kill a deal. Formica on the counters and vinyl on the floors? Those homes will either sell to someone like me (you hope not!!) or they will be taken off the market (usually what happens).

Since 2008, the rules for selling real estate have changed. The easy sale of your canary yellow kitchen in 2006 has no bearing on the market today. Young buyers have no money, time or patience to repaint in their own personal style nor do they want to compromise on their wish list. I council my own children to be patient and picky when they buy a house. Your buyers will be too.

I'm bracing myself for enraged comments from all the canary yellow fans out there!

astraea Your New Home LLC - What are all these young home buyers so busy with .. texting each other & posting minutia on Facebook?! Why aren't their parents raising them with a better appreciation for giving their home a higher priority?

olldroo I don't think ethics comes into selling to the young (or any age when it comes to it), if they put granite over the structural condition of a house then they obviously need a lesson in REAL life. Of course, tweeting "we just bought a house with a new roof" doesn't have any social status either.

A

Your New Home LLC Hi Astraea -- A lot of young buyers today are focused like a laser beam on keeping their jobs. They are working ridiculously long hours, often dual careers, and there is no time for home renovations -- especially if they have young children. I think young professionals work harder today for lower wages and they get less off time than anytime in history. And they have very little disposable income after paying the mortgage, child care and the grocery bill. That trend started really in the '80's but has gotten continually worse especially during this recession.

Younger buyers also see the mistakes that the boomers made by getting in over their heads in a house and then losing it to foreclosure. I don't remember anyone being foreclosed on when I was young; today every young person knows a dozen families in foreclosure.

They are smart. They want a very good house at the lowest possible price and they don't want to do any work to it. That's the reality of a buyers' market dominated by well-educated buyers (thanks in part to HGTV) who are careful with their hard-earned money.

That means we have to be smarter sellers as well and think like an investor or simply be content to stay put in the house we have. More often than not, empty-nesters can't move to their dream retirement home because they don't understand the realities of selling in this market. Forums like this can really help them if they keep an open mind.

I do, however, appreciate your point of view, but I think you may be confusing high school and college kids with young adults who seem to me to be more serious and responsible than any generation since WWII. We work with a lot of young couples and I'm generally impressed with their savvy and business-like approach to home buying.

astraea I can relate to being busy at work, when I bought my first house, but I still preferred to get a house with “good bones” but outdated kitchen/bath at a good price, than pay for someone else’s taste in having them already renovated. I was probably lucky to have been house hunting starting in 2006, so I became very familiar with the market, by the time I sold my house in 2008; and I had a contract within 2 ½ months. One thing I hate about those TV house hunting shows, is the self-imposed short deadline to find a house, when there’s no external reason to move. I agree with the others here, who think it’s nuts when buyers are so focused on “keeping up with the Joneses”, insisting on granite & stainless, when they admit they’re not into cooking! And those massive whirlpool tubs .. I have one; do these people realize how much water they use, and how long it takes to fill them up?!

divnanata My husband came up with a revolutionary opinion that we have to stop thinking about our homes as investments. He says they no longer are since everything depreciates so much. I tried to use the argument that you have to think about selling when you plan improvements but he says that is bull (darn it...) Obviously you have to make structural repairs but cosmetic ones are for your consumption only. Actually it is sort of liberating to not worry about it and face the fact that prices are just going to go dooooown. On the flip side they are down when it comes time for you to buy as well. He says realtors and remodelers will tell you differently but they have an agenda. Will housing appreciation ever return to the days of yore?

olldroo Your New Home LLC - Your comments are quite confusing me. This article is on selling to the young professionals and from the photos and finishes suggests they only want the very best. You say you spend between $50 - $75k on renovations, including a new roof, kitchen and bathroom. That to me suggests flat pack kitchens and basic bench tops for starters, the complete opposite to what is being suggested here.

I am still trying to get my head around the fact that you can actually buy a house for $350k, but at what point would you not renovate and simply detonate and rebuild??

I am slowly working my way around language barriers here, but what is a HVAC please?

Oh, and I do love yellow, it is a happy colour, just not canary yellow first thing in the morning.

tradess2012 Tried to put in my 2 cents worth of the expensive remodeling article myself without being rude or disrespectful, but came up with a simple solution..... From my experience with neighborhood houses, its a different business in buying distressed houses for a song (canary?) and then fix them and flip same.

kimber11 grovvygranny - an HVAC is the Heating/cooling system; where are you from. $350K should be a terrific budget for a first time homeowner in Ontario.

olldroo Thank you Kimber11. Our climate isn't extreme enough for that. In my part of Australia $900k might buy you a serious fixer-upper (if you are lucky) but many need too much work or are not suited to today's lifestyle and are demolished and rebuilt. Major renovations and extensions can easily cost in excess of $500k, a reasonable rebuild can start at $300k. Scary isn't it!

kimber11 groovygranny - wow, how does a young person, or first time homebuyer efford it there? Good thing it is such a beautiful country, makes up for the extreme cost I guess!

olldroo Thank you, we love our little part of the world. Depends on career choice, many people earn big money. Many can't afford it and lease or take what they can get in cheaper areas on the outskirts of the city, but you are still looking at $500k +. The smart ones live at home, buy apartments and lease out until such time as they get sufficient equity to sell and use that money as a deposit on a home. Fortunately there is a high demand for rental property. I just know I wouldn't like to be starting again.

astraea Divnanata – You can still think of your home as an investment, but more like “slow growth” or “preservation of principal”, than “easy money”! Eventually the market will stop going down, and may head up again .. but SLOWLY. When I read the comments here about young people wanting houses, but not wanting to put the money or effort into it, it reminds me of what should be the other primary consideration .. personality; some people are homeowners because they like the control & flexibility it gives them. You can do what you want, when you want to (within the limits of your resources). You don’t have to ask for a landlord’s permission, or justify that the landlord should pay for what you want to do. As far as planning improvements, everyone has their own ground rules; some people want things a certain way, and don’t care if that reduces the value when they sell, other people won’t do a discretionary improvement, unless they know they can get a set % of their expenditure back .. and there’s a spectrum between those extremes.

Your New Home LLC Groovy Granny -- renovating empty properties professionally costs a lot less per square foot than renovating houses with families living in them. We get much better pricing on fixtures, appliances, granite, paint and lighting because of volume and it costs trades people far less to work for me than for a typical homeowner. (They come and go as they please, we clean up after them, our expectations are crystal clear, we make very few mistakes, etc.) We site-build cabinets which is a major savings as well. We can do new systems, granite, new baths and kitchens for about $20/sq ft. That would cost a homeowner more like $50/sq ft. To contrast though, a flipper might spend as little as $5/sq ft. putting lipstick on the pig. I'm in Louisville where houses are (and always have been) a great value. We also get a lot of bang for our contractor buck in this town where there are a lot of skilled tradesmen so you have to scale the pricing up or down depending on your market. Astute observation though!

olldroo Thank you Your New Home LLC. It is really interesting getting perspectives on other areas. Obviously too with an empty home you aren't confined to time frames allowing better use of tradespeople, but definitely your tradespeople seem far more multiskilled and less expensive than our people. I am presently renovating a small ensuite 4' x 11'6" (small by US standards) and it is costing just under $11k and that is keeping everything as basic as possible. That was the cheapest price I could get, fortunately with a builder I have confidence in.

I do take you to task though over an earlier comment you made - no, it is not strange we oldies want the same fittings and finish as the younger generation - just as the younger generation are time poor and want easy maintenance and have automatic appliances that are easy to clean and maintain, we like to make the most of our retirement and want that same easy maintenance. We don't bend and zip up and down ladders like we used to. The suitability of finishes for young children applies to us too - those children are our grandchildren.

Kari Skater We are young buyers who prefer NOT to have granite / marble counter tops - certainly not black. The home we are selling has black granite and constantly wiping it as it shows every spec of dust. We also prefer stainless appliances but white is fine! The most important to us is that the carpets are out - we prefer to choose our own wood floors. And that the home be "professionally" clean!

Britastina No home will appeal to every buyer. Trying to appeal to everyone is impossible. Remodeling to appeal to everyone is impossible. Talk to a reputable broker to define who your market is (young family, young professional, empty nester, retired with constantly visiting grandchildren, etc) and gently stage/update towards that market. Don't go overboard or spend too much money. Make sure your home is clean and uncluttered. Listen to the professionals. Don't pay attention to people who insist you make expensive renovations. More often than not, they are more interested in making money for themselves than making money for you. Most important, have a comprehensive home inspection and correct everything you can afford. If you don't, you could be in serious legal trouble regarding your disclosure statement. I could be the best money you ever spent.

prospera @Kari. If the black granite counters drive you crazy, be careful choosing dark wood floors. They look fabulous, but also have that "speck of dust" problem. I have them and am constantly sweeping or vacuuming. I just bought a robot vacuum, but haven't had a chance to use it yet. That's how much it drives me crazy. I went out of my way to avoid granite (got the recycled off white CaesarStone that sparkles), but didn't even think about the floors as something that would bother me. I'm not saying don't get it (dark) just a heads-up.

yvonnebay This is a rage against grey. I live in New Zealand and we are presently trying to sell our house. We think its beautiful. However, I can totally relate to those negative comments about grey. This seems to be the "in" colour in New Zealand at the moment and every "cookie-cutter" house has grey walls, black curtains, white cabinetry in the kitchen and black granite tops. Absolutely no imagination whatsoever. I've just visited a friend's newly built house and it was as described - a very expensive funeral parlour. Just thought you might like a perspective from New Zealand and a photo of our home and garden.

yvonnebay Oh forgot to add the photo of our house in New Zealand.... here it is ... the trees look bare as we are just coming into spring.

prospera Beautiful home and garden in New Zealand! We have friends down there that are wonderful gardeners. Although I can't use a lot of the same plants, I have used the books that they have sent for inspiration. The way yours flows is just gorgeous and so relaxing. That's the feeling I have tried to achieve in mine. Thanks for sharing!

I must confess that I have one grey room. We needed a dark color for the media room and, instead of the standard brown, we chose elephant grey. The room is windowless, so, for a screening room, it works. Even the carpets are grey.

loniluna Having already had my say, I must add that I looked at a listing for a property in Ottawa, where I live. The asking price is $600,00 and the kitchen has a small green stove and a white, older fridge. The home is one of the first built in Ottawa and was construction in the mid-1800's. The cabinets are original pine - plus there is wide pine flooring throught the ground floor, plus original pine built-ins. This place will sell in a heart beat, and nothing would be more disrepectful of the property and its history to re-do the kitchen, as suggested in this article. Clearly the fridge and stove need to be replaced, but stainless and granite would be so far removed from what this home needs. I agree with so many earlier comments...surely staging is about assessing a particular home in a particular environment and market and going from there.

Britastina loniluna,

You are a woman after my own heart. Not all buyers are younger. Trying to cater to them can be a losing proposition and following "trends" can lead to further narrowing of your market. By the way, the home you just described leaves me drooling. Good luck, and please keep everyone posted.

judyg loniluna, Yes, not all buyers are younger buyers. As a matter of fact, my age group is the largest in the country. When my husband and I sell this home we will be looking for a much smaller home/condo. After all these years of owning we have built up a considerable amount of equity, so money won't be the problem; it will be all the bells and whistles that are in houses today (mine included). I won't want what I have!!! I will be looking for bedroom/bath on first floor, no carpet anywhere, no granite (never again) and no stainless appliances (unless it is the new product that doesn't show fingerprints). I'll want air conditioning, but no surround sound/media stuff. The exterior trim will be Asec and the yard teenie tiny. So, I may have to buy a house a RIP OUT all the upgrades. Kinda ironic?

Britastina Judyg:

Are you sure we are not the same person? Anyway - I thought about the original premise of the article and came to this conclusion: If your market is younger buyers, the advice is valid. If your market is Boomers (the youngest of which is 48), they have the money to renovate so if the important things (power plants) are in good condition, you may only need to do de-clutter and stage. Older buyers have the money to make changes to a property with "good bones" and would rather not have to undo trendy upgrades to make the house comfortable. Us Boomers have bought and sold several houses and know what is really important in a property and are more than willing to purchase a home that is worth the price. Those younger than us who don't think it is sexy to buy a home that is sound but not exactly "House Hunter" worthy won't feel the same when the roof leaks, the plumbing goes south or all the electrical needs replacing. Otherwise, if the house is new(ish)and you need to sell, go ahead and replace the corian with granite, replace all the built-in appliances. I would rather buy an older home that has not been "upgraded" and do the renovations myself. If you have the time and don't mind the dust, it is worth it.

bantam Interesting article. Clean and uncluttered works for any age group. It looks so much better not having multiple knick knacks and and over abundance of furniture. I do think that the white kitchen trend will fade in the next five years. We just redid our kitchen with classic natural wood cherry shaker style cabinets with sleek black hardware. Not trendy, just clean lines and classic looking.

Roots and Rafters I'm a "young professional," but I have to strenuously disagree with the assumption that everyone my age is gaga for the the black granite and stainless steel look. Personally, I abominate both trends.

That said, I very much agree with the ideas of neutral paint, white cabinets, and making sure that all of the deferred maintenance is taken care of before you try to sell.

My husband and I are closing next month on a house that's got garish paint in every room, dark kitchen cabinets, and 1970s white laminate countertops -- but we also got the sellers to take a substantial chunk of change off their asking price for our troubles. If you want full-price for your house, a couple of $30 gallons of paint and pre-fab butcher block countertops from Ikea can go a LONG way.

curllee Funny reading through these comments. At the end of the day, it's all about individual tastes. Some of these things are appealing to some people, and will continue to be for some time. But not all things will appeal to all people. So congratulations, you all are normal.

pentalpha And to stevie56, let's not forget the young couple walking into a master large enough to house a family of six and saying 'gee it's kinda small....'! I so agree with you. Those programs like House Hunters just continue to perpetuate the myth. Good-sized rooms, sure. New appliances, terrific, and stainless, a bonus for sure. Hardwood, decent countertops, all nice. But the most important things - good bones, foundation, electrical, plumbing, heating, storage - these are the things these programs should be advocating. Looking at a house with granite counters and a big master, but cracks in the ceiling? Move on.

nake1 I enjoyed this article because it gave another perspective. I don't agree with everything but that just says that everyone has different tastes! We just bought a house in California that overlooks beautiful canyon views. We installed dark cabinets, granite and painted the walls a comfortable beige with a few cool accent walls. We will leave the updating to the next owner and happily live in our house. Thanks for a fun article!

Connie Abbott We are house hunting and are always disappointed when the asellers put in new carpet. We will replace it with wood floors. People looking at our home are looking because of the wood floors and fireplace in addition to the white cabs, black granite, and pretty decor.

prospera Connie, what you said about carpeting old our last house. We did have to replace one area (due to a flood), which we documented with work orders and photos how we (over) repaired the entire area. We replaced that room with durable, neutral carpeting, but the rest of the house was over a decade old. We had planned to clean it all before showing but someone asked to see it. They had just viewed an identical house (the former model for the neighborhood) that had been sitting on the market with every upgrade imaginable, but at a higher price. We did not openly offer a discount for flooring, but we readily accepted the lower price offered so that the buyers could do just that and then some. We were aware what would make the home nicer, and gave them the credit they needed to do just that.

It sold before the listing could be published. The other house sold eventually, for the same price that ours did. Our concentration was on a safe, solid home that someone could make their own, not what we imagined. These buyers were a bit older, and had been carefully saving their money, so trends weren't part of their mindset.

I am not knocking the trends, just pointing out that a few years and experience under ones belt, changes one's perspective. I know it did in our case.

woolylam @Connie- the year after we bought our house we ripped out the 2 year old carpet to expose the wood floor- I felt bad doing it, but I am happy we did it. We also repainted their freshly painted beige some more fun colors. The few rooms they left with paint we have left and enjoyed the colors they painted. This house was on the market 5 months before we looked at 5 years ago- so not sure the things they did helped it sell that much. (Oh they also sprayed the house outside- which after 2 years started looking bad and we are in process of painting)

sharondp Great to know your website Kristie. I think that at the end of the day, no matter how much you've spent on your house, it might or might not make it to the price you really want . We're people who like it as it is and renovate only the necessary. If I had to do up an old kitchen I would not get rid of my wooden doors and cupboards to upgrade "as so it's called these days" to the unreliable material they use to make furniture. I always feel "Old is the real gold" except that changing the trend has begun to matter so much in a world of today. And what about the very old style housing then, how do they become "antique"? As for the baths, the tubs are still an old favourite and you can "relax" in them when you feel like a warm bath in freezy winters. Tell it like it is.....but change can be very exhausting in these times.

Britastina sharondp,
Boy did you ever hit every nail on the head! Since most people use "antique" incorrectly, here is something that may help clear things up for them: Antique means the object is at least 100 years old, period. Antique does not mean "classic", "lovely", or "valuable". So, in 100 years, the acid green fiberboard cabinets in some of today's kitchens (presuming they have not become a soggy mess) will be antiques but probably will never graduate to classic, lovely, or valuable. Fiberboard has a place and a time in just about everyone's life but sooner or later it gets replaced. I agree with you about replacing real wood with imitation wood. I also agree with you wholeheartedly about our "trend" fetish. Trends also have a place when not overdone or taken too seriously. I prefer to think of them as marketing ploys. Would anyone out there replace their wool, cotton, linen or silk with polyester?

maeeast #5 "garden-variety tub"? Did you mean a garden tub (a large, oversize tub, originally installed to overlook a garden) or garden-variety tub (where "garden-variety" means "common" or "ordinary")? Or, have garden tubs become so ubiquitous that they've become garden-variety?

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Oh my goodness, @maeeast, I'm not sure if that was my typo or the editor's, but that is NOT what I meant! Of course, I mean garden tub (not garden-variety tub). I can't believe you're the first to catch that flub!! :)

xina62 You don't have to do all these things to sell your house - who can afford that? The BEST things you can do is Declutter, Clean walls, baseboards, crown mouldings, Repair any damage to walls, Paint walls a neutral color, Paint trim a semi-gloss white, Clean stove & fridge, cupboards, floors, get rid of stuff, hold a yard sale, give the rest to charity, Clean bathtub/shower, toilet (ALL around the toilet), bathroom floor, Clean bedroom floors, Clean basement, No pet smells, No cigarette smoke smells, NO smells, Keep Cleaning, Tidy Tidy Tidy, Organize what's left in your closet, drawers (Yes, they're going to look!), Repair any leaky faucets, fix broken anything, Curb appeal: Pain front door bright color, decorate with seasonal flora, cut lawn, shovel snow, buy new welcome matt; Bright: turn on all the lights, open all the curtains/blinds; keep every room neat & tidy & clean & clean & clean for EVERY viewing until it is SOLD.

patty79 First, I love this site. Second, thank you one and all. I will be selling my home shortly, and your comments helped me decide NOT to put granite countertops in my home...maybe. You see I live in a townhouse community and if someone else in the community is selling and has granite and I do not, I am afraid I will be left out. The truth is, the home was built on spit, glue and a prayer and does not really deserve granite. I am pretty sure I will not be going with granite...maybe.

Roots and Rafters @patty79 -- How about butcher block? It looks beautiful, and if you get it from Ikea it's super cheap! You can even install it yourself if you're handy, unlike granite.

patty79 Funny you should mention it - I was thinking about butcher block. I have not yet priced or even seen any samples yet. Thanks for the Ikea tip!

mmers I live in an 45 yr old neighbourhood. There is a top rated public school in the community, we're relatively close in, and houses sell like hotcakes. It doesn't seem to matter if they are reno'd or not - there is a buyer for all of them. I think the buyers here are primarily looking for the location - and they are willing to fix up the house if necessary.

mmers I should have added that most of the buyers seem to be people who have younger children. The neighbourhood is very mixed - some original owners, some new families, the occasional single person. It's nice.

olldroo mmers, sounds like you live in a similar type of area to me. You are right the mix of owners does make for a nice neighbourhood, but it seems no matter where you live schools are a good selling point and do dramatically affect home values.