Ditch the Dumpy Drapes

Have you seen this photo tip?



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If you've spent any time at all on Pinterest, you've seen it. It makes the rounds at least once a week.

I'm convinced that the reason why it is so popular is because it is so true. I am also certain that the people pinning it are not doing so for themselves. They already know that hanging curtains high above the window offers the illusion of height and space to a room. Those who know want you to know it too. They keep offering you a kindly hint, but some of you refuse take it.

When readying a home for the real estate market, this issue is huge. I cannot count the number of times I've had to beg homeowners to ditch their dark, heavy, low-hung drapes because they do absolutely nothing to help a home feel open and spacious. In fact, the wrong drapes can make a room seem sloppy and downright depressing.

Take a look at this client's bonus room.

 

Those dark, heavy drapes break up the view in a bad way. They close off the light from the window and they make the room look short and squatty.

 

After some pretty serious groveling to get the homeowner to trust us, we convinced her to replace the drapes with light, gauzy panels hung at least a foot above the window. We promised her that it would lighten the room, give a neat appearance, and offer the illusion of added space. I think we delivered on our promise, don't you?

 

 

 

Your Slipcover Is Showing

I love slipcovered sofas . . . when they look like this:

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 And this:

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In our business, though, we rarely go into a home with slipcovered furniture that looks like those pictures. Generally when we run into slipcovered furniture, it looks like this:

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Furniture like that can be a BIG problem when you're trying to sell a home. A buyer who sees a room in this condition will usually do one of two things. They will leave thinking there is "no way I'll make an offer on that home. It's a mess." - OR - They will make a lowball offer because they don't believe the owners care much for the place.

The thing is, that room is actually pretty clean. So why does it look so dumpy? The furnishings are a bit dated, but even super dated rooms can show as clean and neat. Being of victim of old fashioned taste is not the issue here.

The problem lies with those sloppy sofas and droopy drapes. I believe the technical term for it is a "Hot Mess." When I first saw this photo I started looking around for painters, because it totally looks like there are drop cloths everywhere. The slipcovers do not fit properly and the dozens of pillows trying to camouflage the situation are only making matters worse.

In the past week, my business partner and I have been in two homes with slipcovered furniture eerily similar to the sloppy sofas above. BOTH times, the furniture being covered looked far better than what was being used to cover it. And each time the owners told us that the reason for the slipcover was that they'd gotten something on one of the cushions.

Folks, there are hundreds of products on the market to clean upholstery. If you don't feel like running out to the store, there are recipes on Pinterest for making your own with stuff you probably already have on hand like: rubbing alcohol, peroxide, vinegar, baking soda, etc. If that doesn't work for you either, there are companies that will come clean it for you. And if all else fails, flip the cushion over or drape a cute throw over it until you can afford a new sofa. No matter what, a discount slipcover should almost never be your fix.

The recent epidemic of sloppy slipcovers is not entirely the fault of homeowners. I lay most of the blame on the manufacturers who mass produce those "one size fits most" slipcovers. They are liars. The label should read "This probably won't fit your furniture, hardly any of them do." They should also include language like -- "WARNING: The contents of this bag will never look like the picture. Whatever blemish you are attempting to cover up will be magnified to eyesore status upon placement of this product." They should also warn purchasers that: "Once you spend two hours getting the product as close to resembling the picture as possible, sitting on it for even a millisecond will require another full hour of tucking, stretching, pulling, and more tucking."

So for goodness sakes, if you cannot find or afford perfectly fitting slipcovers with separate cushion covers, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not just settle with whatever you find on the clearance shelf at Kmart. To get a custom look, you're going to have to get customized covers. It's as simple as that.

Magazine Clean

The very best thing you can do to get your home ready to sell is to clean it. A thorough cleaning gives buyers the impression that your home is well-maintained. And I promise that it will help your home stand out from the rest.

The definition of clean varies greatly from one person to the next. For some, cleaning means getting out a bunch of cleaning supplies and scrubbing every corner. Others think it means simply clearing the clutter from counters and other surfaces. My husband tries to make me believe that clean is when all your stuff is organized into neat stacks. Sorry Honey, but there's more to it.

When you list your home on the real estate market, your goal should be Southern Living. I don't mean you've got to put magnolias in all the rooms, I mean it needs to look like professional photographers are arriving any minute to shoot your home for the cover of a magazine. That means no cobwebs in the corners, no clothes on dressers, no shoes on the floor, no dust on the furniture, no fingerprints on the windows, no overflowing trashcans, no toilet bowl brushes sitting beside the toilet, no toothbrushes on the counters, no unmade beds, etc. If you wouldn't show it in a magazine, you don't want to show it to a buyer. 

Getting a home into a magazine-ready condition and keeping it that way is tough. I get it. But there are things you can do while your home is on the market to make it easier. Here's a step-by-step guide for how to turn your home into a COVER HOME.

Seven Steps to Magazine Clean

1. Start by thoroughly cleaning -- top to bottom. Get rid of cobwebs, fingerprints on doors, walls, and windows, stains, odors, dust, and grime. Wash things you rarely think about like baseboards and switch plates. Make sure all grout/caulk is spotless and in good repair. Once you've thoroughly cleaned it, then you can simply maintain it with vacuuming, dusting, etc. while it is on the market.

2. Replace dim or burned out bulbs. Use white bulbs; not clear ones. Clear bulbs give off terrible light. And definitely stay away from compact florescents. They take time to warm up. If a buyer has to wait for the bulb to reach full illumination, they may think something is wrong with the electrical system. It can send the wrong message, so just stay away from compact florescents when showing your home.

3. Keep all toiletries in a basket that can be quickly put away in a closet or cabinet prior to showings.

4. Keep the bath tasteful. I cannot stress this enough, but please do not leave plungers, toilet brushes, cleaners, extra rolls of toilet paper, etc. around in bathrooms.

5. Pick up your stuff. For the short few weeks or months that your home is on the market, make the decision to pickup after yourself.

6. Less is best. Keep accessories and appliances to a minimum. If you can put your toaster, can opener,  and/or blender under the counter, do so. And minimize your collections. It is far better to have one or two large accessories than a bunch of little things.

7. MAKE YOUR BED!!!!  For goodness sake, making your bed is the easiest thing to do to make a room look tidy. It takes five minutes. No excuses. Just do it.

I can't promise that Better Homes & Gardens will run over to snap a picture when you're finished, but I can promise that a clean house will sell far faster than a messy one. 


Take a look at these recent BEFORE & AFTER photos of a home we recently staged for sell. It was cleaned, cleared, and accessories and appliances were kept to a minimum. Just look what a difference it made . . .



BEFORE - Vanity Area
 

This area was big on clutter, small on personality. We had to address that, so we cleared the clutter by putting personal items in baskets and placing them in the closet and under the cabinets. Then we added a few simple accessories to give the area a neat and tidy appearance. Here's how it turned out . . .

AFTER - Vanity Area

 

BEFORE - Kitchen/Breakfast
 

The kitchen was overwhelmed by "stuff." Every surface had clutter of some kind. We started by hiding the food boxes on top of the fridge in baskets. Then we removed the harsh burgundy table cloth and softened the surface with neutral placemats and a basket of fruit. Finally, we cleared all non-essential appliances from the counters and added lamps to lighten up the dark spaces. Super easy fixes for such a dramatic change. Take a look . . .


AFTER - Kitchen/Breakfast