makes the space appear more high-end. Even inexpensive flat
panel doors feel richer with a coat of black paint. Don’t forget to
add a few other black accents so that the doors tie in with the
decor.
Painting interior doors black adds sophistication
Update or paint black the hanging light fixture in your entry, especially if it is over ten years old or brass. If you are replacing a
light fixture in a vaulted entry, hang it lower than you did in the
past. You shouldn’t have to look straight up to see the fixture – it
should be part of the visual snapshot that potential buyers have
when they first enter the property. It should be oversized vs. undersized, preferably in an iron or blackened finish (most appealing across styles), and hung no higher than 8 or 9 feet from the
floor.
Creating Emotional Attachments
All homebuyers have their must-have checklist (at least in their
heads), but nothing is more powerful than love at first sight to
override predetermined wishlists and to justify buying a home
that doesn’t meet all their needs on paper. Psychological staging
helps create emotional attachments that woo a buyer into falling
head-over-heels with a home.
Play up any unique features – built-in bookcases, nooks and crannies, fireplaces, textures of materials, old-fashioned screen door,
old-house history, etc. You can use color, art, and on-trend décor
to pull the buyers’ eyes to where you want them to go – mainly to
architectural and other special features that make the property
memorable.
Use on-trend color to draw attention to
architectural details
Using selective on-trend colors near the most attractive architectural features is a subtle but effective way to draw attention
to them. Studies have found that most people prefer blues and
greens to all other colors, so use those two to draw attention to
important features of your home.
Creating Memory Points
As much as you should attempt to neutralize an overly personalized property, it can be a huge mistake to not create “memory
points” throughout. Buyers often tour four to five homes one
after another in a single afternoon, spending less than half an
hour in each one. It is absolutely essential that buyers walking
through your staged property continue to recall it in their memories repeatedly after they have viewed it.
There are certain things that help imprint strong memories, including special upgrades, a tasteful but varied paint color palette,
and areas staged to bring attention to function. A memory point
may be a special nook or cranny that is outfitted in a functionl Fall 2014
29