Freshen up your lived-in house
the tastes of younger people, most of whom favor contemporary furnishings over traditional ones.
“They’re not revolting against tradition. But they don’t want to be reliant on tradition, either,” says Jeffrey Levine, an architect who works with both residential and commercial clients and heads his own Washington, D.C.-based firm, Levine Design Studio.
To get a feel for the sort of room layouts that typical young buyers like, Levine suggests you visit the website of IKEA, the Swedish home furniture retailer with a customer base heavily weighted toward young singles and families with school-age children.
At a minimum, you’ll want to remove bulky, old-fashioned pieces, such as large recliners, before your place goes up for sale.
Another key step to bright, sparkling rooms is to thoroughly clean your windows, says Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home.”
“A dirty house, including one with dirty windows, is the kiss of death for anyone trying to sell,” Davis says.
In their bathrooms, many older homes still feature Hollywood-style lighting with globes set on a chrome bar. But Davis says such fixtures seem dated to many young buyers, who typically want something more stylish and less cliched.
“Look for bathroom lighting with a fresher, more current look. It shouldn’t cost too much to replace bathroom lights. Often you can replace any bathroom fixture for under $100,” he says.
As to the look of bathrooms, Richardson advocates replacing the kind of pink tiling still present in many homes built in the 1950s. (Though the retro look of pink bathrooms appeals to some who relish midcentury modern architecture, it’s unlikely your young buyers will share this devotion.)
One sure bet for adding appeal to your interior is to repaint walls and trim throughout.
Yet Richardson says you’re much more likely to appeal to young buyers if you avoid repainting your rooms in the sort of bold paint tones that some agents call “commitment colors.” Instead, she urges you to pick paint colors that are muted, near-neutrals.
There’s nothing that will date your place faster in the eyes of young buyers than personal photos.
Davis says any personal photos can make it difficult for young buyers to picture themselves living in your property.
“A fresh start is what people of any age want when they buy a house. They lose the concept of a blank canvas when they see all your memorabilia,” Davis says.