5th In The Series: Selling Your Home: It Isn’t For Sissies!

So far in our series “Selling Your Home: It Isn’t For Sissies!” we have covered The Outside, The Living Room, The Kitchen and The Bathroom.  Today we’re going to cover The Master Bedroom.

Like the bathroom, the bedrooms, especially the Master Suite, are incredibly personal spaces.  The Master Suite is where the day both begins and ends.  Where the homeowners find respite from the outside world.  Where the most intimate emotions and feelings will be felt.  When buyers walk into this space they have to feel “at home”, comfortable, relaxed and able to imagine spending time together here.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking:  “Hey, this is still MY master suite”.  Sorry, not anymore!  Remember when we started this series and the first thing we discussed was the fact that the moment you put your house on the market it’s no longer YOUR house, it’s a model center.  It’s someone else’s new home and you need to keep it looking like you’re just visiting.

Grab a box and some packing material, it’s time to “depersonalize” the master bedroom.  Pack away the wedding pictures and the pictures of Dad in the delivery room holding little Susie or Johnny for the first time. Pack away the clay ashtray little Susie made you in when she was in Kindergarten or Johnny’s bronze baby shoes.  You’re going to be moving soon anyway so let’s get a jump start on that packing!

Now is the time to invest in a gallon of paint in a neutral color. Behr’s “Comforting” is a nice neutral beige that is very hot right now.  Opt for the eggshell finish with a moderate sheen and you’ll immediately freshen the room.  If your current color is very dark add a gallon of primer and ask the paint department to tint it to match the paint color. The primer will be a tad bit darker than the finish coat of paint but it will make that 1980’s lime green go away!  For less than $75 and an afternoon of labor, you’ll add value to your home!   Finish the color transformation with a neutral seasonally appropriate comforter or quilt with some throw pillows in a fun accent color.

Clean out the closet and pack away the off-season clothes and those that are “three sizes too small” that we women can’t bear to part with.  This is a great time to have a yard sale or, better yet, donate those pieces you haven’t worn all year to a charity thrift store.

Get rid of furniture that does not fit in the room.  If you cannot open a dresser drawer because it’s too close to the bed – get rid of it!  That treadmill in the corner that doubles as closet needs to go

You should begin everyday believing that TODAY is the day your house will be shown to the perfect buyer!  Make the bed, put the dirty clothes in the hamper and leave it neat and tidy. Too many times I’ve gone into bedrooms and had to kick a pair of panties under the bed hoping the buyer’s didn’t notice!

We’ve already talked about the bathroom and, hopefully, you’ve cleaned and decluttered that area already.

The same principles apply to the remaining bedrooms in the house – declutter, depersonalize, freshen with a neutral paint color and leave it in model center condition every morning and you’ll heighten your chances of finding a buyer!

Next up –  The Garage!