There are two types of homeowners: those that buy a house and live in it without updating and those that do. Overtime, things break down and need repair and replacement. Most people stay on top of the breakdowns. While you are not paying attention, your house is getting dated.

Paint
Paint is the easiest way to refresh a home. Some people never paint. It may be the same builder’s white from 30 – 40 years ago which look dirty, dingy and dated. Or the colors are way out of style. Remember mauve? If it is on the walls or carpeting, your house screams ‘raging 80’s’.

Carpeting
Review the carpeting in your house. If it is stained, faded or smells due to pets or smoking, it is time to replace them or it will cost you.

Wallpaper
My house is 29 years old and has gone through its share of wallpaper. Here is a public service announcement: borders are out. A period house, such as a Victorian, looks very stylish with wallpaper but a traditional bi-level does not. Wallpaper is too taste specific and is dated as soon as it goes up. Potential buyers view removal as work.

Living in allowance
If you plan on selling and don’t plan on removing wallpaper, you may want to remove the visual clutter on the walls and in the room to tone it down. As a professional stager, there were many homes that I did not suggest wallpaper removal. The pattern may have been appropriate for the house or the home is so well maintained that the wallpaper was not objectionable. It’s when the wallpaper removal gets added to a huge list of other repairs and updates that turns it into a negative.

Bathrooms
A client was in the process of preparing their home for sale, which included remodeling the bathrooms. I was onsite for a pre-listing consultation and was blown away by how great the bathrooms looked. It struck me how they were making such fabulous updates but won’t be enjoying them. That lead to my master and main bathroom updates last year. I want to enjoy my house while I’m living in it. Little did I know I would be selling my house a year later?

My bathroom updates
The master bath had a minor update years ago by replacing the vanity. Last year’s bath remodel involved retiling the floor, enlarging and tiling the shower stall, a new vanity and a reconfiguration of the steps to the Jacuzzi tub which consumed floor space. The former ‘new’ vanity moved into my main bathroom, which also got retiled. Both rooms got new lighting and fixtures. The results brought new life to a 29-year-old house.

Best advice
“Today’s buyers see the homes online and will likely click past a house with dated paint colors or wallpaper, so you’re limiting your buyer pool, which can reflect in a lower sales price. Move in ready has become is what buyers are looking for, they want what they see on HGTV”, Diane M Blanton, Better Homes & Garden Rand Realty.

Enjoy your house while you are living in it. Do the updates and refresh your house for yourself but always keep resale in mind. This will give you a better product to sell.