|
New Interior Design Psychology
by Professor Jeanette Fisher
New Interior Design Psychology ideas help home sellers net more
money in today's competitive real estate market.Therefore, it's
worthwhile to spend time planning the changes that will help your
home sell for the highest price.
Develop a general design plan, keeping your target market and
budget in mind. Your overall design plan really depends on supply
and demand. How many houses are for sale in your area? How many
houses sell each week? Is the selling season cold, warm, or hot?
Is it a seller's or buyer's market?
If the market is moving fast and buyers are lining up to make
offers for homes in your neighborhood, you can do less. But
whatever your answers to the above questions, you'll still need
to do a few things to make your home stand out from the
competition.
Know Your Target Buyers
Think about your neighborhood and the buyers purchasing homes
near yours. Are they purchasing their first home or moving up?
This will be important to your marketing and design plan, since
the psychological needs of the two types of buyers differ
considerably.
First-time home buyers seek to control their own environment by
owning, rather than renting. Their psychological needs include:
- Safety and security
- Sense of place or connection
- Comfort
- Self-control.
Move-up buyers often enjoy those benefits, too, but they're
generally more interested in finding a larger home with more
amenities for their comfort, self-esteem, and feelings of
prestige.
Once you've determine your potential buyers, you can begin making
improvements to your home that will attract them.
Budget Concerns
Spend money only on items that will make a difference in your
sales price. Of all repairs, fresh paint is the best investment
you can make. New kitchen appliances, upgraded bathroom features,
and updated lighting fixtures will usually give a good return for
your money, as well.
Sometimes, hiring professional help is worth the extra expense.
Professional painters work faster and will often cost less than
day laborers. Tile installers, carpet layers, and electricians
also know their trades and will do a better job than most day
laborers.
Contractors should have their own disability and liability
insurance -- ask for a copy with your contract. Get everything in
writing -- including work to be completed, costs, lists of
specific materials to be used, time for completion, and payment
schedule.
Exterior Design Psychology
Choosing the right colors to paint your home will make a huge
difference in your paycheck at closing. Look at the other homes
near yours and choose complementary colors.
Did you know that the exterior color of houses selling the most
quickly is yellow, but the wrong tone or shade of yellow can kill
a potential home sale? Avoid yellows with green undertones and
bright yellows, and choose pale yellows with creamy or beige
shades instead. Warning: colors look darker on huge exterior
expanses than they do on the little paint chips you see in the
store.
Color Combinations
Paint stores offer many brochures, showing various combinations
of exterior paint colors, but most of them also feature
combinations include three colors. Limiting your paint selection
to only two colors will limit your income potential.
Think fun colors for a fast sale. Think "Disneyland Main Street,"
where every shop is painted in glorious multi-color. Using a
third or fourth color on the exterior can add definition to your
home's details. Use gloss or semi-gloss paint on wood trim.
Psychology of Exterior Paint Colors
Take the ultimate sales price of your remodeled home into
account. Certain colors, especially muted, complex shades, will
attract wealthy or highly-educated buyers, whereas buyers with
less income or less education will generally prefer simple
colors.
A complex color contains tints of gray or brown, and usually
requires more than one word to describe, such as sage green or
forest brown, while simple colors are straightforward and pure.
Generally, houses in the lower price range will sell faster and
for more money when painted in simple tones like yellow and tan
with white, blue, or green trim.
Interior Design Plans and Secrets
Create a list of work and materials you'll need for each room and
then estimate the time you think it will take for each task. The
more planning you do before you begin, the more time and money
you'll save.
Psychology of Interior Paint Colors
Daring to use color instead of bland white walls will increase
your profit potential. Did you know that Lynette Jennings tested
people's perception of room size and color? A room that was
painted white appeared larger to only a few people in the survey,
compared to an identical room painted with a color, and the
perceived difference was only about six inches! Because most
people look better surrounded by color, a colored wall also makes
them feel happier, and buyers will choose to buy the house that
makes them feel happiest.
Entryways should bring the exterior colors of the home inside.
Repeat variations of the exterior shades all the way through your
home, which will make the entire home seem to be in harmony. As
an added bonus, if buyers love the exterior colors, they're going
to like the interior colors, as well.
Spending time planning your home's sale, rather than just listing
your property and then taking your chances, will net you more
money, and faster!
Best wishes for a profitable, quick sale.
Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse
for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real
Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles,
tips, reports, and newsletters, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/
|
|
|
