Know What You're "Selling" 

The open feel of this floor plan is enhanced by containing just a few decorative items.

An overabundance of decor overwhelms this photo, making the spacious kitchen and dining area look cluttered and confining.

Tip: Take pictures of the rooms in your home and look for small items that lose context in the photo, causing the viewer to subconsciously ask "What is that?"  These can easily produce a cumulative sensation of clutter.  (The camera acts like a magnifying glass in this respect.)  

Warm Colors Make People Feel Good

Cool colors can produce a very appealing look for home interiors, but the "tried and true" are muted warm colors with true earth undertones.  (Many so-called earth shades have peach, green, or blue undertones.)

Two good options to consider are Kilim Beige and Softer Tan from Sherwin Williams.  For homes that don't get much interior light, a half-strength version of these colors may work well instead.

Tip:  When choosing paint colors, hold similar paint chip cards next to each other. This makes their respective undertones much more obvious. 

Old Flooring:  Change It or Leave It?

Older flooring can drag down a home's appeal and perceived value, but homeowners are sometimes unwilling to spend the money it would take to replace it with something that everyone loves, and understandably reluctant to spend any amount replacing it with a material buyers might not like. 

Enter the increasingly popular resilient vinyl plank flooring to the rescue.  Attractive, easy to install, and relatively inexpensive, the click-and-lock installation version imitates the look of hardwood but is water and scratch-resistant.  This makes it a very practical way to spruce up tired flooring in sun rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, mud rooms, and laundry rooms, regardless of whether or not a sale is in the works.

Kitchen floor with TrafficMaster Allure resilient vinyl plank flooring. Courtesy of www.mydiygenius.com

(There is a glue-down version that costs less, but a big benefit of the click-and-lock style is that the next homeowner can easily remove it.)

Selling or Staying...

Try to Not Pay Gold for Mold 

One of the last things a homeowner wants to hear is "There's mold in the attic" - especially after a buyer's home inspection! This is why checking for adequate attic ventilation and signs of mold should be a normal part of yearly maintenance, even in homes that have newly installed roofs.

Did You Know? 

While only a competent professional is qualified to give you an accurate assessment of a mold problem in your home, there is currently no recognized body that certifies mold remediation companies.  

According to Coaimhin Connell of Forensic Applications Testing Technologies in Colorado, "...anyone, with no training in mycology, moulds, or Industrial Hygiene can sit down at their computer and print out a piece of paper that declares them a "Certified Mould Professional" and market themselves as such."  

(In some states mold remediators need to be general contractors, but this involves no mold-specific training, and in some places being a general contractor requires no training of any kind, just a bond.) 

With this in mind, before interviewing several mold remediation contractors it may be a good idea to research the concepts above in order to determine what questions will help you pick the best company.  

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