Use these interior design trends to market a home and sell it faster
By Megan Craig
A little attention to interiors can go a long way to bring out the best in a home. In fact, some interiors may mean the difference between an easily marketable home and one that appeals to only a few potential buyers.
“Beyond good bones and a stable structure, buyers are looking for a home that is beautiful, functional and fits their lifestyle,” says Megan Douglas, broker and REALTOR® with West and Main Homes in Denver. “The more a REALTOR® can consider how the potential buyer is going to live, and appeal to that buyer, the more they can maximize seller profits.”
Trending Now
Expect these trendy changes as we head into 2020:
- Colorful kitchen appliances: After years as the only real appliance option, silver stainless steel is making way for other options, including black stainless and even colorful, ’50s-style retro looks.
- Matte black fixtures: Again, goodbye silver—look for less shiny, darker materials, especially for kitchen and bathroom fixtures.
- Velvet: Nothing beats the texture of this delightful fabric for furniture.
- Color saturation: All those gray walls may call for some bright complementary colors in furniture, accent walls or other accessories.
- Glass room dividers: What better way to create an open, airy environment than using only glass and steel to separate living spaces?
Douglas says she uses a “nearly guaranteed success formula” for interiors that attract the largest buyer pool—one that includes a bright, light, open and airy aesthetic. Follow that formula with these tips.
Natural Feeling
Whether with white oak cabinets, real wood floors or stacking doors, homebuyers are looking for interiors that help bring the outside in. “A natural and organic feel is ‘in’—a design aesthetic that brings nature inside and feels like a breath of fresh air,” Douglas says.
Some of the materials in vogue for all parts of the house—counters, floors and paint colors—lean toward natural, but are easy to maintain, including wood, granite and quartz.
Speaking of Quartz…
Although granite is still very much in style, many of the most updated homes are moving to quartz countertops, says Joe Epifanio, CRS, an associate broker at Premiere Plus Realty in Naples, Florida. “Even though it’s man-made, people love it,” Epifanio says. “It comes in all kinds of light colors and can help make everything look simple and clean, which is always in style.”
As a bonus, quartz is harder than granite and therefore more durable. And because it isn’t porous like granite, quartz is easier to keep clean.
Natural-Looking Floors
As has been the trend for years, carpet is ‘out’—in newer homes, you’d be hard-pressed to find any carpeting, even in bedrooms, says Mary Anthony, CRS, with Elite Agents in Canyon Lake, Texas.
But the idea that getting rid of carpet means installing expensive wood floors has given way to tile and vinyl plank floors that are made to look like wood. “People hear vinyl and all they can picture is the rolled vinyl flooring from outdated kitchens. But luxury vinyl plank flooring is waterproof, virtually indestructible and beautiful,” Anthony says. “It’s a strong selling factor to have removed old flooring and replaced it with something they know is a good-quality floor.”
It’s also less expensive than a real wood floor, since the material itself costs less and doesn’t require underlayment or specialized installation.
Go Gray
An uptick in TV design shows featuring natural, neutral finishes means many homebuyers are looking for a place where they can make their mark. Light-gray paints offer a bright feeling with endless design potential, Anthony says. “Gray goes with absolutely everything, and it’s a very neutral color that a homeowner can blend into their existing interior design,” she says. “People are looking for wide-open spaces with neutral palates so they can add their personal touch.”
That’s the thing to keep in mind, Douglas says—no matter what you do to improve a home’s interiors, buyers need to be able to picture themselves happily living there. “The ability to make it their own is the real trend,” Anthony says.
Smart Is Beautiful
It may not be as pretty as a coat of fresh paint, but smart technology is one interior feature topping lists for homebuyers.
So many people are interested in having smart technology integrated into their homes that builders are including high-speed Ethernet cables throughout new-construction houses to allow for full smart-home wiring, says Joe Epifanio, CRS, an associate broker at Premiere Plus Realty in Naples, Florida. That means a home can be completely run by a smart system like Alexa, and it also allows for full-scale smart security system installation.
“Smart technology is making people’s lives easier not only physically, but mentally,” Epifanio says.
The more smart technology is integrated in a home, the more likely it is to be noticed by buyers, says Megan Douglas, broker and REALTOR® with West and Main Homes in Denver. “I see clients perceive a home with integrated smart technology as being better cared for than one without.”
Douglas lists smart thermostats, keyless entry systems and doorbells with video capability as the most appreciated smart devices for potential homebuyers, since those items usually stay with the home after sale.
But sellers beware: If the smart features of a home are too complicated, that could be a turnoff for buyers who may worry they won’t understand or be able to easily transition the technology to themselves after closing, Douglas says. “It’s important that REALTORS® familiarize themselves with an easy way to transition these smart tech features so that the buyer still views them as a bonus instead of a hassle,” she says.
Learn about RRC Smart Home Certification.
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