When a buyer enters a room that's dominated by dull colors, trashy or not well lit, the buying appeal diminishes. A faux plant, window dressing or optimally placed painting will do the trick, said Sandra Hambley of Décor & You in Vienna.
"We try to highlight the natural things," Hambley said, "that's a place where a decorator might [help]."
Even in today's hot real estate market, where houses are going in one day, the right décor might sway the buyer to one instead of another, similar house. Cleaning up clutter, bringing in light, scents, a quick fix with paint or putty on the walls might do the trick, Hambley said. Sometimes when the house has a certain appeal, it gives the client confidence in the sale.
"We had a client, she did one-day makeover with accessories, she was really happy," Hambley said.
Accessories Hambley recommended including faux plants, florals, lighting, accent pillows, decorator tables or artwork.
Michele Reed is a Décor & You franchise owner in Maryland. Reed starts with a two-hour walk-through as part of her package.
"The key is to de-personalize," Reed said.
Doing away with themes the seller might have is one way to do this. A room decked out in an apple motif is one example she used.
"We try to tone that down," Reed said.
Ray Hutabarat at Blue Heron Realty finds the visual appeal works too.
"That's the main thing, making the house more appealing. If one house is well maintained, they get the higher price," Hutabarat said.
ALTHOUGH HIRING AN interior decorator does cost money, Hutabarat feels that money will be made back with a higher selling price. At Décor & You, a sales makeover for a four-bedroom house with 2,500 square feet of space will run somewhere in the $1,000-$2,000 range.
"It would not be terribly expensive," Hambley said.
Sometimes the fee for the selling package at Décor & You is paid by the Realtor, Reed added.
At Michael Nash Custom Kitchens, they have three levels of service for houses going on the market, and it is divided by the cost of the house. The first level of decorating is for a house valued at $300,000 or less, the next is for houses in the $500,000 range and the third is for houses over $500,000. For level one, they do minor changes in the $7,000-$8,000 range. Level two involves completely putting in new floors or refinishing current floors, and level three is putting in a new kitchen or bathroom for $15,000-$20,000.
Sonny Nazemain, Michael Nash's CEO, feels the norm set by the builders has changed toward the upscale, and this is what buyers are looking for.
"These are nominal expenses that will help show the house better," Nazemain said.
Nazemain said that these investments almost double the cost of the addition in the house sale price.
"The sell 'as is' is not there anymore, there are multiple contracts because the house shows well," Nazemain said.