I recently had a client who had a home that was listed but was not selling. I went to do a consultation and found very little wrong with the house except that it had faux finished (patterned paint technique) walls in different colours EVERYWHERE (along with nail holes from having removed all the family photos). It was so soft and neutral in the entrance/living/dining that I even dismissed it. But as I progressed through the house and found it in different shades in every room I changed my mind and decided I detested it in the entrance/living/dining. This is exactly how a buyer would feel. A little bit of something “not great” is acceptable. Too much of it is a turn off.

At the end of the consultation, the gentleman of the house was a bit upset. He told me that the agent told him I would be able to come in and add some pillows and art and make it look good. He didn’t want to invest in painting the whole house. He said he would only do one or the other. “Should I paint or stage?” he said. 

I explained that although the house wasn’t staged perfectly, painting would give them the biggest bang for their buck. I felt that the faux finish throughout the house was turning people away, not the lack of trendy accents, pillows or art (the home was properly de-personalized and showed correct room functions and  furniture layouts). While working on a budget, although I would have loved the job, I recommended painting was a more important than staging in this situation.

Up next? More contemporary condo’s in Hamilton!