2003
Candace and Mark moved in their 3 bedroom 1300 sq ft house 3 years ago. They are having trouble selling the 1962 home and they don't know why. Open House guests thought it was dark, cluttered, and dated. All the personal items are packed away. The red bedroom is painted a calm beige color. The kitchen cabinets are painted to cover the contact paper.. New plants are added outside. The second open house visitors like the open country cabin look.
2003
Joe and Daria are ready to start a family but need to sell their 975 sq ft condo in Manhattan. It's been on the market for over 3 months and they aren't sure why. Potential buyers for the 1 bedroom home feel it is dirty and crowded. The books, clothes and personal items are reduced to only necessary items and the rest is put into storage. The computer and office is packed away the walls are painted. The furniture is rearranged to make the condo into a hip pad. The second open house is much better. They got multiple offers and sold their house.
2003
Joe and Lisa are relocating to Missouri for Lisa's big promotion. Their home has been on the market for two months but not many offers have been received. It's a 1500 square foot split-level house in the suburbs. Open House guests think it is small and don't like the dated decor. The country themed wallpaper is removed from the dining room and it and the living room are painted a warm color. All the clutter is removed and packed away. The family room is also neutralized with a calm paint color and less furniture. After making the changes they got an offer for the asking price.
2003
Sherry and Preston's brick home was built in 1925. Houses in their neighborhood usually sell quickly but it has already been 2 months without an offer. Open house visitors think it is dingy, crowded and outdated. Architectural details must be highlighted by neutralizing the rooms. After pulling up carpet in the spare bedroom, the retro linoleum is revealed. Painting over some of the wallpaper in the kitchen makes it look light and bright and shows off the beautiful bay window. Paint and decluttering show the craftsman style details in the rooms. After re-staging everyone notices the charm and character of the house. In a few weeks, the house was off the market.
Sun, Sep 7, 2003
Doug and Patty are ready to move to a smaller home with less maintenance. But their 3000 sq ft 4 bedroom house has not received any offers in 3 months. Open house visitors say the rooms are dark and old. The master bedroom is decluttered to make the tray ceiling and great view out to the deck the focal points. Neutralizing the master bath by removing the wallpaper makes it seem twice as big. Furniture is moved to the sun porch to show the great space. The extra items in the kitchen are removed to make it bigger and brighter. The second open house people notice the house instead of the things in the house.
2003
Carol's 1906 home has been on the market for over a year with no takers. She and her husband and daughter Melissa have lived in the 3 bedroom 2400 sq ft house for 20 years. They are ready to sell their home and move to Florida. In fact he is already there. Open house visitors don't like the chopped up feeling of the house. They say it's dated and gloomy feeling. Everything not nailed down is removed from the kitchen/dining room area and it is painted one color to unify the area. The living room is made bigger by removing distractions and clutter. Simple clean lines show off the space. Traffic has picked up and Carol is expecting an offer soon.
2003
Chris and Kathy are ready to downsize from the home they have lived in for the past 10 years. But they have not received any offers in the past 3 months for the 5 bedroom home. Open House guests comment it looks like the seventies. And the rooms appeared small. Their daughter's room is totally dismantled to maximize the floor space. Walls are painted and carpet removed. The master bath is painted to update its look and make it big and bright. The blue sink is replace by a white one. The master bedroom is updated with new linens and window treatments. In a few weeks the house sold.
2003
Chris and Jenn are finding it difficult to sell their condo. They have had it on the market off and on for the past year but have had no offers. Open house visitors just see all of their personal stuff in every room and miss the great details. Like the great view of Seattle, the big rooms and the fireplace. Editing what's in each room, painting and de-cluttering get the second open house people interested. In two weeks they get their asking price.
2003
Dennis and Becky are ready to downsize and sell their 60 year old house. Potential purchasers miss the big open windows with a view of the back yard. Too many antiques and too much wallpaper make the home seem dated. Painting over all the wallpaper modernized the living room and removing the bathroom wallpaper did the same there. Now open house visitors see the clean architectural details and fresh new feel to the home.
Top-rated
Sun, Feb 29, 2004
Kyong and Sean are having trouble getting any offers on their home. Houses usually sell fast in their neighborhood and it's been over 12 weeks. The open house visitors don't like the cluttered rooms. They miss the great views and architectural aspects. Painting the floating fireplace makes it stand out. Rearranging the furniture make the rooms look more contemporary and shows the usable space. And the view to the ocean is accessible. Just three days after the final open house they got an offer on the house.
Sat, Apr 3, 2004
Brian and Suzanne have lived in their 4600 square foot home for 11 years. No one has been interested in purchasing the 6 bedroom 4 bath house, even though it is one of the larger homes in the neighborhood. The open house visitors talk about the stuff in the rooms and don't appreciate the large rooms. All the personal items are removed from the family room and master suite. The books and computers are removed from the family room. And the rooms are painted. The second open house comments were about the open space and bay views. Interest has picked up in the house and an offer is expected any day.
Top-rated
Sat, May 1, 2004
With lots of windows, recessed ceilings, and three gas fireplaces, Linda's house was located in Puget Sound. An hour outside Seattle, Gig Harbor is one of America's most picturesque small cities. Linda and her sons had lived in this 3,750-square-foot house for 11 years and were ready for a change, but couldn't unload their place. It was time for the hidden-camera open house to see how potential buyers felt about Linda's pink living room - walls, carpet, and couches - and what Roger Hazard thought about pink in general.