So you’ve de-cluttered, put your twenty five year old plaid lazy boy in storage and your ceramic dog collection is packed away – you’re ready to list your home! Or are you?
Some words of wisdom…Art can be a very, very fickle aspect of decorating, specifically when you’re selling your home. Why? Art evokes strong emotions in people; often it’s a love/hate reaction. Chances are that your favourite piece that you spent three pay cheques on will be something that a buyer despises. Don’t make a buyer feel like that when they’re thinking about buying your house. Emotions play a huge part in buying a house – don’t play with them!
You can't go wrong with classic prints like Van Gogh
Contemporary art is also a safe bet
So how do you know what art can stay and what are should go? Here are some basic guidelines:
1. Say no to nudity. Yes, that means abstract drawings or that oil on canvas you had done for your husband for his birthday. Believe me. When families are coming through your home with their kids and they spot your ‘tasteful’ nude portrait, I guarantee they’ll be heading for the door before they stop to appreciate the way your hair falls on your shoulders. ‘Why is that lady not wearing clothes, Mom?’ ‘Never mind, honey, let’s go’
2. I believe! There’s a time & a place for religion and when your home is on the market is NOT one of those times. There are no exceptions to this rule. Ever. That includes everything from the classic Last Supper print to crucifixes, Buddha statues or Jesus airbrushed on black velvet. Anything having to do with spirituality or religious beliefs should be packed away out of sight. Same reasoning as above: this is a very personal aspect of peoples’ lives and often something people feel strongly about. Avoid evoking these feelings at all times. Amen.
3. Vote for me! Yes, you guessed it, the next contender on the ‘no’ list is anything having to do with politics. Need this be explained? Just don’t do it. Vote, by all means, just don’t share your politic views with everyone else.
So now that you have to take down your nude photos, religious shrine and campaign posters, what in the world can you put on your walls? Here are some of my favourite tricks for inexpensive art.
- Buy some decorative wrapping paper from craft stores or trendy little gift shops and frame a sheet of it in a $20 IKEA frame. Ta-da! Cheap AND cool art. Choose paper that has the same colours as the room to give it that polished feel.
- Same idea as above but buy a yard of some beautiful fabric that matches the colour theme of your room; this can give a very luxurious look to a room while keeping the budget down.
- Do you have a gallery of family photos that would be a giant pain to remove, patch and retouch the paint? Buy a bunch of decorative postcards and place them in front of the photos to quickly de-personalize the photos but create visual interest without being distracting.
- Last but not least, you probably have some great pictures of your neighbourhood that you’ve taken over the years. Have them blown up into 8×10 prints and frame them – what a fun way to get potential buyers to connect to your home!
Do you have any ideas to add? Let’s hear them!
