5 Savvy Fixes to Help Your Home Sell

Lanie Brown I agree, skip the "carpet allowance" (just indicates that property is overpriced) and clean or replace unsightly flooring to make the home inviting to prospective buyers. Besides presenting the property for re-sale, the exercise of de-cluttering and de-personalizing helps a Seller detach from their home and focus on the business of selling the house.

Madison Modern Home Great article and sound advice! Just a note: In most real estate markets, staging your home will certainly cost more than a few hundred dollars. But you will always get a great return on your investment when you stage, because it will pay for itself and then some in the home's selling price.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Madison Modern Home: A few hundred dollars for a Staging Consultation will help you know where to wisely spend your $$ and where you shouldn't bother spending $$ - I have had many clients tell me I saved them thousands of dollars by recommending they NOT do certain things that were costly and instead making inexpensive tweaks that make a big difference.

Jennifer Johnson Stinky, dingy carpet! Yuk! You are right on target with this one! Great article. I'm really enjoying them!

sclawson Good point about the carpet being all the buyer sees in an empty home.

I differ about the countertops, though. I think the geographic market makes a difference in buyer expectations, and of course, houses above a certain price range MUST have them. But our house with somewhat worn laminate counters sold while a slightly bigger home down the street, in which all counters were replaced with granite, is still on the market 5 months later, even though the price has been reduced considerably.

We're currently renovating a circa 1980s condo, and replacing the laminate kitchen counters and cultured marble bathroom counters will not be hit in the first brush. The bathrooms will probably bite the dust first because they are a swirly, mauvy pink that we can't stand (pink toilets too--yuck!!). The kitchen laminate, though in need of replacement, is a neutral beige we can overlook for a while longer. But when the time comes, we will go for quartz--not to help it sell, but so we can enjoy it more.

olldroo This article must be very depressing for those who can no longer afford their mortgage and have to sell to beat foreclosure. If you can't afford your mortgage, you certainly couldn't afford any of this. Maybe some articles aimed at people who REALLY need help???

bubblyjock Store all the extras so the space is open and inviting.

Replace the carpets, and paint the walls, and save yourselves the expense of a "stager" (most of whom are neither designers nor decorators, otherwise THAT is what they'd be doing).

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist GroovyGranny,
I don't know how to say this without sounding ugly, I really don't mean to be, but if a person doesn't have money to pay their mortgage, should they really be hanging out on a site like Houzz? It would be pretty depressing to look at all the high-end designer rooms if you didn't have a dime to spend, wouldn't it?

Jean Karlik I put my small house on the market three weeks ago. So far it is generating a lot of interest, including a request for seller's disclosures. Having followed Houzz and HGTV for years, I decided to skip the stager and do it myself. I had my 7-year-old carpet stretched and cleaned. It looks like new, and it cost a lot less than replacing the carpet. However, I have neither pets nor children. Repairs have been done or in progress. The next step is painting. Great tips in this article.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist CatrionaCatriona,
Interesting comment - I design, decorate, specify color, and do home staging. Along with blogging and writing for Houzz and The Tennessean. I continue to keep home staging in my repertoire because IT WORKS and l love the instant gratification it brings (decorating/designing a home can drag out for over a year). Most of the homes I stage here in Nashville sell within the first couple of showings, and that makes me and my client HAPPY :)

Beatrice Lawson It all depends on the market. We are in a Toronto suburb and prices just keep going up. We went and looked at homes in the $700-800K range last weekend and while they were all bigger than our current one (they were around 3000 sq, ft. compared to our current 2000 sq. ft) none had been updated, most had horrible bathrooms (think eighties) and original kitchens.
We decided to stay put since we have been slowly improving our current home - kitchen, bathrooms, exterior landscaping and front walk. We still have to replace the carpet upstairs with hardwood but I am now a believer in upgrading your existing home if the location and size suit rather than up sticks and move into someone else's no reno or quick cosmetic job.

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Beatrice,
You sound like a wise woman! The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence - sometimes making our own homes suit our needs better (rather than moving) is the way to go :)

olldroo No, you are not being ugly Kristie, I can't afford all these high end things either but that doesn't stop me from loving this website and drooling. I just love looking at nice things. I have gained so much in ideas and confirmation of my own ideas regarding colour schemes and a tin of paint costs the same regardless of colour, which paint I apply myself as #1 I enjoy painting and have had professionals compliment me on my work and #2 I can't afford to pay a professional. I am probably one of the lucky people though who can think outside the square and I can see ways of incorporating high end ideas into my pensioner budget. I can pick up a $10 lamp from a $2 shop if the colour is right, similar in size and shape to a $200 lamp and once the price tag is removed, no one knows the difference, if it is right for the spot it will look a million dollars. It is amazing too how furniture layouts can make such a difference to a room taking it from ordinary to wow and I have picked up a lot of ideas on that.

I don't look at the photos and say "I want that", I ask "How can I achieve that".

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist GroovyGranny,
Then you are a lady after my own heart! :) When I first started in this business, I thought I wasn't really doing anything everyone else couldn't do. Just seeing the potential and looking at things in a different way - making it work, regardless of the "before." But what I have learned over the years is that very few people are able to do that - it's a gift that can be honed by learning, application, and experience. Maybe you have a second career brewing!!!

Warline Painting Ltd. I like your advice Kristie and agree with you completely on the painting ;). I think many people forget that painting is usually the single largest finishing in a home. A well painted room in the right colour can have a dramatic impact on a potential buyer. It's why builders paint, decorate and stage showhomes. It sells.

I also agree that your advice on Houzz.com is perfect for the majority of the people that are visiting this site. Keep up the great tips and articles. They are fantastic.

Jean Karlik Another comment on stagers - I haven't hired a stager because I live on a pension. The comments I am getting on my house are that it is beautiful, but the master bath is too small. (It is.) At some point, I might hire a stager. Right now, I think I have been mostly successful on my own.

bubblyjock Kristie - thanks for replying to my comment with your credentials: always good to know!

Beatrice Lawson One thing that many realtors do in the Toronto market is include a staging service / consultation as part of their package. We spoke with several agents when we thought about selling and the ones who did not offer this value added service were not even considered. The reason is simple - there are so many stagers out there, and one that a realtor has worked with repeatedly is more experienced and verified, in a sense. You know they have been effective by how long a home was on the market (yes, considering the home factors, too). Even though I think my home is lovely, I am aware that it may not suit every taste, and if I am listing, the last thing I want is to have showings for months on end.
Finally, talking about budgets: we have renovated on a budget - Ikea, vintage finds, a lot of painting... it can be done. Also, when it came to hiring contractors, we interviewed a lot. Give you some examples: the front walk was quoted between $1000 and $7000. One bathroom, between $900 and $15,000. Never went with the cheapest quote, always checked previous work examples and also did not work with the guys who started to tell me I had to take it down to the studs but without explaining why.... when I was clear that I did not care to change the perfectly good tub, had no moisture anywhere and so on. Do your homework, whether it is to stay or sell.

olldroo What is worse, it is hard to say things like that without sounding bigheaded, unfortunately it is a fact of life. I think you just have to be able to equate it with some people being able to run or swim or design computers. I'm happy to think that maybe I missed my calling, enjoy my retirement and hone my skills reading Houzz. I might add when I first announced I was beginning a major renovation to my entire house, the last I will probably do, I was sent this website as a joke!! I'm the one laughing.

Warline Painting Ltd. Don't under estimate the value of a good stager. A good stager is not a wannabe designer. Their job is to prepare a house to maximize its potential for sale.

They are usually working within a budget, existing furnishings and other constraints. The most important time in selling a house is in the first couple of weeks it is on the market. That's when it gets the most attention and that's when you want it to look its best.

Consider it like the difference between hiring a quality professional painter vs. going the DIY route. While there may be some that can do a good job painting, for the most part, a DIY paint job looks just like that.

Pat Ramsden Inspiration is the first step to success in all fields.. Houzz inspires creativity!

Choices Interior Decorating Inc Sellers need to know that if they are going to replace the carpeting it has to be of good quality with good underlay, if not prepared to spend that money, lower the price so the new owners can put in the flooring of their choice.

Allison We're planning to put our house on the market late winter/early spring 2013. In the process of getting repairs done and will be painting in late fall. This may not be the appropriate place to post this question (if not, would appreciate direction about where to post) but I'm already thinking about the feasibility of showing the house with our 4(!) pets. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs, all indoors. I sweep and/or vacuum daily to minimize pet hair. My friends assure me that our house has no pet odors. Any suggestions about how to live in your house, with pets, while it's on the market? Thanks!

digsblues We just sold a house a month ago, and had it staged by Lisa Lucas (see her stuff here). It sold in 5 days for almost $80,000. more the appraisal we got before we got it ready to sell. The staging cost was worth every penny. The paint for the whole place was only $900., which I did myself, following her color suggestions. Do the best you can to make your house look updated, according to your budget. Lots of work, but it does pay off.

monicals I recently sold my condo in downtown Toronto. I didn't spend a lot of money getting it ready. I was fortunate that I had already chosen pretty neutral colours so repainting wasn't needed. Here's what I did to sell my place:
1) Decluttered a lot to get rid of larger pieces of furniture that wouldn't fit in my new place. I did buy a new, smaller piece to replace the storage I lost. I also decluttered for anything on floors etc. (e.g. exercise equipment) and also for my closets as best I could (stuffed a lot of stuff into my storage locker!)
2) Did any repairs I could do: e.g. whitened the grout on floor (back-breaking work but made the floor look much better), refreshed paint in spots as needed, refresh grout where needed in bathroom & kitchen
3) Made sure the place was spotless! Removed anything I could from kitchen countertops to keep them clear and clean
4) I have two cats, they stayed around for showings, I made sure to clean the litter box regularly, and spray with odour neutralizer spray to reduce smells

I really didn't spend much money at all, but did put in some effort. My place was on the market for two days, I had three showings and two offers, and it sold for above asking ; )

Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist Allison,
Unfortunately, inside pets (especially multiple ones) make marketing a house a challenge. There are so many people who have allergies to animals (or have a family member that does), animals and animal paraphernalia can be a big red flag to buyers. If there is anyway for your pets to be out of the house (visiting grandma, maybe?) or boarded for the first couple of weeks after a house goes on the market, that is highly preferable. Otherwise, pare down the animal toys, dogbeds, feeders, litterboxes, etc. and keep them out of carpeted areas. And take the pets for a nice, long drive during showings.

monicals I would say especially for dogs, to remove them, would be a good idea. Cats will usually hide, or maybe not. Mine, I was surprised to learn, were super-friendly to people looking at my place. I did minimize cat toys etc. for showings, and of course kept up the cleaning for the cat fur ; )

amberm145 I have to strongly disagree with the advice re: carpet. It's been 10 years since we bought our house, but there was nothing more frustrating as a buyer to be looking for hardwood (or old carpet we could justify replacing) and having to discount entire neighbourhoods because EVERY.SINGLE.HOUSE had brand new carpet and expected the buyer to pay for it.

No thank-you, I am not interested in paying for the brand new pink carpet you had installed because your neighbour also installed brand new pink carpet. Who wants carpet anymore anyway? It gets so gross.

The solid surface countertop is also something I'm inclined to disagree with, though less strongly. I'm in the market again, and now my number one complaint is kitchens with terrible layouts and hideous orange oak cabinets with busy granite counters labelled as "renovated". Again, not something I'm willing to pay for, as a buyer.

monicals I agree with you on the carpet, would rather have old dingy carpet that I wouldn't feel bad about replacing. Carpet is gross, hardwood much preferred.

My place (that I sold) had white caesarstone quartz countertops, I was careful to do a very neutral look for my kitchen reno, but luckily it all was in colours I would have chosen anyway. Horrible when it is an updated kitchen not done to your taste, makes it very difficult to have to "pay" for something you don't like, but that the sellers feel has value. I agree with you there, but if you found a tasteful/nice kitchen reno with solid surface countertops I'm sure it would be a different story.

Beatrice Lawson Kristie, as a buyer with severe allergies I agree with you, seeing a home with visible pet evidence is a turnoff. Having pets home when I go to look at homes means I will not make it past the foyer. Sorry, I know folks love their pets but I get asthma attacks from pet dander. If you have carpets that may mean you lose some potential buyers, unless an allergic buyer has really fallen in love with the home and is willing to replace flooring before even moving in. That being said, Kristie's advice s right of the money: board the pets, do a deep clean, maybe have the floors steam cleaned if you can.
Word of advice, again as someone with allergies: it's a huge turnoff to walk in a pace that has been Fabreezed to death.it does not smell fresh, it's really just a fake nasty fragrance. I would much rather just smell clean air. So etimes cliches like fresh baked cookies are ok, or having a hot cinnamon cider drink simmering on the stove.
Good luck in selling, it is a lot of work.

amberm145 monicals, I agree, that if the whole kitchen is done well, I don't mind the solid surface. That's why my disagreement is less strong on this one. It's more a case of doing nothing to the kitchen BUT a solid surface countertop. That's not a renovation, it's something I have to pay for, and then pay to get rid of when I actually fix the kitchen.

And as a dog owner, I agree with Beatrice. The dogs don't stay home when there's a showing. Even if your viewers aren't allergic, I'd be worried about the pets' safety. Someone might accidentally let them out, or worse. And clean well every day. My parents once owned a condo in a building with a large population of a culture that did not approve of dogs kept in the home. When they had showings, they had to take the bowls/toys/leashes with them so that buyers couldn't see that an animal had ever lived there.

A dirty carpet can be a turn off, so if it's really bad, pulling it out might be the right thing to do. Just don't replace it with more carpet. But if you can't afford to do a neutral hardwood, then leave it alone. Even in bedrooms, it's probably better to let the buyer choose the colour and style. I like hardwood even in the bedroom, so when I'm looking and I see carpet, I add it to the list of stuff I need to change. Other people love carpet in the bedroom.

You can't please everyone, so it makes no sense to spend money trying.

Even if someone can't afford to wait to move in, carpeting a bedroom can be done in an afternoon. Move in, keep the furniture out of the bedroom, sleep on the couch for the first night and have the carpet installers scheduled to come in the next day. It's the only way a buyer can really know that there's no hair or other uglies in the carpet.

digsblues This is an interesting discussion. Our designer said that the type of buyer who would be interested in our house would be young professionals with a dual income. She remarked that those kind of buyers want everything updated and move in ready.

We followed her advice and the house sold in 6 days, and over the listing price and appraisal. It might depend on the specific market in your area. Another reason to consult a designer. We paid $250. for the consultation and it was well worth the money.

Re pets - I'm an animal lover and have dogs and cats in my home. But I can walk into any home and notice the smell of pets. It is a huge turn-off for a lot of people.

foxy11 When we sold our previous home, our carpets were about 15 years old. We were planning on replacing it before we put it up for sale. Our realtor advised against it. She told us to get them professionally cleaned instead. She said someone would most likely come in and put hardwood floors down anyways. I guess it depends on
the condition of the carpets too and whether you are selling the home furnished or unfurnished.

When we bought our current home, all the carpets were really worn on the second floor. So we kept the bedroom furniture on the main fllor until we could paint a dn install new hardwood floor.

amberm145 digsblues, your designer was right. However, carpet is not "updated". And I didn't think this article was about redoing the whole house, which is what those buyers would want.

If you're going after that market, then you can't pick and choose what to update. You do the whole thing or nothing, because those people are not going to be fooled by lipstick.

Beatrice Lawson monicals, I am just curious what you did about the grout. We have some in our shower that has resisted steaming, oxygen bleach, chlorine bleach (even though I usually clean with natural products I was willing to try) and nothing... there is nothing else wrong with the shower so I was not planning on replacing the tile / grout but right now I don't see another solution. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know.

digsblues Ha Amberm! I'm have no design sense at all.

That's why I read here, and soak up the great advice.

monicals Beatrice, well for grout, I meant tile floor grout between the tiles. I should have said caulking for the bathroom & kitchen, you know for the countertops it sometimes cracks? That's what I meant. Wish I could help you re: bathroom grout. I had mine redone when I bought the place, and less than two years later it was still looking fine. Definitely I plan to avoid white grout in any future renovations, though, especially on the floor.

Leigh Newport Staged by Design® For catrionacatriona: Most home stagers are not decorators or interior designers due to the fact that although staging is rooted in the elements of design, it is truly the business of marketing a home for sale, not designing it for the needs and desires of the occupants. When someone asks me what field I work in, my reply is Real Estate.

Some stagers offer decorating or re-design services in their business as I do. However, I spend a lot of time telling my high end staging clients to remove much of the taste specific wallpaper choices and pairing down furniture recommended by their very expensive interior designer. Although the spaces may be beautiful, they do not have the universal appeal for the demographic of the potential buyer, or do not showcase the home well in photos. And to be honest, they aren't meant to. The homes were designed to appeal to their owners and showcase their collections and personal interests. That aesthetic is just different when you are looking to maximize your home's potential for selling.

The way you live in your home (and decorate it) and the way you market and sell it are two very different things. I think Kristie continues to make those points very well as in this article.

Allison Thanks for the responses concerning our pets. We have hardwood floors downstairs and the dogs only go upstairs (carpeted) at night to sleep and then are confined to one room. I most definitely would not have the pets at home during showings and will come up with a game plan to quickly remove all "evidence" (pet bowls, toys, litter box, etc.) quickly before the house is shown. If the realtor thinks it is worthwhile we could probably kennel them for a week or so (there are no relatives nearby to pet-sit).

I understand completely about allergies but would expect that someone with a severe problem would make that known to their realtor before viewing a home, right? Although I'll do everything in my power to minimize the evidence of pets in our home, our realtor will certainly know that we are pet owners and will discose that if the need arises.

Shelly When looking for a stager, I'd say ask for references, rather than credentials. I had a co-worker decided to get her real estate license and when that didn't work out, she began a home staging business. She listed her real estate 'experience' as her credentials. Needless to say, her business never got off the ground. Someone that has a proven track record is the way to go.

digsblues My home stager was recommended by my realtor. She is an interior designer. Of course, I checked her website to see her work.

Her consulting fee was $250. Worth every cent.

I would advise everyone who is selling a home to at least get a consultation.

olldroo To Beatrice Lawson - I don't know if the product is available in the States but try your local Home Depot for a grouting pen. It is like a marker pen that you run along the grouting and "paint" it. Brings it up like new.

catclawrose I'm really enjoying the Houzz site and comments. We live in a commercial property,(nicnamed "The Albatross", that we absolutely hate. Have since the moment it's where we landed, 15 years ago. Built in 1942, it's a tired looking, blah white, two story, cinder block first story, plank-style upper story. We've adapted, knowing we would be stuck here for a while. I have finally decided that,(I only have 42 more payments on the place), if we have to be here, let's make it fun. I have started painting the structure a deep blue, called Smoky Pitch. Already, the building seems to be standing up more proudly ! I had a fence company come and sink 8 4"x4"'s across the front, near the entry area, and have painted those a clean white, and am having a tin roof put on that, to give the front of the house a focal area, and afford some shade from the morning sun. There are two, really homely,(but functional, if you had a retail business here), plate glass windows beside the recessed front entry. Since we live on the gulf Coast of Texas, we're in hurricane country, so, I have had a terrible time, trying to cover all that glass for storms. not now. I'm attaching heavy wire stock panels, with 4" squares, to the posts, and putting planters under those, so I can plant Jasmine and Morning Glories there. The windstorm folks said this was an extremely novel idea, and they like it. My front doors are now a deep red, and I'm painting decorative shutters with the deep red on the frames, louvers will be a deep blue, and each will have a white star as trim. We ARE in texas, after all ! When we had our roof replaced, we thought we'd go for something a little different. The building is 50'x50', giving us roughly a 25'x50' "palette" for the roof. So, each side is shingled-not just painted, in a Texas flag.
The inside will ba a whole 'nother thing. We love Texas, and Primitive, and I'm gathering ideas in a folder...
Thanks for the nice site !

Beatrice Lawson Thank you Monicals and groovy granny for the advice re: grout lines. I agree, white grout is a pain. When we redid one upstairs four piece we chose a light grey to match the tiles. One thing we discovered though is that the contractor will never include sealing as part if hs quote, so unless it is specified in writing in the contract do not be surprised when your contractor says the job is done yet the grout is not sealed.

Beatrice Lawson Last thought on flooring ( having been on both sides, as a buyer and seller): people expect hardwood on the ground floor. If you have old carpet and just replace it with new carpet, that will send a negative message to the buyer - I just wanted to do a cheap cosmetic fix, who knows what else is just hidden. Also if you replace old carpet upstairs, and it is a relatively pricey home, over $500K, don't put in cheap laminate. It really lowers the whole house. Old carpet I need to replace is better than being expected to buy for a alf hearted cheap reno.
Finally, when I think of staging, in general, I don't think of renos other than painting, but rather things like removing things (most of us have homes that are too cluttered and over furnished), a general tidy up and if neded bringing pretty decor touches that are neutral rather than a gallery wall of my preschooler's paintings. Now, if your realtor and stager suggest fixes or renos tat make the house really hard to sell that is definitely something you should consider, particularly in a tough market.
Kristie did a great job running through all the issues!

monicals catclawrose, I would love to see pictures of your place, sounds fantastic!!!

duffis4fun I'm trying to sell my home. The front street appeal is absolutely aweful, but if I could just get the buyers inside and on the back deck that fronts the golfcourse, they'd be just as convinced as we were to buy the home. Unfortunately, the front of the house scares most buyers away from looking any further. What can we do to spruce of the street appeal?

amberm145 Duffis4Fun, has your realtor posted pictures online of the good points of the house? When I see listings without interior pictures, it screams that there's something wrong with the inside. If the exterior is bad, then it's even worse.

If the inside looks nice, then the outside isn't a show stopper.

From your picture, I would pull out the field of green with yellow flowers and landscape that. I would paint the garage to blend into the house and do something to make the front door stand out. It's kind of hidden behind the pillars.

digsblues Wow. It looks very nice to me. I might paint the front door a dark blue or rust color.

But the previous poster nailed it. Our home sold in 6 days. We had 20 photos online, on Redfin, and Zillow.

duffis4fun thanks for the advice. I like the idea of painting the garage door and front door. The flowers are a hedge in front of other landscaping adjoining the neighbor that sits taller (overlooking) our lot. I thought painting the garage a lighter color to blend more with the rock would make the house look larger from the street also. Most pics are of interior and backyard online. Realtor agreed to point out the house's strengths more than the front view, too. Thanks.

olldroo Duffis4fun - I think your home looks lovely and clean from the front the only thing I don't like is the plant growing in front of the window.

Maybe the garden in general doesn't conform with today's "structured" gardens but as it seems too hard for people to change a colour scheme in a house they buy, it is probably too hard for them to create a garden they like also. To me, the garden is another room to a house and one you create to your own personal taste as you would any area inside the house.

It definitely looks a real family home to me, I can see hours of fun for the whole family with the ball games that could be played on your driveway.

Beatrice Lawson Other than painting the front door a more vibrant color I don't really see that your entrance needs anything. Is there a reason you think that's why you are not attracting buyers - has anyone commented on that particular feature to your realtor? Frankly, if you had one negative feedback about it, don't give it too much importance. Your home will never please everyone who sees it.

I would ask the following questions about a home that is not selling:
1. Does it get a lot of visits but no further interest or does it get no visits at all?
2. Is the price in line with your area for the home size and features?
3. Have you had an agent open house and a regular/ buyer open house? If yes, how many people came through and what was their feedback?
4. Finally, without seeing the listing and how it reads, how the pictures look, it is very difficult to determine what may be turning off buyers. You may assume the entrance is the culprit, but if your listing has lots of inside and backyard shots, look at them again with a critical eye, considering the many good points this discussion has raised. Things like clutter, updated kitchen and bathrooms, clean carpets or nice hardwood, architectural details, upgraded windows, ELFs... A solid listing will identify all the strong points and show pics where possible. (For example being close to schools and convenient to highways - you can't really show that, but any actual home features, you can.)

If still in doubt, post the link to your MLS listing here and I am sure the group will give you their opinion! Good luck!

writerinfact When I was a child, I laughed at people with allergies, especially poison ivy. Then I moved to New Jersey (it's all my parents' fault), grew up, and found myself allergic to a multitude of things (but I'm still not affected by poison ivy!). Things like formaldehyde, which is offgassed by modern building products such as vinyl anything, laminates, and paint, unless one pays extra for low/no-VOC paint - thank goodness no-VOC paint is much, much more available now than it was even 10 years ago. Therefore, I have become convinced that my best bet for buying a home is to look at the ones the rest of you passed by because of the lousy online photography, un-renovated bathrooms, cluttered kitchens, and cramped front porches. A house that I will HAVE to renovate to get a CO. A house upon which I can imprint my personal taste, likes/dislikes, "good design" philosophy, and - you guessed it - my cats, who most definitely are "part of the family." And no, I still don't want to smell OTHER people's cats (or dogs) when I walk in their front door. ; )

BTW, that formaldehyde offgassing takes about 3 - 5 years to dissipate to the point that I don't worry about requiring emergency medical assistance.

bryaja Highly recommend getting an independent set of eyes to look at your home. We paid a stager $75 to come to our home for 1 hour and tell us what needed to be changed/updated to maximize our selling price. Key suggestions included boxing excess collectibles and moving certain furniture pieces out of the house to the garage (to declutter), painting our bathroom cabinets white and giving them new handles, and getting new sofa pillows, These updates and a few others, made our home look great and we got the price we wanted. Home sold 2 days after listing it.