I would say be consistant as much as you can while making it neutral for others. Does that make sense? You want people to say, "wow, I love this house" and how it's decorated contributes to that. But at the same time, you don't want people thinking they'll have to re-do it before they move in.

When we sold our last house, I had mid tone brown/red/green in the main living areas and always had many complements. The couple that bought it loved the way we had it decorated and strangely enough when I saw it after they moved in, it was set up exactly how we had it, they even had the same coffee table. It was a little creepy!

Kabergs, that's exactly along the lines of my thinking. Appealing, like the rest of the house, yet nothing that would be offensive. I think it should look intentional, not just like we neutralized it for resale!

My DD's bathroom is clearly part of the "children's wing" and I think something with a bit of color and interest would be appropriate. I am imagining the house will sell to a family who will be drawn to the things we've done for our family...

Frankly, if they get past the colorful, contemporary kitchen, the wallpaper I have in mind for the bathrooms may seem timid.

Yes -- do neutral walls BUT add lots of colors in towels, artwork, shower curtain etc. -- even a selection of framed photos.

Amy, remove the wallpaper and choose nice popular colors such as aqua or a sage green or a rich cream. Do not hang new paper - it is impossible to pick wall paper that will appeal to buyers. Add spark with accessories and your beige tile will be beautiful.

Sky

We have a bathroom like that too--I'm thinking I'll just paint the walls a vibrant color and redo the backsplash (it's cracking anyway) -- maybe some glass tile or something...and leave the oak cabinetry and ugh-vinyl flooring (there is cool vinyl flooring and then there is this uber-blah stuff the PO put in there), maybe covered with a bathmat in the same color as the walls.

I bet you'll have buyers aplenty who don't care at all about those bathrooms, after they've seen your kitchen :)

Whatever you decide to do in there, whether neutral paint or something more to your own taste, don't do more wallpaper. I love wallpaper and love so many styles. But I might not love yours. With paint, if I don't like the green you put in the bath and think it will be unappealing for putting on my makeup, it won't take but a couple of hours to repaint in a nice cafe au lait color to suit me. Wallpaper takes a ton of time to remove. It's daunting to most people. And it's more personal than any paint color.

Red

Neutrals in decorating have their own charm, and a few examples of that neutral charm in an otherwise colourful house can add welcome contrast. I suggest that you do a bit of looking at examples of neutrals used well in decor, until you can feel inspired about how you make those bathrooms neutral.

I'll have to disagree about neutral selling better. I think that's a "rule" that's been beaten to death. I think you have to know your market.

In our area, for example, there is a TON of new construction, all done up in the very best of the neutrals. Buyers will tour new construction, then tour existing homes as well. Usually the existing homes aren't updated, but if they are, it's BORING updates. No design, no personality, no "flair" at all.

When we sold our home earlier this year, I was absolutely shocked at how many people and their realtors loved the murals I had painted in the kids' rooms, and loved the unconventional choices I made WRT decorating/remodeling. We didn't have anything "safe" or neutral at all, besides a tan carpet color and stainless steel appliances. Everything else was customized and quite unusual. The overwhelming feedback I got was that my house was a breath of fresh air for buyers who were tired of seeing the same 6 design/decor elements in every house they toured.

I think you should do the bathrooms to your taste, and in doing so your house will be consistent. It will have a design to it, and will stand out from the rest of the houses that try to cater to the "neutral" crowd.

Also, there are a lot of choices that *are* neutral, but they're not beige. Our brick paver living room floor was extremely neutral. It could have gone with several different colors, etc. Yet it was anything but plain.

FWIW, we sold in a week with multiple offers.

Reno Fan, I kiss your proverbial feet! This is exactly where I am headed. Things here are much the same as you describe...a ton of builder housing and lots of uniformity. Even the houses in my older neighborhood seem to be modeled after the model homes. (What are they thinking?) Windy, I understand what you're saying about neutral and the contrast concept is interesting. But the words "inspired" and "neutral" have trouble emerging from my lips in the same sentence!

Fly knows my kitchen well. I think it's a love-it-or-hate-it kinda situation. They'll either get it or they won't. And yeah, the bathrooms will be an afterthought. Funny how even though I am selling, it is hard to detach my ego from making design decisions! ;-) Fly, I love your term uber-blah.

Red and Sky, I agree about the wallpaper. I myself have never liked wallpaper. (Watched my parents peel multiple layers in an old house when I was a kid -- scarred me for life!) But, I am nervous about the prep involved in making the walls paint-ready, hence the idea of more paper. I'd never do it in any room other than a bathroom, btw. But, when I think about it, the money I spend for the prep, I can save by painting myself.

Funny thing is, I have found some really appealing wallpaper. Who woulda guessed.

I suppose I should see what the walls look like and then make the decision. Heaven knows, I have plenty of paint in the garage, including the colors Sky mentions.

Teacats, I am also concerned about a shower curtain....thinking I need to go white to make the bathroom look as large as possible. I have this really cute curtain from PB that does a nice thing with the icky tiles. But, I keep thinking I need to go back to off white. What do you think?

Thanks all for thinking about this with me.

Hi....I don't "know" your home, but I can say a few baths aren't going to make or break a home sale. They're waaaay down at the bottom in buyer's eyes...especially if you're talking just the cosmetics and fixtures are updated. Kitchens, FR, bedrooms will make the sale. Please don't wallpaper again as mentioned though....some people just go nuts and make a much bigger deal out of it than it deserves.

And also...there's a WORLD of color between "boring neutral" and wild and crazy. Colors I think CAN kill house sales are those that are blinding in tone or steal all the light and warmth from a room. Purples, lime greens, royal blues, grays "etc" I'd probably stay away from. The number of people who appreciate those colors is a very low %.

I honestly don't think it's the potential buyer's dreading repainting as much as it is the MOOD that is cast upon the house or room. That's what they "leave with" in their mind. Maybe gloomy, too dark, no life. They don't know the room is very light and bright if it's painted gray or a darkish sage green or similar tone.

My homes have always been a mix of colors AND neutrals...but I avoided anything extreme. A pale, WARM green will "read" as a neutral (BM Baby Turtle is fantastic)....so will a beigy pale yellow for example. Doesn't have to be white or beige.

I've used colors BUT I always used them where they didn't steal light. And like Reno, my homes have always sold within days normally...and not in great markets.

I think incandescent lighting is also paramount in staging a home too....if you don't have many, borrow some or invest. Nothing worse than overheads being the primary lighting! You want the home to show warm, inviting and cozy....that's what sells.

Oh, if the baths don't have great light or are windowless, I'd stay neutral. There are some great offwhites/beiges with peach or pink tones that are extremely warm and flattering and that counts in a bath. In fact, a pale peach is stunning in a bath. I'm not a fan of blues, greens or deep tones in baths without great light....gloomy and horrid in the mirror!

Another thing you can do in baths (I use these all the time) is buy the Pastel Phillips light bulbs....gives a great glow to neutral walls. Love them in bedrooms too.

Amy: good luck on selling your house. I know you won't have any problem because that house is gorgeous. Post pixs when you are done w/ the prep ! I don't have any problem w/ wall paper when it's done right and well chosen. Tons of model houses here have wall paper and people love it. I think if your bathroom is small (again post pix!) then wall paper will give it the punch.

I've seen pics of your home, and I think you have wonderful taste, and a fantastic eye for color. I think anyone who is going to love the rest of it, will only feel something is missing if you "beige the rest of it down"..kwim? So, I say stay consistent.

Amy, I temporarily forgot about that lovely kitchen!! You have all those lovely EK colors in the house too, as I recall right?

FWIW our old house had this awful color matched frog green on the walls to coordinate with a PBkids frog shower curtain and the new owners loved it...it was perfect for kids. So if it's in the "kids wing" go for it!

Amy, you have the best eye for color of anyone here, to my knowledge. You go with your heart. I love the direction you are taking. If you see a wallpaper that makes your feet dance, then I am sure it will be right. I love your house. I wish I was going to be its new owner because everything would be just right for a move-in. I even love the idea of taking my traditional things, paring them down and moving into your elegantly contemporary space.

Okay, you guys are bringing tears to my eyes, on a day when DH and I are at odds about all the little things that I feel must be done. And done right. "My" right! ;-)

It's hard enough leaving this house that I've put so much into, but to have to struggle with design and cost for resale is a pain. I want to love the choices I make and keep the flow. At the same time, I need to be fiscally responsible, as well as emotionally detached, so that I don't feel so sad about going. It's a tightrope and my vision gets cloudy with all that this entails.

I should tell you, my friends, that I am happy about moving. We have decided to be closer to family and friends in MA. This move will benefit our whole family and I know that after the transition, it will all be good. (Well, except for the winters.) So, I know I sound whiny right now, but I want you to know that this is my choice and today is just a crummy day.

I really appreciate the help with thinking things through. (DH just doesn't get it!) And I really, really appreciate the votes of confidence....for my style and my colors. It means so much to me to have your support.

Okay, back to pack another box... Oh, and I promise I'll post pics when it's done and listed.

Talk to a whole slew of RE agents where YOU are about what's going on in YOUR market. Every market is different and what you can get away with (or even what is favored) in one market can be radically different from what works for another market.

We've had easily 100 showings of our house and I can count on one hand the negative feedback comments we got about the decor, and there were SO many positive ones, including some people just gushing oh-how-cute. However, loving the decor doesn't always translate to cash on the barrelhead... despite very aggressive pricing to compensate for a couple of other issues (at its current absolutely sickening price we're expecting to lose a bucketload of money *sigh*), next week we'll be 6 freakin' months on the market. Everyone swore up and down that it was such a wonderful house it would sell in no time for a great price. Hah. If we hadn't bought this place we probably would have taken it off the market and managed as best we could for a year or so.

amysrq, before you make any choices on your decorating, I'd like to suggest you take a look at some of the threads on the Buying and Selling Homes forum. Not only those on decorating but also on the status of the current housing market. Also you can post your home as it stands now on that forum and get some excellent advice from the folks on that forum on what changes could be made to your home to make it more saleable.

I have no idea where you live or what your housing market is, but many markets are facing very very slow sales and very stiff competition. If you want to sell your home then you want to appeal to the greatest percentage of buyers which increases your odds of selling your home for the highest price possible in the shortest length of time. What someone likes to see in decorating and what they will buy may be two different things. Generally real estate agents say if the decorating is too bold the buyers look at the decorating and not at the home - you want the buyers to focus on the home not the beautiful decorating. Wallpaper is generally considered a turnoff to about 90% of buyers.

There are ways to decorate homes with neutral backgrounds and accessorize with color that can satisfy your need to make your home beautiful but still accomplish your goal of selling the home. Remember, if you have decided to sell your home, then you are decorating for the buyers.

The fact that you are packing is a good first step because that is one thing mentioned by real estate agents, decluttering your home and reducing those personal objects in your home so buyers can "picture" themselves living in your home.

I know moving can be very stressful (been through that many times myself) but since you will be moving closer to family that should help. johnmarie has given some excellent advice above. Making your home appeal to as many buyers as possible is foremost, as you don't want your home to languish on the market which can create even more stress. Good luck to you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Buying and Selling Homes Forum

This is a little OT but I was listening to a radio show the other day and they were talking about the s-l-o-w real estate market. One guy suggested finding the best, most active, RE agent around and then offering him/her an additional cash bonus for selling your house. Like an extra grand or two. Thought that was clever and it sure beats having two mortgage pmts at the same time. Anyone selling a house in one week in this market deserves big kudos and surely has some selling tips!

Wallpaper would be such a turn-off for me as a prospective buyer. I would much prefer paint that I can change easily and the color wouldn't matter one bit. When we moved to the South years ago, every single house we looked at had wallpaper, in almost every room! We ended up buying new so we didn't have to deal with it. Now you hardly ever see wallpaper.

I think you leave the house in the flavor you have it, Amy. I have always sold my houses even when the market was bad within a short time. Unfortunately, twice before I even had a place to go, had to live in a motel for a while. I have always had inspectors commend me on staging the house, which really was not staged, just tidied up from magazines and newspapers, breakfast dishes and laundry before anyone arrived, and yes, I have sold houses with wallpaper, because I always tried to have "good" wallpaper and not "talking" wallpaper. I like textures, not flowery, fruit, trains and football players.

Amy, just do what feels right for you. I bet your house sells quickly. I could move into it and put my traditional furniture in it with a mix of contemporary and make it my eclectic home very quickly. I think your house really speaks to the area in which you live.

You cannot anticipate the unknown. Why someone would want to buy your house might not have anything whatsoever to do with something you might imagine or have done. Or it could be everything. No way to know.

Patricia has it right. Make it look as spacious and comfortable as possible, stage it well and don't sweat the rest. Color is easy to change as you know so well.

When we bought our house it was not for the house. It was for the property and location. Some people will buy for the street. Others for the bathroom or kitchen. Sometimes it's just the way it feels or that their furniture will fit or they like the layout.

Realtors can advise but this is an odd market. I think price and having your high end fixtures and fresh paint should prove helpful in a market where it can be hard to get an additional loan.