Tips for selling a house that won't sell

MIAMI -- Jan. 24, 2006 -- Young buyers like a pretty house, so if a house won’t sell, Mark Nash, author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home, urges home sellers to make these simple cosmetic updates.

• Expose hardwood floors and buff them until they shine. Nash, who sells homes in the Chicago area, says an increasing number of younger buyers dislike homes with wall-to-wall carpeting. ''It's amazing how often I hear from young clients who won't even look at a place unless it has hardwood floors,'' he says.

• Remove antiquated furnishings. Many young buyers have eclectic tastes. Get rid of matched sets of look-alike furniture from the ’70s and ’80s then rearrange what’s left to make the house feel more contemporary.

• Take down your old draperies and light fixtures, including old-style track lightings. Nash says outdated lighting and heavy, elaborate draperies (the kind with swags and valances) turn off young buyers.

• Remove wallpaper. Young buyers are unwilling to purchase any home that needs wallpaper removal—it’s just too daunting.

• Repaint your walls. Nash encourages home sellers to stick with neutrals or calm earth tones, like a light sage green. Using bold tones can be very tricky, he cautions. “I call these ‘commitment colors.’ Chances are good that your buyers won't like them as much as you do,'' he says.

Source: The Miami Herald, Ellen James Martin (01/22/06)

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