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Tricks To Make Your Home Look Larger
We consulted real estate agents, lighting experts, architects, professional stagers and more to find fast and relatively inexpensive ways you can make your home look bigger to buyers without having to knock down walls and remodel.
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Don't Remove All The Furniture
While too much furniture can close off a room, basic pieces like a bed or couch help showcase just how much can fit in a space comfortably. If you don't have furniture to leave in the house for showings, taping off the space a bed or couch would encompass can help potential buyers envision what they will be able fit.
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Do De-Clutter And Clean
De-cluttering is home seller 101. Clear out the extra junk like that umbrella in the entryway and remove the doggie bowls from the kitchen floor. Buy storage baskets that match the color of your entertainment center or coffee table, store knick-knacks in there and push under the furniture. Streamline unnecessary furniture, pictures and personal items. And clean and shine every surface until their shine would make your mother-in-law proud.
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Choose A Monochromatic Color Scheme
A fresh paint job instantly adds sparkle. Keeping the color tones in rugs and wall similar throughout the home's layout adds a sense of space. Lighter, more neutral colors open up a room, whereas dark hues make a room feel smaller than it is.
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Bad Smells Be Gone
Though we may associate roominess with our sense of sight, unsavory smells like a kitty litter box or mustiness from lack of ventilation can close off a space. Jason Saft of New York City-based realty firm Citi Habitats instructs his clients to air out their homes at least 24 hours before a showing. He suggests adding a few drops of a mild essential oil like lavender or eucalyptus to a water bottle and spraying rooms and upholstery.
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Clean Out The Closet
Buyers look for storage space. A closet crammed with gear may seem like proof of a large storage space, but less comes across as more. Pull those smushed in, off-season clothes from the racks and store them elsewhere, like under the bed. Add a second pole, which translates into additional hang space. Since many closets travel up the length of a wall, utilize the hard-to-reach top of the closet by adding shelves and throw the pile of shoes cluttering the floor into baskets that sit on top of them.
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Light Up A Room
Lighting expert to the stars Bentley Meeker says symmetry is key. Light a room evenly from all sides rather than one. Make sure every bulb matches and consider using incandescent bulbs rather than compact fluorescent, since they exude a brighter, warmer light. In the daytime, open the curtains wide and turn on all the lights for a showing--the brightness makes spaces feel bigger.
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Add Fresh Flowers
Fresh cut flowers or a few well-placed plants can add color and life to a room. If you have high ceilings, Saft recommends large dramatic branches like Cherry Blossoms to accentuate that height.
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Trim The Trees
Overgrown shrubberies and trees can make a yard look smaller and inhibit light from coming into the house. Clean up your yard, mow the grass and plant some flowers. If overgrown trees are near power lines, power companies in many states will even come trim them for you for free.
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Mirrors Are 'Like Windows'
A mirror acts like an additional window: It can draw light into a room and magnify the size of it. The key is where you place the mirror. Do not put it in a location that will reflect a wall or a dark hallway; do put it in a corner that will reflect a window's light or an amazing view of the world outside. Hanging mirrors across from each other on parallel walls has great effect too.
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Build Bookshelves
Going back to the storage space concept, built-in shelves can draw attention to high ceilings, round out a room and get your stuff off the floor. Saft suggests "color-blocking" your books, arranging according to the color spectrum and keeping darker hued bindings on the bottom shelves. Just don't overstuff the shelves and leave extra shelf space.
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Power Wash The Windows
Clean those windows, both inside and out. Scrub the screens and consider getting lighter screens if yours are black mesh.
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Go With Glass
Consider switching out that dark wooden coffee table for a glass one. Glass tables reflect light and help maintain a sense of airiness in the room.