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Need your design opinions please


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Our house is up for sale. We have had one showing a week since we listed it and people are always driving by to check it out. However we aren't seeing those drive bys turn into showings and I think it's because our lack of curb appeal.

 

So here is a pic of our house. Tell me your opinion, do you think we should spend the money and paint the house or do you think we should leave it alone? If you think we should paint what color combo do you suggest? I was thinking a very very light yellow with dark green trim or something like that.

 

http://canyonsideirwinrealty.com/3d.php?mls=98399681

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I would paint the front door, get some flowers out there. Place some pots on the steps with some bright flowers or even some window boxes. You could also add some some shutters to the front windows to make those stand out. Black shutters, red front door, lots of flowers. The inside is very cute. You can plant some shrubs, go to you local nursery with a picture of the exterior and ask them for some suggestions on plants to spruce up the front.

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I would do some foundation plants, maybe some bushes on the corner to anchor things and some annuals in between. I like green (soft) for colors. But I don't know what is popular where you live. Can you ask the listing agent?

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There really aren't any popular color combos around here. We live in a very rural area where everything is either white or red brick farm houses. :) The newer houses seem to be going with beige stucco, but 3 of the 4 houses on the block are beige. I do want to stand out a bit more than that!

 

I have some old dark blue shutters in the shed maybe I will go play around with those today. I like the idea of painting the door. If I keep the house white do I paint the trim and shutters (assuming they will work) the same color?

 

LOL I have a very hard time working with white, it seems to short circut my brain power! :) Since the photo was taken I have planted the front pots with petunias, pansies and violets. The window boxes are full with the same mix. The irises are as high as my knees/thighs and will be blooming soon. I will head to the nursery later this week.

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Leave the house color and trim color alone, paint the front door. Put some annuals in the window boxes. You desparately need foundation plantings. On the window that is not the bay.....starting at the corner you need a large conical evergreen, then something under the window. Someone else was right about taking the photo to a good garden center and getting some help. Make sure you have pots of bright annuals on the porch stoop.

 

 

It's hard to see the window treatments in the exterior picture....consider shears or roman blinds that are visable. The windows look like large blank holes.

The entire house looks very, very plain, very pinched, reigned in, like a spinster aunt who no one wants to kiss. You want folks to fall in love with your house, show how you love it.

 

 

The interiors show that you have decluttered to the extreme. The clean kitchen counter needs a minimum of at least one small appliance, a toaster or blender. You need a canister of wooden spoons beside the stove and a bowl full of very fresh lemons or fruit in that dark little counter corner. Elimate the clutter on the top of the upper cabinets and stage a little clutter on the counters.

 

Living room you need to freshen up the throw cushions you need a nice coffee table book and a small rug to pull the room together. Remove the wood for the stove from the room. The two pictures near the wood stove are not on the right spot on the wall, they need pulled to the right. I would change your drapes to short white ones that look full enough to cover the entire window width. The curtains on the bay/bow window look tired and much too narrow to do the job. Dining room table needs a nice table runner and a centerpiece.

 

The two pictures of the built in dressers, bookshelves, and closets aren't doing you any favors. Have your realtor eliminate those. Your realtor can also update the exterior shot with a newer photo of spring plants or new landscaping....early spring photos aren't all that appealing. The photos as a set make the house feel cold and spare. Calculate what it will cost you to have the house on the market an extra 6 months....mortgage, utilities, taxes.....this is money will be spent if not sold...consider spending that much on landscaping, new living room drapes, and small rug for under the coffee table and some accessories.

 

On the upside ....it's neat, it's clean, and it's up to date. Your wall colors are great and the kitchen is updated. Now just warm it up and make it seem like a happy home. Show that your family loves the place and their family will love it too.

Edited by Anne Rittenhouse
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I agree with the others. I'd paint the front door, possibly add inexpensive shutters, and add some flowering bushes/plants along the foundation. I don't think it's necessary to paint the whole house. The inside is truly adorable! If you could get people in the front door I think you could sell it easily.

Edited by WTMCassandra
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Charming house!

 

I'd paint the front door 'Barn Red' from Behr paints...you can get a quart of exterior grade/satin finish at Home Depot for less than ten bucks. It's a warm, rich, country red...

 

Flowers in pots...bright, cheerful ones in reds, yellows, and blues. Go to an independent nursery and tell someone what you need. Happily dose the plants with Miracle Grow each week until you sell. (You'll need to water in between, but let's put the plants on super grow for a while. ;))

 

How about a colorful flag...pole sets and flags can be had for under twenty five dollars. They could add some fun color...you could get a cozy fun flag that says welcome or go with an American flag. Something to add color and movement.

 

I love the idea of shutters. It's too bad you don't have time for a rambling rose to climb over that fence in front.

 

You have a charming home. Play up that cottage charm from the outside.

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Your house doesn't look welcoming, starting with the fence. First, can you plant a path of bright color leading from the street to your front door. If you have the money, planting bushes or fast growing tall flowers in spots both in front and behind the fence could also help soften it. Hanging plants would also give some variety in height around your house.

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Thanks for the suggestions. I pulled the shutters out of the shed and painted them black. I can't hold them up while attaching them to the house so DH will have a project when he gets home. I moved a wrought iron bench under the right window (its a cement slab under that window) with a few planter boxes. I need to get a few more that is for sure. I like the idea of a climbing bush or something of the sort so I will think about that some more.

Under the big window I transplanted some perenial flowers from another spot in the yard. It still needs a little more but it is a help for sure.

 

I will post a picture after dh gets the shutters up for more advice. I am still unsure what color to paint the door. I like the suggestion of barn red but with brown trim and black shutters I dont think that would be the right thing. lol I could be wrong about that though!

 

I will definatly have the realtor come back and take a better picture now that it isn't raining, over cast and freezing cold! Its amazing what a little warm weather will do for a picture!

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