You've just gone through a major renovation--knocking out walls, refinishing floors, rewiring--you name it, you've done it. At last you can get down to the really fun part--decorating, the finishing touches that really bring the house together. You may think that this is just fluff and that you've already made your big real estate investment by renovating. But great decorating can make your home that much more appealing to potential buyers. If you're going after a fixer upper as a real estate investment, decorating can up the value of the home. Keep these tips in mind.

Set the Stage

More and more real estate agents are suggesting staging, a process in which decorations, from furniture to art, are used to highlight a home's beauty and livability. Jill Steinberg and Deborah Novick, the founders of Showcase Your Space, a real estate staging company, explain that "if a house is vacant, we may advise bringing in furnishings to create vignettes within the house because many buyers find it difficult to visualize the use of empty space." Stagers also handle homes that are currently being lived in, making them more appealing to a broad audience and showing off their potential. The easier it is for buyers to see a home's possibilities, the more likely they are to pay top dollar for it.

If you're investing in a fixer upper, decorating with staging strategies can help you maximize the return on your real estate investment. Think minimal, functional, well lit, clutter free, and neutral.

Liven up Your Real Estate with Color

For your own pleasure, you can go ahead and paint your home's walls bright colors like orange, but if you're decorating with a real estate sale in mind, you'll want to be more conservative. That doesn't necessarily mean eggshell everywhere, but it does mean safer bets like taupes and blues. Both can add warmth and distinction without overwhelming future buyers.

Sure, renovating is the bulk of the work in getting a fixer upper ready for market. But putting in a little work decorating to showcase the new and improved real estate is well worth it, too.

Sources

• Showcase Your Space

About the Author
Dawn West B.A. holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University and teaches writing at Oregon State University.