Converting from Living Condition to Selling Condition: The Front Door
The front door is the gateway to the home. As sellers are preparing to sell their homes attention needs to be paid so that this gateway makes a great instant impression. It should convey a feeling of being warm and inviting as well as clean and maintained.
A good place for a seller to start is with a deep cleaning of the front door. Door hardware should be clean and tarnish free. If it’s not possible to remove persistent tarnish it’s a good idea to go ahead and replace the door hardware. What a seller wants is for a potential buyer to feel like they want to open the door to their new home.
A fresh coat of paint on a painted front door is the cheapest and easiest way to make a considerable impact. The color should be selected to complement the color of the exterior of the home. If at all possible the exterior of the front door should be painted a warm color such as a red or yellow tone. Brick red is often a nice selection. Warm colors are preferred because warm colors are considered inviting and even sometimes exciting. They are also said to advance, that is to appear closer than they actually are. The goal is for the front door to stand out and greet as potential buyers approach the home. You will not be home to invite potential buyers into your home, so your door should do the job for you. The door should also be painted on the inside to remove any areas that have accumulated scuff marks as well as oils and dirt from hands.
Stained front doors need different attention. Sellers need to do a thorough inspection of the door. If the varnish is cracking or pealing or the stain has faded the door should be striped, re-stained and re-varnished. For tips on the process see the Saturday, November 12, 2005 entry on this blog.
Besides being warm and inviting the front door should also feel secure. The door needs close and lock with ease. As a seller you want prospective buyers to feel the home is secure and safe.
Most front doors are acceptable if a homeowner is just planning on living in their home. However this is about converting a home to selling condition. When selling a home sellers need every advantage possible and a front door that is inviting may just be the edge that is needed to get the most and best offers possible.
Shannon White, allied member ASID of Shannon White Interior Design, St. Louis, MO, 314-315-0768, swhiteid@yahoo.com.
A good place for a seller to start is with a deep cleaning of the front door. Door hardware should be clean and tarnish free. If it’s not possible to remove persistent tarnish it’s a good idea to go ahead and replace the door hardware. What a seller wants is for a potential buyer to feel like they want to open the door to their new home.
A fresh coat of paint on a painted front door is the cheapest and easiest way to make a considerable impact. The color should be selected to complement the color of the exterior of the home. If at all possible the exterior of the front door should be painted a warm color such as a red or yellow tone. Brick red is often a nice selection. Warm colors are preferred because warm colors are considered inviting and even sometimes exciting. They are also said to advance, that is to appear closer than they actually are. The goal is for the front door to stand out and greet as potential buyers approach the home. You will not be home to invite potential buyers into your home, so your door should do the job for you. The door should also be painted on the inside to remove any areas that have accumulated scuff marks as well as oils and dirt from hands.
Stained front doors need different attention. Sellers need to do a thorough inspection of the door. If the varnish is cracking or pealing or the stain has faded the door should be striped, re-stained and re-varnished. For tips on the process see the Saturday, November 12, 2005 entry on this blog.
Besides being warm and inviting the front door should also feel secure. The door needs close and lock with ease. As a seller you want prospective buyers to feel the home is secure and safe.
Most front doors are acceptable if a homeowner is just planning on living in their home. However this is about converting a home to selling condition. When selling a home sellers need every advantage possible and a front door that is inviting may just be the edge that is needed to get the most and best offers possible.
Shannon White, allied member ASID of Shannon White Interior Design, St. Louis, MO, 314-315-0768, swhiteid@yahoo.com.
posted by Russell T. Nolting at
12:01 PM
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