Change Your Décor to Be Gender Neutral

Listing your home for sale, but second guessing if your personal décor might scare some potential buyers away? Depending on how unique or gender specific your taste is, this can happen. Though there are no hard-and-fast rules for what all buyers will like, like in window treatments or paint color, there are some things that tend to be turn-offs for men and for women.

Does that mean that all male buyers who view your home will hate your pink bathroom? No. But for the sake of appealing to just about everyone, there are a few ways to neutralize your home regardless of a buyer’s gender or personal preferences.

Paint in neutral colors. It really is a basic rule. To neutralize a home to appeal to the masses, begin by changing those purple or red walls with shades of gray, beige, and even white. You don’t want any extremes in color that could send buyers running out the door. In flooring, countertops and your furniture, you can create more warmth and depth if you have deeper tones like navy or black paired with splashes of color throughout the home with throw pillows, towels, rugs, or curtains.

Stage with furniture that is tailored and has modern accents. If you have a busy, colorful, floral- patterned sofa, it really tends to appeals to feminine tastes in home décor. Put these types of furnishings in storage until you move and opt for renting (there are stores where you can rent furniture by the week) a bit more contemporary, streamlined sofa in a neutral fabric. Pair this with a contemporary coffee table and your living room is neutral and appealing to everyone. Remember that any large ornate pieces of furniture can make a room seem smaller which is unappealing to all buyers.

Remove Knick knacks. Whether you collect tea cups, or salt shakers, or trophies, it says a lot about you personally, but it does not appeal to buyers. Pack away all your trinkets and opt for a colorful throw on the couch and a classic vase or sculpture on the mantle.

Keep drapery simple. You may love the drapes in your den with the giant fish on them. But buyers will not see the room’s full potential. They will focus on your drapes. Window treatments should be kept simple with soft, easy flowing fabrics with no (or only very subtle) prints, or you should opt for streamlined, tailored roman shades.

Art should appeal to everyone. Not that you should buy all new pieces of art for your walls, but as you remove personal family photos, you should also remove large paintings of flowers or ballerinas, and yes, even that deer head mounted on the wall in the den. You want to appeal to everyone’s taste, so landscapes or coastal scenes are a safer bet.

Buyers often have a hard time seeing beyond a seller’s personal taste in décor. Try and remove any extremes and keep everything neutral and appealing to a broad range of potential buyers.