"Sanctuary!... Sanctuary!"

It is fairly common from my experience to enter a Master Bed Room and find that the children's belongings have spilled over into the parents' room. I suppose some people would find it convenient to let the little ones play whilst they dress for the work day. Others believe in "co-sleeping". What ever the reason, when it comes time to put the house on the market, one of the most important things you will hear me stress is: The Master Bedroom (suite) must be cleaned of ALL evidence of children. You are selling Sanctuary!

When buyers see a Master Bedroom that contains your kids' stuff, it sends the message that the house is small, and there's not a lot of storage. In this house, I was brought in for a Basic Stage Coaching (consultation) and made many recommendations. But the owners needed a World Series of Interventions with Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura, and the Super Nanny to get their stuff straight. They did get the Master cleaned up for photos, but within a couple of weeks, it was right back to where they started. And, sadly, after six months the house never sold.

I am not trying to say that the house did not sell because of the Master - but I do like to stress to the sellers that I work with: Lots of little things can do you more harm than one or two big things. The Big Things can usually be negotiated. The Little Things will build up in the buyers' minds, and lead them to feel that your house in not the house for them.

When preparing the Master Bedroom/Suite: Think Sanctuary! It sounds bad, but make the room a place where parents can escape the kids, and leave all of their worries behind! You want the room that most adults will spend almost 1/3 of their time in to really tug at the senses. It is pretty common to find the Sanctuary technique used in Master Baths, but it most definitely needs to carry over into the bed room!

So get those toys and children's books out! Replace them with scented candles and a trashy paper back on the night stand. Keep the end tables to the basics: Lamp - Clock - Phone - Remote - Book. But only keep three items on each night stand. Make sure you have lots of pillows on the bed - at least Six, plus decorator pillows. Bedding should be Updated - no floral prints - beds in a bag can be found for less than $100. Have a nice throw available to accent. Heck, if it makes you feel better, do the Cliche Staging Vignette: a tray with champagne bottle and glasses - maybe a silk rose to top it off.