Ottawa Valley, ON

The challenge of flat screen televisions, especially those hung on walls and above the fireplace is what to do with all the cables. You will have the electric cord, the cable cord and maybe the DVD player cord. Okay, maybe there is the satellite cord with a PVR. It is not a pretty sight. Those cords dangle down from the TV cross the wall and snake over to the machines and outlets.

Depending on your budget, the solutions include wireless cable, covering the cords by running them through a channel mounted on the wall, drilling into the wall and running the cords behind the wall or, if on brick, digging out a bit or mortar and wedging the cables in between the bricks (I don't like this option). You may need a combination of these. All of them cost a bit of money and or effort but will improve the appearance of the wall mounted TV enormously.

De-tangle a home sale with a well installed television.

Photo credit: Mimi's TV

Some Home Sellers do not want a "For Sale" sign in front of their homes. It might be that they are private people and don't want the neighbours to know their business. It might be that they don't want to mow around the sign or have their view blocked. It could be any reason but.... I highly encourage Sellers to agree to a sign. It is cheap, visible advertising. It lets neighbours and passers-by know that your home is available. Some of the best prospective Buyers are the friends and relatives of the neighbours. Why? Because they already know the area and know people in the 'hood'.

When you are selling, use every form of marketing available

It is spring. For Sale signs should pop up on the lawn like dandelions.

You wear only 20% of what you own.

When selling your home, you will want prospective buyers to think that your closets are big enough for them and their clothes. It is imperative that your closets not be jammed to the rafters. I am sure that you have seen those decluttering shows where the person has gone from being unable to see into the closet to having a closet with clothes on hangers and neatly organized. How on earth did they go from a bazillion items to so little. Here are a couple of tricks that were used and that you can apply yourself.

1. You wear only 20% of what is in your closet on a regular basis. That means that you can safely eliminate 80% of your closet and not go naked in the streets. In the 80% there may be a couple of items that you have to save for sentimental or celebration reasons but the rest can be given away, sold on consignment, traded with friends (but not for more clothes) or packed until you arrive at your new home.
2. What do you really wear? Take all your hangers and face the hooks in one direction. Each time you take something out and return it to the closet after wearing it, face the hanger in the opposite direction. After a few months, you will see what clothes you never wear - the hangers are still going in the original direction. These are the items you can give away or sell.
3. Put your remaining clothes or nice hangers and spread them apart on the rod so there is space. The wire hangers from the dry cleaners have to go. Buy a few boxes of matching wood or white plastic hangers. When on the rod , the same style of hangers lends continuity and also visual space. A Buyer will be so happy to see how big the closet is.

Reduce the 80% to increase the value of your home.

Everyone knows that the Buyer is not buying the furniture and decorations. Sellers will often argue that there is no payback in "staging" their home. The hope and feeling is that Buyers can look beyond the owners' decorations and personal items. In fact, there is a payback. Look at the picture above of how a hotel bed is made. What does a bed that looks like that, with crisp linens and fluffy pillows, say?

To a buyer, who is spending time imaging themselves living in your home, a bed like this will have the Buyer saying:

• I can see myself sleeping in this room.
• This bedroom is a retreat where I can go at the end of the day.
• Look honey, we can put a lock on the door and keep the kids out.
• If the bedroom is any indication, the rest of the house must be as neat and clean.
• Well, the bedroom is updated so I am expecting this same level of maintenance to extend to the rest of the home.

...All of this just from a bed. So, as an owner, you are right that the people are not buying your furniture but they are interpreting the value of your home from how you set it up. The bed is only one area where your attention to detail will pay off.

Don't let your house become a market sleeper because of the beds.

Photo credit: Caesars Palace Hotel Bed @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zesmerelda/1429950406/

Paint your door.

What? Paint wood? Most men will think that you will be struck dead from painting a wood door (or any wood in the house for that matter) but...

Consider painting your front door. When I was in Ireland I fell in love with the doors painted in high gloss primary colours. What a treat!!!! You are going to or living in the house with the yellow (or red, or green or blue) door. From a long line of homes on a street, it will be apparent which one is yours by the colour of the door. Where the same builders have built every house on the block or in the neighbourhood, you might want a way to distinguish your home from others.

Get together with your neighbours and think of painting each door a different colour. Imagine the impact! Think of what fun it would be to take your door to a new level of interest with bright red or yellow or green. The Irish have it right - houses with each door painted a different colour.

All right, maybe the primary colours are not going to work but... you can step away from the white metal door or bland wood door and into a world of colour. The people at the paint shops can help you make a choice. Take in a photo of your house. Remember the colour of your shingles / tiles on the roof. Remember, if you are going to paint your door, be ready for comments from your neighbours and do as professional a job with the primer and paint as you can. Have some fun. After all, it is just a door to your house and not the entrance to the Louvre.

(Okay, one caveat, if you are living in a house with an historical designation you may not be able to apply your creativity to colour choices but then, you already know that.)

Last week I went for a walk with my camera looking for my favourite doors in my neighbourhood. Here they are:

Photo credit: Strikingly painted front doors, Infirmary Road @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pnh/112184498/