I've had a few bones to pick over the years with HGTV. Not the least of which has been that advising folks to do a $16,000 kitchen upgrade in a $190,000 home while the hardboard siding and window sills are rotting off the exterior seems, at least to me, to be a bit irresponsible. Homeownership is the embodiment of your mother's admonishment that if you cannot take care of your things then you don't deserve to have them.
So, it is with mixed emotions that I inform you that I believe HGTV may be responsible for the death of the oldest of our traditional advice to sellers. Remember this? "Neutralize, depersonalize, make it clean and give the buyer a blank canvas on which to express his own personality."
We called it Realtor Beige. That nondescript, not too white (not too anything actually) paint color that looks clean with white or wood trim, hardwood floors or carpet. The carpet? Beige, non-offensive. Tile or vinyl? Beige with light colored grout. Yep, Realtor Beige...goes with anything. Well, except falling in love. Nobody ever walked into a freshly 'beige' house and said "Wow, I LOVE it!" or "This goes with ALL my stuff!" "Quick, let's write up an offer before THIS gets away!" Unless the home is a living monument to Hendrix's Purple Haze or every room is bubble gum pink, you might be surprised how many buyers will actually respond positively to the colors we have graciously described in the past as "too personal."
HGTV has raised the expectations of young buyers. Not only are they looking for upgrades (some of which may not be reasonable in an 'entry level' home) but they also respond emotionally to the "ikea-look" or "pottery barn" colors which have become the signature home style of a generation.
I'll give HGTV this much; they have gotten people excited 
about what fun it can be to live in a beautiful home. They've inspired an entire industry to make affordable home decor that is mix and match. Think about it. Your large furniture is olive drab or brown or, gulp, beige. But your walls are eggplant or aqua, terra cotta or chocolate and you can find pillows and throws and rugs and wall art and knick knacks and candles to match and in any color palate that makes you happy and, should you ever get bored with it, can be changed over a weekend for a couple hundred dollars.
When I list a home and discover that every room is a different color I am no longer afraid. I still insist that the home be in good condition, clean and uncluttered. The quickest way to lose a sale is to have the buyer's inspector find $20,000 worth of wood rot and HVAC and roofing systems on their last legs. Those are the things I, as a Realtor, respond to emotionally.
But color? I've watched too many young buyers this year spinning around happily in a dramatically colored room, and daydreaming about how they will live in it, to be concerned about whether or not any color is "too personal."
R.I.P. Realtor Beige...you served us well.
It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!
SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential real estate professional in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina with over 60,000 hours of experience. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home sellers, home buyers and investors in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Northern Chatham County and is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas #1 independent realty company.
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