STOP Designing Like HGTV to Sell Your Home!

[@KatiSpaniak]

Download the Seller's Playbook Here: bit.ly/SellerPlaybook83

[@maryanncrowl1624]

One of your best videos yet. I think the most important thing you reminded people is to focus on a clean house with no deferred maintenance. It's easy to get hung up on how to stage or decorate but the cleaning and maintenance are the low-hanging fruit. It's much easier to decorate our homes when the clutter is gone and broken things are fixed. I'm speaking from experience, ha.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks for this! This was from the heart for sure

[@LambentLark]

At my old house I painted a mural in the master bath. When we went to sell ithe place, the real estate guy said it should be painted to a solid color. The day I started to do it, I got a call from an agent. A couple had drove buy and wanted a showing that asap. I really wanted to sell it so I said, "is now good for them?". 3 hr later we had an over full price offer and the buyer said, "don't paint over any more of the mural! In fact they wanted me to repaint the part that was gone. I shamed my agent so hard, he paid for me to repaint of the mural. Lol I isn't cheap. A few months later, they got ahold of me through the agents, they needed a mural painted in their new babies room. I have done over 15 murals thanks to that one. I still tease my agent.

[@sleeplesscrafter]

Wow, I would love to see the mural.

[@clarity2118]

I love a unique traditional house. Old architecture - Victorian, Tudor, etc is gorgeous

[@lisahunter6556]

This is a great video. I personally love a quirky house and have literally told real estate agents, "Show me the house you aren't able to sell" because it's often the weird place that sings to me. I LOVE the example of the old church with the original woodwork.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks!!!!

[@Pinnfeathers]

I bought a quirky house that I absolutely love, abandoned for a decade, the worst house in the best neighborhood. Who wants what everyone else has? That ubiquitous HGTV gray floor-white quartz-shiplap everywhere aesthetic is SOOOOOO incredibly boring.

[@mwebb3014]

I have always painted and decorated for me and me only because my home is for me. I have sold three houses in Dallas with walls painted brick red, sage green, lilac, blue, etc, and not a speck of grey anything. They were beautiful, cozy and wowed the various realtors I used. My houses were all very well maintained and super clean with beautiful front and backyards because I love to garden. You spend a lot of money on a house so you do you!! You’ll be so happy!

[@nutritioncoachjo]

I am right there with ya! I’ve purchased several homes and always changed the colors. I never let something as small as paint colors deter me from purchasing any house because 9 at of 10 the color is not for me. Especially if it’s grey. I am a warm color gal. I can handle white but I really hate gray.

[@adriaba790]

Not all buyers are capable, like you, of going beyond the colors and seeing the house beneath!😅

[@privateinfo1711]

I enjoyed watching Fixer Upper. I really wasn't crazy about Joanna Gaines' decorating though. She seemed to do the same thing in every house.

[@pauletteyoung112]

Totally agree. Can’t stand word signs, big clocks and shiplap

[@cjtzioumis686]

Enjoy Paige's content, loved seeing her on this video. So happy you saw the value in her work

[@room2growrose623]

I get it 💯 I have felt completely paralyzed. I’ve thought in terms of future buyers, my husband squashed that, he said, “I’m doing these things for me! So I can enjoy it. I don’t care about future buyers”. 😂. Ding ding ding ding. Woke me up.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Love that!

[@sleeplesscrafter]

The best decision my husband and I made was doing the Love it or List it thing. We updated and remodeled our home based on how WE wanted it, but also keeping in mind to sell. When we were finished with it, we likes it so much, we didn’t want to sell. Now every home we look at, looks horrible compared to ours.

[@KatiSpaniak]

@@sleeplesscrafter This is great to hear!!

[@JustMeOnlyMeIndeed]

Clean, neat and priced right is the key! Also...neighbors of ours replaced their flooring throughout with LVP at the same time we did. They put down a gray color and we put down a medium warm oak look. We get compliments all the time on what a beautiful floor we have. The gray is trendy. Wood in warm tones (not dark like espresso...that's just a dust magnifier!) is always in style. Nature and it's colors never go away.

[@stillwatersfarm8499]

We had a real 1910 farmhouse on a real small farm. Updated tastefully and maintained. Out buildings, pastures, orchard, garden and landscaping. You wouldn’t believe the people who would come in and complain it needed too much work. It had all new flooring, updated kitchen, brand new accessible bath, beautiful wood moldings. It was offensive. Thankfully we found a buyer who actually wanted a farm. I was NOT going to sell it to someone who wanted to screw it up.

[@bitrudder3792]

i’m glad you found the right buyer. For me, I look at beautiful homes online that are for sale, and I see their beautiful granite countertops and their rich hardwood kitchen cabinetry, and a stained wood molding, and I look at the price of the house. I don’t like any of those things, they depress me so much. I would have to calculate the price of “fixing“ something that was perfectly good for someone else into the cost of the house. there are any number of styles that affect me negatively like that, including the All gray approach of the last few years. it would feel so wasteful for me to destroy something like that just because my taste is different. Not to mention expensive. It shocks me that kitchen renovations can cost more than our first house did!!! not to mention how stressful they can be, because those kinds of projects rarely go smoothly. It sounds like the right people got your home, and your beautiful farm.

[@katenoke1571]

Paige is the best. Form, function and originality. And she is the big fan of thrifting and repurposing. When I finally purchased my dream home on cape cod, I bought it for the bones. Post and beam construction and a non cookie-cutter yard. I don't care about the blue tile flooring and wallpaper. They add to the charm. I will add and subtract as I go.

[@elisabethvismans]

My home is for me to live in. I took out the bathtub in the master bathroom because I don’t like a bath. I shower. The bathroom is redesigned the way I want it. Most buyers rip out the bathroom anyway. The plumbing is still there so easy to replace the fixtures. When I buy a house I look at the bones of the house. Not at the stuff that’s easy to change. This house was not niceley decorated but everything was high quality. I’m from the Netherlands and lived in several different countries. Here in the States everyone has the same matchy matchy design, over the top or just plain horrible. I’m a visual artist. My physical environment is important to me. When people enter my house the first thing they say is how much they love it. We, Europeans collect things and find a nice place for it. We have old and new. It has character. I lived in Paris and designed my bedroom in the French style. That is the main team in house. Subtle though. Not in your face with Eiffel towers, chickens and definitely no words like kitchen, home sweet home etc. The walls are painted a cool blueish white which goes well with my colorful oil paintings. I do have some variations in all color. One accent wall is painted in the rijksmuseum color blue. It’s so cool. It’s my home and I love it. It was somewhat outdated, built in 1993, but very clean when I bought it 4 years ago. I changed all the wall colors, new light fixtures. Painted doors white, replaced door handles throughout, ripped out carpet in the bedrooms, etc, etc. This year I worked on the outside of the house and the yard. It looks awesome. It’s unique. It’s me. The next owner can do the same for all I care. I buy and sell on FB marketplace where I have found many beautiful well made pieces for a very reasonable prices. I also have a lot of plants which brings nature in. I live on a golf course in WV with lots of trees around. My front yard is more like a forest. Anyway the interior designers on KZbin all mention the same old stuff. Boring. Why don’t they mention to buy art, real art from local artists instead of from major box stores?

[@robinbirdj743]

You’ve got really good points. One mistake: „ Most buyers rip out the bathroom.“ I’ve bought and sold 5 houses and no, NOT ONE of them has been even updated. The one with dark green tile? Not redone. The one with a cabinet from 1940? Not redone! The one with a claw foot tub? The new owners sold without even painting. Just fyi, maybe it’s true at higher price points but certainly not everyone rips out good but not great bathrooms. ❤

[@sherlhoeppner2392]

I'm an artist(graphic designer) but I have done my share of interior decorating! The house must be CLEAN and NEAT!! Think "clean lines". A house will sell better empty than with dirt and clutter. Even remove kitchen sink rugs, rugs near toilet(make SURE the toilet lid is CLOSED --especially in photos!) toiletry items--use your storage spaces!! Honestly there should be nothing in your bathroom but a decanter of hand soap, a plant/floral arrangement and maybe a single(preferably solid color) hand towel. It will look bigger and feel cleaner! If you dont have a bona fide "style", try to determine what your style is most like--and pare it down! "Keep it simple, Simon!" And "Less is More!" Are 2 things I learned in college. Color and Light can make or break the way your space FEELS!!!❤

[@didomilan1725]

Paige is great, also Caroline Winkler. the cleaning and de cluttering are the most important IMO, and that’s what I’ve taken from you Katie. It’s made me look at my habits differently.

[@katenoke1571]

Yes! Love Caroline's work

[@AlexandraLynch1]

We are different people, and our house is different. We have a lot of books on our bookshelves. We have fine art repros that we like on the walls. I keep the house clean. When we sell it, I'll put away the dog toys and probably box about half the books so they don't overwhelm, but we bought this house because of a massive built in bookcase and a sunroom and fireplace, and those features are probably going to sell it when we're done with it. It's an old house, and by the time we sell it it'll be about 80 years old, and if people don't like early 1960's cottage style, well, that's just that. Someone will want it.

[@lindawilson4625]

I love this video LOL! Thanks for the clarification, but I felt I understood what you meant when you said make it look like HGTV. Sparse & crisp describes it well. In a nutshell: keep your home well maintained, then when ready to sell...deep clean & declutter (depersonalize while you're at it), fresh paint that photographs well, then stage it with HGTV type of stuff. Not dusty old "Grandma" stuff. Doing that will appeal to older buyers who can see past the decor and younger buyers who often can't. You won't "turn off" and market segment that way. The home we bought in 2019? Built in 1977, never updated, but well maintained (including the yard) & very clean...we love it. After we painted the interior another couple really wanted to buy it, too! We will keep it "as is" as long as it remains fuctional for us. Our bathrooms would make you burst out laughing, but the whole house has a cohesive vibe :-)

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks for your comment!

[@woodlucker1968]

I think design trends are really changing quickly right now. We are definitely moving away from the modern farmhouse and gray to more of what this young woman describes in her KZbin. I follow her and I think she has a very solid take on what people want. Especially in the larger urban areas of America.

[@sleeplesscrafter]

I think it really depends on the area. I live in a rural community and all the newly built homes are gray and white.

[@lookouthill11]

@@sleeplesscrafterrural areas are 10-15 yrs behind in design trends.

[@sleeplesscrafter]

@@lookouthill11 yes I know.

[@tastx3142]

I agree. The custom homes in my neighborhood have been updated/remodeled and turned them into tract home appearance. Every house but mine on the block is now white, even the brick and natural stone have been painted. Why do people want another item that is now changed from low maintenance to higher maintenance? The home builders now label their houses as custom homes but they all have the same roof color and 5-6 plans. The custom part was choosing fixtures from their selected items always lower grade. It’s crazy how the perception of buyers has changed over my lifetime and I do attribute it to the shows pushing what we ‘need’.

[@nabimiso]

That “church” house was AMAZING! I’d love it!

[@SarA-cw9xc]

The old historical home you showed is amazing! If it’s in good condition I bet it could sell for a lot because it is hard to find these kind of homes.

[@sandihanna768]

I recently purchased a new older home. I knew it would need new floors, kitchen & baths, paint, but, it was immaculately clean. I actually mentioned this to the realtor several times.

[@Fuzzmom903]

Thank you!! Finally, someone besides Paige (whom I also watch), gets it! I’m currently renovating, and I have to constantly hear about how ppl pull down wallpaper, because I’m putting up wallpaper. I’m just like, and???? I’m not living in my home based on what the next buyer will want. I’m living in my home based on what I want. It’s my home, not the next buyer’s. Contrary to popular (HGTB) belief, I love pigment, wallpaper, brown furniture, honey oak. . . I don’t like gray walls, beige walls, blue walls, microwaves over the range, quartz in the kitchen (heat is an issue in a kitchen), clean lines, stainless steel. . . Last point, a friend was telling me that a relative’s Gen Z kid just bought a brand new house, and had “ruined” it by painting every room a different color, “like a clown” house. Somehow I the gray walls should have sufficed. Wow. Just wow.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks for your comments!!! Glad to hear this!

[@donnakinsey2053]

Military family…. Our favorite home was in Hawaii, had just been completely redone and every room was a different color. Very tastefully done. There was a beautiful surfboard rack just inside the front door. 😃🌺 🏄

[@willsx2]

Katie, if you want to start less stressful decorating of your home for you and your family, Nick Lewis just dropped a video today about finding your design style and how to work with it. Personally, I love what you have done with your bookshelves!

[@maryanncrowl1624]

I second that. I love Nick Lewis...

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks so much! I will check it out!

[@VioletFlowerz]

Nick Lewis is a fantastic content creator and is so much fun to watch in addition to providing really usable suggestions for finding your style and making it work.

[@GEOMETRICINK]

I absolutely adore this video, I’ve probably commented 5 times 😂😂😂 I’ve just got to mention, trends come and go so fast. Decorating your home with your own personal style and what you truly love is everything. You’ll enjoy it for so much longer. I personally love walnut, brass, and white. I’ve been collecting walnut/teak antiques for decades now. So when the white oak flooring and gray walls trend was in full force, I was so close to getting white oak hardwoods and painting the entire house gray. My husband wasn’t so sure, knowing me as well as he does, insisted we reconsider. I ended up going with what I’ve loved for years, a walnut toned hardwood and creamy white walls. The furniture I have collected over the years, that truly reflects my style, looks great in this space. And don’t ya know, darker woods are back in style as we speak. So glad I just went with what I love.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks so much for your comment and your engagement on this!! It means a lot to me!

[@edennis8578]

That church house is gorgeous. The woodwork, the fireplaces, everything. Chef's kiss!

[@well57seasoned]

Terrific video. Loved the designer because she caused me to really think about my own buying decisions. As a senior who sold our large home in 2021, we had a professional stager who removed most of our furniture and brought in her staging items. Best decision. We bought our current home in Tennessee all online. What we couldn’t do was “hear the road noise” behind our house and the tight parking situation for our cars. But, the house met our needs even though the master bath was painted “Vol” (University of Tennessee Volunteers) ORANGE!! Quick paint job fixed that. And, that’s one of the difference in generations. Those of us in our first 60’s and 70’s always knew that we would have to do something to the homes we bought and learned how to do that (painting, fixing up floors, etc). We were busy, too,

[@nancybathe9391]

last two homes of mine--I packed and put into storage as much as possible to minimize clutter. It was worth it. Plus, my 2 kids and I each had a checklist of things to take care of when the realtor called for a showing and whoever finished first helped someone else out--the house was always ready in under an hour. With both homes, half my belongings were in storage before listing and both had offers in less than a month. The second one was bought by the very first person who walked through. Did minimal home improvements to sell with the first and more on the second, but didn't matter much with either.

[@tammiejo]

Someone in our neighborhood painted their brick home white with black trim, totally stripped it of character- it’s been on the market for 6 months despite being very newly renovated and in a desirable neighborhood. I’m sure the listing price is too high, but I can’t help but think the paint job was a terrible decision. I am so glad Paige’s video came up for you- she’s got a great eye

[@cj222100]

Sometimes I look at Zillow or Redfin for fun, & I remember a home that sold that was really dated. Honey oak everywhere, the walls were either peach or brown, some of which had that sponge painting effect. Border wallpaper, hunter green bedroom, basically every 90s thing you could think of, you name it, this house had it. But, it was immaculate & perfectly maintained. It sold in probably like 2 weeks.

[@hchayes9431]

Homeowners need to realize that they need to retain the character of the house. A mock colonial townhouse is not a 1950s Atomic MCM house.

[@bitrudder3792]

😂 I have always loved the idea of decorating in a way that honors the original architecture, but that led to quite a dilemma for me in our current house. How do you decorate a house that is Texas farm house/ contemporary colonial on the front, pretty plain farmhouse on the back, courtyard on one side, and full of pinky peach ceramic tile and cinnamon shaker cabinetry from 2001 with a light travertine backsplash in the kitchen.… With a mix of crown molding in some places and very contemporary window arrangements in some areas and divided light windows in others? basically I have a 2001 Life Forms home that is a far cry from their original contemporary designs? i’m not sure where housing prices will land, but I have seen houses linger on the market in our neighborhood because of too much personalization. I’ve had an entertaining time trying to fancifully come up with a name for the style of our home, and marry it logically with some decor style name (despite the fact that my husband and I have different preferences when it comes to interior decor!), But I did end up simply embracing the tile and the cabinetry that he likes, partly out of being agreeable and partly out of common sense, by which I mean financial considerations. We had a freeze with pipe burst and water damage a few years ago which spurred the need to repair and repaint ceilings and walls. with great trepidation and yet resolute willpower, I boldly went where I never thought I would go. Various dark brown wall colors that had a coral undertone what is the best way to pull the cabinetry and the floors together in the kitchen/family area as well as a home office ( making technology disappear while bringing attention to the natural beauty outside of the windows, and light colored elements in the rooms). I don’t know quite what to call it except “transitional“ because it’s in between other styles, but I do kind of like it when people come in and ask me if we got new kitchen cabinets and say that it looks beautiful. Not every wall is that dark, that would drive me absolutely crazy. We have embraced the original pinkish taupe that was popular when the house was built and still exists in parts of the house. And now I am trying to figure out how to repaint the upstairs so the house feels calm and consistent (my personal need for serenity), without having it be boring. Because honestly, I repainted the house from that color because it was really boring upstairs in particular. I live in a suburban box. Granted it is a large and fairly interesting box in many ways, but a box nonetheless.

[@JodieHosey]

Yes. Staging to sell and decorating for yourself and family are two different things. As a buyer I am looking at space, layout, upkeep, what maintenance will we need to do, will we have to replace carpet or refinish floors, how's the structure, the roof, etc. I try not to look at a sellers stuff except to gauge what size furniture I can fit in a space. At the end of the day the house does not come with the furniture or decor. I'm not even too worried about paint colors, because I'm going to want to paint it my own choices. Clean, decluttered and as little maintenance or broken things/ projects to do is more important. Buyers need to see the house, not your stuff.

[@GEOMETRICINK]

In renovating my own personal home I look for quality materials, beautiful woodwork, just honest to goodness craftsmanship. The style is my own, the tile color, the wood color, the paint color are my own, but the work better be PERFECT, top quality, for resale purposes. Since I do this, my hope is other buyers do this also and overlook cosmetic choices and focus more on the quality of the work. An example, if you redo the kitchen using a great quality cabinet, that’s installed well, well laid out, any buyers will overlook the color of the cabinets that you personally love and will see the quality and think, I love these cabinets, I can easily paint them white.

[@notinamerica_911]

I have lived in my home for almost 20 years and in the first 15 years I decorated for personal taste of my partner and I. Now we are looking at selling in the next 5 years and I am selling and donating very niche items and looking to stage and am enjoying the process. Our house was built in 1957 so it is showing it's age. I do struggle with whether to paint kitchen cabinets, probably will rip out carpet that has been replaced in last 5 years but over hard wood floors so will have floors done. Painting all rooms will be essential and I am getting rid of unnecessary furniture.

[@tool-nh8mk]

I loved this! Its refreshing to hear.. and a good reminder. Its our home, our space.. it needs to work for you now. If its clean, tidy, clutter free and functions (appliances work, water filter etc..) for you in your current life, then we much to be thankful for and yes it takes some elbow grease. The rest is vanity and trying to impress others.. what a shallow way to live. Budgets and children will humble any human. My number one rule: Cleanliness & functionality. The rest is cosmetic. We can still live comfortably in our home and that looks different for most people❤

[@PeachyPatriot]

I’m an artist and illustrator and I have always viewed my home like a giant canvas to express myself on. Not just paint and crafts. But fun eye catching things. I love the WOAH factor in a home. Like our guest bathroom. It’s this tiny narrow and tall room. Weird. But I made it like a gallery of every kind of piece of art with dark walls and gaudy gold pieces and an octopus toilet paper holder and it isn’t fit everyone but I love it. Same with my aunts house. I LOVE her house but I love to look at it. Not to live in it. Because it isn’t me.

[@rachelbrown4066]

I like watching Paige. She does staging, but she is correct on unique style is ok. Thanks for this video.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thanks for watching!

[@EmmazingGal]

Hmmm.... in my own opiniom it is hard to be unique if following the HGTV formula becuase if you style your house the tv show way and have one unique feature, that feature is gonna stick out like a sore thumb and may clash with the whole design of the rest of the house and be at odds with the people coming to view the open house. Aslo I think another problem is that having an open layout for the entire livingroom, diningroom, and kitchen you loose the ability to style each room individually which limmits spaces where you can showcase your own stastes.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Yes. Good point

[@helaineclendennen8603]

I appreciate your clarification, but I never confused staging with decorating because I remember you did address that and I understood the difference from what you said originally. But then I listen to everything, and maybe somebody else came in and heard one thing and misunderstood it. I’m still really appreciating all you do to assist sellers in getting the best price. We have decided to hold off selling right now because prices in our area are going down in order for people to sell their homes and we can afford to wait, but I am so happy knowing that I will be ready when the time comes!

[@GEOMETRICINK]

It’s so true that sparse, crisp and clean will sell a home. When I sold my last home, I basically took half of my belongings and boxed them up in the garage. My home was immediately HGTV approved. It wasn’t modern farmhouse, it was more mid century, walnut tones, traveled, eclectic, neutral, but it gave the home that HGTV feel. It sold over asking immediately. The real estate agent walked in and said, You’ve already staged it yourself! Good! I staged EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY, boxing up most of our clothes, bags and shoes, leaving only the neutrals behind. Even the clothing in the closets matched the vibe of the home. Every cabinet was cleaned out, dishes boxed up, leaving behind the perfect sets of dishes, the perfect soaps, leaving behind only the aesthetic items. Boxed up all towels, leaving a perfect set of 8 white towels and neutral sheets in the linen closets. Kids toys were boxed up, leaving the aesthetic ones behind. It was actually nice living minimally for those few weeks. All the clutter was gone. It was very hotel spa like.

[@chriscarson7384]

Thank you for this video, Kati! I'll be watching Paige's videos next! I absolutely believe in making your home personal and comfortable FOR YOU. But when I sold my house four years ago, my agent used a stager, and I cannot say enough nice things about her. The stager made a couple of recommendations to make the interior of the house more appealing to young buyers, then used a mixture of my furniture and her "show pieces" for the photos and tours. I got 15 offers, mostly from young buyers.

[@DeplorablesGarbage]

Get rid of the dustables. Gives you more time to do other things. I have always loved a French- Italianate look. There was a bedroom set that I had wanted since 1986. I found it on Craigslist last year. I bought it and I love it. I have a couch and a chair and ottoman from the 1890s. I get such enjoyment from sitting in them. I found two 1990s over stuffed chairs that match everything like they were made for each other. I struggled because I had been a Realtor and stuck in the “staging” mode. Recently I decided that I want to live in MY HOUsE! I love my furniture. I have no deferred maintenance and I keep everything clean since I got rid of the dustables. Enjoy your home and decorate it how YOU will enjoy it!

[@sleeplesscrafter]

My friend from Russia had a spotless house. She said anything on shelves is just dust collectors. I have kept that in mind every time I decorate.

[@kitw76]

I thought farmhouse style was out. I know dark and moody is popular . My home never had grays. My home is more warmer tones even when we got new flooring I went warm brown tone. We did a kitchen remodel earlier this year and I went with white cabinets only because previously we had very dark ones. I went with a countertop with creams, whites, tan and darker tan/blackish tones not just white. It does have a nice design but not over the top by any means. I thought it helps flow with the flooring and wall color which is Accessible Beige. Katie mentioned she has this wall color. I have accent colors of blues. Overall our decor is blues, creams, beiges and whites. It’s coastal colors but Not beach theme at all. We live in Fl so it works nicely.

[@anon-mx4jx]

This waterfall indoor garden home with granite floors is actually perfect in its uniqueness. It's tasteful and beautiful, the wooden accents, I wouldn't change a thing, and I think I am not the only one in the younger generation who likes this and that's what many real estate agents these days get wrong. I don't want the cheap grey kitchen, I want quality materials, just like this wood and granite combination.

[@Gigibuttercup]

I love Paige, her advice and recommendations are solid!

[@LaBefana-j2r]

This resonates so much with me. Where I live, a lot of people are looking for something vintage and artsy with unique features. More of a “pinterest” look as opposed to the HGTV look.

[@bitrudder3792]

good lessons to be learned. Obviously, it does not make sense to leave money on the table when you sell your house, but knowing about when you’re going to be selling can inform what you do now. knowing who the current buyers are for your area is important if you are selling soon. Funny story, I know someone who flipped several houses with the help of a realtor who was also a bit of a designer. She was all about using these beautiful Mexican tiles and encaustic tiles And some of those Moroccan shaped tiles. Well, the house that he flipped in a neighborhood with a lot of Hispanics went really quickly even though there were some deferred maintenance that was not dealt with. People were distracted with the beautiful tiles, imo!😂😂😂 but then she pushed for that tile to be put into a traditional home in a wealthier, less diverse area even though there were a fair amount of Mexicans moving there. It just sat on the market forever even though I convinced my friend to not put the encaustic tiles on the stair risers you could see from the front door. She still managed to get the Moroccan tiles into the kitchen (and they had to be changed because of poor installation), and some Mexican tiles into the master bath with way too many other different kinds of stone happening. that house sat on the market for a long time before it found a buyer. So the point of the story is that if you want to sell your house quickly, you really don’t wanna be putting things in that are expensive to change if they are too personal or trendy. But if you can afgord it, and think your financial situation won't ever change, do what you want.

[@xpsxps1339]

Great video (I know the influencer you refer to; her content is out of the mainstream and therefore even more valuable)! I live in a highly desirable area (regardless of the climate challenges) where the housing market is from the definition always pretty busy. Two examples from a close neighborhood I regularly walk by. 1. An old house built basically directly on the soil. Freshly renovated. Not worthy of that, which the new, probably wealthy buyer also thought too. They completely bulldozed the renovated house, built an elevated base, and they are building a completely new house on it. (IDK anything about the financial aspects, but the original, freshly renovated home was torn down immediately when finished and sold/purchased.) 2. Different neighborhoods, similar story. An old house was neglected, so purchased by some builders, obviously for profit. The new house was built between 6/2023 and 6/2024. It's modern, clean, minimalistic, lovely, and - totally genderless (as most minimalistic houses usually are; when you are in the fourth one, you already forget the first, and when you visit the eleventh, they all merge in one whitish/grayish/beige, boring unidentifiable conglomerate you easily forget about. Sitting on the market since June 23 this year, and clearly, nobody is interested in buying it. Moral. Build, decorate, and enjoy your house FOR YOURSELF, your family, and YOUR lifestyle! And if you by chance want to sell it once for whatever reason, it will probably not appeal to everybody, but it will appeal to like-minded people. And that's enough. Do not worry that you are so "unique" that you will not find some like-minded buyers. You will do! Maybe not many, but you will do. Vice versa, those genderless homes are now not much sellable, because they all look the same, which significantly decreases their value! Rules for a good (and sellable!) house are not complicated. 1. Build a proportional house. A huge house on the smaller lot is an idiotic idea, especially, when you have "nice" neighbors. (And you never know if you may not have such one day...) 2. Noisy and too busy neighborhoods are not popular even in the popular cities. 3. Keep it simple, logical/practical, authentic, clean, tidy, and as easy to maintain as possible. Uncluttered!!! 4. Greenery, especially the mature trees at a safe(!) distance from the house which creates privacy and separation is a huge plus. 5. Don't go wild with colors on the large areas - walls, ceilings, flooring, furniture cabinets. If you love magenta, that's great, I love it too, lol. But don't paint the entire living room with it. If you cannot help yourself🙂, I get you, purchase the magenta rug and some throw pillows. They are there, making a statement and reflect your personality. And if you stop loving it you simply remove it in less than 3 minutes; problem solved!

[@user-hm5zb1qn6g]

The enduring popularity of Tex and Edna Gaines has always mystified me.

[@mwebb3014]

😂😂👍

[@vikingprincess634]

IKR? What made them the beginning and end all of home fashion? I don’t get it either. 🤷‍♂️

[@janetsmiley6778]

I always thought their last name was Shiplap.

[@mwebb3014]

@@janetsmiley6778 😂

[@sarahjtripodi1514]

I believe a home should reflect the owner and not be solely about who is buying it next. I encourage people NOT to go with a trend unless they really like it because then they are giving up their personality to the personality of a potential buyer. Who wants to live like that? The last home I sold went for 20k more than asking price. It was full of antique architectural detail. The buyers appreciated the detail but don't seem to be lovers of antiques. There is a big difference between staging and decorating. Be authentic! I am a traditional British maximilist enthusiest. Even people I know who like modern come in my house and say it's a cool house. I quit watching HGtv a long time ago because the decorating became very canned and predictable. Many features that they remove on these shows are the thing that , when worked with, can become the unique detail that will sell the home.

[@harborlite9002]

I loved this video! Thorough analysis. Also, thank you for introducing me to Paige Wassel’s YT channel to which I subscribed. As a senior citizen, I enjoyed her content and suggestions. Hence, I also subscribed to your channel for the same reasons. Well done!

[@sherristockfleth746]

As a mostly buyers agent I try to school my buyers NOT to look at the paint or furniture. I talk with them about layout and trim and cracks/no cracks etc because everyone should be decorating their homes for their own taste!

[@adriaba790]

Hello Kati, Good advice as usual...understanding staging vs decorating BTW what happened to the Monday live podcasts with Warrick?

[@KatiSpaniak]

We've taken a break. We will be back on the saddle again soon!!!

[@annied3276]

Okay, I must be a complete weirdo, but I absolutely LOVED that second house with the gaudy "heavy" furniture. It was immaculate. I'll be a first time home buyer within the next year or so, and that's the kind of house I'm looking for. As far as the furniture goes, I lean more towards a toned down French provincial design, so their style actually helped me to visualize how I would like to decorate my own home.

[@kathyn91]

Great video! I enjoy Paige Wassel's videos, too

[@1234dvarela]

I staged homes for 15 years. My best advice….Skip the trends and fill your home with things you love. When it is time to sell, keep it simple, inviting and clean. You will be fine.

[@zeldazpolarbearz]

The amount of homes I have been in that were recently renovated and its just white on white is so sad. These people plan to love there for a long time but their whole house has ZERO personality, and other than maybe a photo of family, there is nothing to indicate who lives there. It's so sad, people 'decorating' for others but not for themselves. It's like they are just renting space in their own home, afraid to move in and make it their own. Thank you for encouraging people to embrace living in a HOME, not just a HOUSE.

[@reebeeable]

I’ve collected high quality mid century modern furniture and art over the decades. I love each piece and my tiny house feels cozy though has a lot of deferred maintenance. I have been thinking about moving so had an agent stop by to get advice and an idea about sales price to downsize. She thought we’d get the best price my moving out and showing the house empty or staged. Oh gosh that was hard to hear. We wouldn’t get enough to buy another place so we’ll stay put, spend a couple years on deferred maintenance and decluttering. I love your playbook and will upload the update. Thanks.

[@terrikim4992]

Katie these are such interesting and helpful videos. You should have many more subscribers.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thank you, you are so kind!

[@butterflygirl3359]

So I’m positive that even young buyers can understand and visualize when they are lucky enough to find a house in the right location, with the right layout and at a price they can afford, what the walls will look like when they move in and paint them the colors they want them. I would absolutely not give the buyers $10,000 worth of “custom color” painting unless they paid me for it.

[@scarlettwinters5642]

Very few things make me angry but opening my Zillow app to find an all grey house and carpet makes me super angry. The very worst is looking at an old 1920’s farmhouse and finding they’ve destroyed it by making it look like a cheap modern apartment. It should be illegal to ruin an old house

[@sleeplesscrafter]

I started remodeling my home based on Joanna Gains style and Love it or List it. I absolutely LOVE it and am so glad that I decided to do it. Will I make the money back? Probably not. Will it help it sell? Probably. Did it need updated? Most definitely! I had so many broken, run down cabinets and plumbing that was like that when we bought it. We definitely overpaid for the house, but it was at a time when the market was soaring and everyone was looking for exactly what our home was.

[@LouisGonzalez-py1zd]

Joanna Gaines is a one look designer

[@TFMuhamet]

What the wall needs is a massive clock... 😂

[@rayshelld791]

Being a retired real estate company owner. I have found that when it comes to a kitchen, having matching color cabinets sells quicker. You have gray bottom cabinets and white top cabinets just isn't the greatest seller. And do not take a 1950s cottage or any older home, and remodel it in a trendy style. You have to respect the house for what it is. Cant say how many houses I have sold, that the first thing the buyers said they wanted to do was bring the house back to the original design. If you want modern or trendy, then buy a house that can support that design.

[@patriotgrammy8632]

Having a clean home is always good advise but I prefer a house that hadn’t been changed with new colors or tiled floors, etc because most of the time I don’t like the changes and walk away from that house. I can pick out the paint I’d rather have and put up my own back splash in the kitchen. I hate this new look of tile pieces of different colors. But that’s just me and I’ve bought and sold many houses and always pick the one that needs the most cosmetic work as long as it has good plumbing, electrical and a good roof. Unfortunately people spend thousands of dollars to change everything and I’m sure many would rather spend less on a home and change the things they want to over time. So much easier on the pocket book.

[@JND-zf4sg]

It's just as important, or even more important to know when to put your home on the Market, April-Sept is the idea time to capture the premium financial return.

[@jeanettetran97]

This is the video I needed rn. I am moving into my new home and I’m not painting it white when it’s time to resell. I’m making it how I like it

[@KatiSpaniak]

Good to hear!

[@j.m.7056]

Kati, will you please provide a link to that specific video from Paige? Thanks!

[@KatiSpaniak]

Im putting it in the description for this video

[@j.m.7056]

​@@KatiSpaniakThanks so much!

[@tyleranderson4852]

I think HGTV and the like used to have some really good advice and had some really great designers explaining everything as well. The absolute best advice is to not obsess about the individual pieces not fitting together, but to gather everything you love or like together in the correct way so they can all be enjoyed and the space is balanced. Furniture placement is important and especially so when selling a home. The real issue is the idea of “staging “!has become an actual design now instead of a temporary thing.

[@TruthisMarching]

When we were looking for a home this summer we avoided any that had been "redone." Its like they're all cut from the same pattern, and I hate it. I have a kitchen with old oak cabinets, rather ugly granite, and old windows. I put Moroccan wallpaper on the walls, found an awesome rug, got a linen shade for the window, and primed and painted the ugly tiled backsplash with some gold metallic paint I found in my kids crafts. Put a few coats of polyurethane on it and we love it! Added bronze hardware to the cupboards and I don't want a new kitchen. I'll take my kitchen any day over the remodeled ones.

[@GenXHeart]

It may help someone if I share that I had an interesting conversation with a Las Vegas home inspector in late 2020. He pointed out 2 takeaways I had not realized. The first was "The item is the item" take tile for example, he said from his eyes tile had an assigned market value of "x" per sq ft, it didn't matter if it was marble from Italy or Home Depot clearance. (Mind blown!) The second should have been obvious but I still found it a shock. He said he had seen identical houses where the one with the painted kitchen cabinets sold higher and faster then the house that just had new windows and roof installed. My mouth hit the floor! He just shrugged and said people want to move in and post cute pictures on Instagram. So I question, as long as social media still rules the day when comes time to sell is thinking about creating spaces for trendy photo moments the way to go?

[@mikekeenanphd]

As homes have gotten more expensive relative to income, it becomes understandable that people think about resale value and maintaining the value of their home. Doing anything too "interesting" could be a problem.

[@annepisacano8012]

If you are updating the sellers playbook, do we need to download frequently?

[@KatiSpaniak]

I am only doing it about once every other month. But yes, if you want a new version

[@nina4161]

Nothing in my house matches. The items are a lifetime collection of unique things I love, so the common denominator is things that make me happy when I am in the space and it all flows together and is very aesthetic.

[@acmahrt]

Great video!

[@KatiSpaniak]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Singlesix6]

Two years ago we spent a lot of money having two bathrooms torn out and redone. My wife told the contractor to put one sink in the 5-foot-long vanity in the master bath. I thought the contractor and his designer were going swallow their tongues and choke, "But the resale with 2 sinks is much better. Nobody does one sink anymore." When she straightened them out I ended the episode by asking if we could have two toilets in there. Sounded practical, but my wife was running things, so I went out to spend some quality time in our, my, 3-car garage moving things around to suit me.

[@JB-3794]

Those back splashes with small tiles? I'd be getting rid of that when I moved in. They're usually a color I don't want and not attractive. Same with cheap carpets.

[@Anhenmelomania]

Meanwhile, my trio of question: Do I like it? Hiw hard it would be too clean? Does it have most of functions I want? As easy as it is. Next moving person would appreciate empty space most likely.

[@awesomelife3710]

Fortunately, I grew up in a culture where gray is the color of funeral homes since that’s the color of corpses, so I found it impossible to paint anything gray. I’ve always loved color but found that even in Southern California, the bright palette that worked beautifully on the coastal town of Puerto Vallarta where I lived, looks garish here, so I’ve used more muted colors that work well in this light. I’ve always decorated with my personal taste in mind. When/if it’s time to sell, I’ll paint everything whatever the Hell colors people seek, in order to sell fast and at a premium price.

[@rettaroo5972]

I think it would be a really fun video clip. If you were to change up the shelving behind you and show us what you would do if you were going to sell your house. It wouldn’t be too hard for you to do and the contrast would give us a really good example.

[@allalala9916]

Trendy home design goes out of style quickly and I get tired of trendy design quickly myself so unless I have a ton of money I will only go trendy with things that are easy to change.

[@KatiSpaniak]

Agreed!

[@liddybird3608]

One important thing for me when I was looking for my own house, was no "remodeling." None. Especially the kitchen. I didn't want to have to rip out a recently "updated" space to have what I wanted. I did not want to pay for restoring an older house to be period appropriate. The worst thing I hate is any older house that has been destroyed by flippers. Gah! Oh, and I chose my realtor because he didn't call an empty building a "home". Its not a home if no one lives there.

[@conservativemovement]

Je l'aime beaucoup de tchotchke!

[@infinitelightcouncil]

It’s important to be timeless and not overly personal in decorating for resale. The question should always be “does this feel too ‘now’? That goes for hairstyles and decor. Suddenly out of nowhere millennial gray is out. Entire hotels have to be gutted

[@createwithconfidence8094]

I have a hard time making decisions, not about furniture, but making paint color choices. I agree about maintenance-- have no deferred maintenance in your home and property. Right now, we need to rip out a concrete driveway and paver stone walkway because the expansive clay soil has caused either heaving (driveway) or collapsing (front walkway). I shudder to think how we might accomplish the maintenance. How do we determine how to install the new material? Who is our best bet to partner with to ensure we have a driveway and walkway that is well constructed and appropriate for the property and the soil issues?

[@KatiSpaniak]

Great question. Do you have a community Facebook group for moms? I would post in there

[@stacyfausett5436]

Excellent information ❤

[@backpain4ever505]

Buyers are not stupid. They don’t need a sparse home to see the value. Clean is more important.

[@sherlhoeppner2392]

I have actually walked out of a few homes I was shown--so filthy or smelly I couldn't even finish!😢

[@ingegerdandersson6963]

I would have loves the yellow house

[@clarity2118]

I’m happy to update a home to my style. What I want when I buy a house is no major essential issues no bad foundation or roof. Sure if the whole house is yellow change to a soft white because I don’t to move in a pay and then pay for painting it. I’m probably not going to like your style updates and would prefer a cheaper house. I don’t want a white kitchen with a tacky backsplash or really a yellow oak kitchen with laminate countertops, but I’d prefer to update myself. Everything should be in okay condition though. Also please do not get grey floors or paint the whole house grey. It’s not a classic colors, is sad, and is the color of decayed barn wood. Your house isn’t a sad barn, don’t do grey

[@marydumois4242]

Your job as a realtor is to bring buyers back to reality instead of bullying sellers to fall into that trap. THAT’S ON YOU.

[@dasikakn]

I don’t know why people jump on “style trends”. The idea is to be as cohesive as possible with the style you choose to enjoy, and trendiness has nothing to do with it. I think people look for “trendiness” because it psychologically appears“new”. Newness in a house is actually very desirable to buyers because it signals better condition and potentially less upkeep. This isn’t always true and the inspections are what you need to closely mull over. As a person who lives in a “hot” real estate market, I’ve still seen multiple houses sit for months because they’re like a museum to the 50s. The owner may have been immaculate in their maintenance, but boy does it feel claustrophobic. I remodeled my 60s house strategically for 20% of what I bought it for and fixed floor plan, windows, paint, expanded and upgraded kitchen and did very modern bathrooms using minor changes like tile scraping and fresh grout. Just bringing in light, clean lines in bathrooms and kitchen made it look brand new. None of my friends could believe my house is actually still 60y old but with new organs 😂. Just got it re-valued and clocked 2.5x what I paid for it (including the remodel). It means nothing…because I plan to stay here. I did the remodel for me, but it helped me learn that basics I cared about are probably what the buyers care about too. Btw, my kitchen is not gray or white. I live in a relatively urban area and nothing in my house is farmhouse because that would be ridiculous considering everything else around me 😂. I decorated the inside to match the outside that I chose to call my city and love.

[@alynnem0z]

OMG I can't make a decision on anything. kitchen floor, interior paint, exterior paint and roof color...helppppp

[@KatiSpaniak]

I hear you!!! Start small... one room at a time. Don't freak out. You've got this!

[@toomanymarys7355]

Modern farmhouse is for Xers and elder millennials. It is quite dated for younger people. Young people also don't watch HGTV. They use TikTok and Instagram.

[@loriweasel7773]

Even cheap and trendy isn't inexpensive. Plus, additional cost of storing your personal furnishings.

[@icberg2glac]

At the 19:42 mark why is the fridge next to a door?!?! I personally don’t like that

[@darylsearle3474]

Bravo!

[@lynnboyce1729]

When the shiplap trend started years ago,…I did not get why everyone jumped on it. Still do not like it. We are doing new flooring, and kitchen now,.. for us,. But also thinking forward to retiring in 7-8 years and selling. Not going overboard,..but doing what we like.

[@Joeybz1]

Amen!

[@1_viewer]

Love it!

[@KatiSpaniak]

Thank you so much!

[@JB-3794]

On KZbin, I've seen videos of home interiors where successful clothing designers, artists, even interior designers live, and their interiors are very eclectic, interesting, individual, and engaging. They may have very colorful rooms, full of favorite objects that don't seem to match. There is no stark gray paint. You have to see beyond the personal style of the residents if you're shopping for a home. Otherwise, you might miss out on a great home. The bonus is that others might be passing on these homes, and you'll get a good deal. Of course, real estate agents won't like this.