Selling Your Home in Today’s Market? Focus on the Overlooked

By Kim Palmer

RISMEDIA, Taniya Nayak of “Designed to Sell” fame is sharing her secrets, tips and behind-the-scenes tales for home sellers who are looking to get their home sold in today’s market.

Q: What do people need to do to sell a home in this market?
A: For starters, you need to figure out what you’re overlooking, what I call forgotten fixer-uppers—things you don’t notice anymore. Use a digital camera to take photos, upload them on your computer and look at fresh images. You might be pleasantly surprised. You might be horrified. New hardware on cabinets and new faucet fixtures can make a big difference. They’re short budget items but have a big impact. And I could talk for hours about paint. There are a million paint colors out there for homeowners to choose from.

Q: Do you buy the idea that everything has to be painted neutral to sell?
A: Neutrals are good, but neutral doesn’t always mean beige. I try to show people how to accessorize in a way that adds life to your space.

Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have a new show in production. It’s a “House Hunters” spinoff—”House Hunters on Vacation.” We’re going to awesome vacation spots and seeing luxurious, decadent vacation homes.

Q: What’s your favorite spot in your home?

A: I love every single spot, but my favorite is the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river. It’s so serene and peaceful. I kept the colors muted to highlight the colors outside, the changing seasons. I put my Wassily chairs right in that little opening. I sit there and stare out the window.

Q: You’ve said there should always be something that doesn’t fit, a random object that you love—what are some examples in your home?
A: My decor is very modern. The one thing that doesn’t fit is an old riddling rack, made of beat-up wood, for holding Champagne. It’s the most un-modern thing you can imagine. We cut it in half, refinished it and put it on the wall. My husband is a restaurateur, and it’s from the place we met—I was a bartender and he was a manager. So it’s personal to us, and something people always talk about.

(c) 2011, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

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