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Home Trends: Staging to sell to the younger buyer

Kalyn Johnson
Special to the Daily
Special to the Daily
ALL |

The newest generation of buyers is spawning in the real estate buying market. Young professionals and families are getting established and beginning to shop for their first or second homes in the mountains.

They come from near and far to fancy their dreams of living in Summit County. With this new age of buyers comes the struggle of marketing your home to appeal to the taste of these younger shoppers. Some simple color adjustments and internal updates can be the key to flipping that “open house” sign to “sold” this winter.

Neutral tones in the gray family are the hottest theme in color schemes for 2013. One of my last articles discussed the 2013’s trends in Pantone colors. Gray shades highlighted with patterns and accent hues lend the eye-catching to the younger crowd.



In high-traffic department and super stores, the home decorating sections are layered with interior ideas of gray, making the transformation of your place into the world of neutrals and grays pretty effortless. Along with the “hip” association buyers will have with your place, the ability to envision a clean design and floor plan with simple lines and crisp colors will put your listing ahead of the rest.

The two rooms that sell a home are the master bedroom and the kitchen. According to Houzz.com, most home buyers under the age of 40 are looking for kitchens with white or off-white cabinetry. Why is that? The youthfulness of brightly colored kitchens is viewed as more timeless. Darker cabinetry colors are often associated with, as Houzz.com explains, “your mother’s dark and dim kitchen.”



More updates to consider for the kitchen include new appliances and countertops. The younger real estate cliental often includes granite or stone countertops and new appliance on their check list of desired features.

If you are struggling with the updating tasks, you may consider marketing your place as a fixer-upper. There is a population out there looking to recreate their dream home from a blank slate. In order to do this, these buyers head out on their search with the mentality that the homes they are visiting are in an affordable price point and require work on their behalf. As they pursue their new home, they know that they will be getting into a home where they will be getting their hands dirty – and you get to opt out of the work.

If staging your home completely toward a select demographic makes you uneasy, make an effort to combine concepts to appeal to the masses of home buyers. All home buyers have similar check lists for their future home. Fresh paint, strategic accessorizing and easy, yet eye-capturing furniture can go a long way in alluring to all of the home buyers that will visit your property.

For more home style tips and information visit ifurnish and More Space Place in Frisco or email Kalyn Johnson at kalyn@morespaceplaceco.com.


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