7 ways to make your listing look more expensive

As a listing agent, it’s your job to help your clients get the most out of their sale. Anything you can do to make the house look more expensive is likely to help boost buyer interest and sales price.

But how do you make listings look more expensive?

The methods range from very simple to completely replacing older or dated items. Encourage your client to think of any updates as an investment in the home.

It will yield more return when the house is sold and may even make the property sell more quickly.

Here are seven methods to make a house look more expensive.

Paint the interiors an elegant color

Painting accomplishes several good things. First, if the walls are even slightly dingy, the house isn’t likely to sell. Walls need to be clean and fresh.

Interior walls should also be neutral colors. If the color is unusual, like burgundy or purple, prospective buyers may have an immediate adverse reaction. Not everyone likes those colors, but no one ever said “no” because of an ivory-colored wall.

Painting can also lend an elegant sheen to the home. Neutral colors like ivory, ecru and greige — a combination of light gray and beige — look, to many people, like classy, vibrant colors.

Declutter and aim for one focal point per room

Think about how high-end rooms look in real estate spreads or architectural sites — it’s because they’re all clean and uncluttered. The rooms show off the size and any incoming light as a result.

The functional features of a room are revealed. This one should be easy to sell to your clients, too. It helps them to declutter before a move — less to store and haul.

Those high-end rooms usually have just one focal point for décor. In the living room, a single vase and flower. In the kitchen, a carefully placed plate of cookies. Prospective buyers love these small details.

Update the fixtures

Updated fixtures make a room look stylish. Frankly, it helps to follow sophisticated trends.

If the lights in the kitchen date from the 1970s, it’s time to put in more modern lighting fixtures. A brass or gold bathroom faucet will lend appeal and a touch of class.

This is usually inexpensive to do and yields big dividends regarding making the house look more expensive.

Invest in new garage doors

What clients see as they walk up to a house — curb appeal — sets up their expectations for the inside. Garage doors take up a lot of frontage in many homes, so their look is essential.

If they’re older, it may be tough to make the home look expensive. But think of wood garage doors with a carriage house theme — an instant elegant appeal.

Garage doors are one of the pricier upgrades here. However, garage door buyers can recoup more than 80 percent of their investment down the road.

Purchase new kitchen appliances

Kitchen appliances for higher-end homes are often stainless steel or brightly colored. If the appliances in your listing are neither, they won’t look expensive.

A new stainless-steel refrigerator or navy blue stove can be very appealing to prospective buyers.

You can also make new kitchen appliances a general selling point for the listing. Buyers know appliances must be replaced periodically, and a refrigerator that should last 30 more years is a better deal than one on its last leg.

Add crown moldings

Crown moldings are elegant additions to living rooms, sitting rooms and bedrooms. They run along the top of walls, concealing the place where the walls meet the ceilings. Their classic details add elegance to any room.

Crown moldings are especially high-end looking if they present a dark contrast to a light-colored wall. Think forest green in an ivory-colored bedroom or a dark wood crown molding in a greige living room.

Install new window treatments

Some window treatments say “classy,” like neutral color blinds, shutters or Japanese shades. Some classic drapes will also add an expensive look to a home.

In general, you want new window treatments to replace an existing one that looks fuzzy or dated. Printed, patterned kitchen curtains, for example, look less elegant than a bold, bright single color.

Make sure any window treatments let in the maximum amount of light. Light makes rooms look more expensive, so the darker a room looks, the less it’s going to sell for!

Also, do a trial run with any cords or pulls to make sure they open easily. Prospective buyers can be put off by the thought of replacing them.

A more expensive-looking home will sell for more, and that’s something you and the seller both want. These seven steps will help you get there.

Kayla Matthews covers smart technology and future trends for websites like VentureBeat, Curbed and Motherboard. You can read more posts by Kayla on her personal tech blog: Productivity Bytes.