It's Personal
Over fifteen years ago, I got a call about one of my listings. The woman on the phone was an architect, and she'd been drawn to a home I had just prepared for the market. What made her want to work with me was that she appreciated my aesthetic and trusted my taste. Years after that first call, I had the privilege of selling her property too, and it is a relationship I still cherish. For me, this work has never been just a transaction. It is personal.
I have always been drawn to interior design, even though I never trained as a designer. I have spent years studying what makes a space feel fresh, what makes someone feel invited the moment they walk in, and what layers of detail separate a space that feels intentional from one that just feels staged. I still page through portfolio after portfolio from designers and architects I admire. I pay attention. What I have learned is that every pre-marketing investment needs to earn its place. It has to work with the property, enhance it, and add real value. If it does not do that, it should not be added at all. What I have learned, especially in a market as sophisticated as ours, is that preparing a home for sale is really about one thing: Making a buyer feel something when they walk inside.
Yes, buying a home is a financial decision. It has to fit a buyer's needs on paper. But underneath all of that, it is personal. They have to live there.
When I choose a paint color, a light fixture, the right stager to showcase a home, or even a plant for a garden, I think about whether I would want it in my own home. Does this elevate the space? Would I actually live with this? I have seen staging that is thoughtful and beautiful, and I have seen what I call cheap fluff - a few new fixtures thrown in without any real intention behind them, and spaces that feel heartless and sterile. There is a difference, and buyers feel it even when they cannot name it.
I do have my pet peeves. Given the choice, I will always take real hardwood floors over anything synthetic. And I have a genuine dislike for cheap light fixtures, especially the infamous flush mount ceiling light, which some call the "boob light". Spoiler alert: it does not belong in a vintage home, and it does nothing for a house that is trying to convey quality finishes. It's cheap fluff. A fixture should elevate a room, not just fill a hole in the ceiling. Continuity matters too. Lighting, colors, and flooring should carry through a home with intention, not feel like a patchwork of decisions made room by room. That continuity is what makes a house feel complete.
The same is true when it comes time to market a home: choosing the photos that matter and writing the narration for a video walkthrough. I think back to my own visits to a house, what stopped me in a doorway, what view or detail made me pause. I try to give buyers that same moment.
If you are getting ready to sell, or even just thinking about it, here are the questions I would ask before spending a dollar on prepping your home: Would a buyer want to live with this, or would they pay a premium for it? Does it elevate the space, or is it only checking a box for being "new"? These answers tell you a lot about the choice. It matters because the buyer walking through your door is not just running numbers. They are imagining their life there, and that is personal to them too.
And you do not have to be selling to call me. I believe everyone should have a Realtor in their corner, even years before a home goes on the market. I am genuinely honored when people call to consult on a renovation or a project with resale value in mind. Getting that input early can save you from spending on something that will not pay you back.
Choosing a Realtor is personal, too. It is not just about who can list a house and put a sign in the yard. It is about finding someone who will treat your house like their home, who pays attention to the details that make a space feel right, and who is honest with you even when it is not the easiest thing to say. It is finding someone who will still be there years later when your life brings you back around to them. That is what I hope people feel when they work with me, and it is the same thing I would want if I were the one selling.
Now pending is 38 Drake Lane, a home I had the pleasure of helping longtime sellers prepare for market, from the paint colors and light fixtures to the styling. If you have a few minutes, take a look at the website and see if it is the kind of home you would enjoy. If it is, I would love the chance to do the same for your friends, family, or neighbors when the time comes.
