Most Realtors will tell you that a staged house will sell more quickly, and for a higher price than an unstaged house.  They’ll also likely to tell you to slap on a fresh coat of paint, in a neutral tone.  Now neutral doesn’t necessarily mean white, but it sure isn’t navy blue or crimson.  Pale cream, gray, putty or espressos in their hundreds of variations will do, as long as it’s subtle.

Benjamin Moore Neutral Colors

Why do they make these recommendations, and is there any real reason you should listen?  Well for one thing, no one wants to enter a home that is disorganized, or dirty. Clean it up, put it away, or throw it away.  If your Feng is out of Shui your bank account will pay.  As much as your heart warms over the Dutch Armoire your Aunt Maude left you, it’s oversized hulking expanse blocks the window and all the natural light that might otherwise stream in, and seems to be the only thing in the room.  This leaves little space for imagining yourself sitting in said room, reading a good book, while watching birds dig for worms in the garden.  Finally, if you’ve been in the space a long time, you probably stopped noticing that the kitchen cabinet door won’t stay closed, that only one electrical outlet in the bedroom works, and the pane of glass in your front window has been cracked since that Kentucky Derby Party where one of the horses – I mean house guests tried to persuade California Chrome across the finish line.  Fix it.  Unless your me, you don’t want your poor house to have a black eye (which I would take full advantage of, of course).  If you like money and don’t want to leave any on the table, that’s a pretty good reason to heed this advise.

Cole and Sons . Malabar . New Contemporary

The color issue is a trickier one for me because while I agree wholeheartedly that going neutral is the safe thing to do – safe is so boring.  It’s much more fun to well, you know, have a little fun with color.  So in this instance I will say, “do as I say, not as I do.”  It really is the smart move.  I’d rather I suffer the consequences of my Peacock Feather selection than you.