Add Warmth When Selling Your Home

Often times when selling a home, one gets so caught up in the details of staging that they forget to allow some of the individual character of the home to shine through. The once colorful walls now reflect the same hue from room to room, and yes as much as that creates a blank canvas for potential buyers, the house may lose some of its warmth. After all, this piece of merchandise is also a family home.

An effective way to accentuate a home's individuality and also welcome future owners is to change the decor with the seasons. Especially in today's market, many listings are taking longer to sell, which can result in a home going through multiple seasonal changes. There is nothing wrong with sprucing up the home for the holidays, however, there is a balance between bouncing inflatable lawn ornaments, and tasteful autumn or Halloween decorations.

Here are some ideas for indoor and outdoor decorations that are not only tasteful, but eye catching and will convey the warmth of the season.

Outdoor:

Nothing says autumn like a colorful wreath hanging from the front door. Let nature be your inspiration as you adorn your canvas with items that reflect the changing of the seasons. Begin with a foam or grapevine wreath and glue silk or preserved leaves in varying fall colors. If you use a foam base, first cover it completely with sheet moss to give your leaves a mossy background.

Using a grapevine wreath, glue leaves on the bottom half and add small gourds or pumpkins. Top it off with some twigs with berries and a bright orange bow.

Glue nuts of varying types to the front of a wreath form against a leafy background.

A dried flower wreath is timeless and elegant. Begin with a background of bay leaf or eucalyptus. Build on it by adding layers of sage, goldenrod, and finally small tufts of mums, asters or daisies.

Get small containers of flowers and insert them in hollowed out small pumpkins. They look gorgeous along a wall or lining a walkway.

Get a basket, bushel or old wooden wheelbarrow and fill it to overflowing with the bounties of the season. Use gourds, pumpkins, Indian corn, twigs, and accessorize with some gardening gloves and a shovel.

Build an autumn container using ornamental grass in the center, ornamental kale, delicate pansies, and some flowing ivy.

Alternate pumpkins and containers of mums on your front steps and along the walkway to greet visitors.

Indoors:

Create vases for the table and mantle using gourds and pumpkins. Find a long neck gourd that stands upright, cut off the end and dig into it with a slender knife. Insert a bunch of bright mums or sunflowers.

Take delicate covered jars or other clear containers and display tiny gourds, berry covered branches, or blossoms.

Take a selection of gourds and spray them with gold paint. Display on a fancy plate or in a crystal bowl.

Scoop out ornamental gourds and use as candy bowls.

Create candle holders by taking small ornamental pumpkins and gourds, glue leaves to their base, and drill out a hole to insert a candle. It looks great with both tall candles, or small wide ones that lie flush with the top of the pumpkin. String vines of cranberry among the candle holders once in place on the table.