The home office: The most cluttered and disorganized room in your house may tempt you to just close the door when showing around potential home buyers. You had the best of intentions when you converted that extra building into your office, but it rarely stayed clean and it was subjected to your ideas of organized chaos. But walk-throughs of your for-sale home are not going to avoid the office space just because it’s messy, they are going to view it anyway, and therefore it is up to you to stage it to best sell your house.
Furniture
Keep the furniture simple and ergonomically designed. Your desk, chair, computer, and keyboard should be positioned to look comfortable, but also functional. Keep the surfaces clutter-free by using organizers and proper storage systems. The craziness may work for your own time, but for your potential buyers it just looks messy and detracts from the overall quality of the room. Simple furniture and clear counters also highlight the size of the room, making a big room look even larger and a small room look spacious.
Lighting
Home buyers always look for sources of natural light, so enhance any windows with decorative window treatments. If the office doesn’t have any windows, install a source of overhead light. Add one or two other light sources such as floor lamps and a desk lamp near the computer. Stores carry a variety of fixture styles, so make sure that the light fixtures tie in with the style of your furniture.
Wall Art
Filling empty wall space with family photos or artwork will add a personal touch to the office. But as with any wall décor, there is a balance. Arrange one or two pictures in a frame on the desk and then add a few to a long wall to break up any emptiness. Beware of overloading your side surfaces; a wall can become just as cluttered as a desk.
With a coordinating theme and style of decorating used consistently through the room, the home office can be a highlight of a house showing. But neglecting to put the same effort into the office as you put into the rest of the house can be detrimental to your possible offers.