Sell Your Home with Comfort and Efficiency

There are two things you can do to help sell anything. You can either make it better or you can make it look better. This is definitely true when trying to sell your home as well. We’re not talking about shady smoke and mirrors here, but a little cleaning and re-decorating can go a long way. Actual home improvements will increase the value of your home, but of course come with bigger costs. You can work on small changes to stage your home and make what you have look its best. This is of course the cheaper option and actually can have the best results if you or your crafty realty team can present it well. Window treatments are one item that can offer both real home improvement and also visually enhance your existing space to be more attractive to buyers.

Window treatments don’t need to cost a lot to make a difference. Good blinds and shutters can be dusted and polished. You can have your curtain or shade fabric cleaned to look like new, too. If you choose to replace or remove it, you can then even recycle this fabric to reupholster old furniture or pillows. Drapes and fabric window treatments can give a relaxed, cozy feeling to a room, especially in solid and darker earthy tones. Inversely, lighter colors, patterns and sheer fabrics that let light in can help enlarge the room. Keep the curtains open with tie-backs and you’ll be surprised how much more space the room seems to have. It all really depends on how many and what kind of windows you have to work with in a room.

If you have a shorter window or shorter ceilings, try vertical blinds. These allow the eye to travel down them, elongating the window and making the ceiling seem higher. Another trick is to use a slightly longer curtain rod to create the illusion of a larger window. However, if you only have small windows in the room, avoid long or heavy curtains. These will cause the window to look small and will dwarf the expanse of the space. Rather, consider roman shades. These do not take away from the window at all but can make some shorter windows appear bigger.

More substantially, one of the biggest factors in how much value a window treatment can add to a home is how well it helps to insulate and save energy during warm and cold months. About 30% of an average home’s heating and cooling can be lost through its windows, so uncovered windows will greatly increase home utility costs. Most window treatments provide at least some insulation, but there are certain types that have proven to be more effective than others. When energy efficient window treatments like cellular or honeycomb shades are properly installed, close to the window and with the sides of the shade held close to the wall, they create a sealed airspace that traps the heat inside. Honeycomb shades, especially if lined with a material like aluminum, have the potential of reducing overall heat loss by up to 30%. Heavy drapes or quilts are also very effective for keeping heat inside. The best way to determine how well a window treatment can insulate is to check its R-value. The higher the R-value is, the more heat loss it will prevent.

Using these energy saving window treatments together with the tips for staging your rooms to feel more spacious and welcoming can make a home more comfortable and give buyers a better first impression. It’s even better if you can explain the money saving benefits they’ll enjoy with your energy efficient window treatments. In this competitive market small details like these can make your property attractively stand out. You’ll also be scratching one item off their list of move in costs and hopefully bringing them a step closer to a deal.

About the Author

Kristal Kraft
Kristal has been helping buyers and sellers in Colorado since 1984. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of the Metro Denver Real Estate market via blogging and in person while driving around the beautiful Rocky Mountain town of Denver! For fun, Kristal enjoys shooting things with a Canon. Visit Denver Photo Blog