Interior design business shares tips to help sell home

Selling a home can be a challenge, but help is available.

Right on the Money Home Decorating of the Brainerd lakes area is an interior design business that helps homeowners sell their home.

Sandy Vesel, a mortgage loan officer at Optimum Mortgage Services, Inc. of Baxter, opened Right on the Money Home Decorating in 2004 because she saw a need for the service. Vesel used to sell real estate and saw many houses on the market that needed design updates to make the home more appealing to buyers.

Vesel contracts with Diane Larson, owner of Your Partner in Design of Brainerd, for her interior design expertise.

Vesel and Larson said whether a home on the market needs a room painted or a piece of furniture taken out of a room, Right on the Money will give homeowners recommendations on how to make their home more appealing.

"We are not there to judge (the homeowner's decor)," said Larson. "People live in their house and don't notice all the clutter they accumulated over the years. If I had to sell my house I'd have to go through a lot of stuff."

Larson said the most ideal time to use their service is before a home is put on the market. She said if prospective buyers see the house before any changes are made, they may be turned off and might not come back.

When Larson makes suggestions, she said the homeowner needs to realize it is not important for them to like the updates, but to know the updates will make the house look good for sale. However, Larson said she does incorporate the family's personality and tastes.

Larson said two of the most common things homeowners need to do when selling a home are to remove extra personal belongings and to have everything in the house look fresh and new.

Removing extra personal belongings allows the prospective buyer to visualize what they could do with the space in a specific room, said Larson. Removing the items also makes the home look much larger.

Larson said some homeowners need to rearrange or remove furniture in a room. Furniture arrangement is important and helps with traffic flow. Larson also will make suggestions on moving existing furniture from one room to another to make the rooms look perfect.

Having something in the front entryway helps make a home welcoming, whether it be an antique chair or a plant, said Larson. She goes bargain hunting for these different home collections, like antiques, for people to use in their home.

Larson loves to help people decorate their home for themselves or for home buyers. She has been in the decorating business for years.

Right on the Money charges about $200 for a consultation and the business will decorate a person's home on a set budget.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER can be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.