How Artwork Can Entice Homebuyers

You’ve neutralized all the paint colors in the bedrooms, hired a stager to rearrange the furniture, and you’ve de-cluttered every nook and cranny of the house you plan to put on the market, but those walls just look so barren. You want potential buyers to feel comfortable and at home, not like they’re touring a cold, empty medical ward. So how can you add a little life back into those walls, without defeating the purpose of staging and neutralizing?

With some carefully chosen artwork, of course. But don’t worry—now is not the time to invest in expensive, quality pieces at your local art dealer. Instead, you can frame art you already have or choose from a large variety of pieces offered online.

Meural (meural.com) is one such company that offers a large range of beautiful options but with a different twist. Featuring more than 20,000 images, Meural allows you to upload and schedule these images, along with your own personal photography, on its digital frame. The Meural canvas renders each image as lifelike and textured as a real painting—right down to the last brushstroke.

“We offer our customers the act of discovery and expression,” says Andrew Lipstein of Meural “Through our collection of artwork past, present, and future, we’ve brought the world of art into the home. Through the act of curating our collection and adding their own images, users are empowered to change the art on their walls when and how they want.”  

And though it may seem counter-intuitive to invest in artwork when selling your home, now is actually a great time to acquire a digital frame. Not only will it add to the perceived value of the home your selling, you’ll also be able to bring it to your next house, uploaded with the art or images that fit into that new home’s design.

“Artwork plays an immense part in how valuable a home feels—and the functions it serves,” Lipstein adds. “Imagine walking into a home full of art, and your perceptions of that space, and then how you might perceive it with bare walls.”

So where should you start? “We encourage our users to add any images they wish” he adds. “That means personal photography alongside canonical works, children’s artwork next to van Gogh or Monet. Adding personal touches in a professional frame definitely adds value to the décor of a home.”

And while beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder (and your potential buyer), there are some easy guidelines you can follow to enhance your plain walls without turning anyone away.  “In general, you should avoid offending prospective buyers with your art, “ advises Lipstein. “Ideally, something that adds to the home’s feel and form, without distracting from it, works best.”

Some recommendations include stark photography, colorful abstractions, and there’s always the classics. Meural’s most popular pieces are from their NASA collection and their van Gogh galleries.

So take a moment out from the stressful packing, painting, and cleaning up, and peruse the Meural site for some selections for your home. Art can relax you and add interest to your walls all at the same time. And it will also add perceived value to your home, which will certainly aid in it selling faster and at a higher price.

Allison Ziefert is Maplewood, NJ based realtor and was the #1 individual real estate agent at Keller Williams Mid-Town Direct in Maplewood, NJ in 2015. A local market expert, Allison specializes Maplewood, NJ real estate and homes and South Orange, NJ real estate and homes as well as Millburn/Short Hills, NJ, West Orange, NJ and surrounding towns. Allison’s success as a Maplewood/S. Orange realtor is driven by earning great testimonials from sellers and buyers of homes her marketplace. You can read her testimonials at www.azhomesnj.com/testimonials