Lessons from listings: Home stuck in the '90s gets a major glow-up This Houston home's design checked all the boxes of bad design clichés of the '90s. These before and after photos reveal how the owners took it from tacky to on-trend.

This Houston home was built in 1989, and it showed. It got a total makeover and in 2018 sold for $300,000 more than what the owners paid in 2015. This Houston home was built in 1989, and it showed. It got a total makeover and in 2018 sold for $300,000 more than what the owners paid in 2015. Photo: Realtor.com Photo: Realtor.com Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Lessons from listings: Home stuck in the '90s gets a major glow-up 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

It doesn’t matter how perfect your home is — if your listing photos don’t stand out, potential buyers won’t come by to take a look. In our series "Lessons From Listing Photos," we dissect the smart updates sellers have made to their homes, and how their listing pics highlight the home’s best assets.

This Houston home was built in 1989, and it showed. Its interiors checked all the boxes of bad design clichés of the '90s, including brass accents, shabby chic touches, and a color palette of beige tones. But it got a total makeover in 2016, and in 2018 it sold for $300,000 more than what the owners paid in 2015. Boo-ya!

To find out how they pulled it off—and how you can make that kind of profit on your remodel— we went to the experts. Here's where they say the owners made the biggest impact.

White it out: The biggest difference in the bathroom is a simple change in wall color; it's amazing how a few coats of white paint can modernize a space.

"This bathroom received a very notable update just by repainting the walls white. Out with the old yellow walls and in with a fresh and clean palette of travertine, granite, and white," says Emma O’Donnell of Coolabah Designs. "The fixtures in matte black suddenly pop with this new update."

Property stylist Karen Gray-Plaisted of Design Solution KGP agrees: "Although the finishes are the same, this is a great example of how impactful color is when you sell."

As for staging tips, O'Donnell also notes that the owners made a wise decision to nix the tchotchkes.

"They removed all the decorative elements — the flowers, the plate, and the old-fashioned rug — and let the room speak for itself," adds O'Donnell.

Big bedroom improvements: The blah-colored carpet and light yellow walls in the original bedroom were enough to make the space look dated. O'Donnell notes that the fresh light-gray paint and repainted ceiling fan do a lot to liven up the room.

The new, wall-to-wall sisal carpet was a good replacement for the '80s-era brown carpeting, and it goes well with the natural bamboo blinds.

Tiffany Cobb of Tiffany René Interior Design is a big fan of the new carpeting.

"There are so many underfoot options out there these days, and it’s refreshing to see when homeowners venture away from the typical high-pile carpet installations to exploring more natural fiber, wall-to-wall alternatives," she says. "They're eco-friendly and a durable option for high-traffic areas."

Good riddance to the rug: The den got a new color scheme and a new railing around the balcony, but the biggest triumph is the change in flooring.

"This spacious den received a dramatic update with a fresh and clean, light gray and white motif. The old paintings and decorative elements are put away and replaced with a state-of-the-art smart TV above the newly tiled fireplace," says O'Donnell. "Most importantly, the oversized red and blue Persian rug, which overwhelmed the room, is gone, to highlight beautifully updated wooden floors."

Gray-Plaisted was also happy to see the rug go away.

"Reducing the size of the rug allows buyers to see how spacious the area is," she says. "A less formal style allows buyers to feel more at home."

Modernizing the kitchen: One of the biggest — and perhaps most important — updates was in the kitchen.

"Taking the kitchen from the 1990s to what buyers are looking for today was a smart move," says Gray-Plaisted. "The 'after' transformation shows a huge improvement to the flow of the kitchen and connecting rooms."

O'Donnell says the new rectangular island and lighter walls did a lot to bring the kitchen into this decade.

"The '90s light fixture was replaced with two transitional pendants, which instantly modernize the space," she adds.

Cobb was impressed by the streamlined cabinetry.

"Raising the cabinetry height to the ceiling maximizes the drama and visual interest of the field tile," she says.

Curb appeal: "After all the updates on the inside of the house, the exterior needed to showcase the same design sensibility," says O'Donnell. "The brick was painted white, black-painted shutters were added to the front windows, and suddenly the house was a modern and refreshed version of itself."

But the painted brick wasn't the only exterior enhancement that makes a difference. The landscape also got a major overhaul, and O'Donnell says that likely impressed buyers, too.

"The front yard was further opened up by removing the old philodendrons and other smaller bushes. Those were replaced with pampas grasses, which require less maintenance and allow more light into the downstairs of the house," O'Donnell says.

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