Incorporating architectural antiques in your home to set it apart from the competition

In today’s real estate market,  there is an overabundance of inventory.  How can you ensure that your property makes a buyer’s short list?  Most of the homes that buyers are shown are spec grade. They have so many choices and sellers need to do whatever they can to set their home apart from the comparables. 

One way to achieve a memorable showing to a buyer is by incorporating architectural antiques into the design of the property.   

Home staging has become an essential tool in our marketplace, but the placement of architectural antiques can truly make a  home memorable.   Architectural antiques can enhance the exterior of a home that needs a lift, or add layers of charm and sophistication to the interior.  

An antique front door from a French chateau can literally sell a house.  The perfect antique wrought iron chandelier over the dining table can make a buyer fall in love.    

Architectural antiques are decorative and structural elements from old homes and buildings all around the world.  They are mostly available from the turn of the century but also date back much earlier.   Some examples of architectural antiques are:

• carved entry doors
• ornate garden gates and driveway gates
• bronze door hardware
• chandeliers
• exterior lighting
• structural columns
• wood and stone mantels
• clawfoot tubs
• pedestal sinks  

 Architectural antiques are speced by top interior designers and architects around the world to enhance décor in homes new and old.   They can bring warmth to a sterile space, and character to an non-descript space.  There are several businesses around the country in metropolitan areas like Atlanta that specialize in this category of antiques.   Sotheby’s auction house has sold its share of these artifacts and continues to do so to buyers all around the world.

Architectural antiques are often one of a kind items, however, reproductions can be produced.   Purchasing a heavily carved antique door, for example, would be more cost effective than trying to have a carpenter or millwork company reproduce the same item.  The artistry, labor and time that was involved in creating those architectural elements is just not feasible today.  Many of the skills used to create antique architectural elements are now becoming lost arts.  

Architectural antiques enhance the curb appeal of a home,  potentially increasing its value and marketability.   Although your property may be a spec house, the addition of an antique mantel , door, or chandelier will give it a custom feel.