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If you are considering selling your home, you might want to learn about why over 90% of all real estate agents will recommend painting before selling if the house needs a sprucing up or a colour change to a less personalized look and what you should consider if you do decide to paint.
Painting before selling is mainly recommended to create a ‘good first impression’. A home that looks well kept, clean and move-in ready will always appeal to more buyers and sell faster for a higher price. Some other reasons why are…
- It is well known by all real estate experts that painting the interior of home with neutral colours creates the most mass market appeal for potential buyers.
- A quality paint job (interior or exterior) consistently increases the value of a home well beyond the cost of the paint job.
- Most people prefer to not to have to do any painting when they purchase a home.
- Any home in need of a paint job will always create a bargaining chip for any potential buyers.
- A ‘move in ready’ home always inspires confidence that the home was well maintained.
- A fresh coat of paint will make your online pictures look more appealing. When you consider that most buyers begin their search online, a house that presents well will encourage more potential buyers to want to see it in person.
Tips on what to consider:
- Identify any problem areas that have personalized colours but might not have mass appeal, like dark or bold colours.
- Wall paper can also be a problem because it tends to be too busy or too personalized, so it is normally a good idea to have it removed.
- High traffic areas like the foyer, main hallways, dining room and kitchen are generally the first places you will want look at to determine if they should be painted to be more neutral or to just give it a nice clean look with a fresh coat of paint.
- Use a neutral colour palette, so its easier for potential buyers to envision their furnishings in your home.
- Go green – using a low or non VOC paint can also be more appealing to potential buyers, especially anyone with sensitivities or who have young children. You could then add “Painted with eco-friendly paint” as another benefit in the description list.
*Note: There are always upgrades that can be done (especially on older homes) but deciding on which ones would be worth the time and money to invest in before putting your house on the market can be difficult to determine. It is known that besides painting, upgrading to custom trim and mouldings has also consistently proved to be a profitable investment. Like painting, it increases the overall value more than what it costs to have done and helps sell a home much faster.
The Benefits of a Neutral Palette:
Most realtors know from experience that neutral colours appeal to a broader range of buyers because it easier for them to envision their own furnishings in your home. This also allows them to move in without having to re-paint right away. They realize that this will save them money at a time when available funds are normally stretched to the limit with the initial purchase of the home. With a house that is ‘move in ready’, any buyer will be able to personalize their new surroundings with other colours at their convenience, when extra funds become available.
For interiors:
- Use quality paint because labor costs more than paint, so the fewer coats it takes to cover, the less it will cost in labor.
- Studies have been made that show that homes with kitchens painted with a creamy or wheat yellow sold at a higher premium on average. Also, light sage or light olive and creamy bright beiges, can work well. Homes with white kitchens normally do not sell as well.
- Living rooms can be painted creamy whites, light grey tones or dove grey and light beiges
- Bedrooms painted in light earth tones like a light sage/olive or dove grey, or creamy beiges were also prevalent among top sellers.
- Bathrooms can be painted light greens, blues or tans like oatmeal.
- Small washrooms or any small room can be painted bright off-white colours so they feel more spacious.
- Your house can be staged much easier with neutral colours
- Dark colours in general are not recommended.
- Older homes might benefit more from using flat paint because any wall imperfections will look less pronounced.
See the difference from changing to a neutral colour: (before & after pics)
*Click on image to open gallery
For exteriors:
Curb appeal is very important because you want buyers to get warm inviting feeling at first glance. For here in St. John’s, colour choices can vary greatly depending on where you live. For example, downtown St. John’s is well known for its mulit-coloured row houses, so your choices can be much more varied and forgiving.
Once again in general, light neutral colours sell a home faster. For many exteriors you will have to choose 3 different colours (siding, trim and accents), which can be a bit challenging but very rewarding if carefully chosen. Choosing trim colour a few shades lighter than the siding works well for most colours. For a pleasing contrast, you can choose a darker colour for the accent or details.
- Siding painted blue or blue/grey is a leading favorite with green following second and dark reds can be appealing when used tastefully. Light creams, taupe, tans, or greys with off-white shades for the trim, tend to work well. Bright yellows are not recommended but light yellows with white trim and red accent can be surprisingly beautiful.
- Brick or stone homes do well with the trim painted dark red, deep greens.
- Consider the colour of other areas of the home such as the roof or any stone or brick. You will want to compliment any other large surface areas.
- Purple, pink, or orange are normally not recommended.
- Front door – painting the front door with a colour that ‘pops’ can help create great ‘curb appeal’. You want to be careful to pick a colour that compliments the siding and trim colour. A deep grey blue door can create a stately look on a light grey home. *White doors have low curb appeal and should be painted a nice colour.
For colour ideas, you can visit neighborhoods where new higher end homes are being built, to see what colours are being used.
By JellyBean Painters