Paint Your Home If You Plan to Sell It

When trying to sell your home, color can make all the difference. You need to consider both the interior and exterior. First, and foremost, paint the exterior.

Depending on what a buyer thinks about the outside of the house, will determine whether or not they want to look at the inside. This is called curb appeal, and your realtor will tell you it is the single greatest factor in selling your home. Some potential buyers will pull up in front and drive away without even entering the home, if it does not have great curb appeal. Check out these before and after painting job pictures. AMAZING difference! The home on the left is outdated, a blue/grey 1990’s shade of color. It has not trim color definitions. The windows look plain, boring. The front porch, a main selling point is dark and drab. Now, look at the after painting picture to the right. WOW! What a difference. Modern, updated colors. Much lighter and brighter. The shutters are painted gloss black to give definition and boldness to the front. The porch is two toned and inviting. Notice the chimney painted now? It adds height and stature to the home. Brilliant! This house sold days after the painting project and with other homes for sale on the street competing with it.

Now if your budget still permits. Paint the interior of your home. And you can have the interior painted at the same time by your painting contractor as the exterior and usually save money on both of those painting quotes.

Think NEUTRAL when choosing your interior painting colors. You know that bright orange you love so much in your laundry room? Or the sky blue in your master bath? Paint over it with neutral colors. Any realtor will tell you, neutral, neutral, neutral. You may love that orange and blue but your potential buyer may hate it. A buyer will see what colors they want on a neutral wall and plan for that if they make an offer on the home. Bright colors tells a buyer that they must paint that when they buy the home. Khaki colors for walls are modern and neutral and most popular. White trim is a great way to freshen the accent areas. You can repaint white trim to freshen up from wear and tear and make it look clean/new. If you have outdated stained wood trim, you can either let it be and hope the homeowner is OK with that…or for reasonable costs, you have the wood trim primed and painted to a nice gloss white and modernize that interior area of your home. White, glossy trim makes a big difference in the interior look and age of the home.

There are so many things that can make your home look unkept and dirty, such as dings in the dry wall, pet hair, stains, etc. Painting the walls will seal in those odors, and cover up those dings and spots. It is also a wonderful idea for families with children. Painting will hide those hand prints and crayon marks. It is an inexpensive way to increase the market value of your home, which in the end will attract more potential buyers.

Also consider the season in which you’re looking to sell. Most homeowners put their home up for sale in the Spring. Spring is a time for sprucing up the inside and the outside of the home. Landscaping, winter clean up and PAINTING! Using updated colors can really bring out the architectural details of your home. You want to make sure to use modern and updated paint colors to keep it looking fresh and new. Most good painting contractors and quality paint making companies have the newest colors ready to present to you by Spring.