An important part of getting your home ready to sell – and sell quickly – is paying attention to the condition and color of any painted surfaces. From your front door and mailbox to living room walls and kitchen cabinets, color matters! Plus, a fresh coat of paint suggests to potential buyers that you’ve taken care of your home and maintained it well. Realtors frequently advise their clients to freshen up the paint in their homes for sale, and there’s a common misconception that when real estate professionals say “go neutral” it means “paint everything white or cream.” Instead, neutral really means choosing colors that don’t distract potential buyers or make them feel your home isn’t move-in-ready. Neutral doesn’t mean boring – it means making your home appear to be an easy backdrop for a new owners’ lifestyle.
Let’s take a look at some of the exterior and interior paint colors that sell homes. Keep in mind that color trends do vary from market to market: What “normal” means in Miami, FL, may be very different from normal in Boise, ID.
Exterior Paint Colors for Selling Your Home
One of the best guidelines available for choosing exterior paint colors is to look at new construction. Walk or drive through newly built neighborhoods or new developments and take note of what colors have been used on front doors, shutters, and trim. Copying the paint scheme of a successful development is a good way to ensure your color choices are modern and desirable to buyers.
Second, be sure that your paint scheme fits in with your neighborhood. If all the homes on your cul-de-sac are painted in neutral tones with medium-toned accents, yours may stand out in a bad way if you opt for a bold, dramatic color scheme. Likewise, if your home is the only all-white Victorian on a street, you may want to consider a paint scheme that fits in better with the era your home (and neighbors’) was built.
Don’t just look for big problems or flaking paint. Check your front door, mailbox post, deck, porch railings, trim, and so on to be sure everything looks well-maintained, bright, and clean.
Best Exterior Siding and Trim Colors
- White is a classic option that almost always looks good. White paint makes your home seem larger, appears clean, and looks bright even in shade.
- Beige is a conservative, natural option that’s especially nice in wooded and/or landscaped settings, and it pairs nicely with brick siding if chosen in a hue that complements the brick.
Best Front Door Colors
Don’t just paint your front door the same color as all of the exterior trim. Your home’s curb appeal will be much greater if you select an attractive, welcoming color to set the stage as people enter your home. According to Benjamin Moore, sophisticated dark red, deep mallard, and middle tones of olive are all excellent front door color selections.
Interior Paint Colors for Selling Your Home
.png?width=230&name=Untitled%20design%20(1).png)
Look at Pottery Barn, The Company Store, West Elm, Sundance Catalog, IKEA's Inspiration Boards, or other catalogs that feature popular home products. You’ll typically find a lot of neutrals and grays, accented with pops of color. Take your cue from these fashionable catalogs, or design magazines such as Interior Design, House Beautiful, Traditional Home, Elle Décor, and others. Interior designs you’ll see within their pages will reflect current trends and tastes well.
NOTE: While wallpaper seems to be having a resurgence in interior design right now, it’s still wisest to take down almost any wallpaper in your home – especially anything more than two or three years old and/or anything with a bold pattern or color. Instead, repaint in a more neutral, contemporary color.
Best Interior Wall Colors
- Earth tones are excellent choices, as they look warm and inviting. Earth tones don’t have to be brown – any nature-inspired color will work, from the pale peachy pink of dawn to cheerful sky blues and lovely, lush greens. Just keep the colors muted, not bright!
- True neutrals – shades of white, cream, beige, and tan – always look good in photos and don’t turn buyers off because they are a blank slate. Paint manufacturers have hundreds of “white” paint colors, all with different brightness, color undertones, and sheen. Our best advice is not to choose a White-Out™ white; instead, choose a softer and warmer color variant.
- Grays are having a moment right now! They are very popular, chic and sophisticated. Just be careful not to have too much of a good thing – too much gray (just like too much beige) can look dull and dark.
It’s always a great idea to consult with an interior design professional or professional home stager – especially if your goal is to sell your home quickly for the top possible price. If you need a referral to a designer or stager, please give us a call or shoot us an email.
As always, at The Vincent Group at GreatNest we are proud to save our clients money by charging a low set fee instead of a percentage commission. We are a full-service real estate company serving buyers and sellers in Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Jamestown, and other Piedmont Triad areas. Please get in touch with one of our experienced real estate professionals.