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.
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.
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.
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.
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.