How To Increase The Sale Value Of Your Home (With Paint)

09 Dec How To Increase The Sale Value Of Your Home (With Paint)

The harsh Kansas City winter is finally here. Okay, as I type this it’s actually 50 degrees outside and very uncharacteristically sunny for December. But the harsh winter is coming! The Farmer’s Almanac predicts a short – but severe – season. Your daydreams will soon turn to spring flowers and sunny days after a few months of winter weather sets in. And spring means two things to Kansas City…the return of Royals baseball, and moving season.

If you’re moving, you’ll want to know how to increase the sale value of your home in any way possible. And if you’re planning sell, let me tell you, the preparation needs to start early. Getting ready to sell your home takes months. And the weather precludes you from doing much exterior maintenance while snow is on the ground and temperatures hover around zero.

There’s plenty that you can do to get started early, primarily by organizing and “essentializing” your stuff. What needs to go along with the move? What can you trade in, donate or throw away leading up to the move? Just reducing the amount of stuff you have both ease the burden of moving and make your home look more open, a key element to increasing sale value.

Some of the biggest improvements you make actually revolve around the paint in your home. Not just having a fresh coat, but using paint strategically to increase the price people are willing to pay for your home.  Here’s a few examples:

• Make Your Kitchen Sizzle – Most people don’t have the cash for a full blown kitchen update just prior to moving. Not to mention, you wouldn’t see a return on that spend. But aged cabinetry can come to life quickly by painting them. A dark kitchen literally transforms itself with the right paint colors, which includes the physical cabinets and shelves. It’s a chance to make your home unique!

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• Color tricks the mind – The size of your home dramatically affects its sale value, but square footage isn’t the only space that counts to prospective home buyers. There’s also the concept of “visual space” to consider. Tricking the mind into thinking there’s more room than there actually is. Replace heavy closed draperies with vertical blinds or shutters to let light in — a sunny room feels larger and more open. Also, try adding a single large mirror to a room to visually double the space. Finally, you cannot manipulate look and feel more than with airy, warm colors that maximize every ounce of natural or manmade light they come across. Dark rooms feel small. Old paint feels small. Fix both problems at once!

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• Get big returns on small bathrooms – Bathroom updates are always a smart move. Just like with a kitchen, you don’t have to redo the whole thing to get a positive return from your efforts. Even if you can’t afford a full remodel, small changes such as replacing dated wallpaper with a faux or textured finish and replacing old lighting will update the room without denting your wallet. Most importantly, fresh paint with soft hues make a bathroom feel clean and inviting. Don’t let small bathrooms turn into big problems either – use the tactics above to make these rooms bigger, better (and more valuable).

We could go on for a while. But I think you see the point. There’s so many ways that a professional paint job can improve the sale value of your home, that not doing it is just plain silly. And if you needed extra motivation, check out our winter paint special going on right now.  It’s the Christmas gift that keeps on giving! Contact us now via the short form on the right to get yours!