Selling Your Home? Add Fresh Paint To Improve Your Home’s Resale Value

21 Sep Selling Your Home? Add Fresh Paint To Improve Your Home’s Resale Value

A New Coat of Paint = Better Home Prices

If you’re considering a new home purchase, chances are it’s contingent on selling your current home. It’s a not-so-well-kept secret that painting your house prior to putting it on the market is one of the easiest ways to boost the asking price.

Now is not the time to install those granite countertops or finish your basement. There’s a strong chance that the improvements you’ve been dreaming of won’t get your money back, let alone generate a positive return on the investment.

To get the best price you can without breaking the bank, grab a roller or hire a professional painter. Painting is the tried-and-true home improvement that always grabs attention. If your realtor is worth his salt, he’ll tell you the same…improving your home’s resale asking price may be as easy as sprucing it up with updated paint.

What Buyers Notice When Looking At Homes

Buyers will look at whatever they see first. Naturally, repainting your front door is a great place to start. Make sure and py special attention to any areas that home buyers will see first.

On the front facade and anything that surrounds the front door, remove or repaint any peeling or flaking to help out with curb appeal and improve the overall first impression. Be sure to repair wood rot, nail holes or cracks.

Here’s a pro’s inside tip; choose an eggshell or a dull matte paint finish to take the focus off any flaws and imperfections, especially if you’re in direct sunlight.

Be mindful of what YOU see first when you walk up to or inside your house.  Ask friends or neighbors who aren’t over much to give their input.  A fresh set of eyes never hurts when you’re evaluating areas for improvement.

Go Neutral…Or Go Bold

Orange and yellow walls show bold color to try and help boost resale value for a new home. Some people just love deep, rich reds. Others may become turned off by it.

If you want to stand out and swing for the fences, go ahead and go bold. Just know that along with potentially making this a “perfect find” for the right buyer, you might be alienating a large portion of the market. A safer choice is a nice, neutral tan or beige. Safety first!

If the current paint is still in good condition, a light pressure wash might be all you need. It’ll brighten the exterior and create a welcome feel for your upcoming visitors. If your home exterior is purple or if your wallpaper was around when the Beetles were still together, now is the time to go for cream, beige or other neutral colors.

Most realtors even recommend repainting the entirety of your home’s interior in an off-white shade just to provide a clean slate for the new buyer. This advice is especially valid for high-end homes where the picky buyers will spend freely to “make it their own” after closing. It might not be your style, but the more neutral colors that are in your home’s color palette, the more possibilities a buyer will see.

A lot of homes sell on the concept of what’s possible versus what you present to the buyer. Here are a few great tips on what to do in the video below:

The Best Paint Colors for Resale Value in 2021

When you decide to sell your home, the paint colors you choose can make or break how many offers you receive. If you decide that your current paint job is holding you back, there are some general rules to follow to give you the greatest resale value.

Interior Painting Trends

Luckily, painting your home is a cheaper option to boost your resale value. Painting rooms that will be the highlight of your house tours, such as the kitchen and bathroom, will increase the resale price of your home and draw in potential buyers.

Although you may love how each room in your home is a different color, it’s best to choose one neutral paint color for the primary living areas to boost your resale value. Paint spaces such as the living room, family room, dining room and kitchen should be at least two shades lighter or darker than the flooring in your home.

If you have the budget, you might choose to paint the bathrooms and bedrooms in the same neutral color as the rest of your home. Some interior colors that are the best for selling a house are:

• White
• Gray
• Taupe
• Pale blue

The goal is to create a blank canvas for a potential buyer. Painting your home one neutral shade may be all it takes for a buyer to see themselves in the space forever.

Exterior Painting Trends

Repainting the exterior of your home is just as important as painting its interior. The exterior of your home is the first thing a potential buyer will see, and you want it to make a good first impression.

Like your interior, you generally want your exterior to feature a neutral shade that will fit in with your home’s landscape. While you want to complement your neighbors’ houses, you don’t want your home to be the exact color of the houses surrounding it.

Some exterior colors that will give you the best resale value are:

• White
• Gray
• Beige
• Taupe

A house that is too bright or too dark may turn potential buyers away before they even step foot in your door. You want your house to welcome buyers like it once did when you bought it years ago.

The Best Paint Colors for Resale Overall

If you’re still questioning whether painting increases home value, the short answer is yes. Cool neutrals remain the go-to paint colors due to their abilities to visually enlarge small spaces. Invest and repaint your home to boost your resale value.

Think Before Hiring A Professional Painting Company

You can always do it yourself, but hiring a pro can save time and generate a truly impressive finished product. Be careful to choose wisely. Hiring the wrong company will cost you three times as much if they don’t finish on time or do a half-hearted job. Take the time to hire the right person or group, do some research.  Here’s a quick checklist to consider:

• When hiring a professional painter, always check for references. An established business should have plenty!
• Check their insurance – both Workman’s Comp and Liability Insurance. You don’t want to be on the hook for either one if something goes wrong!
• Find out what their warranty is. Most painters will offer a year. A warranty of 3-5 yrs is a good sign that the company is willing to stand behind their work no matter what – and this carries over after sale – which can be a great selling point to a potential new owner.
• Ask WHO is doing the work…the person you’re talking to and their company employees, or a sub-contractor. True professionals will never sub-out their work (many overlook this fact, unfortunately).

When it’s all said and done, you’ll have a home that stands out with incredible curb appeal and a ‘wow’ factor on the inside, both of which are key to making sure you get every dollar possible out of your sale. Good luck!

-Updated 9/21/2021