I hear this type of remark so often, “My husband doesn’t want to paint the house before we sell it because the buyers are just going to come in and paint it to their taste. It’s a waste of money.” Well, that may or may not be the case. There are actually multiple reasons to paint prior to putting your home on the market.
- It’s true that everyone has different tastes. So you’ve chosen bold blue because it helps wake you up and get you going but to the buyer it just hits them in the face. Or you love that sunny yellow in the kitchen because, truth be known, you really don’t like to cook and the yellow helps keep you bubbly and optimistic. But your potential buyer loves to cook and they want something that is more serene and relaxing because they spend lots of time in the kitchen. Taste specific colors just don’t work when selling your home. It is hard for buyers to imagine
themselves in the home when your color choices are overwhelming to them.
- Buyers today are looking for move in ready homes. They don’t want to have to worry about repairs or about painting. If you have chosen a nice neutral color, the buyer will most likely be content with leaving it the color it is.
- Another selling mistake is to leave rooms painted different colors. This may have worked great for you, each room’s color may have been chosen by the children whose room it is, and they love it. However, this makes the house feel choppy to the potential buyers. They may well end up getting distracted by the different colors or the too personal color choices and not truly see the house and its attractions.
- You may have already chosen a nice neutral color a couple of years ago. If the walls are still looking pristine then, great, you’re good to go. But, if there are signs of wear and tear; e.g., scuffs on the baseboards, fingerprints or scratches on the walls, wear on the paint because someone drew on the wall with crayons and it took some of the paint off when cleaning it, or scuffs and dings where things have hit the wall, then painting is a must.
- I almost always recommend touching up all the baseboards whether they are painted or stained. Baseboards can really take a lot of abuse and make the home look “unkempt” if not touched up. If painted, it really doesn’t take much to get those looking good. Just put on a new coat of the same color (usually white). If the baseboards are stained, I recommend using a slightly darker stain over the baseboards than the existing stain. This hides those little nicks and scratches nicely and you’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes in the overall feel and appeal of the home.
If you are not sure of which colors to use you may want to visit your local Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore stores for suggestions. They will have a good idea of the popular neutral colors being used today. Or, if you are in the Denver Metro area, we at Colorado Premier Staging would love to help you with one of our Color Consultations.