If you want to make your home a hot property for resale, warm up to colour. Contrary to popular belief, colours with personality have been shown to be more effective at closing a deal. In fact, soothing shades of green, brown and yellow paint may even help a home sell faster than builder’s white or beige.
First impressions are everything when selling your home, and paint is the easiest and least expensive way to create an appealing atmosphere for potential buyers. The more attractive and comfortable you make your home, the more it will entice prospective buyers to make an offer.
Detach from the process. Look at the property from a buyer’s perspective. Don’t think of it as your house anymore. You’re selling a product now.
Focus on fixtures. Since your furnishings will be going with you when you move, select a colour scheme best suited to your home’s stationary items, such as flooring, cabinetry and countertops. When choosing paint for a living or dining room, for example, hold paint swatches right next to the floor, not only in the middle of the wall, to ensure the tones work well together.
Play the odds. Select paint colours that are palatable to a broad a range of potential buyers. Earth tones that reflect the colours of nature, such as muted shades of green, brown, yellow, blue, red, grey and tan, work best since they create a warm and inviting environment. CIL’s top picks are Napa Valley (90YY 35/304) green, Otter Brook (80YR 11/151) brown, Flaxseed (50YY 80/242) yellow, and Lakemont Blue (70BG 11/257) blue.
Create interest. Painting a focal wall in a warm colour adds personality to a room and may draw increased interest from prospects. This technique is especially effective in key rooms like the master bedroom and dining area, where a splash of colour can do wonders in adding charm to a space without overwhelming it.
Accentuate the positives. Use colour to highlight impressive features of a home or detract from less desirable elements. For example, upgrades such as crown molding can be accented by painting them a colour that contrasts slightly with the walls. Smaller spaces can be visually expanded with shades of cool blue or muted green, and a dark entryway can be warmed up with sunny yellow to maximize the play of light.
For a minimum investment, paint can help yield maximum return when selling your home. William Shakespeare’s claim that ‘all the world’s a stage’ is particularly true when putting your home on the market. Using the right colours will set the stage for a successful and profitable outcome.
(Photos – Gacek Design Group; Shannon Malone)
