A fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest, most cost-effective, and most efficient ways to update a home.  It returns a positive ROI (Return on Investment) and generally helps houses sell faster and for a higher price.

Over the years, The Keller Williams The Trembley Group Real Estate Professionals have worked with a lot of home buyers, sellers, other realtors, and stagers. They know what works and what does not.  When it comes to selling a house, they recommend choosing colors that appeal to buyers – colors that are neutral, light, inviting, and show a space well. Ironically, these colors are relatively consistent with the most popular shades of paint that most homeowners choose for themselves when they are planning to stay and live in their homes.

Any homeowner wants their home to feel like them. And when decorating, it’s important to choose colors that reflect personal style and personality. This goes for the interior and exterior paint colors of a home.

But, when it’s time to move on, a seller might want to adjust their color palette before putting a home on the market. It only makes sense, and prospective buyers might not share the same sense of style.

If bright colors are throughout a home, it might be a good idea to refresh the designs to something that will appeal to a broader market. The goal is to make it easier for potential buyers to imagine how they can decorate and finish the space to make it their own. When choosing colors, find shades that will show off the space – colors that will make rooms look bigger and brighter.

Choosing a light, fresh shade of paint can make your space look larger, more cohesive, and neutral. This may be enough to help buyers imagine themselves living there. In addition, according to a recent article from USA Today, How to Paint Your Way to a Profitable, Faster Home Sale, choosing the right shade of paint can make an impact on how much your home sells for.

According to Dan DiClerico, a smart home expert for HomeAdvisor, a home improvement platform, in New York City, painting a home before putting it up for sale can be critical to selling it faster and for a better price.

Given the relatively inexpensive cost of painting, DiClerico suggests it’s a good investment even if it just helps you sell faster. However, he says sellers make two common mistakes: either they don’t paint at all or they paint every single inch, which may be unnecessary, he says.

“If you’re on a budget, pick your battles,” suggests Kerrie Kelly, owner of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab in Sacramento, California, and interior design spokesperson for Zillow. “At a minimum, I’d paint the front door, the main living space, and the kitchen. You could paint the bathrooms, too, but you might be better off just giving the grout a good cleaning.”

Kelly recommends adding a darker or brighter front door for curb appeal. She suggests a semi-gloss or even a high-gloss black or navy-blue front door to add excitement to a white house.

Inside, though, “Neutral plays well,” Kelly says. “You don’t want bright yellow or red walls because you want people to visualize themselves and their furniture in the house.”

The most popular color for walls in the kitchen and bathrooms is gray, followed by white and beige.

In an open floor plan, white unifies the space so buyer’s eyes aren’t distracted by a lot of color. Then the buyer’s imagination can add a little color with their furniture or window treatments

For bedrooms, soothing colors such as a very light blue or very light gray are best, she says. Sometimes a darker yet neutral gray or blue can work in a private space such as a home office or media room where the doors are typically closed. 

To appeal to the broadest range of buyers, choosing the right color is essential. For specific color recommendations, home sellers should check out Fool-Proof Paint Colors That Will Sell Your Home by Maria Conti at hgtv.com.

 The Keller Williams The Trembley Group Realtors are full-time professionals. They know how to sell a house. They are always willing to meet with home sellers to discuss the best strategies for selling a house fast and for the highest price.  

Need help? Call Keller Williams The Trembley Group at 843.945.1880 ext. 1 and we’ll help you look for the perfect listing or buyers agent!

At Keller Williams The Trembley Group, we pride ourselves on being the experts at more than just selling real estate. We are local residents, some of us have been here for a lifetime. The rest of us will be here until the end of time. We love living, working, and playing in the diverse backyard of Coastal Carolina, and look forward to helping you live and love your dreams soon too. Please reach out to us by phone or email for personalized service and one-on-one advice. 

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