When we settle into our homes, we select paint colors because we like how they reflect the family members’ personalities in that home, or maybe it’s a current trend.You move into a house and make it your family’s home, andyour friends “Love what you’ve done.”
Fast-forward to the day you’re ready to turn the house over to the next owner. Those same colors can chop up the flow of a home; they can be too bright or dark, and they may not be the best colors to show off your countertops, flooring, or woodwork. You’ll be frustrated trying to understand what potential buyers mean when you see they comment with, “The house needs a lot of updating.”
So, how do you solve this problem?
Laura Baker is one of Essential Real Estate’s go-to experts for guiding clients to prepare their homes for sale. Even in hot markets, it pays to put a little time and money into getting your house ready to thrill multiple potential buyers on day one. I asked Laura to share some of her magic.
Forget the trends and select a warm, soft neutral that enhances the hard surfaces and flows throughout the house, creating a warm, cohesive feeling.That sounds easy, but standing at the paint store looking over a sea of samples in fluorescent lighting can be anything but an easy selection.The lighting, natural lighting, reflections from outdoors, carpeting, and hard surfaces in the store will differ significantly from what you have in your home. All those items will change how a paint color looks on your walls.
Select a dozen or more swatches from the paint store when selecting the perfect neutral. Keep them on Gray’s warm side through Beige, with lighter tints and medium shades.Bring them into your house to view on sunny and cloudy days.Hold them next to your woodwork.The right color will make your woodwork look rich; the wrong color can make the woodwork look dull or pull out unattractive tones. Next, take the paint samples to your countertops.Does it pull out the most complimentary colors or bring out tones that are not so great?Tape the final selections to your wall near woodwork and your hard surfaces.You will be surprised how quickly you can narrow down a paint sample to one or two in just a short time.
Essential Real Estate home selling clients receive consultation with Laura when they sign our listing contract. If selling isn’t in your plans this year, you can still get Laura’s expert guidance by hiring her to consult. Connect with Laura at RSS(dotted)home(dotted)staging(at)gmail(dotted)com. Learn more about Laura at her Ready, Set, Sell Home Staging web site.