Fresh Paint is Always a Good Idea

Nothing helps curb appeal more than an update to the exterior paint color scheme.  Granted, it is often not the most economical update but on many properties it will be the most valuable and have the highest return on your investment. 

 

 

In the Internet era that we now live in where you have maybe 5 seconds to grab a viewers attention, the exterior paint may be the most worthwhile thing to do when preparing your home for sale.  

 

 

If your intention is to sell then go with trending color schemes.  Ones that are appearing in popular home catalogs like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn and that you are seeing on Pinterest, Instagram and design blogs like Sunset Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, and even check luxury real estate sites like coldwellbankerluxury.com and californiahome.me.

 

Avoid cutting edge and unique color schemes, go with what you see in across many different platforms and on many different styled homes.  If you have a ranch home look at new home developments that mimic the look of your home.  If you have a mid-century modern style home consider searching up Eichler homes and designs.

 

 

This unfortunately often means erasing any of your own personal style and personality for that matter.  However if your intent it truly to sell then you need to get out of your own way and think about what other people like.  The easiest way to know what other people like is social media.  It literally shows the number of likes a photo has gotten.

 

 

They spend a good amount of money on market research for good reason.  When you walk into a model home it feels like you have stepped into a magazine with so many fun elements and things that catch your eye.  Their point is to sell homes so they want to wow you so much that you fall in love with it whether your were seriously looking to buy or not.

 

 

Every time I have sold a new construction home in a development the buyer is always shocked and a little let down at how plain their home looks and how expensive even the simplest of ‘upgrades’ seemed to cost.

 

Another good idea is to look at your home and see if there is anything that could quickly at a minimal cost improve the look of your home to a more “this century” look. Trimming can often do the trick. Shutters are inexpensive to purchase at any big box store and easy to install.  They can take a home that is lacking charm and instantly correct it.  Dated iron or brick pillars on the front porch can be replaced with wood or stone depending on where you live and what your overall neighborhood looks like.  Taking an old fence down or putting up a new picket fence can increase the curb appeal with a relatively low cost.

 

 

Just be sure to do what is right for your particular home, not just what you see in photos on any home.  For this you may need to lean on a friend or two and your Realtor.  We all have a lot of pride and tend to be reluctant to admit that we may not know the best answer.  Running ideas by a few friends from various different circles before you make the investment will give you an idea of what the general public will think of the changes too.  Isn’t it better to get your pride slightly bruised rather than get your pocket book depleted?  If you trust your Realtor to sell what may be your largest asset you should trust them to pick a paint color and increase your home’s curb appeal.