Painting your house before you sell

One of the many calls we receive is about painting your house before you sell. There are several questions about it, so lets dive into it to get you what we do and what we know.

What rooms should I paint before I sell my home?

The best answer for this question will depend on the wear and tear of the home. For example, the laundry room and mud room. It has been the source for every dump site from kids over the past 10 years of little league games, snow and mud covered shoes and hands. Odds are this will be a room you will need to paint.

Traditionally, we are painting the main areas of the homes. What is seen when you walk in? What do you want to customers to think of – how much work it needs or this is really great? Paint is cheap compared to other fixes of the home, but it is the most value in terms of appeal. A red dining room is not going to get you many fans these days, and that is all they will think about and the first thing a potential buyer will scoff at once they are back in their car.

So if you’re thinking about painting your house before you sell, take a quick walk around your home.

• Take a look at the doors and door frames- are they dirty or do they need paint?
• Do you have a lot of holes from pictures on the walls- can they be covered up?
• Are the walls banged up with nicks and dings?
• Are there a lot of scuff marks – usually in the closet?
• How are the kids bedrooms? No colors that will send people away angry?
• Bathroom walls- do they show signs of water?

What colors should I paint before I sell my home?

This is a very interesting question as there are no great answers, because to say neutral is not a safe answer any more. It used to be a neutral earth tone was great, not any more. There are people that love a solid white house, but not everyone. We do many homes in gray, but the gray’s have so many underlying tones of blue, green, etc. It can be hard to pick one that some may decide not to keep in the house because they hate the color! Crazy right?

That being said, for the most part we are picking neutral grays, such as Agreeable gray from Sherwin Williams is very popular right now.

Does the Sheen matter when repainting a house?

I would say yes. When choosing a paint finish, this is our recommendation: Flat paints show the color the best, low sheen has a nice look to it, and eggshell is a bit more washable. If you get into a satin or semi-gloss it can look good, but it is hard to touch up and look good because it shows every problem, nail, repair, etc. on the wall. So again I would say use a flat or a lower sheen.

Should I get an interior house painting estimate virtually?

Well, yes you can but if you’re selling I would not. We should see the home and property to verify any damage that needs to be repaired prior to giving a final cost.

Can painting a home before selling increase value?

This is a definite yes. If the home is dirty, has bad colors, water damage stains on ceiling, holes in the walls from previous pictures it all leads to a person saying- UGH! It does for me, so I know I can’t be the only person feeling the same thing. “Is there water damage?” is not a question you want a buyer to be thinking. You want the buyer excited about moving in, not stressed about having to find a painter before they can move in. Curb appeal matters, if it didn’t your brand new used car would not have been detailed before you bought it.

If you have questions about painting your house before you sell, let us know how we can help.